1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:1 Faith in the Son as the Way to Life. So far, John has written much about love and obedience, but not so much about faith. He now shifts to the importance of believing in the Son. Of 1 John 1:1’s 10 references to believing, seven are in ch. 1 John 5:1. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = do... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:2 Obeying God’s COMMANDMENTS in Scripture is the way to LOVE THE CHILDREN OF GOD. God’s commandments show believers the way to do good for others (see Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:3 NOT BURDENSOME. God’s love existing in his people gives them the desire to love and please him. Rightly understood and followed, God’s COMMANDMENTS bring believers great joy and freedom (compare Matthew 11:28). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for ... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:4 OVERCOMES THE WORLD. See John 16:33. Genuine Christians do not let the world turn them away from following Christ. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:6 WATER most likely refers to Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. BLOOD signifies Christ’s atoning death on the cross. THE SPIRIT IS THE ONE WHO TESTIFIES. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the fact that Christ CAME. The Spirit works in believers’ hearts. He convicts them of s... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:7 The gospel is not based merely on human testimony. There are in fact THREE THAT TESTIFY. These are the witness of the SPIRIT (see note on v. 6), the WATER baptism of Jesus, with the voice from heaven (Mark 1:10; John 1:32), and the BLOOD of Jesus (see note on 1 John 5:6). T... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:9 THE TESTIMONY OF GOD. John claims divine authority for his teaching. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:10 HAS THE TESTIMONY IN HIMSELF. Christians have the Holy Spirit’s presence and work within them. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:11 The TESTIMONY supporting faith in Christ is the message of Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection. Through these, ETERNAL LIFE is available through faith IN HIS SON. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:12 HAS THE SON implies a faith that is evident through love for others and devotion to God. Whoever DOES NOT HAVE LIFE faces eternal punishment (John 3:36). On Jesus as the one and only way to God, see notes on John 14:6; 1 John 2:23. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:13 Final Call to Faith and Understanding. “Know” occurs seven times in these verses. This indicates John’s focus on the assurance of Christian faith and salvation. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:14 To ASK God ACCORDING TO HIS WILL means Christians should pray in line with what the Bible teaches about God’s will for his people (compare Matthew 6:10; Ephesians 5:17). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:15 WE HAVE THE REQUESTS. Christians do not receive everything they ask for from God, even things that seemingly agree with his will. This verse must be understood in light of other passages of Scripture: praying according to God’s will includes the need to pray in faith (Matt... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:16 SIN NOT LEADING TO DEATH is sin for which forgiveness is possible because (1) forgiveness is sought and (2) God is willing to grant it. DEATH and eternal LIFE are present spiritual states. They are also ultimate actual destinies (hell, heaven). SIN THAT LEADS TO DEATH is p... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:17 ALL WRONGDOING is a matter of grave concern, in light of God’s utter perfection and zealous love. However, not all sin leads TO DEATH (see note on v. 16), so Christians should pray for their own and others’ forgiveness. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("im... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:18 DOES NOT KEEP ON SINNING. See notes on 3:6–7; 3:9–10. HE WHO WAS BORN OF GOD refers to Jesus Christ. In his physical birth, Jesus was “born of God” in that he was sent from God the Father and was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). In his resurrection from the dead,... [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:19 WE ARE FROM GOD. Christians have been spiritually reborn. In that sense they are children of God. THE WHOLE WORLD. See note on 2:15. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 JOHN—NOTE ON 1 JOHN 5:20 HAS COME points to the incarnation. GIVEN... UNDERSTANDING. Christians receive grace to help them understand biblical teaching and put it into practice. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]