1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
In this verse John wants to remind us that all he has written so for is to remind us of the assurance we can have in our salvation. John wrote his gospel to bring people to Christ and he wrote this epistle to let people know they can be sure of their salvation. They are false teachers out there everywhere and they can shake you up and make you doubt you salvation but if we stay in the word and see where it tells us here we can be assured of our salvation then we will be OK. Eternal life is a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ and possessing His nature and know that the name of the Son of God, of course, is Jesus. There is power in that name. The name Jesus means Savior. To believe on the name Jesus means you believe there is salvation in the name.
1 John 5:11 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.
Here John tells us that the very life that we possess in
Christ is in the grace and power He provides all the time. This lets us know that we are not waiting for eternal life but that if we have Christ we already have eternal life with Him. Verse 12 goes on to tell us that to have Christ in our life is to have life. But not have Christ in our life is to have death. To have Jesus means we have life everlasting. To deny Jesus brings death. These two verses make it plain that if you want to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus you must commit your life to Him.
1 John 5:9 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.
These verses start off letting us know that we can testify about Jesus being the Son of God with all our knowledge and it still will not compare to the to God testifying about Jesus being His Son when He was baptized. Men can speak all kind of glowing reports of things Jesus has done, but when the voice comes from heaven and calls Jesus Son, it leaves no doubt who He is. Verse 10 goes on to tell us that if someone refuses the testimony of God regarding His Son, such rejection is the ultimate form of blasphemy for it is like calling God a liar. To deny that God called Jesus His Son would be the same as denying that God exist. We just need to stand firm on our belief that God said this was His Son in whom He was well pleased and we will have God alive in us.
1 John 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
As we saw in the previous verse , here it is making reference to the confirmation that three also bear witness in the earth. The Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit, that Jesus told he would send to comfort us. Again the water because we symbolize our accepting Christ as our savior with a baptism in water because of the example He set for us. Also the blood because the blood Jesus shed for us on that cross covers all our sin. Just as in verse 7 we see that all three are together as on in spirit all together they agree as one about the statement in this verse. All three are necessary to be a Christian..
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
The fact that they are One is in the Spirit. They are of one mind and accord. The manifestations of that One Spirit are Father, Word, and Holy Ghost. The name of Jesus, in heaven was the Word of God. The Father is like the great Architect. The Word is creator God. The Holy Ghost functions as Teacher and Guide. Each has a purpose. All are God. Each is co-equal with the other. People have questioned this scripture saying how can they they be one but be separate. We should look more from the spiritual standpoint to understand what it is saying. Jesus said He and the Father were One, but at His baptism all three were present. Jesus was being baptized, the Father was the voice that came from heaven and said this is my beloved Son. The Holy Ghost was symbolized by the dove that lit on Jesus. I believe they are one in the Spirit, as we are one with Jesus in the Spirit when we believe. We look at an egg and we say, behold an egg. Really that egg consists of shell, white and yellow, but they all three are an egg. It is difficult to separate the Father, Word and Holy Ghost, other than their purpose. Believe completely in your heart, and you will not go too far wrong.
1 John 5:6 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.
The water and blood include all that is necessary to our salvation. By the water, our souls are washed and purified for heaven and the habitation of saints in light. By the blood, we are justified, reconciled, and presented righteous to God. By the blood, the curse of the law being satisfied, the purifying Spirit is obtained for the internal cleansing of our natures. The water, as well as the blood, came out of the side of the sacrificed Redeemer. Water also, symbolizes the Word of God. The blood seals the covenant. The Spirit bearing witness is the Holy Spirit. We could also look at the Way, Truth, and Life. These are symbolized also by the water, Spirit, and blood. Please attend church today and let God fill you with His Spirit.
1 John 5:4 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?
These two verses focus the emphasis on us defeating the deception of the devil. First we says we defeat Satan by being born of God and then that we overcome the world by our faith. Then again he emphasizes that we are overcomers because we have put our faith in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. The victory over this world is when the world becomes unimportant in our life, and we are living to the day when we can go home to heaven and be with Jesus. Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. He defeated sin, as well. If we have received Jesus, then Jesus in us has overcome the world and Satan. We am living in the victory of Jesus.
1 John 5:2 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.
These two verse carry on the theme that obedience is a characteristic of an overcomer. I have mentioned before what Jesus said in John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” “By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” There is perfect peace and rest in the Lord, when we keep His commandments. There is no fear, when there is perfect faith. In Mathew Jesus told us in chapter 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all [ye] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” “For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.” We see from these verses it is really easy to please God if we just be obedient and love others as we should.
1 John 5:1 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.
John starts this chapter and places emphasis in this chapter on the fact that we are overcomers. It starts off with the first the thing a a christian has to do to, and that is to believe that is Jesus is the Christ born of God. A saving belief is not enough though, you need to have a whole hearted dedication to Jesus Christ that is permanent. Just as the birth of Jesus gave us a new way of life so does our new birth in Christ give us a new way life. The new birth brings us into a permanent faith relationship with God and Christ. Love is the second characteristic of the overcomer. The overcomer not only believes in God, but loves both God and fellow believers. If we truly love God in our hearts and are filled with Him, then we love all of our brothers in Christ.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
John starts here letting know that Jesus taught us how to love because He loved us first and showed us by example. Then he goes on to tell us that one who does not love his brother and says he loves God is a liar. If you cannot love someone who you can see how can you love someone who you cannot not see. When we love our brothers on the earth, we are in turn loving Jesus who made them. It is impossible to love God if you do love your brethren. This last verse reminds us of the commandment that Jesus gave when he told the priest that the first commandment was to love God with all your heart and the second was to love your brother.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I John 5:7
