These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
I John 5:1-13
Review…
- God is LIGHT – I John 1-2
- God is LOVE – I John 3-4
- The word LOVE is used more in I John – than ANY other book of the Bible…
- I John 4:7-21 – uses the word LOVE 29x – more than any other chapter – the LOVE chapter…
- The key phrase – God is LOVE – meaning LOVE is defined by God…
- So if we have God in our LIVES – then we will have His LOVE for others…
- Because people can NOT see God – but they can see His LOVE through our lives!
- God is LIFE – I John 5
- We have seen the God is LIGHT – that shows us we need Jesus…
- We have seen the God is LOVE – that we receive from Jesus…
- As we come to the final section – we see God is LIFE – by FAITH in Jesus!
God is LIFE…
- 1st – Obedience to Jesus… vs. 1-5
- 1st – Born Again… vs. 1
- Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God!
- ANYONE [πᾶς] who by FAITH [present] – believes [πίστις] Jesus is the CHRIST…
- Jesus is His NAME – [יְהוֹשֻׁעַ] – Yahweh Shua – God is Salvation…
- Christ is His TITLE – [Χριστός] or [מָשִׁיחַ] – meaning the one called to REDEEMS us…
- Is BORN [perfect] of God – or we would say BORN [passive] again – John 3:3
- We have already seen – those who are BORN again – do not LIVE in SIN – I John 3:9
- And that those who are BORN again – LOVE others – I John 4:7
- But here we are told HOW to be BORN again – by putting our FAITH in Jesus…
- This must come FIRST – because until we put our FAITH in Jesus – we CANNOT go any farther!
- 2nd – Obedience is LOVE… vs. 1-3
- Everyone who loves [God] who begot – also loves [those] who are begotten of [God]… vs. 1
- ANYONE [πᾶς] who LOVES God [Father] – the inference is they are BORN again…
- Will also LOVE [ἀγαπάω] others that are also BORN again!
- We are to LOVE our brothers and sisters in the LORD…
- As we have stated before – the MARK of a BELIEVER is to LOVE one another!
- John 13:35 – “All will know that you are My disciples – if you have love for one another.”
- By this we know we love the children of God – when we love God and keep His commandments!
- This is the love of God – that keep His commandments!
- We KNOW [γινώσκω] we are LOVING [ἀγαπάω] other CHILDREN [τέκνον] of God…
- When we LOVE [ἀγαπάω] God – and KEEP [present] His COMMANDMENTS…
- This is the LOVE [ἀγάπη] of God – that we KEEP [present] His COMMANDMENTS…
- COMMANDMENTS [ἐντολή] – referring to the commands of the LAW!
- There are 613 COMMANDS in the LAW – 248 positive – and 365 negative…
- Jesus was asked which COMMAND was the GREATEST – Matthew 22:36-39
- FIRST – LOVE the LORD with all your heart – soul – mind – Deuteronomy 6:5
- SECOND – LOVE your neighbor as yourself – Leviticus 19:18
- We KNOW we are BORN again – when we keep BOTH of these commands…
- Because LOVING the LORD – and LOVING others – fulfills all the other COMMANDS!
- Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
- His commandments are not burdensome!
- His COMMANDMENTS [ἐντολή] – are not HEAVY [burdensome]
- If we are HONEST – we might disagree with John on this point…
- Maybe Christians were different back when John wrote this…
- Because if he could see who comes to church today – NOT easy to LOVE!
- How to OBEY…
- Jesus told the disciples – to LOVE Him – meant keep His COMMANDMENTS…
- John 14:15 – “If you love Me – keep My commandments [ἐντολή].”
- But He went on to tell them HOW – to KEEP [present] them…
- John 14:16 – “I will pray the Father – and He will give you another Helper.”
- If we are STRUGGLING to LOVE one another…
- If we find it is easier to be IRRITATED – or IMPATIENT with our brothers and sisters…
- We are NOT alone – Jesus knew we needed HELP…
- All we need to do is ASK – and God will give us His SPIRIT so we can LOVE – Luke 11:13
- Only then will we be able to truly agree with Jesus!
- Matthew 11:30 – “[His] yoke is easy and [His] burden is light.”
- 3rd – FAITH is the KEY… vs. 4-5
- For whatever is born of God overcomes the world!
- ANYONE [πᾶς] who is BORN [perfect] of God – VICTORY [νίκη] over the WORLD [κόσμος]
- The WORLD tells us we need to LOVE ourselves – NOT others…
- If we LOVE others – what benefit does that have for our lives!
- The WORLD tells us we cannot SEE God – and we are foolish to try and LOVE Him…
- God probably does not even exists – so why WASTE our lives trying to PLEASE Him!
- And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith!
- HOW do we have VICTORY [νίκη] over the LIES of the WORLD [κόσμος] – FAITH [πίστις]
- FAITH is one of those interesting words that it is hard for us to relate to daily life…
- But a good synonym for faith is TRUST – where are we putting our TRUST!
- We could put our TRUST in what the WORLD shows us – tell us…
- But then we would NOT have VICTORY – because we lack FAITH…
- By definition – FAITH is putting our TRUST in something we CANNOT see!
- Hebrews 11:1 – “Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.”
- Who is he who overcomes the world – but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God!
- HOW do we have VICTORY [νίκη] – by putting our FAITH [believe] in Jesus…
- DEFEAT never comes from a lack of FAITH – we all have FAITH!
- Romans 12:3 – “God has dealt to each one a measure of FAITH.”
- But just because I have FAITH I could fly to the moon – that does not mean I can…
- If we put our FAITH in something that does NOT have the POWER – it does not work!
- Jesus talked about great FAITH – Matthew 8:10 – and little FAITH – Matthew 8:26
- That would lead us to believe FAITH is measurable – great or little…
- But Jesus would clarify when the disciples asked Him to INCREASE our FAITH!
- Luke 17:6 – “If you have faith as a mustard seed…”
- FAITH is not about quantity or quality – it is about WHO we put our TRUST in…
- We have VICTORY when we are putting our TRUST in Jesus – the SON of God!
- 1st – Born Again… vs. 1
- 2nd – Evidence for Jesus… vs. 6-11
- EVIDENCE…
- John told us we must put our FAITH in Jesus in order to have VICTORY…
- But maybe that is just his OPINION – what EVIDENCE did he have to verify what he said…
- John gave us FOUR witnesses – to prove WHY Jesus is one to put our FAITH in…
- WITNESS [μαρτυρία] – to give TESTIMONY – EVIDENCE something is TRUE…
- The Word – in its various forms – is used ELEVEN times in this SECTION alone!
- 1st – On Earth… vs. 6 / 8
- This is He who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ – not just water – but by water and blood!
- The FIRST evidence of Jesus – is on EARTH – when He came by WATER and BLOOD…
- There are THREE views on what this might be referring to:
- FIRST – His BIRTH [there is water and blood in birth] – when God became man – Isaiah 7:14
- SECOND – His DEATH – when Jesus was crucified…
- A soldier pierced Jesus side with a spear – out came blood and water – John 19:34
- THIRD – His MINISTRY – at the START when Jesus was BAPTIZED in WATER…
- But not just WATER – also by BLOOD – when Jesus died for the sins of all men – Luke 22:20
- Which one is it – I think it could be referring to all THREE…
- His BIRTH – His MINISTRY – and His DEATH – all are the EVIDENCE He is our HOPE!
- And it is the Spirit who bears witness – because the Spirit is truth!
- The SPIRIT also is a WITNESS [μαρτυρία] on EARTH…
- This may be a reference to the BAPTISM of Jesus – when the SPIRIT came upon Him…
- John 1:32 – “John bore witness [μαρτυρία] saying – I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove.”
- But more likely it is talking about the CONVICTION the SPIRIT gives us…
- John 16:8 – “He will convict the world of sin – and of righteousness – and of judgment.”
- Because the SPIRIT of God – is THE [ἡ] one and only – TRUTH [ἀλήθεια]
- The WORLD would love for us to question TRUTH…
- What is right for you – may not be what is right for me – everything is RELATIVE…
- Event Pontius Pilate famously said to Jesus – what is TRUTH – John 18:38
- But it does not matter what the WORLD says – they are LIARS – Romans 3:4
- It is the SPIRIT of God – who on guides us in all TRUTH!
- John 16:13 – “When… the Spirit of truth has come – He will guide you into all truth.”
- There are three that bear witness on earth… vs. 8
- The Spirit – the water – and the blood – and these three agree as one!
- In all we have THREE witnesses on EARTH – that prove Jesus is our HOPE…
- The testimony of WATER and BLOOD – birth – ministry – and death of Jesus…
- The testimony of the SPIRIT – who is the definition of the TRUTH…
- And since their TESTIMONIES agree – it is EVIDENCE they are TRUE!
- Matthew 18:16 – “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”
- Our FAITH is not based on FICTION or the OPINIONS of men…
- Our FAITH is founded on the FACTS of the historical birth – life – and death of Jesus…
- VERIFIED by the work of the Holy SPIRIT in our hearts…
- All TESTIFYING that what we BELIEVE is the TRUTH!
- 2nd – In Heaven… vs. 7
- For there are three that bear witness in heaven:
- The SECOND evidence of Jesus – is in HEAVEN – it is the TRINITY…
- This is a VERY controversial verse – many of your Bibles do NOT even have it…
- There are TWO main GREEK manuscripts for all modern Bibles…
- MGNT [oldest] – which is what almost all Bibles are translated from…
- Texus Receptus [majority] – only the KJV and NKJV are translated from…
- ONLY the Texus Receptus has this verse in it – it is NOT found in the MGNT!
- The Father – the Word – and the Holy Spirit – and these three are one!
- The WORD [λόγος] – a title given to Jesus by John – John 1:1
- The FATHER – SON [λόγος] – and SPIRIT are ONE – the TRINITY…
- And they are the WITNESS in HEAVEN – that Jesus is our HOPE!
- The Bible makes it VERY clear – Jesus is God!
- The doctrine of the DEITY of Jesus – is the RED line that cannot be crossed…
- It is what makes a religion that claims to believe in Christ a cult…
- Denying Jesus is God – denying the triune nature of God the Father – Son – Spirit…
- Cults will say they believe in Jesus – but it is NOT the Jesus of the Bible!
- Even if we do NOT believe this VERSE is part of the original text…
- The Bible gives us NUMEROUS other places that confirm the same TRUTH!
- Romans 9:5 – Eternally blessed GOD / Isaiah 9:6 – the mighty GOD…
- John 20:28 – Our Lord and GOD / I John 5:20 – the True GOD / John 10:30 – One God
- There is great diversity within the Body of Christ – I Corinthians 12:27
- And we can agree to disagree and a VAST collection of non-essentials…
- But we CANNOT disagree on the Trinity – Deity of Jesus Christ – it is THE essential!
- 3rd – The WITNESS of God… vs. 9 / 11
- If we receive the witness of men – the witness of God is greater!
- The THIRD evidence of Jesus – is what God SAID…
- If [SINCE] we do receive [indicative] the WITNESS [μαρτυρία] from men…
- Then we should also receive the WITNESS of God – because He is GREATER!
- There is a game we used to play when I was a kid – it was called telephone…
- You would whisper a word to the person next to you – till the word passed down a line…
- Then you would compare and see what word the LAST person heard – NEVER correct!
- We LISTEN to the WORDS of men – that have been passed down the line…
- And we treat them as GOSPEL – even though more often than not they are WRONG…
- How much more should we listen to the WORD the comes from God!
- Psalm 119:160 – “The entirety of Your word is truth.”
- For this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son!
- You might ask – WHEN did God give His TESTIMONY for the SON…
- It happened on TWO occasions – at the Baptism of Jesus – Mark 1:11
- Then the Father SPOKE again on the mount of Transfiguration – Matthew 17:5
- Both times the Father said He was PLEASED [good choice] with His SON…
- What CHOICE did the FATHER make – to send His SON to DIE for our sins…
- On the Mount of Transfiguration He added – HEAR [imperative] Him!
- This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life – and this life is in His Son… vs. 11
- This is the WITNESS [μαρτυρία] – that God GAVE [perfect] for Jesus…
- The word WITNESS [noun] and TESTIMONY [verb] are the same word…
- God [Father] – has given [aorist] us eternal LIFE – and this LIFE is only in Jesus…
- There are a lot of different ideas about how to get to HEAVEN…
- The WORLD tries to convince us – ALL roads lead to HEAVEN…
- Partially true – ALL roads lead to the White Throne Judgement – Revelation 20:11
- Wide is the path that leads to destruction – many go in by it – Matthew 7:13
- If all roads led to HEAVEN – then there is no reason to believe in Jesus…
- He suffered and died for no reason – and the Gospel is just news – not GOOD News!
- Galatians 2:21 – “If we could be saved [another way] – there was no need for Christ to die.”
- 4th – Our WITNESS… vs 10
- He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself!
- The FOURTH evidence of Jesus – is our LIVES…
- Those who BELIEVE [πίστις] in the Son of God – have Jesus inside of them!
- We used to be LOST in the world – living a LIFE dominated by SIN…
- We did things that we would be ashamed to admit now – Ephesians 2:2-3
- But when we put our FAITH in Jesus – God came to ABIDE in us – John 15:4
- And He CHANGED us – and gave us a TESTIMONY [μαρτυρία] that Jesus is our HOPE!
- He who does not believe God has made Him a liar…
- Because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son!
- Those who do not BELIEVE [verb] – do NOT put their FAITH in Jesus…
- Are calling [perfect] God a LIAR – because they REFUSE to BELIEVE His WORD…
- The TESTIMONY [μαρτυρία] that He gave [perfect] of His SON!
- No one will be able to say on the day of JUDGEMENT – I did NOT know…
- God has given plenty of EVIDENCE that the only way to have LIFE – is through Jesus…
- It is NOT that men do not KNOW – it is they do not WANT to BELIEVE…
- They LOVE darkness – therefore they do NOT come to the LIGHT – John 3:19
- They would rather call the GOSPEL a LIE – God a LIAR – than to repent and find LIFE!
- 3rd – Life from Jesus… vs. 12-13
- 1st – LIFE… vs. 12
- He who has the Son has life!
- Those who BELIEVE – put their FAITH in Jesus – have LIFE…
- LIFE [ζωή] – 7x just in this chapter – used in TWO ways…
- We have an abundant LIFE here on this EARTH – full of purpose and peace…
- John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”
- We also have eternal LIFE with Jesus in FOREVER in HEAVEN…
- There is NO downside to putting our FAITH in Jesus…
- It gives us both our best LIFE here – and the hope of eternal LIFE to come!
- 2nd – DEATH… vs. 12
- He who does not have the Son of God does not have life!
- Those who do not BELIEVE – refuse to put their FAITH Jesus – do NOT have LIFE…
- This is the great LIE – as if somehow LIFE is better in the WORLD…
- The WORLD has more FUN – the WORLD has no RULES – the WORLD is the BEST…
- But this is the TRUTH – the WORLD lies – because of who rules over them!
- John 10:10 – “The thief does not come except to steal – and to kill – and to destroy.”
- Satan is a THIEF – he comes to steal away the LIFE that God wants to give to us…
- He does so because he wants to KILL us – literally – he wants us DEAD…
- He tempts us to live a LIFE of – drugs – alcohol – parties – that will put us in the GRAVE…
- Because once we are DEAD – we no longer have the choice to call out to Jesus – Hebrews 9:27
- He wants to DESTROY us – eternally separate us from God…
- This is what the WORLD offers – the opposite of LIFE – DEATH separated from Jesus!
- 3rd – BELIEVE… vs. 13
- These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God!
- John did not write to those in the WORLD – they would NOT listen – I Corinthians 2:14
- He is wrote to US – those who have BELIEVE [present] in the NAME of Jesus…
- Because he wanted us to KNOW…
- That you may know that you have eternal life!
- KNOW [εἴδω] – to see KNOW something by SEEING it with our eyes!
- We CANNOT see HEAVEN – we CANNOT see Jesus…
- But we can SEE His WORD – and have the confidence that it is TRUE…
- And through His WORD – we SEE – that we already [present] have enteral LIFE!
- That you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God!
- Because he wanted us to BELIEVE – [last of 7x in this passage]
- The word CONTINUE – is in italics – meaning it is not in the Greek text…
- But SHOULD be there – because the word BELIEVE [πίστις] is in the PRESENT tense…
- Putting our FAITH in Jesus – so we can OBEY His COMMANDS…
- Believing the TESTIMONY of Jesus – so we can have LIFE…
- Is not about raising our hands – and saying a SINNERS prayer…
- It is about a LIFE that is FULL of LOVE – a LIFE defined by ABIDING in the SON…
- A LIFE that shows a lost WORLD – that the answer is in Jesus…
- A LIFE that gives us the confidence – this is not the END – this is just the beginning!
- 1st – LIFE… vs. 12