February 4, 2018
1 / 2 / 3 john
1 John 5:1-21
1 John 5:1-5
Faith in the Incarnate Son of God
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is a continuation of the paragraph before it in chapter 4. It’s like he’s talking to children and saying, 'everyone who knows Jesus is a child of God, and parents tend to love their kids, so don’t be a jerk to God’s kids.’
So John is saying that if anyone really does know Jesus, we are called to love them like God loves them.
This is John’s closing argument on the subject of LOVE, and he closes all 5 chapters by reiterating again: We need to love people, regardless of who they are and what they've done.
1 John 5:6-12
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
This is John’s closing argument on the subject of TRUTH, and he’s reiterating again the truth of who Jesus is.
There is a possibility that the people who have fallen away were spreading the lies that: Jesus wasn’t God, that Salvation came from Jesus’ baptism and not the cross, that the Holy Spirit was not an active part of the story, or any number of other lies…
So to quiet those, John proves that the testimony of who Jesus is comes from 3 different places:
- the Water: the baptism of Jesus where John the Baptist confirmed that Jesus is the Messiah
- the Blood: the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross to extend salvation to all sinners
- the Spirit: the Holy Spirit - 1/3rd of the Trinity, the part of God that lives in believers and guides and directs us
1 John 5:13-21
Concluding Affirmations
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
This is John’s closing argument on the subject of LIFE, so he starts with describing what TRUE LIFE is - salvation.
1 John 16-20
16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life.
If you see someone sinning, pray for them. Don't discount the weight of what prayer can accomplish!
I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.
No one knows exactly what John is referring to here, but I believe he is talking about the unforgivable sin - blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? I believe that it is denying Gods gift of salvation, and saying no to relationship with him.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
What John is referring to, is the same thing he talked about in chapter 3… Anyone who is saved, redeemed, and set free from sin (Christians) will not live a life of habitual, ongoing sin.
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
God gives us understanding, and He reveals Himself to us.
1 John 5:21
21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Basically, John is ending in a very similar way that Paul wrapped up his writing to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 16:13
13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
Stand firm, hold strong, Give yourself to God’s TRUTH, Live out God’s LOVE, and don’t back down from living true LIFE… keep yourself from idols.
Communication Card
- I will work on loving other Christians, because they are God’s kids.
- I will stand on the truth that Jesus is the son of God.
- I will pray for people that I have seen fall away from God and the church.
