The Book of 1John (KJV) Chapter 5

Chapter 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.

- If we love the father (God) we must also love those he begat (gave birth to), meaning, if we love God we must also love Jesus. When we believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God, we love and honor both Jesus and God.

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.

- If we keep to God’s commandments, we honor and love God, and also love our brethren. Also, God’s commandments are not grievous, meaning they are not something we should groan at doing. We should be happy to keep God’s commandments, and have joy when we succeed in living as God wants us to.

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?

- When we are born of God (when we become saved) we overcome the world just as Jesus did! We become more than the world can offer us. Those of the world cannot offer us eternal life and salvation and happiness, but God can, and does! Our faith allows us to overcome the world, because those of the world cannot or do not have faith, or straight out refuse to have faith.

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.
7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

- Here John shows us the holy trinity. There is only one God, but God has three parts, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. It’s like God has three separate beings in one, but is all still one, which is hard for not only me, but for most people to wrap their minds around. These three parts of God bear witness to Jesus being the son of God in heaven, and on earth the spirit, and the water, and the blood bear witness to it. the blood refers to Jesus. Verses 7 and 8 also say that all of theses things agree in one, meaning that they all agree with each other.

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.
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.

- If a man gives us his witness that Jesus is the Son of God, that’s fine, but we know that the witness of God is greater, and God has indeed given us his witness all throughout the Bible that Jesus is his Son. When we believe that Jesus is God’s Son, and is our Savior, we also then have God’s witness in ourselves, and can then go and spread the Gospel (the Good News) to others. When we do not believe, we make God a liar, because God has told us that Jesus is His Son (We discussed earlier that God is truth and light, meaning not a liar, and not evil… we also discussed God being the Spirit of truth, and those that are not of God the spirit of error. If you then deny God by denying Jesus as his Son, since God has straight out told us that Jesus is his son, then you have the spirit of error within you, and are obviously not only fooled, but are lying, because God is not a liar). God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. God fulfilled his promise of eternal life to us by giving his Son as the ultimate sacrifice. Once we accept God’s free gift, we begin to live through Christ and then have eternal life after we die. When we have Jesus we have eternal life, when we do not have Jesus, we cannot and do not have eternal life.

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.

-Here John tells us why he wrote his letter. He wrote it to tell us about Jesus and God’s gift to us, so that we may also believe and have eternal life. Also, John tells us that ye may know that ye have eternal life if we believe on the name of Jesus, the Son of God. If you are saved, you cannot lose your salvation. It is simple. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he died on the cross for us and our sins, than ye may know that ye have eternal life. Eternal, once again being forever… nothing there about sinning too much and losing your salvation. We are saved by the Grace of God, not by our own works.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
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.
17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

- Once we are born of God, God hears all of our prayers, and we know that he will hear what we ask of him. This is why love (love being God) casteth out fear. Because this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.

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.

- I like verse 18 a lot. It says that once we are saved, nothing wicked can touch us. Wicked things can’t stand to be around us. This is why people who aren’t Christians often don’t associate with Christians, and this is also why it is important to have fellowship with other Christians. Also, even if the devil or something evil does grab hold of our body here on earth, and we die, our flesh dies, but we being saved will go onto eternal happiness and life with Christ. Evil can get our flesh and bones, but not our souls. Once we are saved, our souls belong to God.

19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
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.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

- In these last few verses John closes his letter by reminding us that the entire world is wicked, but those who are of God are not because we have been saved. He also gives us his testimony that the Son of God is Jesus, and that when we have Jesus, we have eternal life. John also reminds us in the last verse to not worship idols, because idols are the antichrist, and are of the world.

1John is my favorite book because it speaks a lot to me about many different things. It clearly lays out the plan of Salvation, that if we should believe that Jesus is the Christ, and we should believe in God, we will have eternal life. This epistle tells me what to look for concerning the antichrist, and it gives me clear, straightforward guidelines about how to live in love, and dwell in God.

Thank you all for your time,

-Jessica Worley