Commentary On The Book of First John

The Book of First John, chapter 5

THEME: God is life; victory over the world; assurance of salvation

In this chapter we have come to the last major division of this tremendous little book. In the first part of this letter, we saw that God is light. In the extensive center section, we saw that God is love. The subject of this final chapter is God is life.

In these first five verses, John talks about victory for the believer over the world. The "world" here is the world with all of its organizations, governments, selfishness, greed, sorrow, and its sickness . . . its awful sin. John is going to tell us that it is possible for the child of God to have a victory as we live in this world.

Victory Over The World (5:1-5)

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. [KJV]

If you believe that Jesus is the Christ . . . that He is God’s Son and your Saviour . . . then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love His children too. When you ‘believe’ that Jesus is who He says He is: God’s Son and your Saviour, you are ‘born again’ (spiritually) into the family of God (John 1:12-13). Almighty God in Heaven is your Heavenly (spiritual) Father, and ALL other Christians (no matter their age, race, color, culture, etc.) are your brothers and sisters ‘in Christ’. God is no respecter of persons (2 Chron.19:7; Acts 10:34; Rom.2:11; Col.3:25); He loves all His children and we must do the same.

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. [KJV]

HOW do we prove that we love the children of God? By loving God and obeying His commands. God is the One who chooses His family, not us! When we join His family, we are called upon to love and accept the other children of God.

What are ‘His commandments’? Are they the Ten Commandments, as so many think? I don’t think so. I think it is the commands that Jesus gave us while He was on Earth, which in reality, cover the entire Old Testament.
Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (KJV) . . . These are the ‘LOVE’ commands; love God and love your neighbor as yourself. If you love God, you WANT to keep these commandments, and they actually boil down to love!

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. [KJV]

Love for God is to obey His commands. His commands really are not a burden. God does not make His commands so heavy, as to weigh us down. They should not impose a burden on us, because we should keep the commands out of love and respect for God, and the family of God. When you truly ‘LOVE’ someone, you WANT to do nice things for them; and when you do these things, you do NOT consider them a burden or grievous!

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. [KJV]

Every child of God is able to defeat the world . . . and it is FAITH that wins the battle for us. If you are a child of God, you have gained ‘victory’ over the world! Jesus has given you that ‘victory’ . . . how? By your faith! The Bible does not say how much ‘faith’. It just states we must have ‘faith’. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). God wants us to ‘believe’ what He says. He wants us to ‘trust’ Him. That is ‘FAITH’! Is that really too much of God to ask of us? Surely, it is not! We cannot ‘overcome’ the world by fighting it. Jesus won the ultimate victory when He died on the Cross. With our faith, we share Christ’s victory!

1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? [KJV]

Who can defeat the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Verse 5 is simply restating verse 4 in question form. The only one who can conquer the evil world is the one who ‘believes’ Jesus is who He says He is! By our faith, His victory is ours! Complete trust in Christ gives you access to God’s power. That power grants to us in the future, eternal life. But for now, it gives us victory over evil and sin. Sin no longer has control over you. We are now dead to sin and alive to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.6:11-14).

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. [KJV]

“Water and blood” could refer to several different things. Below are listed several different views on the water and Blood:

• #1. The water and Blood at Christ’s crucifixion. John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (KJV)
• #2.The water and Blood could refer to the birth and death of Christ.
• #3. The phrase “by water and blood” refer to the baptism (“water”) and death (“blood”) of Jesus.
• #4. The phrase “by water and blood” could refer to the ordinances (sacraments) of Christian baptism (“water”) and the Lord’s supper or eucharist (“blood”).
• #5. The phrase “by water and blood” could refer to Jesus' incarnation. The Gospel of John refers to Jesus’ entry into the world (John 1:11; 5:43; 16:28), and in John's letters (1 John 4:2; 2 John 7), both refer to Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. Water and blood are both present at births. The similarity of those texts to the present verse points to the incarnation as the possible meaning of the phrase.
• #6. “Water” could symbolize cleansing, as it often does in God’s Word (Ps.119:9; Is.1:16; Jn.3:5; 15:3; 17:17; Ep.5:26; 1 P.1:22-23; Tit.3:5; Jam.4:8).

Only the Word of God can cleanse and purify us spiritually. Who is “The Word”? Jesus (Jn.1:1, 14 “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”)

The period of Christ Jesus' ministry, started with His baptism (water) by John the Baptist, and ending with His crucifixion (Blood). Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. [KJV] . . . The Spirit of God did indeed witness that this Man, Jesus the Christ, WAS God’s Son, as He did on two other occasions as well: Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. [KJV] . . . This was at Jesus' transfiguration. John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. [KJV] . . . This was when Jesus was in agony in Gethsemane.

I will let you draw your own conclusions on the “water and blood”.

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. [KJV]

The mention of three witnesses reflects the requirement of Jewish law (Deut.19:15). Jesus says that He bears witness of Himself (John 8:18), and too the Father; and as we saw, the Holy Spirit is the third. And John goes on to say in this verse “These three are one.” We are speaking of the ‘Trinity’(Mat.28:19; John 14:26; 15:26; 2 Cor.13:14; 1 Pet.1:2). We have a very unique God! He is three Persons, but ONE GOD! Just as an egg has three different elements: shell, white and yolk; it takes all three to make ONE egg! So it is with our God; He is three different Persons, yet ONE God. And all three Persons always agree, and are always in perfect harmony!

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. [KJV]

These three witnesses are on Earth. These are the ones that have a direct bearing on us. The Holy Spirit indwells all TRUE believers (Rom.8:9). The Spirit takes the Word of God (water, John 4:14; 7:37-39; Rev.21:6; 22:17) and applies it to our heart. The Blood of our crucified Saviour gives us witness of His unending and unmatchable love. These three are in complete agreement to the purpose set before them: presenting Christ Jesus as Saviour of the world.
1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (KJV)
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (KJV)

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. [KJV]

We accept man’s testimony, and he lies; but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son, and it is absolutely impossible for God to lie (Heb.6:18; Tit.1:2). So, if we believe what men say (and we know they lie), we should believe God, because He does not lie! His witness is greater, much greater! God tells us over and over again in His Word that Jesus is His Son, the Christ, the Saviour of the world (Isa.42:1; Mat.3:17; 17:5; Mk.1:11; Lu.1:35; John 1:34; 3:16-18; 10:30,36; 11:27; Heb.5:5; 10:29; 2 Pet.1:17).

1 John 5:10 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. [KJV]

Whoever believes in the Son of God has this witness in his heart; but whoever does not believe God, has made a liar out of Him, for he has not believed what God said as a witness about His Son. The results of ‘faith’ is to ‘believe’ on the Son of God; to have a personal relationship with Him. And what better witness than the Holy Spirit of God that dwells within us? This ‘Witness’ within us confirms that we were right to believe in God’s Son and eases our hearts by giving us hope of eternal life (Tit.1:2; 3:7).

John tells us also the back side of this matter. Anyone who refuses to ‘believe God”; refuses to accept His witness about His Son is in effect telling God that He is a “Liar”! God’s words . . . not mine! You just keep piling on those sins: Romans 2:5-6 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: [KJV] I honestly think that ‘unbelief’ is the sin God hates most. The Living Bible translates it this way: “The world’s sin is unbelief in me.”(Jn.16:9). I am no a fan of the Living Bible, but I do like that! My friend, unbelief will put you in Hell! See our article on unbelief. . . http://www.worldlychaos.org/w_c_unbelief.1.htm

You must believe the ‘record’ (witness) God gave of His Son. What is the ‘record’? See next verse!

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [KJV]

What is it that God has said? He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Record = witness, testimony, what God has said . . . take your choice! The thing to remember is, we must ‘believe’! John said: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” The question is, do you believe these words God speaks to you now? What He is saying is: Jesus is the only Way you will receive eternal life in Heaven. You cannot work your way, cannot but your way, cannot be ‘good enough’, no other person alive, or in history past can achieve eternal life for you, except Jesus! He is the ONLY WAY. Jn.14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (KJV) . . . Where is the Father? In Heaven, where Jesus is now preparing ‘mansions’ (John 14:2-3) for all of God’s children to live that ‘eternal life,’ with Him. Our inheritance awaits us (1 Pet.1:4). Without Jesus you shall spend eternity in the agony of Hell (Rev.20:15), simply because you refused to believe what God so plainly states about His Son! Such a contrast! Where will you spend eternity? If you are a child of God, you can say with boldness, “In Heaven with my Saviour.”

1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. [KJV]

He who has the Son has eternal life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. Do you think you need to belong to a certain church or denomination to have eternal life? That is NOT what God says! There is only one stipulation, one prerequisite; JESUS, the Son of God. IF you have Him, you have eternal life! If you do not have Him, you do NOT have eternal life! Very simple!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [KJV]
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. [KJV]
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. [KJV]
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. [KJV]
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. [KJV]
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. [KJV]
Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. [KJV]
1 Tim. 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. [KJV]

Concluding Remarks . . . 1 John 5:13-21

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. [KJV]

John is writing to those who believe in the Son of God, so that they may KNOW they have eternal life. John says the same thing in his Gospel. John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (KJV)

The reason John states here is that we may ‘KNOW’ we have eternal life. In my years of teaching, it saddens me when I ask the question: “Are you going to Heaven?” or, "Do you have eternal life?" The answer I receive most often is: “I hope so.” Eternal life is NOT based on feelings (whether or not we feel close to God); but instead it is based on facts! It is a FACT that all who believe on the Name of Jesus have possession of eternal life now! 1 John 5:11-12 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. [KJV] . . . Do you have the Son of God in your heart? If you do, you HAVE eternal life, NOW!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV) . . . ‘Perish’ means everlasting destruction in Hell. (2 Thes.1:9).
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. [KJV] . . . Please notice one word in this verse: “HATH” or has. If you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you HAVE eternal life . . . NOW! You will face physical death (unless Jesus comes at the Rapture 1 Thes.4:13-18), BUT ‘eternal death’ (Hell), you shall NEVER see!
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. [KJV] . . . Again, the word “HATH”. You have it now!
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. [KJV] . . . If we ‘see’ Jesus with our heart, and believe on Him, we HAVE eternal life . . . and . . . we will be resurrected one day, so that we shall be ‘bodily’ in Heaven!
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. [KJV] . . . Again!!! “HATH.” Any time Jesus uses the words “Verily, verily,” what He is about to say is extremely important. I think it is so very important that we KNOW in our hearts (for sure), that we have eternal life. We simply cannot have peace and joy in our lives if we are not sure! If you have Jesus, you have eternal life; for Jesus IS eternal life! You have no need to worry. God has promised it to all those who accept His Son. God cannot lie, so it is guaranteed! Believe on the Name of the Son of God, and eternal life is yours!

John had several reasons for writing this wonderful letter:

• 1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. (KJV)
  
• 1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (KJV)
• 1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (KJV)
• 1 John 2:7-8 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
  8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. (KJV)
  
• 1 John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. (KJV)
• 1 John 2:13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. (KJV)
• 1 John 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. (KJV)
• 1 John 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. (KJV)
• 1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. (KJV)
• 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. [KJV]

Thank you John!

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [KJV]

This is why we have courage in God’s Presence; we are sure that He will hear us if we ask Him for anything that is according to His will. First of all; whose will? Ours? Or God’s? God’s will! What is prayer? Prayer is simply communication with God. Prayer is simply talking to God. He in turn, talks to us through His Holy Word and His Spirit within us (Rom.8:9).

When God’s children access His throne of grace, we can do so with “confidence” (courage, boldness). But all too often we go, demanding what we want, rather than discussing what He wants for us (or someone else). If we are ‘in fellowship’ with Him, our prayers should always be for God’s will in our lives, in every circumstance! A wise man once said: “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His willingness.” John is saying here that IF we ask “in God’s will”, our prayer will be heard. So, just what is “His will”? It is anything that will in the end, glorify and honor Him! Use Jesus as a pattern, or role model when you pray. Ask yourself the question: “Would Jesus ask for this specific thing?” If He would not, you should not.

1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. [KJV]

If we really know He is listening when we talk to Him and make our requests, then we can be sure that He will answer us. If we are in fellowship with Him, and not regarding sin in our lives; if we have no other hindrances to prayer (Ps.66:18; Is.59:2; Deut.31:18; Jn.9:31) God will hear us. BUT . . . if there is something standing between God and you, you must get rid of it, no matter what it is. Repent and confess it before God (1 John 1:9). Make it right with Him, and/or your brother or sister. If we are in alignment with His will when we pray, He will absolutely listen and hear us, and answer us! Remember this; God answers prayer in three ways: #1.Yes. #2. No. #3. Wait a while.

Just because God does NOT give you your petition immediately, or in the way you think it should be done, does NOT mean He has not answered your prayer. His answer will be what is best for you in the long run. Trust Him! He loves you and wants what is best for you.

1 John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. [KJV]

This, to me, is a very difficult verse. If you see a Christian sinning in a way that does not end in death, you should ask God to forgive him and God will give him life, UNLESS he has sinned that one fatal sin. But there is that one sin which ends in death and if he has done that, there is no use praying for him.

“Death” here, refers to physical death, NOT eternal death in Hell. This is NOT referring to ‘eternal death’ (Hell). WHY? Because John is writing to ‘believers’ (God’s true children), NONE of which will ever end up in Hell. “Brother” is a believer (Christian). So . . . WHAT is this “sin unto death” that a Christian can commit? The sin unto death is a sin that is committed against the Lord, and continued in, with NO repentance and all the while knowing it is wrong. It is a sin that is seen by and influences other believers in a wrong way. It is a sin of disobedience against God's will and done intentionally and continually.

I think this ‘sin’ varies, person to person. It is NOT the same sin for everyone. My ‘sin unto death’ is probably not the same as yours; and your ‘sin unto death’ not the same as mine. Personally, I think this sin is one that disobeys, dishonors and disgraces God, and done repeatedly. Let me give you some examples: some Christians died because they took communion (the Lord’s Supper) in an unworthy manner (1 Cor.11:27-30). Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit (Ac.5:1-11). Instead of ‘speaking’ to the rock, as the Lord had commanded, Moses ‘struck’ the rock, twice (Num.20:7-12). He died without entering the ‘Promised Land.’ Anyone who commits this ‘sin unto death’ can most certainly, be taken by God (physical death), prematurely, and according to this verse, it will NOT do any good to pray for them. But . . . HOW do we know if a person is sinning this ‘sin’? To be truthful, I’m not sure. I would have to say: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Mat.7:20). Are they disobeying, dishonoring or disgracing God, or His precious Son? Would we be judging? Christians are permitted to judge Christians; but not unbelievers (1 Cor.5:12-13). God alone judges them. Again, I say, this is a hard verse for me to explain.

I know of two times when people committed this sin unto death. Years ago, a pastor knew a woman who had a son who had been saved. He joined with a wild gang in Phoenix. The woman went to God in prayer. Her prayer was simple: "Lord, either straighten him out, or take him home." That night he was killed in a car wreck.

We know a pastor who had a son (on drugs). The son married a good Christian girl. Soon she backslid and was going to truck stops and hitching rides with truckers. There was a collision and the truck burned up. They did not even know the girl was in the sleeper cab until they cleaned up the wreckage. It seems she too, committed this sin unto death.

I do not think John is speaking of the ‘unpardonable sin’ (Mat.12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10). I do not think a TRUE Christian can commit this sin. Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. [KJV] . . . This is a sin committed by unbelievers, and in today’s times, personally, I think it is rejecting Christ, time and time again; for it is the Holy Spirit that works in the hearts of men. If a person resists the working of the Holy Spirit when He speaks to them, there is NO forgiveness, because He is bringing forgiveness! We can be saved only through His work. When we deny that the Spirit convicts us of sin, and we refuse to repent, and refuse even to admit we sin, we are refusing God’s forgiveness. God will not pardon this unpardonable sin! By the constant rejecting of God’s only ‘Plan’ of salvation, the hearts of these are hardened, more with each rejection (Pro.29:1; Rom.2:5). God’s Spirit will strive with man only so long. God is patient, very patient, but after so long He will cease to strive with you (Gen.6:3).

The sin about which Jesus is speaking in Mat.12:31, was attributing the miracles He performed, through the Holy Spirit of God, to Beelzebub (the devil). They were rejecting the witness of Himself, AND the Holy Spirit. I do not believe this sin can be committed today because Jesus is no longer on Earth physically.

1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. [KJV]

“Sin” is transgression of any of God’s laws. God is holy and pure and just and righteous. We are not! Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [KJV] . . . God is NOT the author of sin, but, He permits it. We have a free will, to make our own decisions. Believe God, or don’t believe Him. Obey God, or disobey God. All sin (departing from righteousness) is serious; but, there can be forgiveness (1 John 1:9), because there is “sin which does not lead to death”. If God were to take home every believer who sinned, I would have been gone long ago, for ALL His children sin (Rom.3:10, 23)! The reason we are still here is that we have not sinned “the sin unto death”.

1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. [KJV]

No one who becomes a part of God’s family makes a practice of sinning. They simply cannot! WHY? Because Christ Jesus, God’s Son, holds him securely and the devil cannot get his hands on him. IF a person continues on in sin, keeps practicing sin, AFTER they profess to be born again, and say they are a "Christian", it is very doubtful that they were ever saved to start with.

As John has plainly shown in this letter, we have two natures: the old one and the new one. The old one will sin, for we have inherited this nature from Adam. Only when we reach Heaven will we ever cease to sin. The new nature (man, creature Eph.4:24; Col.3:10), will not willingly sin, does not want to sin. Our regeneration affects our morality. If you are truly God’s child, you will NOT practice sin (continue on in any known sin). The Holy Spirit of God within you will NOT let you do it; He will NOT permit you to do so, for God cannot and will not tolerate any sin! Deliverance is always available through Christ. We are constantly protected by His Spirit; and the Holy Spirit of God is certainly much more powerful than the ‘wicked one’ (devil 1 John 4:4). BUT . . . we must be willing to accept His power and guidance, and NOT give in to temptation. This is the first of three (“we know”) certainties is ‘deliverance from sin’. How wonderful that is!

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. [KJV]

We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s control. The second (“we know”) certainty is ‘we are God’s children’. Did you ever stop to consider that we, as God’s children have a freedom that the ‘world’ (unbelievers) do not have? We are free to obey God, whereas the ‘world’ must obey the wicked one! They are under his control. They are Satan’s children, and he is leading them, so swiftly, on that broad road that leads to Hell (Mat.7:13)! Jesus very plainly tells us there are but a “FEW” saved (Mat.7:13-14; 22:14; Lu.13:24; 1 Pet.3:20; Rev.3:4). Satan can ‘tempt’ God’s children, but he cannot force us to obey him. We DO have power to resist him (Jam.4:7). We are under God’s control; whereas the world ‘lies’ content in Satan’s arms, asleep to God! Asleep to God’s love, mercy and salvation (eternal life through Jesus). It is our duty to do all we can to ‘awaken’ them to Jesus, and Satan does not want us to do this! (Rom.13:11-12; Eph.5:14-17).

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. [KJV]

We know that Christ Jesus, God’s Son, has come to help us understand the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ His Son, who is the only true God and eternal Life. The third “ (we know”) certainty is ‘we have fellowship with the true God’.

We have knowledge that Christ is who He said He is (1 John 1:2; 3:5, 8; 5:10-12; John 1:1, 18; 14:21; 17:3, 21-23). Christ Jesus is our Redeemer, and our Revealer. He is a divine Person! We not only ‘know’ Him, but we ‘abide’ in Him, and He in us! He is our Life, both here on Earth, and in the future, for eternity! If you ‘know’ and ‘have’ Him, you HAVE eternal Life, (John 5:24; 14:6), for He IS Eternal Life! Without Christ Jesus, there is everlasting destruction in Hell (eternal death). If you have not accepted Christ as your Saviour and Lord, it is not too late. God is speaking to your heart, right now! Don’t reject His precious love that He so graciously and willingly offers to you. The ‘Gift’ He holds in His Hands is yours for the taking . . . NO charge; eternal life in Heaven. Just reach out and grab hold of it, and it’s yours! God loves you!

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. [KJV]

Keep away from idols. What is an ‘idol’? It is anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. ANYTHING!!! It can be a person (spouse, child, parent), it can be pleasure (sex, boating, ball games, shopping, etc.), money or things it can buy; covetousness, power, fame, work; and on and on! An idol is anything you place before God. If you are placing something before God in your heart, that is a ‘god’ (idol) to you. Anything that occupies your mind and/or attention is idolatry! Are you worshiping something other than Almighty God? John is warning us not to do so. “Keep yourselves from idols.”

First John

Ch.1 . . Ch.2 . . Ch.3 . . Ch.4 . . Ch.5

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