1 John Chapter 5 Verses 1-12
As John began to wrap up his letter, he reiterated some points he had just made. Verses 1-3 read,
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
If we believe Jesus is the Christ, we are God’s children and that means we have His nature. As God’s children we want what He wants, we act like He acts, not insincerely but because God’s Spirit is in us. We want to keep His commandments and we are able to keep His commandments. As those born of God, made to be like Him. We don’t find it arduous to love God or love our brothers. We do not find it difficult to proclaim Jesus Christ.
For the world loving God in such a wholly dedicated way is incomprehensible because they don’t know Him. For them loving people in such a way that their needs are as or more important than one’s self is too hard and makes no sense. For them declaring Jesus is Christ, the Son of God and King of peace is impossible. They do not have the Spirit of God. But we do.
We are not of the world. The devil can’t have us. We have conquered sin because Jesus defeated sin. We have overcome the trouble of the world because we are no longer children of the world but children of the Lord God of Hosts. Verses 4-5 read,
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
If you know Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah, the King of kings, our Peace, then you know you have His Spirit within you. You know that God is who He says He is, because you know Him. Because you have His Spirit in you, you have faith. We have complete assurance, allegiance, and confidence in who God is, what He wants, and in His power to bring about His plans.
When we believe that Jesus is Christ, God does an astounding this for us. He forgives our sin, He makes us new in Him. We are born again. We are cleansed by the water of baptism into new life. We are purified by Jesus’ blood and adopted as God’s own children. When Jesus was pierced by the soldiers at His crucifixion, blood and water rushed out of His side and testified to the people watching that He was the Messiah. It is in His giving us new and eternal life that we testify to who He is.
It is only because of our rebirth that we can live new lives. That rebirth also gives us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. He enables us to live out the commandments God gave us, to love Him, love others, and proclaim Jesus Christ. Verses 6-8 say,
“This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”
The new life we live, forgiven, no longer living the old way and doing what the world finds difficult and impossible testifies that Jesus is Christ.
The world will swear to lies because they find it too hard to believe God. They do not know Him. But we do. We have His Spirit. And a life glorifying God or manifesting the nature of God is bigger, better, and more perfect than the lies they follow. They call God a liar and choose death over life. But we have Jesus, He is life. He is perfect and eternal life. We have to live that eternal life of love and witness to the truth so that the world can see Him, and come to know Him. Verses 9-12 say it this way,
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave 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.”
You are a living testimony to Christ. You are the proof the world needs in order to believe and accept the gift of eternal life that God has for them. Do not hate them by refusing to live as the evidence of Christ by loving God wholly, loving people as Jesus loved you, and proclaiming to the world that Jesus is Christ, our Savior, the Son of God.
As John began to wrap up his letter, he reiterated some points he had just made. Verses 1-3 read,
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
If we believe Jesus is the Christ, we are God’s children and that means we have His nature. As God’s children we want what He wants, we act like He acts, not insincerely but because God’s Spirit is in us. We want to keep His commandments and we are able to keep His commandments. As those born of God, made to be like Him. We don’t find it arduous to love God or love our brothers. We do not find it difficult to proclaim Jesus Christ.
For the world loving God in such a wholly dedicated way is incomprehensible because they don’t know Him. For them loving people in such a way that their needs are as or more important than one’s self is too hard and makes no sense. For them declaring Jesus is Christ, the Son of God and King of peace is impossible. They do not have the Spirit of God. But we do.
We are not of the world. The devil can’t have us. We have conquered sin because Jesus defeated sin. We have overcome the trouble of the world because we are no longer children of the world but children of the Lord God of Hosts. Verses 4-5 read,
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
If you know Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah, the King of kings, our Peace, then you know you have His Spirit within you. You know that God is who He says He is, because you know Him. Because you have His Spirit in you, you have faith. We have complete assurance, allegiance, and confidence in who God is, what He wants, and in His power to bring about His plans.
When we believe that Jesus is Christ, God does an astounding this for us. He forgives our sin, He makes us new in Him. We are born again. We are cleansed by the water of baptism into new life. We are purified by Jesus’ blood and adopted as God’s own children. When Jesus was pierced by the soldiers at His crucifixion, blood and water rushed out of His side and testified to the people watching that He was the Messiah. It is in His giving us new and eternal life that we testify to who He is.
It is only because of our rebirth that we can live new lives. That rebirth also gives us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. He enables us to live out the commandments God gave us, to love Him, love others, and proclaim Jesus Christ. Verses 6-8 say,
“This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”
The new life we live, forgiven, no longer living the old way and doing what the world finds difficult and impossible testifies that Jesus is Christ.
The world will swear to lies because they find it too hard to believe God. They do not know Him. But we do. We have His Spirit. And a life glorifying God or manifesting the nature of God is bigger, better, and more perfect than the lies they follow. They call God a liar and choose death over life. But we have Jesus, He is life. He is perfect and eternal life. We have to live that eternal life of love and witness to the truth so that the world can see Him, and come to know Him. Verses 9-12 say it this way,
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave 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.”
You are a living testimony to Christ. You are the proof the world needs in order to believe and accept the gift of eternal life that God has for them. Do not hate them by refusing to live as the evidence of Christ by loving God wholly, loving people as Jesus loved you, and proclaiming to the world that Jesus is Christ, our Savior, the Son of God.
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