1 John 5:1-12 Lesson 463

1 John 5:1-12
Lesson 463

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

God gives eternal life.

Note the number of times the word "witness" appears in verses 5:6-10.
Why?

Study Tip:

Read Bible passages a second time to reinforce lessons learned and catch points you might have missed.

The First Epistle of John

The King James Bible

1 John 5:1-12
God's three Witnesses

1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Margin Notes:

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." (5:1) - "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born again." Believing on some obscure level that Jesus is the Messiah is not enough. Christians believe in their heart that Jesus is the Messiah and try to be more Christ-like.  It is faith in Jesus that saves us.

"Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." (5:1) - "Everyone who loves the Father also loves His children."

"Keep his commandments." (5:2) - "Obey His commandments."

"This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." (5:3) - Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15).

"His commandments are not grievous." (5:3) - God's commandments are not hard for those who love Christ. Serving someone you love is never a burden. Devout Christians wish they could be of greater service to God. See also Matthew 11:30.

"Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world." (5:4) - "Whoever believes in God defeats the world."

"Who is he that overcometh the world." (5:5) - Who can defeat the world and resist its temptations and sinful ways? Faithful Christians.  We overcome temptation, or it overcomes us.

"He that came by water and blood." (5:6) - This is a difficult verse to interpret. It probably refers to the water of Jesus' baptism and the blood of His crucifixion.

"Not by water only, but by water and blood." (5:6) - "Not only by His baptism but also by His crucifixion."

"The Spirit is truth. (5:6) - John14:17

"There are three that bear record in heaven..." (5:7-8) - "There are three that bear witness in heaven..." For centuries, many bible scholars believed that verses 5:7-8 were not written by John but were added after he passed away.  The oldest known Greek manuscripts do not have these two verses, making their point hard to refute.

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." (5:9) - "We believe the testimony of men, but the testimony of God is more trustworthy."

"This is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." (5:9) - When did God testify (tell us) that Jesus was His son? Read Matthew 3:16-17 and 17:5.

"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." (5:10) - Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ knows in their heart (their inner intuitive witness) the truth (Romans 8:16; John 3:33; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 4:6).

"He that believeth not God hath made him a liar."(5:10) - "Those who don't believe God are calling Him a liar."

"God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (5:11) - John is reinforcing this truth from John 1:4.

"He that hath the Son hath life." (5:12) - This one verse sums up the entire passage: believe in Jesus Christ, and salvation is yours (John 3:36; Acts 16:31).

New Living Translation

1 John 5:1-12
Faith in the Son of God

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.

2 We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments.

3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross-not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.

7 So we have these three witnesses-

8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood-and all three agree.

9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son.

10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son.

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Who is a child of God? (5:1-3)

God speaks to those who listen and listens to those who pray.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. A child of God is anyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah (5:1) and loves and obeys God (5:2). Loving God means obeying His commandments (5:2-3).


Application thought for the day:

"If we receive the testimony of men (5:9) - As we do continually, and must do in a thousand instances. The
testimony of God is greater - Of higher authority, and much more worthy to be received; namely, this very testimony
which God the Father, together with the Word and the Spirit, hath testified of the Son, as the saviour of the world."

(From the commentary of John Wesley (1703-1791).

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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