First John Chapter Five
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.
Everyone who is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God; and everyone who is loving the One Who became the Father, is also loving the one who has been born of Him (literal).
John begins by reiterating the theme of 1 John 4:2 – “… every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ …” (literal); the context was the need to test all spirits in order to determine if it is of God (all spirits must be tested in order to determine if the spirit is of God – a singular Spirit), and part of this is an acknowledgement of Jesus Christ, in the fullness of Who He is. Now he adds that the one who is believing that Jesus is the One Who was anointed by God (the Christ) in order to make redemption available for all of humanity, has been born of God.
It was this very thing that Nicodemus struggled to understand. As a ruler among the Jews, he would have undoubtedly witnessed the activities of John the Baptist who proclaimed a message of repentance from sin, and whose baptism was an outward sign of such, all in preparation for the One Who was coming (Matthew 3:2, 11). To Nicodemus, Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, ‘Unless someone has been born of water and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God’” (John 3:5, literal). This brings the baptizing ministry of John the Baptist (repentance) and the purpose for which Jesus came to earth (to make release from sin possible through faith in His sacrifice) together. At the time of Nicodemus, a purposeful turning away from sin (repentance) was a preparation for the Message of Jesus, the promised Messiah. John identified himself as being “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]” (John 1:23); Lord, in the Hebrew from which this is quoted, is Jehovah.1 Nicodemus, and the other Jewish rulers, should have recognized from John’s confession that he was working to make the people ready for the coming Messiah – instilling repentance from sin within the minds of the people so that they would willingly accept the One Who would bring a final cleansing from sin. The Jewish religious rulers did not believe the message of John the Baptist (Matthew 21:25, 32), and, as a result, very few accepted Jesus, because His Message was built upon the need for repentance, as proclaimed by John. Even though, under the traditions of the Law of Moses, repentance should have been in mind with every sacrifice that was made, it seems that John brought a new message with which the people were unfamiliar.
Further, John’s message for the need of repentance from sin was not set within the traditions of the temple. The Jews were familiar with water as a means of cleansing (Leviticus 11:32), since this was a requirement within the Law of Moses. It is commonly believed that baptism was used for every proselyte who came into the Jewish faith, yet there is absolutely no evidence for this.2 Therefore, when John began baptizing individuals for repentance from sin, this was something that was very new; it drew the interest of the Jewish elite, but not sufficiently for them to pay particular attention to John as the voice proclaiming a message in preparation for the promised Messiah, as their own prophets had foretold.
Jesus declared that repentance (the water of John’s baptism) and the Spirit were both necessary in order to enter into the kingdom of God. What is noticeably missing is the sacrificial system and priesthood of the Law of Moses; these had become the essence of the Jewish rulers’ means of authority over the people, yet they are not here. Even though the temple sacrifices were continuing at this time, Jesus did not include them in His words to Nicodemus; the need for repentance had been loudly proclaimed by John in anticipation of the coming One, and, as Jesus began His ministry, He declared that the kingdom of God was very near, as a product of John’s message (Mark 1:15). The Jewish rulers, along with their fine-tuned adherence to the letter of the Law of Moses, were not a part of the nearness of God’s kingdom – it was the repentance that John the Baptist taught that was an indication that God’s kingdom was at hand.
John declares that the one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, has been born of God. The believing, which always includes a thorough evaluation of the object of belief (in this case, Jesus),3 would include the need for repentance; as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, his singular message was the need to repent! Also included in the believing, is that Jesus is the anointed Son of God (John 1:32) – anointed to carry out the final payment for sin in order to open the way of life to all of humanity. Such a person has, indeed, been born of God, and, according to Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, has been born of water and the Spirit.
John now places the truth that he has been emphasizing (1 John 4:21) into different words. From he who is loving God to: the one who is loving the One Who became the Father. God became the Father when the Word, through the work of the Spirit, became Jesus, the Son of God (Luke 1:35). This inextricably links the essential understanding of Jesus as the Christ to the God Whom we are to be loving with all of our being. Hence, since we, who have been born of God through faith in Christ, are loving Him as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, then it follows that we are also loving those who have been born of God (like us) – born of water (repentance) and the Spirit, Who abides in those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who is born of God is loving everyone who is born of Him.
2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
In this we are knowing that we are loving the children of God: when we are loving God and His commandments we are obeying (literal).
The children of God are those who have been spiritually born of Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; this does not include those who simply profess to know Him but do not obey His commandments (1 John 2:4), nor does it include those who began as children of God, but allowed a heart of unbelief to remove them from Him (Hebrews 3:12). The former are religious pagans who desire to appear to be Christians (wolves in sheep’s clothing); the latter are apostates, for whom there is no possibility of restoration (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Notice that John includes himself by using verbs (in the Greek) that require a first person, plural pronoun: i.e., we; although the Greek pronoun is not present in the text, the form of the verb used tells us what it is.4 In essence, John is saying: here’s how we, as the children of God, are knowing that we are loving those who are also in Christ. He follows this with something that would never enter the minds of those who only profess to know God.
He presents a two-part response for this; the first is that we are loving God. Considering what we have read up to this point, this is not at all surprising. As we are loving God (the first great commandment), the second commandment will find its motivation: to love our neighbor. However, the second part to John’s answer is not to love our neighbor, but to obey the commandments of God. Today, those who profess to hold faith in Christ, have, for the most part, bought into the lie that the Ten Commandments were ended at the cross of Christ; they have been deceived into believing that the Ten Commandments are a part of the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, John states that one of the criteria for knowing that we love the children of God is that we live in obedience to His commandments!
Let’s take a moment to review how the Ten Commandments are not a part of the Law of Moses. There is no doubt that the Lord provided Moses with two tables of stone upon which He had written the Ten Commandments: “And he [Jehovah, the unchangeable “I AM” (Exodus 3:14), and the relational aspect of God (Genesis 2:7)] gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God [Elohim, a plural word that, within Hebrew, emphasizes God’s power and supremacy]” (Exodus 31:18; cp. Deuteronomy 4:12-13).5 Elohim, the all-powerful God, wrote the Ten Commandments upon two stone tables, Jehovah, the relational and unchangeable One, gave them to Moses, and instructed that they be kept in the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 10:5); notice: 1) they were written by the all-powerful God (Elohim), 2) they were written on stone, 3) they were given by Jehovah Who desires a relationship with man, and 4) they were kept in the holiest place within Israel. By contrast, we read this of the Law of Moses: “… it was added on account of disobedience until the time when the Seed should come, to Whom it had been promised, it was ordered through angels in the hand of a mediator [Moses]” (Galatians 3:19b, literal). The Law of Moses came by way of angels, it was written in a book by Moses (Deuteronomy 30:10; 31:24), twice it is called the “book of the law of Moses” (Joshua 8:31; 23:6), it was instituted for a specific period of time (until the coming of Christ, the Seed), and it was kept beside the Ark in the Holy of Holies (Deuteronomy 31:26; it was significant for Israel, but the Ten Commandments expressed the heart of the LORD God – Jehovah Elohim). Based upon this evidence alone, it would be expected that the Ten Commandments are God’s permanent design for mankind who is created in His image. However, there is more.
It seems that many are under the impression that Mt. Sinai was where God first made His commandments known to humanity. When the Lord extended His promise from Abraham to Isaac, He did so on this basis: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:5). Abraham did not have the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses, yet he understood what the Lord required of him; likewise, the yet sinless Adam knew the command that the Lord had given him (Genesis 2:17). What the Lord expected from man, He always made known to him.
Jehovah told Jeremiah that a time was coming when “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33b). The writer of Hebrews applied this specifically to the new and living Way that was opened through Jesus (Hebrews 10:16-20): the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20). Therefore, when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, God puts His Laws into our minds (put, in Hebrew, is in the perfect tense, a completed action – it is deemed to have taken place, though yet future; in the NT Greek, it is a present tense [following the LXX]) and will write them upon our hearts (in the Hebrew, write is in the imperfect tense, an incomplete action generally shown as future tense,6 and carried as such in the LXX and NT Greek); at the very same time, the Spirit of God comes to abide within, thereby providing the perfect combination for us to live in obedience to His commandments. As John has been saying, the one who is obedient to the commandments of God knows Him (1 John 2:3), and he dwells in Him and He in him, and this is affirmed by the Spirit Who has been given to us (1 John 3:24).
It is noteworthy that John includes our obedience to the commandments of God as an indication that we are loving the children of God. John has made it very clear that such obedience is an essential part of who we are in Christ. We’ve already learned that it is upon the foundation of loving God that we are able to love our neighbor as He desires (Matthew 22:37-40). However, John is not addressing a love for our neighbor, but a love for our fellow disciples of the Lord (the children of God). Jesus said that our love for Him is expressed through our obedience to His commandments (John 14:15), which fully supports John’s emphasis; however, beyond that, Jesus told the eleven (after Judas was departed from them) that they were to love one another, and that this would be a sign to others that they were His disciples (John 13:34-35). John used this same phrase five times in this one short letter, and he clarified that “if we are loving one another, [then] God is abiding in us and His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:12b, literal). In us, the children of God, God’s love is made complete: we are loving Him, which means that we are obeying His commandments, and we are loving our fellow children of God. Unless we are living in faithful obedience to the commandments of the Lord, we do not love Him (John 14:15), and, hence, we do not love those who are His. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience!] is dead also” (James 2:26) – faith in the Lord and obedience to His commandments are inseparably linked, and form the essence of being His disciple! As this faith and obedience are expressed through us, we are then assured of the Spirit’s leading in us and our love for the children of God will also be present!
John has already declared that the one who says that he knows God, but does not obey His commandments, is a liar (1 John 2:4) – he does not know God, much less love Him. Moreover, “… all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Obedience to the commandments of God is essential to knowing Him, loving Him, loving His children, and being awarded eternal life.
3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For the love of God is this: namely, we are obeying His commandments, and His commandments are not difficult to obey (literal).
Again, we come back to Jesus’ words: “If you are loving Me, [then] My commandments you must obey” (John 14:15, literal). Obedience to His commandments is the only expression of our love for Him: no obedience, no love! It is only through this obedience that God’s love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12). God has an amazing love for all of humanity, but when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus and obey His commandments, then His love is made complete; He loves us, and we love Him, which can only be expressed through our obedience to His commandments! His love is complete in us only when we are living in faithful obedience to Him. This is the message that John has been stressing throughout his letter, but even more so as his letter nears its end.
John now provides this assurance: His commandments are not difficult to obey. As we have already noted, the Spirit of God comes to abide within those who place their faith in Christ; the very presence of God is in us and He will guide us in our life of obedience. At the same time, God has placed His Laws in our minds, and is writing them upon our hearts – the commandments of God are within us, right where the Spirit of God is able to use them as we are willing to submit to His guidance. It is the presence of the Spirit and our surrender to His leading that makes obeying God’s commandments not difficult. However, we must never think for a moment that this means that there is no cost to following the Lord faithfully (including obedience)! Jesus said: “21. And brother will betray brother to death, and a father, a child; and children will rebel against [their] parents and will put them to death, 22. And you will be hated by everyone because of My name; but the one who [faithfully] endures [the promised tribulation (John 16:33)] unto the end, this one will be saved” (Matthew 10:21-22, literal). It is only the Spirit of God Who is able to take the tribulation that will come as we follow the Lord’s commandments, and make it without difficulty. This will only take place by having a singular focus on the Lord Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and a continual submission to the leading of God’s Spirit.
4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Because all, having been born of God, are overcoming the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith (literal).
Interestingly, both all and born in the Greek are in the neuter, which serves to broaden the statement so that everything that God generates, or regenerates (as in the case of man), is overcoming the world. In other words, whatever is of God is victorious over the world – there is a separation between what is of God and what is of the world. Earlier, John stated: “For all that is in the world … is not of the Father” (1 John 2:16); Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and so all that is from God has no part with this world, which is under the control of the Devil. Hence, if we have been born anew by the Spirit of God, then we are overcoming the world; the world is no longer a part of our living: although we are in the world, but because we are now in Christ, He is our guide, and not the voices of this world that come from the Devil.
Overcoming is from the Greek nikao, which means to defeat, or conquer.7 “And you, having been freed from sin, have become enslaved to righteousness” (Romans 6:18, literal). This is the victory that we have in Christ: freed from sin (the world is defeated), and enslaved to His righteousness (obedience to His commandments). John wrote: “He who is overcoming will inherit all things, and I be will to him God, and he will be to Me a son” (Revelation 21:7, literal).
After Jesus promised that we would face tribulation in this world, He added that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Overcome, in this case is in the perfect tense: a past completed action that continues to have effects and relevance. When did Jesus overcome the world? As God, it is evident that He is greater than, and separate from, the world, but this would suggest that there is something more that was a part of His earthly ministry. Indeed, it was by His death that He destroyed the Devil who holds the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), and who leads the rebellion against God (Ephesians 2:9); yet, when Jesus said that He had overcome (perfect tense, completed action) the world, He had not yet died. If we consider this within our concept of time, it doesn’t make sense; however, if we consider John’s words as he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, then it fits: “And all who are dwelling on the earth will worship it [the beast, the Antichrist], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb Who was slain from the beginning of the world” (Revelation 13:8, literal). Slain is in the perfect tense – a completed past action with present effects; within the heart of God, Who is all-knowing and cannot change, it was determined that the Word would come to bring redemption from sin for a creature who was yet to be created (1 Peter 1:20). When the Lord uses a perfect tense verb to describe something that is yet future, then we can be assured that it will most certainly take place – to the One Who knows the end from the beginning, it is done!
Before we leave this, let’s consider another example of this from Revelation 13:8 – written is also in the perfect tense. Those who will worship the Antichrist will be those whose names have not been recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Does this mean that the Calvinists are right, and that God has predetermined who is destined for life? Not at all! This is referring only to those who are alive on the earth at the time of the Antichrist whose names are not in the Book of Life. To the Ephesians, Paul explained: “even as He [God] did choose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world …” (Ephesians 1:4a, literal). If we are in Christ, then our names have been recorded in the Book of Life; we are in Christ if we have placed our faith in Him and are continually living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:4-5). Those who are in Christ and living during the time of the Antichrist, will not worship him.
However, the Word of God is very clear that those who are in Christ, whose names have been recorded in the Book of Life, are quite capable of turning away from Him. The writer of Hebrews made it evident that those who have been made holy by the blood of the Lamb are capable of rejecting the Savior and considering His blood as being unholy, yet he also declared that such a person can only look forward to God’s condemnation (Hebrews 10:26-29). He also warned: “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). The writer addressed brethren – those who are in Christ! Paul warned Timothy of what was coming: “3. For a time will be when correct teaching will not be accepted, but according to their own evil desires, [and] eager to hear what they want, they will accumulate to themselves teachers, 4. and truly, from hearing the truth, they will turn away, and they will be turned to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, literal). They will reject sound doctrine concerning the Truth, and will replace it with lies, stories and fables that scratch their self-centered itches, but will leave them securely on the broad road to destruction (Matthew 7:13).
Moreover, Jesus expressed to the elder of Sardis that it is very possible to have one’s name removed from the Book of Life. “The one who is overcoming, this one will wear white garments, and I will never erase his name out of the Book of Life, and I will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5). It is the one who is not overcoming whose name will be removed from the Book of Life; this is someone who began to walk with the Lord in faith and obedience (his name is recorded in the Book of Life), but was deceived and departed from the faith, and so his name is removed. John tells us that the one who has been born of God is overcoming the world; such a one is in Christ and is living in obedience to the commandments of God – his name has been entered into the Book of Life! “And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire” (Revelation 20:15); the Lake of Fire is the eternal dwelling place of the Antichrist, the False Prophet, the Devil (Revelation 20:10), death and Hades (Revelation 20:13), and everyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life.
John states that it is our faith that makes us victors over the world. However, we must not forget James’ words on the matter of faith: “For just as the body, without the spirit, is dead, so also faith, without works, is dead” (James 2:26, literal); such works are an expression of our faith in Christ: i.e., obedience to His commandments (John 14:15). Since our faith is dead unless it is accompanied by obedience to the Lord’s commandments, then it is crystal clear that the overcoming one is living in both (faith and obedience), and when John says that it is our faith that makes us overcomers, then we must understand that this cannot be separated from obedience!
5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Who is the one who is overcoming the world, if not the one who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God? (literal).
John has just stated that it is the one who is born of God who is overcoming the world, now he says that it is the one who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, this latter (believing that Jesus is the Son of God) is equivalent to being born of God. As we considered the previous verse, we were reminded again that faith and obedience are inseparable, and, when he says that our faith makes us overcomers, we understand that this includes obedience to God’s commandments.
Now let’s consider believing. As it is used in this verse, it is in the present tense and active voice – it is continually present and the one who (the subject) is performing the action of believing. Believe, within a Biblical context, is based upon an evaluation of what is under consideration, so as to fully understand and appreciate all of the benefits and costs before making the commitment to believe. The evaluation is necessary in order to become convinced that the examined object of belief is true and worthy of our commitment. So, in this case, what does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
As the Son of God, Jesus was of heavenly origin (Luke 1:35), even while in human form, He was still God (John 10:30), neither He, nor His kingdom, are a part of this world system (John 8:23; 18:36), He came to earth in order to provide a final cleansing from sin for humanity (Hebrews 9:12), and, although unworthy of death (for He was sinless), He died in order to destroy the Devil who held the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Since Jesus paid the price for sin (death) and rose again from the dead, He is able to make eternal life with Him available to all who are believing in Him (John 3:16). In our evaluation of Jesus, this is certainly one of the benefits of believing on Him. However, if our evaluation does not include the price that we must be willing to pay by becoming His disciple (believing on Him), then our evaluation is not complete. Jesus, Himself, made it very clear that we are to consider the cost of following Him before we commit to doing so: “26. If anyone is coming to Me and is not hating [loving less] his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life also, he is not able to be My disciple. 27. And whoever is not carrying his cross and coming after Me, is not able to be My disciple. 28. For who from among you, who is desiring to build a tower, does not first sit, calculating the cost [to determine] if he has all for the completion” (Luke 14:26-28, literal). Using the illustration of construction, Jesus tells us to count the cost of following Him, lest we begin and are not able, or are unwilling, to pay the price that we failed to consider. In order to become disciples of the Lord requires that He must be the first priority in our lives – that is a price that we must be willing to pay, and a cost that must be calculated before we begin to follow the Lord.
However, there is more. “And that [the Seed] which did fall among thorns: these are those who did understand and are following after, [but then] are choked to death by the worries, riches and pleasures of life, and they are bringing no fruit to maturity” (Luke 8:14, literal). This speaks of someone who understood the Message of hope and began to follow the Lord, but the pressures of this world (both anxieties and allurements) overcame this one, so that his belief in the Lord failed – rather than being an overcomer, he was overcome. His believing became past tense, and his unbelief drew him into apostasy.
Our believing forms the foundation, or conviction, for our faith; therefore, it is important that our evaluation of the Lord Jesus be thorough so that our faith is unshakeable. Paul commanded the Corinthians to “stand fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), which means that they were also able to not stand fast. Another cost of being the Lord’s disciples, is that we must remain faithful to Him unto the very end in order to inherit His salvation (Matthew 24:13), and so we must continually guard against being drawn away from His Truth.
It is through our faithfulness to the Lord Jesus that we are overcoming the world. Our faithfulness includes a firm and continual belief in Who He is and what He has done to purchase our freedom from sin, and a life characterized by obedience to His commandments. This is the central theme of John’s letter, and today it has been sadly neglected by those who profess to know the Lord.
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.
This One is He Who did come by water and blood: Jesus, the Christ; not by the water alone, but by the water and the blood; and the Spirit is the One Who is bearing witness because the Spirit is Truth (literal).
This is a somewhat difficult verse, and one that has given rise to many speculations among theologians. However, as I have taken some time to ponder it, I think that it is very possible to come up with an explanation that is both Biblical and reasonable.
First of all, we must note that this is about Jesus, the Christ – the Son of God Who came to save (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:21), and the One Who was anointed for a very specific ministry (John 1:32). As we consider the water and the blood, we recognize that they form the bookends of Jesus’ ministry: it began with His baptism by John the Baptist, and it ended with the sacrificial shedding of His blood as the final payment for sin (John 19:30; Hebrews 9:11-12).
Jesus came to John to be baptized by him (Matthew 3:13), which at first might appear to be somewhat curious, since John’s baptism was unto repentance from sin (Mark 1:4) and Jesus was the sinless Son of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). However, three important things took place with John’s baptism of Jesus: 1) Jesus, as the Son of God, thereby endorsed the ministry of John; the Jewish religious leaders, by contrast, refused to believe him (Matthew 21:32), 2) John saw the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus in the form of a dove (John 1:32), a confirmation of his identification of Jesus as the Lamb of God Who is taking and removing the sin of the world (John 1:29b, literal), and 3) all of those who were present (and it would have been a large crowd, Matthew 3:5-6) heard a voice from heaven that declared Jesus to be His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). Jesus’ earthly ministry began with His baptism by John: He came by water. Since John’s baptism was unto repentance from sin, and Jesus was without sin and the voice from heaven confirmed that He was the Son of God, Jesus established the necessity for repentance in order to enter into His kingdom. John came as the prophesied Elijah who was to come before the Messiah in order to prepare the way for His ministry (Matthew 17:10-12; Malachi 4:5-6).
The message of John the Baptist was: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2); Jesus began His ministry with these words: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) – there was a seamless transition from the preparatory work of John to the ministry of Jesus. However, the entire ministry of John the Baptist was repentance from sin (baptism being the outward sign), whereas Jesus began with the need for repentance and went on to bring an end to sin. The water of repentance was essential to Jesus’ Message, but it was not just the need for repentance (the water) – it was also the blood.
As Jesus met with His disciples on the evening before His crucifixion, He introduced what we now call the Lord’s Supper. “26. And while they were eating, Jesus did take the bread, and blessed [it], broke [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat, this is My body.’ 27. And He did take the cup and gave thanks, [and] gave [it] to them saying, ‘All [of you] drink from it; 28. because this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is being poured out for all, for the remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28, literal). Earlier, as Jesus taught in a synagogue, He said: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:56); He identified Himself as being the Bread that came from heaven, and His flesh as being the bread (John 6:51). This caused the Jews a great deal of distress, yet it was not until He was together with His disciples on the night before His crucifixion that He explained the symbols of the bread and the fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:29) as representing His body and blood.
As Jesus came to the end of His earthly ministry, He explained to His disciples the New Covenant that would come through His shed blood. Did they understand that with the establishment of the New Covenant, the Old would be removed? It seems not. Some fourteen years after his conversion, Paul was contending with the disciples of Jerusalem regarding the matter of adding obedience to the Law of Moses to faith in Christ (Galatians 2:1; Acts 15:5). Paul’s position was that anything that was added to the Gospel, destroyed it (Galatians 1:6-8), yet the Jews of Jerusalem who believed in Christ sought to impose the Law of Moses (the Old Covenant) onto those who had been reborn into the New Covenant. It is evident that they did not understand that the New fulfilled and replaced the Old, or, if they did, then they were very tolerant of those who endeavored to retain the Old. The writer of Hebrews linked the New Covenant that was instituted by Jesus to that which was spoken of through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31), and declared: “By saying “new,” He [Jehovah, Who spoke these words through Jeremiah] has made the first obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13a, literal). It is estimated that the book of Hebrews was written in the late 60s AD,8 which is more than ten years after Paul dealt with this issue before the Apostles in Jerusalem; clearly, many of the Jews still neither understood nor accepted the fact that the Old Covenant was ended.
“And according to the Law, almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood, no pardon comes” (Hebrews 9:22, literal). Under the Law of Moses, the shedding of animal blood was prolific, and, without it, no forgiveness could be made for sins committed. Yet these sacrifices, and the shedding of blood, had to be done on a continual basis, without end, because “… the blood of bulls and goats [is] not able to take sins away” (Hebrews 10:4, literal). This is the reason that the OT saints could not be raised immortal until after Christ was raised from the dead (Matthew 27:52-53); they remained in Paradise until Christ came, shed His blood in order to remove sin, and then they could be raised from the dead and taken by Jesus to heaven when He ascended (Ephesians 4:8). “11. But Christ being come an high priest … 12. by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:11-12). Forgiveness of sins has always required the shedding of blood (from the very beginning, Genesis 3:21), and the blood of animals (even under the Law of Moses) could never bring a permanent forgiveness (the sacrifices needed to be continually repeated), yet through the blood of Christ came an eternal redemption – the sacrifices were ended! As Jesus’ ministry came to a close, He shed His blood for the sins of humanity: “And He is the means of forgiveness for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for [the sins] of all of humanity” (1 John 2:2, literal). All of the sacrifices of the OT pointed forward to the One Who was coming to make an end of the Old Covenant, which included the many sacrifices and the priesthood.
Jesus’ ministry began with the water of repentance (the message of John the Baptist), but it went beyond that to the blood that He would shed at the end of His ministry in order to make eternal forgiveness of sins available to everyone. The Spirit of God, Who abides within us, testifies to this: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26). To the Romans, Paul made very evident the crucial role of the Spirit within the life of the child of God: “8. And those who are living in the flesh are not able to please God. 9. And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed, the Spirit of God is dwelling in you; but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His” (Romans 8:8-9, literal). As we abide in Christ (through faithful obedience), the Spirit will remain in us, and He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13) – a full knowledge of Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). To the Colossians, Paul wrote of God “Who did deliver us from the domain of darkness and did transfer [us] into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13, literal); that is the essence of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins that is available through the shed blood of Christ – a turning from and a turning to. The Spirit of God will never ignore repentance, because without it He will not abide within us. The blood of Christ is the foundation of the New Covenant, and faith, which requires repentance, permits us access into it; even as a disciple of the Lord, repentance from failure (inadvertent sin) will ensure that we remain in the New Covenant, cleansed by His blood (1 John 1:9 – confess means to agree with the Lord;9 such confession is only genuine when it is the first part of repentance: turning from).
Evangelicals are under the false impression that if they pray a prayer, then they have secured eternal salvation with the Lord. The problem is that they have never heard Jesus’ words that they must first count the cost of being His disciples; praying a prayer for salvation is not the end, but the beginning of a whole new life in Christ lived out through the guidance of the Spirit of God. To the Ephesians, Paul made this very clear: “22. Ye have put off, as to the former way of life, the old man that is corrupted as a result of deceptive desires [repentance], 23. now to be renewed by the Spirit in your mind, 24. and the new man ye have put on, for God did create [him] in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:22-24, literal). Here we have: 1) a turning away from the ways of the old man, 2) donning the new man whom God creates in righteousness, and 3) having the Spirit of God actively at work renewing our minds. The renewal in Christ begins with repentance – setting the life of the old man aside.
After repentance, faith in Christ as our means of forgiveness opens a whole new life that is diametrically opposed to the old life. “Now you have been made free from sin, [and] have become enslaved to righteousness” (Romans 6:18, literal); from sin and to righteousness – that is the difference between old man and the new man. This encapsulates the truth that John is presenting: Jesus came with John’s water of repentance, but not repentance alone; He carried that into the availability of eternal forgiveness of sins through His shed blood. We do not simply add Jesus to our lives; we must forsake our old lives, and embrace the lives of righteousness that God has prepared for us – the Spirit of Truth will guide us as we become enslaved to righteousness.
7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Because there are three Who are bearing witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit – and these three are one (literal).
Within modern translations, this verse, and the following one, have suffered under the hands of the textual critics of the late 19th century, without regard to the Lord’s admonition to not add to, or take away from, His Word (Deuteronomy 4:2). For example, the NASB reads: “7. For there are three that testify: 8. the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” Since the textual critics who were intent on reconstructing the original Greek text held little regard for anything else, and were openly critical of the Textus Receptus that underlies the KJV, it is not surprising that their text departed from it. Through critical-thinking rationale and high-sounding arguments, the corrupted Greek text has won its place as the foundation for virtually all modern translations of the NT. Despite this, the KJV is still the third best-selling Bible translation in 2026.10 However, the shift to modern translations has been massive among Evangelicals; even those who are considered to be conservative, prefer the modern translations; the late John MacArthur favored the NASB, and used it as the basis for the translation that he supervised, the Legacy Standard Bible.11 He, too, had accepted the work and philosophy of the 19th century heretics, Westcott and Hort.
John, through the guidance of the Spirit of God, declared that there are three Who are bearing witness in heaven, that these are the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one. The Spirit of Truth is bearing witness to the need for repentance (the water of the previous verse) in order to be cleansed by the blood of Christ (the blood) under the New Covenant. However, John now points to three persons of the Godhead Who are in heaven, and are testifying to the same thing! This should not be surprising, for the plan of redemption was devised within the Godhead before creation (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). The three members are identified as: the Father – of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word – Who became the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – Who overshadowed Mary and conceived Jesus. John adds that these three are one!
We accept this as being true, but let’s take a moment to consider how this is presented throughout Scripture.
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God [Elohim, plural, which in Hebrew emphasizes the power and majesty of God] created [bara, singular] the heaven and the earth.”12 When Elohim is used in reference to the true God, the verb is always singular.13 “2b. And the Spirit [ruah, singular] of God [Elohim] moved [rahap, singular; hovered] upon the face of the waters. 3. And God [Elohim] said [the Word (John 1:1); ‘amar, singular], Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:2b-3).14 Elohim is used for the God of creation: all powerful and majestic – “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good [exceedingly good]” (Genesis 1:31a).15
Psalm 33:6 – “By the word [the XXL shows this as logo, the Word (John 1:1)] of the LORD [Jehovah, His relational name] were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath [ruah, Spirit] of his mouth.”
Luke 3:22 – “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him [Jesus], and a voice came from heaven, which [the voice of the Father] said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things ….” The Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father in the name of the Son of God, Jesus.
Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Jesus’ parting words to His disciples is a commission to go and to teach the Gentiles (from ta ethnos, those not of Israel), baptizing those who accept their teaching (the Gospel) in the singular name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.16
These are just a few of the examples that could be cited to demonstrate the tri-unity of the Godhead. It is evident that there are many passages in God’s Word that identify the members of the Godhead, and so one of the justifications used to minimize what the corrupt Greek text has done, is that it has not seriously impacted any significant teaching of Scripture. However, God has stated very clearly in His Word: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep [observe, or obey; may detracts from the overall thrust] the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). God gave specific instructions regarding the handling of His Word: do not add to, or subtract from, it. The Scriptures have suffered much under the hands of the textual critics of the late 19th century who ignored God’s promised preservation of His Word (Psalm 119:89; Matthew 24:35), and who, guided by the philosophy of the Enlightenment, determined to re-create the original Greek NT text using their intellect as their guide. Out of this time, Westcott and Hort emerged as dominant among the textual critics; Westcott, who was restrained in his public stand on Biblical matters, did deny that the first three chapters of Genesis were to be accepted literally, and denied that Jesus was God (stating that Jesus never claimed to be God – and he worked on the Greek NT text?); Hort considered the teaching that Christ bore the sins of the world to be heresy, denied the existence of Eden, preferred Darwin’s theory of evolution to God’s creation, and considered hell to be figurative.17 These were the great intellects who compiled the Greek text that is the basis for virtually every modern translation. In truth, they were godless men who followed the guidance of their father, the Devil, in an effort to undermine God’s Word.
It is interesting to notice that Jesus, the Son of God, is called the Word – the name that He held in the beginning (John 1:1). When He comes to establish His Millennial kingdom, His name is given as the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), and yet, when John first saw Him in heaven, He appeared as a sacrificed Lamb (Revelation 5:6). When John is shown the New Jerusalem, the place of worship (the temple) is Almighty God and the Lamb, and the Lamb is its light (Revelation 21:22-23). Even as Jesus, in His glorified body, still bore the signs of His crucifixion (John 20:27), likewise, in the glory of the New Heaven and Earth, He will still bear the marks of His sacrifice as the Lamb of God – a reminder to all who have been redeemed by His blood that He is the reason that their names are in the Book of Life.
Consider these three Witnesses: 1) the Father is shown as abiding in heaven – the voice at Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:22), and on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:35); 2) the Word is the Lord Jesus Who came from heaven to make payment for the sins of men, Who was indwelt by the Spirit (John 1:32), and remained One with His Father (John 10:30); 3) the Holy Spirit Who remained with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry (John 1:32), and Whom Jesus promised to send to abide forever in those who are His faithful disciples (John 14:15-17). However, there is more: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone is loving Me, My word he will obey, and My Father will love him, and with him We will come and will make Our dwelling place with him’” (John 14:23, literal). As John witnessed the coming of the New Jerusalem, he heard these words: “The one who is overcoming will inherit all things, and I will be to him, God, and he will be to Me a son” (Revelation 21:7, literal); looking forward to the New Heaven and Earth, it is the one who is living faithfully for the Lord in this life (overcoming is in the present tense), who will be (future tense) with God (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) forever.
Nevertheless, the three Witnesses in heaven, as One, testify to the Truth, and will never change. Men will always seek to rationalize and justify their actions and their reasoning, and this is equally true within those who only profess to know God (1 John 2:4). However, what they fail to realize is that there is nothing that they can do to gain God’s favor except to repent, accept the cleansing from sin that comes only from Christ, and live in obedience to the commandments of God (1 John 5:3).
8. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
And there are three who are bearing witness in the earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood – and the three are in the one (literal).
John draws a parallel to the previous verse, except that, this time, the three bearing witness are in the earth.
The first of these is the Spirit, Who is also one of the Witnesses in heaven. It is the Spirit Whom Jesus promised to send to those who are living faithfully for Him, and the presence of the Spirit will remain with us forever (John 14:16), on the condition that we remain faithfully and obediently in Christ. The Spirit will not willingly depart from us, unless we willfully depart from Him. “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). Jesus forewarned His disciples (and so us, as well) to be aware that false Christs and false prophets will come with grand philosophies and great signs in an effort to lure His children away from His Truth (Matthew 24:24-25). If we surrender to their persuasion, then we have become apostate from God: the Spirit of Truth is no longer abiding within, and our eternal future with God has been lost. “4. [It is] impossible for those who have one-time been enlightened, who did taste of the heavenly gift, and who did become partakers of the Holy Spirit … 6. and who have fallen away, to renew [them] once more unto repentance, who, to themselves, the Son of God are crucifying again and holding [Him] up to public shame” Hebrews 6:4, 6, literal). This is someone who came to know the forgiveness of sin that comes through Christ’s shed blood (one-time been enlightened), has experienced the Spirit abiding within, and then has become apostate from God – thereby considering as nothing Christ’s blood that made him holy, and denying the work of the Spirit within (Hebrews 10:29): for such a person there is only a terrible expectation of condemnation and fury of fire (Hebrews 10:27, literal). To His disciples, Jesus said: “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against [or, insults] the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10).18 The Spirit has been sent to guide us into all truth (John 16:13), if we do not permit Him to lead us into that Truth, then we have denied Him the purpose for which He has come to us, and that is the ultimate insult, which, Jesus says, is unforgiveable! Such an action makes us to become apostate from God, from which there is no possible restoration, only a sure condemnation before a holy God.
Water, as we have seen earlier, speaks of the need for repentance from sin. This was the message of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and Jesus began His ministry with the same words (Matthew 4:17); repentance speaks of a change of mind that leads to a change of life – a shift from sin to life in Christ. It is easily seen that repentance is an essential element of our commitment to Christ; we forsake the old man and embrace the new man in Christ – all through the renewing work of the Spirit of God within us, which begins the moment that we turn away (repent) from the old man (Ephesians 4:22-24).
The blood, as we have also learned, identifies the New Covenant that was instituted by Jesus through His shed blood (Luke 22:20). It is under this Covenant, which replaced the old Mosaic Covenant (Hebrews 8:13), that the Spirit of God enters the life of the one who places his faith in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin (Romans 8:9), and God writes His Laws (the Ten Commandments) on his mind and places them upon his heart (Hebrews 10:16). The Spirit is abiding within through repentance, and the New Covenant has been written into our very being: the Spirit, the water, and the blood – all three testifying as one to the marvelous working of God within us.
Jesus said to His disciples: “7. But I am telling you the truth, it is better for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you, but if I go, [then] I will send Him to you. 8. And having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement: 9. concerning sin, truly, because they are not believing in Me; 10. and concerning righteousness, because to the Father I am going and you are no longer looking at Me; 11. and concerning judgement because the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:7-11, literal). The Comforter (parakletos, meaning one who is called alongside to help19) is sent to those who are living faithfully for Christ, with the intent that He will abide within us (the overcoming ones) forever (John 14:16). However, Jesus also said that the Spirit will convict the world in three areas, which means that His convicting work will be done as He is abiding within those who are faithful and obedient to the Lord; notice that Jesus did not say that the Spirit would roam throughout the world convicting the godless. It is as He is dwelling in those who are made righteous through Christ, that He will bring conviction to the world. Sinners will be convicted of sin because they are not believing in Christ; it is because we do, that they will come to understand sin. They will be convicted of righteousness, because our lives express the righteousness of Christ, even though He is no longer on the earth; they will be convicted of judgement because they will recognize that Satan is a defeated foe in us. Clearly, for the Spirit of God to convict the world, we must live in a manner that exemplifies the holiness of God (faithfully obedient to His commandments), and then be able to provide a vocal testimony to what He has accomplished in us. “And the Lord God you must hold with reverence in your hearts, always ready with a defense, along with humility and fear, to everyone who is asking you concerning the word of hope [that is] in you” (1 Peter 3:15, literal). Notice that everyone is able to see the hope that is in you, which means that our lives must accurately reflect God’s holiness and our heavenly inheritance – our defense is to be ready when they ask. Our hope is the Lord Jesus through Whom our Godly inheritance is made sure; yet He assured us that our promised salvation will only come if we remain faithful to Him unto the very end (Matthew 24:13). “Let us hold fast an unwavering confession of hope, because faithful [is] He Who did promise” (Hebrews 10:23, literal).
There are three witnesses on earth: our repentance (the water), the New Covenant life in Christ (the blood), and the Spirit of God Who has come to hold it all together into eternity: the fulfillment of the plan of redemption devised by the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit before the foundation of the world. The heavenly and earthly witnesses are one! “Then they all are one even as You, Father, [are] in Me and I in You; that they are also one in Us, so that the world believes that You did send Me” (John 17:21, literal).
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.
Inasmuch as we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater: so that this is the witness of God, which He did testify concerning His Son (literal).20
John establishes the significance of what he has just written: when men testify, or provide evidence, concerning a matter, it is generally accepted as being true; how much greater is the testimony of God, Who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Even in court, while being under oath to tell the truth, men have been known to provide evidence that is false; this is not possible with God!
This is the witness of God refers back to what came before – that which modern translations have shredded in keeping with the corrupted Greek text produced by the heretics of the late 19th century. In verses six, seven and eight, bearing witness is a verb that comes from the Greek martureo; in our verse, testimony and witness are nouns from the Greek marturia.21 The former deals with presenting objective, firsthand and provable facts, while the latter refers to those facts; John declares that God’s testimony concerning the Lord Jesus is totally accurate and irrefutable in all respects. However, John will continue to provide additional confirmation of the testimony of God.
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.
The one who is believing on the Son of God has the Witness in him; the one who is not believing God, has made Him [to be] a liar because he did not believe the testimony that God declared concerning His Son (literal).
A reminder that Biblical believing is not just a mental acceptance, it involves evaluation and counting the cost, which yields a strong conviction of the Truth that then results in a change of life. Moreover, such believing must be continuous (as it is used here, it is in the present tense) – if this believing on the Lord Jesus should fail, then that person has become apostate from God (Hebrews 3:12).
John declares that if we are believing on Jesus (as just explained), then we have the Witness in us. To the Romans, Paul wrote: “And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is dwelling in you; and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, [then] this one is not His” (Romans 8:9, literal). Everyone who has placed his faith in the Lord Jesus has the Spirit of God, just as Jesus promised (John 14:16-17); John has just identified the Spirit of God as a Witness both in heaven and earth. We have also learned that the Spirit is at work in this world through the child of God who is living faithfully for the Lord; truly, the Witness is within!
This is now the fifth time that John has used the word liar. If we say that we have not sinned, then we make God to be a liar (1 John 1:10); the one who says that he knows God but does not obey His commandments, is a liar (1 John 2:4); if you deny that Jesus is the Christ, then you are a liar (1 John 2:22); should you say that you love God, while hating your brother, you are a liar (1 John 4:20). Interestingly, three times John declares that we are the liar when we meet the specified criteria; yet twice we are making God to be the liar. In the first case, we declare that we have not sinned, when God’s testimony concerning us is that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “… there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:3b). In other words, our testimony contradicts God’s word on this matter: if we are right, then God is a liar.
Here John states that whoever is not believing God has made Him to be a liar because he has not believed God’s testimony concerning the Lord Jesus. John has just observed that we will accept the witness of men, but noted that the witness of God is far greater than that. Therefore, we understand that whoever will not accept God’s declarations concerning His Son has, in fact, determined His evidence to be false – i.e., He is a liar! We’ve already seen that this applies equally to someone who simply contradicts what God has said: God says that all are sinners, and anyone who says that they have not sinned is, in essence, saying that God is a liar.
Furthermore, we read this: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled [stands firm] in heaven” (Psalm 119:89);22 the Word of God will not change. Jesus, Who is called the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), confirmed this by declaring that “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Consequently, the evidence of God tells us that anyone who either contradicts or does not believe His Word, has called His testimony into question, and has made Him out to be a liar. If we permit this to settle into our thinking, then we will begin to understand the depth of the failure of professing Christians who claim heaven as their surety even while they disregard God’s Word on so many issues. John has zeroed in on this very significant problem.
John declared that the one who says that he knows God (this is a professing Christian), but does not obey His commandments, is a liar and devoid of the Truth (1 John 2:4). Reading through John’s letter, it is impossible to miss the need of being obedient to the commandments of God. These commandments God wrote upon tables of stone, gave them to Moses and told him to keep them in the holiest place in the tabernacle (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 10:2). Jesus confirmed the significance of these commandments by providing a summary of them: “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” (Matthew 22:37-40). Notice that last comment: all the law and the prophets hang from these two commandments, which are a summary of the Ten. When someone came to Jesus and inquired how he might have eternal life, Jesus told him to obey the commandments (Matthew 19:17); when he pressed Him as to which commandments, Jesus listed five of the six Commandments that deal with how we are to love our neighbor (Matthew 19:18-19). Paul also listed five of the last six Commandments as the fulfillment of our need to love one another (Romans 13:9-10). Clearly, the Ten Commandments are in effect even today; contrary to what many believe, they did not end at the cross!
Jesus identified two commandments that are a summary of the Ten (Matthew 22:37-40): the first, to love God, summarizes the first four Commandments; the second, to love our neighbor, the last six. Then Jesus declared that all of the law and the prophets depend upon these two summarizing commands; the Law of Moses and the message of the prophets were both dependent upon the Ten Commandments for their authority; the Ten Commandments are greater and formed the foundation for both, and thus come to us without change and remain in full effect.
Let’s draw this all together with something that Luke wrote: “the law and the prophets [were] until John [the Baptist]; from then the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone is trying hard to [enter] into it” (Luke 16:16, literal). We understand that it was the Mosaic Law, the Law of God, and the prophets that were in effect until John the Baptist, because it has already been proven that the Ten Commandments of God are not part of the Law of Moses. The message of John the Baptist was: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven [the same as the kingdom of God] is at hand [has come, perfect tense]” (Matthew 3:2);23 this stands in contrast to the Mosaic Law and the word of the prophets, who sought to convince Israel to return to the Lord and live in obedience to the Law of Moses. John, whose ministry was primarily in the wilderness, declared the need to repent because he, as the prophesied Elijah (Matthew 17:12-13; Malachi 4:5), was preparing the way for Jesus (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). Luke tells us that from the time of John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven has come, and Jesus reiterated the same message as He began His ministry (Matthew 4:17); as eternal God, Jesus represented the kingdom of heaven on earth – although the Law of Moses was not yet removed (Matthew 8:4), His message was in preparation for its fulfillment and the New Covenant that would replace it.
When a young man came to Jesus inquiring how he could have eternal life, Jesus did not point him to the Law of Moses, but to the Law of God, the Ten Commandments (Matthew 19:16-19). Notice that Jesus, being very gracious, identified the five Commandments that the young man was keeping but did not include the one where he was failing (do not covet) – He allowed the man to come to that realization on his own. This account shows us that the Ten Commandments are a part of the kingdom of heaven; the Law of Moses was based upon the Law of God, but, throughout His ministry, Jesus was showing Himself to be greater than the Mosaic Law, and that He came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). It is also notable that Jesus did not refer to any of the first four Commandments that deal with our relationship with God; the first three are largely internal, without external evidence, and the fourth (the keeping of the Sabbath) was well legislated at that time by the religious leaders.
However, it was on the Fourth Commandment that the religious Jews most frequently found occasion to be critical of the Lord Jesus. It became a matter of routine for the religious leaders to take Jesus to task for healing on the Sabbath; they had developed their own litany of laws – a rationalized expansion of the Law of Moses, which they used to measure the actions of the people. As a matter of fact, it is evident that they even went so far as to make sure that an obvious physical defect was in His presence, and then inquired of Him if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10); just before healing the man’s withered hand, Jesus declared that “it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath days24” (Matthew 12:12b). Although Jesus was trying to get the religious leaders to return to the Word of God, without their enhancements, there was great reluctance to even consider His words – they sought for ways to accuse Him so that they could destroy Him (Matthew 12:14) or, at least, discredit Him before the people. The Fourth Commandment was a problem for the religious Jews, when it came to Jesus.
However, it is no less a problem for the Evangelical of today. The Jews of Jesus’ day had created numerous, meticulous laws around the Sabbath, which they forced upon their own people. Today, the Sabbath has been rationalized into becoming the first day of the week, and, despite God’s clarity in presenting the Fourth Commandment, Evangelicals feel completely justified in disagreeing with God on this matter: the evidence that God has presented is considered as being no longer applicable. Nevertheless, as we have considered a proper attitude toward the Ten Commandments, it has become crystal clear that they are all in full effect today, and so today’s Evangelical is calling God a liar – they do not believe the evidence that God has given through the Lord Jesus Christ!
11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
And this is the testimony: that God has given everlasting life to us, and this life is in His Son (literal).
John has just made the point that the one who does not believe what God has declared concerning Jesus, has made God to be a liar. Now he specifically identifies what God has presented as the evidence (testimony) that some do not believe: it is through His Son, the Lord Jesus, that God has given us everlasting life. “For in this way, God did love the world: so that He did give His Son, the One and Only, that everyone who is believing in Him will not perish but is having life everlasting” (John 3:16, literal). “13. You must enter through the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and many are those who are going through it, and broad [is] the way that is leading to destruction. 14. For narrow [is] the gate and compressed [is] the way that is leading to life, and few are finding it” (Matthew 7:13-14, literal). Jesus further defined the Gate and the Way: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b, literal). This is part of the testimony that God has given to us regarding His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; if we do not agree with this, then we are accounting God as being a liar – otherwise we would believe the testimony that He has given.
In a cursory fashion, you will find that most Evangelicals will profess to believe this testimony that God has given. However, a more careful examination of what God has declared reveals how little that they truly accept. Jesus said that it is the one who is believing who also has life everlasting; is believing is in the present tense, which means that this must be a continuous action. Most Evangelicals have accepted the Devil’s doctrine of eternal security: if you have believed at one time, then you can never be lost eternally – that is not what Jesus taught. In the parable of the soils, Jesus made this observation: “and those on the rock, when they heard, with joy accepted the Word, and these have no root, who for a time are believing, and in a time of trial become apostate” (Luke 8:13, literal). Those of the rocky soil received the Word with joy, and, notice, for a time they are believing (present tense – a continuous action, indicative mood – a statement of fact; these are Jesus’ words!), but when faced with a trial because of the Word, they become apostate, from which there is no recovery (Hebrews 6:4-6). Most theologians have twisted this parable in order to make it fit into their polished theologies, but Jesus very clearly stated that it is very possible to go from believing to apostasy. The late John MacArthur wrote that “their own shallowness or worldliness make it impossible for God’s Word to take root (Matthew 13:20-22). Despite whatever appearance of spiritual life they might display … they eventually fall away (bold added).”25 It is clear that MacArthur chose the reference in Matthew simply because it does not include the fact that they are believing, thereby making it much easier to change the truth that Jesus taught. It is very evident that MacArthur did not accept the testimony of Jesus that those with rocky soil did truly believe for a time; if we do not accept the evidence that God has given, then, John tells us that we make God to be a liar! Jesus commanded us to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24): not by appearances, but in truth according to the irrefutable Standard, the Word of God. Jesus told His disciples: “if your righteousness does not abound to a greater degree [than that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of the heavens” (Matthew 5:20, literal);26 notice that He is stating that the scribes and Pharisees were not entering into the kingdom of heaven, and that it would take a righteousness greater than theirs to do so. The scribes and Pharisees were the theologians of Jesus’ day: not only could they not enter the kingdom of heaven, but they were standing in the way of those who desired to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees – hypocrites, because in the face of men you are closing the kingdom of the heavens; indeed, you are not entering, nor are you allowing those who are entering, to go in” (Matthew 23:13, literal). These Jewish theologians felt certain that they were destined for God’s kingdom, yet, because they did not have the truth, not only were they not entering the kingdom, but, due to their error, they were closing the way for everyone who followed their faulty teaching. Since the vast majority of today’s theologians do not fully accept God’s Word concerning the Lord Jesus, like the scribes and Pharisees, then it is righteous judgment to apply Jesus’ words to them as well.
John emphasizes that the everlasting life that God has available for us, comes only through the Lord Jesus; it is only as we are abiding in Him that this life is ours. Earlier, he wrote: “And the one who is obeying His commandments is abiding in Him, and He in him …” (1 John 3:24a, literal). We are in Him when we are obeying His commandments; therefore, the everlasting life of which Jesus spoke, is only ours if we are living in obedience to His commandments! Herein is the greatest failure of today’s theologians; virtually without exception, they are convinced, and so teach others, that the Ten Commandments of God ended at the cross. We have already proven that that is not the case; John has made it abundantly clear that unless we are living in obedience to the commandments of God, we are not abiding in Christ – if we are not in Him, then we are not in His kingdom, nor are we destined for heaven! Based upon Jesus’ words, today’s theologians are not entering into His kingdom, and they are blocking the way for those who truly desire to follow the Lord. “And evil men and deceivers will advance toward the worse: who are leading astray and being led astray” (2 Timothy 3:13, literal). Today’s theologians, having been led astray by the educated theologians who taught them, are leading others astray. A theologian who has been duped to believe error is deceived, and it is impossible for them to lead anyone beyond the error that they have accepted – the deceived can only deceive others. They may profess to know the Lord, yet because of their disobedience they do not know Him, nor can they lead anyone else to come to know Him.
It takes the few who have a thirst for the truth of God, to study His Word, discover His Truth, and begin to walk that restricted Way that leads to life. Central to this is: faith in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9), repentance from a life of sin (Acts 17:30), and obedience to the commandments of God (John 14:15). This is not the message that is heard from most pulpits today, nor is it accepted by most professing Christians. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6); “if you are loving Me, [then] you must obey My commandments” (John 14:15, literal).
12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The one who has the Son, has life; the one who does not have the Son of God, does not have life (literal).
Clearly, the central question here is: how do we have the Son? “The one who is believing on the Son has everlasting life …” (John 3:36a, literal); believing is the key! This word in the Greek is in the present tense – this is a continuous action, and active voice – the one who is doing the believing. Who is the one who has the Son – the one who is believing on Him! Peter shows the connection that exists between our love for the Lord and believing on Him: “Whom [referring to Jesus] having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8); through examination, we are believing everything that Jesus has done to free us from sin, and so we love Him. Jesus said: “if you are loving Me, [then] you must obey My commandments” (John 14:15, literal). As we have just seen: “And the one who is obeying His commandments is abiding in Him, and He in him” (1 John 3:24a, literal). Once again, John’s instructions are clear: obey His commandments as evidence of our faith in Him (James 2:26), our love for Him, and our hope for everlasting life that rests in Him alone.
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.
I have written these things to you who are believing on the name of the Son of God so that you know that you have everlasting life, and that you are believing on the name of the Son of God (literal).
This might sound somewhat repetitive, but let’s consider it more carefully for a moment. John is writing to those who are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is doing so for two reasons: 1) so that they will know that they have everlasting life, and 2) that they will be assured that they are truly believing in the Lord. John has made it abundantly clear that faith alone is not sufficient to receive the life that the Lord has promised to those who are His: it is faith and obedience working together unto the end (Matthew 24:13). James declared that faith without works is dead (James 2:17), and John has provided ample clarification that the works that James identified are works of obedience to the commandments of God.
The writer of Hebrews confirmed John’s teaching, and included a warning: “And the righteous [those who are in Christ], by faith [believing on the name of the Son of God], will have life, and if he should draw back, [then] My soul will not delight in him” (Hebrews 10:38, literal). It is through faith (that must always be accompanied by works of obedience) that everlasting life comes, but if that person turns away from the faith, then he is apostate and has lost the promised life (Hebrews 3:12). It is only as we endure in that faith, understanding that it includes obedience to the Lord’s commandments, that we know that we have everlasting life. Jesus warned His disciples against being deceived, and went on to say: “… the one who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal). This is speaking of someone who is in the faith (believing and obeying), and who perseveres in this unto the end; John provides a strong emphasis on the necessity of obedience to the commandments of the Lord in order to hold a relationship with the Lord.
14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And this is the confidence that we have with Him: that if we ask anything according to His desire, [then] He is hearing us (literal).27
When we considered something similar in 1 John 3:22, where John wrote that if we are obedient and pleasing to the Lord, then we will receive that for which we ask, we tempered that with Jesus’ words that the purpose for granting our requests is so that the Father will be glorified (John 14:13). John now provides another principle that is in effect in having our requests granted by God: we must ask in accordance with His desires for us. Since we cannot know God’s desires for us in everything that we face, we are dependent upon the Spirit and Jesus making intercession with the Father for us (Romans 8:26-27, 34).
However, even in this, we are only assured that He hears us, not that we will be granted our petition. Paul requested to have a thorn removed, and the answer that he received was: “My grace is enough for you, because My strength is being made complete in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, literal). Although his request was heard, it was not granted; instead, the Lord provided grace to bear the thorn, which would bring Him greater glory than removing it. We must exercise discernment as we present our petitions to the Lord, and await His response.
15. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
And if we understand that He is hearing us, whatever we ask, [then] we understand that we have the requests that we did ask from Him (literal).
Based upon what John just wrote, we understand that when we make a request in accordance with His will, then He hears us. Now he carries that thought further by saying that we also understand that we have that for which we asked. Most of us will find this difficult to reconcile with our experiences; there must be more to this than meets the eye.
To the multitudes who followed Him, Jesus said: “You must be asking, and it will be given to you … For everyone who is asking, is receiving” (Matthew 7:7-8, literal). He went on to provide the context for this: “If you then, being evil, do know good gifts to give to your children, how much more your Father in the heavens will give good to the one who is asking?” (Matthew 7:11, literal).28 This is not an open promise from God that He will give you everything for which you ask, but it is certainly appropriate to request spiritual understanding (James 1:5); Jesus identifies the God in heaven as your Father, which means that the one who is asking has a personal relationship with God. Jesus notes that evil people know how to give good gifts to their children, but asking and receiving from the Lord is not open to them because they lack that personal connection. We’ve just seen that John provides an additional criteria: asking in accordance with His desire. We may not know the desires of God in every situation, and so we are to rely upon the Spirit and the Lord Jesus to present our petitions to the Father, as they should be (Romans 8:26-27, 34). All of this is dependent upon being in Christ and living faithfully for Him.
However, as we noted earlier, Paul shows us that even then we must permit the Lord to use His superior insight to work in and through us. Paul petitioned the Lord three times to remove his thorn, but the Lord showed him that “My grace is enough for you, because My strength is being made complete in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, literal). Jesus promised that in this life we will have tribulation (John 16:33), and Paul understood this more than most; yet his response to the Lord’s answer was: “more certainly, then, I will glory in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ will rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9b, literal). We, like Paul, must trust the Lord to use our frailties to His glory – to work through us despite our limitations, and thereby bring greater glory to Him. We are assured that life will not be easy, and the oppressions and afflictions that we will face may often be exacerbated by our weaknesses – what comes at us externally may well be intensified because of our personal frailties. However, we, like Paul, must commit ourselves to His keeping, knowing that He is able to accomplish His purposes through us, despite our weaknesses.
Whatever we, as the faithful of the Lord, ask of Him, we know that He will answer by granting our request, or by denying our request and extending His grace to enable us. In our humanity, we long to have our petitions granted, yet we must be aware of our limited perspective on life and that He Who knows the end from the beginning desires that we flourish as we faithfully endure in Him. The Word of God that fell upon those with good soil, produced a harvest, not because there were no trials, but because they persevered in the Truth (Luke 8:15).
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.
If anyone sees his brother who is sinning a sin [that is] not to death, he will ask and He will give life to those who are not sinning to death; there is a sin to death – I am not saying that anyone pray concerning that [sin] (literal).29
This is a difficult verse. However, Jesus provided us with a clue that will assist us in determining what John means here. “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him – neither in this age, nor in the coming [age]” (Matthew 12:32, literal). The judgment for speaking against the Holy Spirit is predetermined, unchangeable, and unforgiveable; therefore, it is important that we understand what this means. The writer of Hebrews provides us with another clue: “26. No more sacrifice for sins continues to exist for our intentional sinning after a full knowledge of the truth [has been] received, 27. but only a terrible expectation of condemnation and fury of fire that is about to be devouring the adversaries [of God] (Hebrews 10: 26-27, literal). Notice the common element between Jesus’ words and those in Hebrews: there is a surety of condemnation in both cases. Let’s consider what follows the quoted passage from Hebrews, because it will complete our understanding of this matter: “28. Anyone who did reject the Law of Moses, on the basis of two or three witnesses, he died without mercy; 29. How much more severe punishment, do you suppose he is worthy, who treats with disdain the Son of God and considers the blood of the [New] Covenant unclean, by which he was made holy, and did insult the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:28-29, literal). Let’s be sure that we understand this correctly. This is speaking of someone who has been born again by the Spirit of God: this one holds a full knowledge of the truth, which only comes through new birth, and he was made holy by the blood of Christ, also something that requires being born from above under the New Covenant and confirms that the Spirit of God was abiding within. This person, who is in a born-again relationship with the Lord and has His Spirit abiding within, is now intentionally sinning; in other words, he has turned away from the Spirit’s guiding influence (the Truth), and has chosen to commit himself to a life of sin (2 Timothy 4:4). The writer of Hebrews warned against such a thing: “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). Notice that this warning is given to brethren, those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin; someone who has deliberately turned away from the Lord and committed themselves to sin has a wicked heart of unbelief – they have become apostate from God. Apostasy is a sin for which there is no cleansing: “4. [It is] impossible for those who have one-time been enlightened, 5. who did taste of the heavenly gift, and who did become partakers of the Holy Spirit … 6. and who have fallen away, to renew [them] once more unto repentance …” (Hebrews 6:4-6, literal). For the one who has been born again, and who then becomes apostate from God (has fallen away), it is impossible to restore such a person again to that place of repentance before God through Christ! Christ died one-time for sin (Romans 6:10), and cleansing from sin is available one-time to the sinner (Hebrews 6:4). For the one who has fallen away, there is only a terrible expectation of condemnation (Hebrews 10:27).
John tells us that there is a sin to death, and, as we have seen from other Scriptures, this is the sin of apostasy; such sin is particularly directed against the Holy Spirit Who is given with the intention that He will abide with us forever. Jesus said: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give another Comforter [the Holy Spirit] to you so that He will abide with you forever” (John 14:16, literal). When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin, the Spirit of God comes to be with us into eternity – that is God’s intended purpose; when we reject the truth of God, this one-time Gift is gone forever: there is no hope of restoration – only the surety of God’s condemnation remains! John tells us not to pray for the one who has become apostate, because that person’s destiny has already been determined – there is no cleansing available for the sin of apostasy.
However, for the brother who is sinning in ignorance, John tells us to pray for that person so that they will again know the life that is only available through Christ. As John wrote earlier: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). For the one who is born again (a brother in Christ), agreeing with the Lord concerning a sin (confess) will bring restoration of the relationship with the Lord. It is the one who does not acknowledge his sin, and continues in that state of sinfulness, who has embarked on the road to apostasy.
The difficulty that we face today is that of determining who are professing Christians but have never known the Lord, and who profess but are actually apostate. What is very evident is that there are only a few who have found the Narrow Gate to the Way of Life (Matthew 7:13-14).
It is contended that “to be evangelical means to be faithful to the gospel,”30 yet, as we consider the broad spectrum of those who claim to be Evangelical, the question that comes to mind is: which gospel? Even before the canon of Scripture was closed, Paul dealt with those who were sincerely seeking to change the Gospel – his letter to the Galatians makes it abundantly clear that any change only worked to destroy its life (Galatians 1:6-9). Therefore, it is beyond question that with the passing of many more years, the Gospel would be trimmed and padded to meet the needs of many groups – each feeling justified in the changes that it made. However, what appears to be common to most of them is a failure to consider John’s message of the need to obey the commandments of God in order to abide in the Truth (1 John 2:4). Modern Evangelicals do not have a heritage of obedience to God’s commandments; they are a product of the Reformers, and a cursory review of the Reformers’ positions makes it clear that they did not completely forsake their Roman Catholic roots – and so the tainted gospels were perpetuated, and modified by later reformers.
“Take heed [that] no one will lead you astray through philosophy and worthless deception: according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8, literal). Modern theologies are a product of men who have studied the Scriptures with the purpose of defending and enhancing what they considered to be the truth of God’s Word; in essence, they have developed Christian philosophies – the very thing that Paul warns against. Earlier, John warned us to examine everything that comes our way so that we are able to determine if it bears the Spirit of God or the spirit of the Devil (1 John 4:1). Anyone who teaches anything that departs from the Word of God in any respect, is to be rejected (Romans 16:17). These many warnings in Scripture are given to keep us true to the Word of God and so that we do not choose the way of apostasy, which brings certain condemnation.
17. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
Every unrighteousness is sin, and [there] is a sin not unto death (literal).
By way of clarification, John now tells us that every act of unrighteousness is sin, and not just that which leads to spiritual condemnation. We must not focus on that sin of apostasy to the exclusion of all other sin; we must be attentive to every sin. Even though every wrongdoing is sin, yet, interestingly, James adds another element. “Therefore, the one who has known to do right, and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17, literal).31 Sin can also be inaction, when a situation calls for right action.
In both of these cases (wrong action and no right action), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Such confession and restoration is only available for the sins that are not apostasy. As we have noted, the sin of apostasy results in condemnation that cannot be undone (Hebrews 6:4-6) – it is a sin unto death!
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.
We have known that everyone who has been born of God is not sinning, but he who was born of God is guarding himself, and the Devil is not harming him (literal).
Earlier, John wrote: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). However, here not sinning is in the present tense, which speaks of a continual sinning. We have already looked at Hebrews 10:26-29 where it is very clear that the one who was born of God, but is now living in a state of continual sin, is destined for God’s condemnation – that is the sin of apostasy for which there is no remedy (Hebrews 6:4-6). Therefore, it is not that we no longer sin, but we do not live in continual, intentional sin.
However, it is not that the Devil is not seeking to destroy those who are children of God. Peter warned us: “Be clear-headed, be alert because your adversary, the Devil, as a lion that is roaring, is going about looking for anyone [whom] he might completely overpower” (1 Peter 5:8). The Devil is not looking for the ungodly, for they are already under his control; he is seeking the child of God who has dropped his guard for a moment. John tells us that the one who has been born of God is continually guarding himself against the Devil’s tactics. To the Ephesians, Paul commanded: “Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you are enabled to stand against the craftiness of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:11, literal). The protection that we have against the Devil comes from what the Lord makes available for us to wear: encircled by truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of deliverance and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-17). As we are born of God, He provides us with all of the protection that we need in order to stand against the Devil and his cunning ways. However, as Paul makes it clear, we can choose to accept the armor that the Lord provides, or we can ignore it to our own detriment.
John says that the one who has been born of God will guard himself against attacks by the Devil. It is because this one is making use of the armor of God that the Devil is not causing him spiritual injury. It is important that we recognize that the Lord’s protection is defensive. Paul says to put the armor on so that we are able to stand against the Devil; John tells us that it is the one who is guarding himself that the Devil will not injure. Standing and guarding speak of being adequately prepared to defend against the attacks of Satan; it is certain that we must not incite the Devil. Jesus, through His one-time sacrifice for sin, has “put an end to the one having the power of death – namely, the Devil” (Hebrews 2:14b, literal). However, even though defeated, Satan is still at war against the followers of Christ who “are obeying the commandments of God and who are holding the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17b, literal). Even though his destiny is sure (Revelation 20:10), as Peter declared, he is still going about looking for someone whom he is able to overpower and control (1 Peter 5:8) – his targets are the faithful children of God!
19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
We have known that we are of God, and the whole world is lying in evil (literal).
What has become very clear from John’s writing is that if we are of God, then we must be living in faithful obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:4-5)! As we have just seen, this will make us the particular targets of the Devil, and our protection is found in the armor of God with which we are to clothe ourselves. John has also warned us to examine all that comes before us in order to ascertain whether it is from God or Satan (1 John 4:1), understanding that it will not always be obvious without such a careful evaluation.
Have known is in the perfect tense, a past completed action with continuing results, and indicative mood – it’s a statement of fact. This presupposes that we are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 5:1), that we are abiding in Him and He in us (1 John 3:24), that we are showing forth His love (1 John 4:7), and that we are living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 5:3) – we have known that we are of God. Interestingly, both have known and are bear the indicative mood; the evidence for affirming that we are of God is factual: we have known and continue to do what is required to be of God.
Again, John shows the separation that must exist between the world and the child of God. We’ve just seen that the child of God is not sinning, and John reminds us that the whole world abides in evil – these two things hold nothing in common. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). Jesus said: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24); mammon is the wealth (money and property) that the world has to offer,32 and Jesus says that it is not possible to work for both. John leaves no doubt that a love for God excludes the attractions of the world, because the world is evil.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He was shown all of the kingdoms of the world, and Satan offered them to Him if He would simply bow to him (Matthew 4:8-9). Jesus did not question that Satan had control of all of the kingdoms of the world, for, indeed, since the sin of Adam, humanity has functioned under his guidance, which is why the world is evil. As Jesus prayed for His disciples, He did not ask that the Father would take them out of the world, but that He would guard them against the evil one (John 17:15); thus, even though we are in the world, we are not to be of the world. We, who know that we are of God, have been called into His kingdom, and His kingdom is absolutely not of this world. We must strive, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, to live separated from this world – the domain of Satan and his hordes.
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.
And we have known that the Son of God has come and has given to us understanding, so that we are knowing the True One, and we are in the True One – in His Son, Jesus Christ; this is the True God and everlasting life (literal).
As John brings his letter to a close, this is the third time that he presents what we have known. We have known that the one who is born of God does not live in continual sin (v. 18), we have known that we are of God (v. 19), and now we have known that it is through Jesus that we receive spiritual understanding and are knowing (present tense) the Father. It seems that he is recalling Jesus’ words to His disciples: “If you have known Me, [then] you have known My Father also, and from now on, you are knowing Him and have seen Him” (John 14:7, literal); His further explanation of this was: “… he who has seen Me, has seen the Father …” (John 14:9b, literal). Even though the disciples had some difficulty understanding what Jesus had explained to them, it is clear that John now fully understood this truth. The writer of Hebrews described Jesus as “being the radiance of the glory and the exact representation of His [God, the Father’s] essence” (Hebrews 1:3a, literal). Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, He was still God, even though He limited His glory so that He was able to live among those who were made in His image.
John also presents the reality of Jesus’ words: “no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b, literal). It is through Jesus that we come to know God, and are able to abide in Him as we remain in Jesus. To His disciples, Jesus commanded: “Abide in Me and I in you …” (John 15:4a, literal), and He then clarified what was required in order to abide in Him: “If My commandments you obey, [then] you will remain in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal). John has emphasized the need for the child of God to live in obedience to God’s commandments; Jesus taught this truth, and John has done his utmost to ensure that his readers understand it.
In keeping with John’s writing, it is only fitting that we take a moment to be sure that we understand this truth with clarity. Earlier, John stated: “The one who is saying, ‘I know Him,’ and His commandments he is not obeying, is a liar, and the truth is not in this one” (1 John 2:4, literal). In order for us to abide in the True One, we must be living in obedience to His commandments, and so we must also understand to what commandments John is referring. To the rich, young man who desired to have eternal life, Jesus said: “… if you are desiring to enter into life, obey the commandments” (Matthew 19:17b, literal), and, when queried further, He went on to specifically identify five of the six Commandments that deal with our relationship with others (Matthew 19:18-19). There is no question that Jesus referred this man to the Ten Commandments, and declared that, in order to enter eternal life, it is necessary to obey them all! This is the very theme of John’s letter! Yet today, among those who profess to know the Lord, there is an acceptance of the lie that the Ten Commandments were removed at the cross. There is a general acceptance that the Ten Commandments were a part of the Law of Moses, and it has all been ended through Christ’s sacrifice for sins. Once again, there is a willing compliance to theology, man’s understanding of God’s truth, over God’s truth – including the clearly expressed teachings of Jesus.
When tested by a religious lawyer as to the greatest commandment in the Law of Moses, Jesus provided two that summarize the Ten Commandments, and declared that it was upon these two that the Law of Moses was supported (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus pointed this man to the Ten Commandments, which were written by God Himself (Deuteronomy 4:13), and form the foundation for the Law of Moses, which came via angels through Moses (Galatians 3:19). Through John’s writing, it has been made abundantly clear that obeying the Lord’s Ten Commandments is essential for the child of God to remain in the Truth; James affirms that unless our faith in the Lord is accompanied by works of obedience, it is dead (James 2:26). John has clarified that it is obedience to the Law of God (the Ten Commandments) that must be a part of our faith in the Lord; without faith and obedience working together, Jesus said that we are not able to abide in Him: “if you are loving Me [faith], [then] you must obey My commandments [obedience]” (John 14:15, literal; cp. John 15:10).
John the Baptist understood this reality: “The one who is believing in the Son has everlasting life; and the one who is disobeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God is abiding upon him” (John 3:36, literal). John brought faith (an ever-present believing) together with the need for obedience – disobeying the Lord will never lead to life, but the wrath of God remains upon this one. John the Baptist understood and proclaimed what today’s theologians dismiss without a second thought. Theology is defined as the study of faith33, and so we see that it comes through man’s reasoning, and is definitely not something that anyone should accept without a very thorough examination; there is a theology for the Roman Catholics, the Seventh-Day Adventists, Mormons, Evangelicals, Baptists, etc., and each must be regarded as only man’s perspective on matters that pertain to God. Today it is more common to have professing Christians identify with a particular preacher or teacher (I am of David Jeremiah, or I am of John MacArthur, etc.), rather than even being familiar with their favored teacher’s theology. Paul dealt with this: “for when someone is saying, ‘I, indeed, am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I, of Apollos,’ are you not sinful?” (1 Corinthians 3:4, literal; the Greek construction is such that the question requires an affirmative response: i.e., “yes, we are sinful”).34 It is incumbent upon all who profess to know God, to know Him in truth: i.e., in faith and obedience! There is no hope in holding to a favored theology, or following the teaching of a favored preacher or theologian. We must test all (both the teaching and the teacher) according to the Word of God (1 John 4:1), which means that we must allow the Spirit of God to guide us in our study of His Word. Jesus promised that the Spirit would come to lead us into all Truth (John 16:13); however, the Spirit can only lead if we are willing to follow. Like Israel of old, we must choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19): faith in the Lord and obedience to His commandments!
John ends with a strong affirmation that Jesus is the True God and the only Way to everlasting life. It is evident that the theme of the Gospel of John is Jesus as the Son of God (John 20:31), and John has chosen to weave that truth throughout this writing as well (1 John 5:1). This is foundational to faith in the Lord, and key to understanding the Way to everlasting Life (John 14:6).
21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Little children, protect yourselves from idols. Amen (literal).
John has just declared Jesus to be the True God and the means to everlasting life; he follows that with this warning to guard against accepting idols. Although an idol can be an image before which some will bow and worship, for the child of God it is better to think of it as anything, or anyone, that holds a higher priority in our lives than God. The First Commandment is: “Thou shalt have no other gods before [or, in preference to] me” (Exodus 20:3).35 Jesus, as the True God, must always hold that place of prominence in our lives: “If anyone is coming to Me and is not hating his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and even his own life also, he is not able to be My disciple” (Luke 14:26, literal); hating, as it is used here, means to show a greater preference or love for the Lord than for our family – members of our family must not become idols that take the place of the Lord in our hearts.36 John is commanding that we guard against permitting the Lord to be replaced by anything, or anyone; protect, or keep, is in the imperative mood! It is as we live in obedience to the First Commandment that we will submit to the Lord, and, with the guidance of the Spirit, find it much easier to live in compliance with the other nine Commandments. This is John’s desire for his readers, and the Lord’s desire for His followers.
Amen – a transliteration from Hebrew: so let it be.37
Everyone who is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God; and everyone who is loving the One Who became the Father, is also loving the one who has been born of Him (literal).
John begins by reiterating the theme of 1 John 4:2 – “… every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ …” (literal); the context was the need to test all spirits in order to determine if it is of God (all spirits must be tested in order to determine if the spirit is of God – a singular Spirit), and part of this is an acknowledgement of Jesus Christ, in the fullness of Who He is. Now he adds that the one who is believing that Jesus is the One Who was anointed by God (the Christ) in order to make redemption available for all of humanity, has been born of God.
It was this very thing that Nicodemus struggled to understand. As a ruler among the Jews, he would have undoubtedly witnessed the activities of John the Baptist who proclaimed a message of repentance from sin, and whose baptism was an outward sign of such, all in preparation for the One Who was coming (Matthew 3:2, 11). To Nicodemus, Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, ‘Unless someone has been born of water and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God’” (John 3:5, literal). This brings the baptizing ministry of John the Baptist (repentance) and the purpose for which Jesus came to earth (to make release from sin possible through faith in His sacrifice) together. At the time of Nicodemus, a purposeful turning away from sin (repentance) was a preparation for the Message of Jesus, the promised Messiah. John identified himself as being “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]” (John 1:23); Lord, in the Hebrew from which this is quoted, is Jehovah.1 Nicodemus, and the other Jewish rulers, should have recognized from John’s confession that he was working to make the people ready for the coming Messiah – instilling repentance from sin within the minds of the people so that they would willingly accept the One Who would bring a final cleansing from sin. The Jewish religious rulers did not believe the message of John the Baptist (Matthew 21:25, 32), and, as a result, very few accepted Jesus, because His Message was built upon the need for repentance, as proclaimed by John. Even though, under the traditions of the Law of Moses, repentance should have been in mind with every sacrifice that was made, it seems that John brought a new message with which the people were unfamiliar.
Further, John’s message for the need of repentance from sin was not set within the traditions of the temple. The Jews were familiar with water as a means of cleansing (Leviticus 11:32), since this was a requirement within the Law of Moses. It is commonly believed that baptism was used for every proselyte who came into the Jewish faith, yet there is absolutely no evidence for this.2 Therefore, when John began baptizing individuals for repentance from sin, this was something that was very new; it drew the interest of the Jewish elite, but not sufficiently for them to pay particular attention to John as the voice proclaiming a message in preparation for the promised Messiah, as their own prophets had foretold.
Jesus declared that repentance (the water of John’s baptism) and the Spirit were both necessary in order to enter into the kingdom of God. What is noticeably missing is the sacrificial system and priesthood of the Law of Moses; these had become the essence of the Jewish rulers’ means of authority over the people, yet they are not here. Even though the temple sacrifices were continuing at this time, Jesus did not include them in His words to Nicodemus; the need for repentance had been loudly proclaimed by John in anticipation of the coming One, and, as Jesus began His ministry, He declared that the kingdom of God was very near, as a product of John’s message (Mark 1:15). The Jewish rulers, along with their fine-tuned adherence to the letter of the Law of Moses, were not a part of the nearness of God’s kingdom – it was the repentance that John the Baptist taught that was an indication that God’s kingdom was at hand.
John declares that the one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, has been born of God. The believing, which always includes a thorough evaluation of the object of belief (in this case, Jesus),3 would include the need for repentance; as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, his singular message was the need to repent! Also included in the believing, is that Jesus is the anointed Son of God (John 1:32) – anointed to carry out the final payment for sin in order to open the way of life to all of humanity. Such a person has, indeed, been born of God, and, according to Jesus’ words to Nicodemus, has been born of water and the Spirit.
John now places the truth that he has been emphasizing (1 John 4:21) into different words. From he who is loving God to: the one who is loving the One Who became the Father. God became the Father when the Word, through the work of the Spirit, became Jesus, the Son of God (Luke 1:35). This inextricably links the essential understanding of Jesus as the Christ to the God Whom we are to be loving with all of our being. Hence, since we, who have been born of God through faith in Christ, are loving Him as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, then it follows that we are also loving those who have been born of God (like us) – born of water (repentance) and the Spirit, Who abides in those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who is born of God is loving everyone who is born of Him.
2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
In this we are knowing that we are loving the children of God: when we are loving God and His commandments we are obeying (literal).
The children of God are those who have been spiritually born of Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; this does not include those who simply profess to know Him but do not obey His commandments (1 John 2:4), nor does it include those who began as children of God, but allowed a heart of unbelief to remove them from Him (Hebrews 3:12). The former are religious pagans who desire to appear to be Christians (wolves in sheep’s clothing); the latter are apostates, for whom there is no possibility of restoration (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Notice that John includes himself by using verbs (in the Greek) that require a first person, plural pronoun: i.e., we; although the Greek pronoun is not present in the text, the form of the verb used tells us what it is.4 In essence, John is saying: here’s how we, as the children of God, are knowing that we are loving those who are also in Christ. He follows this with something that would never enter the minds of those who only profess to know God.
He presents a two-part response for this; the first is that we are loving God. Considering what we have read up to this point, this is not at all surprising. As we are loving God (the first great commandment), the second commandment will find its motivation: to love our neighbor. However, the second part to John’s answer is not to love our neighbor, but to obey the commandments of God. Today, those who profess to hold faith in Christ, have, for the most part, bought into the lie that the Ten Commandments were ended at the cross of Christ; they have been deceived into believing that the Ten Commandments are a part of the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, John states that one of the criteria for knowing that we love the children of God is that we live in obedience to His commandments!
Let’s take a moment to review how the Ten Commandments are not a part of the Law of Moses. There is no doubt that the Lord provided Moses with two tables of stone upon which He had written the Ten Commandments: “And he [Jehovah, the unchangeable “I AM” (Exodus 3:14), and the relational aspect of God (Genesis 2:7)] gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God [Elohim, a plural word that, within Hebrew, emphasizes God’s power and supremacy]” (Exodus 31:18; cp. Deuteronomy 4:12-13).5 Elohim, the all-powerful God, wrote the Ten Commandments upon two stone tables, Jehovah, the relational and unchangeable One, gave them to Moses, and instructed that they be kept in the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 10:5); notice: 1) they were written by the all-powerful God (Elohim), 2) they were written on stone, 3) they were given by Jehovah Who desires a relationship with man, and 4) they were kept in the holiest place within Israel. By contrast, we read this of the Law of Moses: “… it was added on account of disobedience until the time when the Seed should come, to Whom it had been promised, it was ordered through angels in the hand of a mediator [Moses]” (Galatians 3:19b, literal). The Law of Moses came by way of angels, it was written in a book by Moses (Deuteronomy 30:10; 31:24), twice it is called the “book of the law of Moses” (Joshua 8:31; 23:6), it was instituted for a specific period of time (until the coming of Christ, the Seed), and it was kept beside the Ark in the Holy of Holies (Deuteronomy 31:26; it was significant for Israel, but the Ten Commandments expressed the heart of the LORD God – Jehovah Elohim). Based upon this evidence alone, it would be expected that the Ten Commandments are God’s permanent design for mankind who is created in His image. However, there is more.
It seems that many are under the impression that Mt. Sinai was where God first made His commandments known to humanity. When the Lord extended His promise from Abraham to Isaac, He did so on this basis: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:5). Abraham did not have the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses, yet he understood what the Lord required of him; likewise, the yet sinless Adam knew the command that the Lord had given him (Genesis 2:17). What the Lord expected from man, He always made known to him.
Jehovah told Jeremiah that a time was coming when “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33b). The writer of Hebrews applied this specifically to the new and living Way that was opened through Jesus (Hebrews 10:16-20): the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20). Therefore, when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus, God puts His Laws into our minds (put, in Hebrew, is in the perfect tense, a completed action – it is deemed to have taken place, though yet future; in the NT Greek, it is a present tense [following the LXX]) and will write them upon our hearts (in the Hebrew, write is in the imperfect tense, an incomplete action generally shown as future tense,6 and carried as such in the LXX and NT Greek); at the very same time, the Spirit of God comes to abide within, thereby providing the perfect combination for us to live in obedience to His commandments. As John has been saying, the one who is obedient to the commandments of God knows Him (1 John 2:3), and he dwells in Him and He in him, and this is affirmed by the Spirit Who has been given to us (1 John 3:24).
It is noteworthy that John includes our obedience to the commandments of God as an indication that we are loving the children of God. John has made it very clear that such obedience is an essential part of who we are in Christ. We’ve already learned that it is upon the foundation of loving God that we are able to love our neighbor as He desires (Matthew 22:37-40). However, John is not addressing a love for our neighbor, but a love for our fellow disciples of the Lord (the children of God). Jesus said that our love for Him is expressed through our obedience to His commandments (John 14:15), which fully supports John’s emphasis; however, beyond that, Jesus told the eleven (after Judas was departed from them) that they were to love one another, and that this would be a sign to others that they were His disciples (John 13:34-35). John used this same phrase five times in this one short letter, and he clarified that “if we are loving one another, [then] God is abiding in us and His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:12b, literal). In us, the children of God, God’s love is made complete: we are loving Him, which means that we are obeying His commandments, and we are loving our fellow children of God. Unless we are living in faithful obedience to the commandments of the Lord, we do not love Him (John 14:15), and, hence, we do not love those who are His. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience!] is dead also” (James 2:26) – faith in the Lord and obedience to His commandments are inseparably linked, and form the essence of being His disciple! As this faith and obedience are expressed through us, we are then assured of the Spirit’s leading in us and our love for the children of God will also be present!
John has already declared that the one who says that he knows God, but does not obey His commandments, is a liar (1 John 2:4) – he does not know God, much less love Him. Moreover, “… all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Obedience to the commandments of God is essential to knowing Him, loving Him, loving His children, and being awarded eternal life.
3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For the love of God is this: namely, we are obeying His commandments, and His commandments are not difficult to obey (literal).
Again, we come back to Jesus’ words: “If you are loving Me, [then] My commandments you must obey” (John 14:15, literal). Obedience to His commandments is the only expression of our love for Him: no obedience, no love! It is only through this obedience that God’s love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12). God has an amazing love for all of humanity, but when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus and obey His commandments, then His love is made complete; He loves us, and we love Him, which can only be expressed through our obedience to His commandments! His love is complete in us only when we are living in faithful obedience to Him. This is the message that John has been stressing throughout his letter, but even more so as his letter nears its end.
John now provides this assurance: His commandments are not difficult to obey. As we have already noted, the Spirit of God comes to abide within those who place their faith in Christ; the very presence of God is in us and He will guide us in our life of obedience. At the same time, God has placed His Laws in our minds, and is writing them upon our hearts – the commandments of God are within us, right where the Spirit of God is able to use them as we are willing to submit to His guidance. It is the presence of the Spirit and our surrender to His leading that makes obeying God’s commandments not difficult. However, we must never think for a moment that this means that there is no cost to following the Lord faithfully (including obedience)! Jesus said: “21. And brother will betray brother to death, and a father, a child; and children will rebel against [their] parents and will put them to death, 22. And you will be hated by everyone because of My name; but the one who [faithfully] endures [the promised tribulation (John 16:33)] unto the end, this one will be saved” (Matthew 10:21-22, literal). It is only the Spirit of God Who is able to take the tribulation that will come as we follow the Lord’s commandments, and make it without difficulty. This will only take place by having a singular focus on the Lord Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and a continual submission to the leading of God’s Spirit.
4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Because all, having been born of God, are overcoming the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith (literal).
Interestingly, both all and born in the Greek are in the neuter, which serves to broaden the statement so that everything that God generates, or regenerates (as in the case of man), is overcoming the world. In other words, whatever is of God is victorious over the world – there is a separation between what is of God and what is of the world. Earlier, John stated: “For all that is in the world … is not of the Father” (1 John 2:16); Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and so all that is from God has no part with this world, which is under the control of the Devil. Hence, if we have been born anew by the Spirit of God, then we are overcoming the world; the world is no longer a part of our living: although we are in the world, but because we are now in Christ, He is our guide, and not the voices of this world that come from the Devil.
Overcoming is from the Greek nikao, which means to defeat, or conquer.7 “And you, having been freed from sin, have become enslaved to righteousness” (Romans 6:18, literal). This is the victory that we have in Christ: freed from sin (the world is defeated), and enslaved to His righteousness (obedience to His commandments). John wrote: “He who is overcoming will inherit all things, and I be will to him God, and he will be to Me a son” (Revelation 21:7, literal).
After Jesus promised that we would face tribulation in this world, He added that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Overcome, in this case is in the perfect tense: a past completed action that continues to have effects and relevance. When did Jesus overcome the world? As God, it is evident that He is greater than, and separate from, the world, but this would suggest that there is something more that was a part of His earthly ministry. Indeed, it was by His death that He destroyed the Devil who holds the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), and who leads the rebellion against God (Ephesians 2:9); yet, when Jesus said that He had overcome (perfect tense, completed action) the world, He had not yet died. If we consider this within our concept of time, it doesn’t make sense; however, if we consider John’s words as he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, then it fits: “And all who are dwelling on the earth will worship it [the beast, the Antichrist], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb Who was slain from the beginning of the world” (Revelation 13:8, literal). Slain is in the perfect tense – a completed past action with present effects; within the heart of God, Who is all-knowing and cannot change, it was determined that the Word would come to bring redemption from sin for a creature who was yet to be created (1 Peter 1:20). When the Lord uses a perfect tense verb to describe something that is yet future, then we can be assured that it will most certainly take place – to the One Who knows the end from the beginning, it is done!
Before we leave this, let’s consider another example of this from Revelation 13:8 – written is also in the perfect tense. Those who will worship the Antichrist will be those whose names have not been recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Does this mean that the Calvinists are right, and that God has predetermined who is destined for life? Not at all! This is referring only to those who are alive on the earth at the time of the Antichrist whose names are not in the Book of Life. To the Ephesians, Paul explained: “even as He [God] did choose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world …” (Ephesians 1:4a, literal). If we are in Christ, then our names have been recorded in the Book of Life; we are in Christ if we have placed our faith in Him and are continually living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:4-5). Those who are in Christ and living during the time of the Antichrist, will not worship him.
However, the Word of God is very clear that those who are in Christ, whose names have been recorded in the Book of Life, are quite capable of turning away from Him. The writer of Hebrews made it evident that those who have been made holy by the blood of the Lamb are capable of rejecting the Savior and considering His blood as being unholy, yet he also declared that such a person can only look forward to God’s condemnation (Hebrews 10:26-29). He also warned: “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). The writer addressed brethren – those who are in Christ! Paul warned Timothy of what was coming: “3. For a time will be when correct teaching will not be accepted, but according to their own evil desires, [and] eager to hear what they want, they will accumulate to themselves teachers, 4. and truly, from hearing the truth, they will turn away, and they will be turned to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, literal). They will reject sound doctrine concerning the Truth, and will replace it with lies, stories and fables that scratch their self-centered itches, but will leave them securely on the broad road to destruction (Matthew 7:13).
Moreover, Jesus expressed to the elder of Sardis that it is very possible to have one’s name removed from the Book of Life. “The one who is overcoming, this one will wear white garments, and I will never erase his name out of the Book of Life, and I will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5). It is the one who is not overcoming whose name will be removed from the Book of Life; this is someone who began to walk with the Lord in faith and obedience (his name is recorded in the Book of Life), but was deceived and departed from the faith, and so his name is removed. John tells us that the one who has been born of God is overcoming the world; such a one is in Christ and is living in obedience to the commandments of God – his name has been entered into the Book of Life! “And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire” (Revelation 20:15); the Lake of Fire is the eternal dwelling place of the Antichrist, the False Prophet, the Devil (Revelation 20:10), death and Hades (Revelation 20:13), and everyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life.
John states that it is our faith that makes us victors over the world. However, we must not forget James’ words on the matter of faith: “For just as the body, without the spirit, is dead, so also faith, without works, is dead” (James 2:26, literal); such works are an expression of our faith in Christ: i.e., obedience to His commandments (John 14:15). Since our faith is dead unless it is accompanied by obedience to the Lord’s commandments, then it is crystal clear that the overcoming one is living in both (faith and obedience), and when John says that it is our faith that makes us overcomers, then we must understand that this cannot be separated from obedience!
5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Who is the one who is overcoming the world, if not the one who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God? (literal).
John has just stated that it is the one who is born of God who is overcoming the world, now he says that it is the one who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, this latter (believing that Jesus is the Son of God) is equivalent to being born of God. As we considered the previous verse, we were reminded again that faith and obedience are inseparable, and, when he says that our faith makes us overcomers, we understand that this includes obedience to God’s commandments.
Now let’s consider believing. As it is used in this verse, it is in the present tense and active voice – it is continually present and the one who (the subject) is performing the action of believing. Believe, within a Biblical context, is based upon an evaluation of what is under consideration, so as to fully understand and appreciate all of the benefits and costs before making the commitment to believe. The evaluation is necessary in order to become convinced that the examined object of belief is true and worthy of our commitment. So, in this case, what does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
As the Son of God, Jesus was of heavenly origin (Luke 1:35), even while in human form, He was still God (John 10:30), neither He, nor His kingdom, are a part of this world system (John 8:23; 18:36), He came to earth in order to provide a final cleansing from sin for humanity (Hebrews 9:12), and, although unworthy of death (for He was sinless), He died in order to destroy the Devil who held the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Since Jesus paid the price for sin (death) and rose again from the dead, He is able to make eternal life with Him available to all who are believing in Him (John 3:16). In our evaluation of Jesus, this is certainly one of the benefits of believing on Him. However, if our evaluation does not include the price that we must be willing to pay by becoming His disciple (believing on Him), then our evaluation is not complete. Jesus, Himself, made it very clear that we are to consider the cost of following Him before we commit to doing so: “26. If anyone is coming to Me and is not hating [loving less] his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life also, he is not able to be My disciple. 27. And whoever is not carrying his cross and coming after Me, is not able to be My disciple. 28. For who from among you, who is desiring to build a tower, does not first sit, calculating the cost [to determine] if he has all for the completion” (Luke 14:26-28, literal). Using the illustration of construction, Jesus tells us to count the cost of following Him, lest we begin and are not able, or are unwilling, to pay the price that we failed to consider. In order to become disciples of the Lord requires that He must be the first priority in our lives – that is a price that we must be willing to pay, and a cost that must be calculated before we begin to follow the Lord.
However, there is more. “And that [the Seed] which did fall among thorns: these are those who did understand and are following after, [but then] are choked to death by the worries, riches and pleasures of life, and they are bringing no fruit to maturity” (Luke 8:14, literal). This speaks of someone who understood the Message of hope and began to follow the Lord, but the pressures of this world (both anxieties and allurements) overcame this one, so that his belief in the Lord failed – rather than being an overcomer, he was overcome. His believing became past tense, and his unbelief drew him into apostasy.
Our believing forms the foundation, or conviction, for our faith; therefore, it is important that our evaluation of the Lord Jesus be thorough so that our faith is unshakeable. Paul commanded the Corinthians to “stand fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), which means that they were also able to not stand fast. Another cost of being the Lord’s disciples, is that we must remain faithful to Him unto the very end in order to inherit His salvation (Matthew 24:13), and so we must continually guard against being drawn away from His Truth.
It is through our faithfulness to the Lord Jesus that we are overcoming the world. Our faithfulness includes a firm and continual belief in Who He is and what He has done to purchase our freedom from sin, and a life characterized by obedience to His commandments. This is the central theme of John’s letter, and today it has been sadly neglected by those who profess to know the Lord.
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.
This One is He Who did come by water and blood: Jesus, the Christ; not by the water alone, but by the water and the blood; and the Spirit is the One Who is bearing witness because the Spirit is Truth (literal).
This is a somewhat difficult verse, and one that has given rise to many speculations among theologians. However, as I have taken some time to ponder it, I think that it is very possible to come up with an explanation that is both Biblical and reasonable.
First of all, we must note that this is about Jesus, the Christ – the Son of God Who came to save (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:21), and the One Who was anointed for a very specific ministry (John 1:32). As we consider the water and the blood, we recognize that they form the bookends of Jesus’ ministry: it began with His baptism by John the Baptist, and it ended with the sacrificial shedding of His blood as the final payment for sin (John 19:30; Hebrews 9:11-12).
Jesus came to John to be baptized by him (Matthew 3:13), which at first might appear to be somewhat curious, since John’s baptism was unto repentance from sin (Mark 1:4) and Jesus was the sinless Son of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). However, three important things took place with John’s baptism of Jesus: 1) Jesus, as the Son of God, thereby endorsed the ministry of John; the Jewish religious leaders, by contrast, refused to believe him (Matthew 21:32), 2) John saw the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus in the form of a dove (John 1:32), a confirmation of his identification of Jesus as the Lamb of God Who is taking and removing the sin of the world (John 1:29b, literal), and 3) all of those who were present (and it would have been a large crowd, Matthew 3:5-6) heard a voice from heaven that declared Jesus to be His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). Jesus’ earthly ministry began with His baptism by John: He came by water. Since John’s baptism was unto repentance from sin, and Jesus was without sin and the voice from heaven confirmed that He was the Son of God, Jesus established the necessity for repentance in order to enter into His kingdom. John came as the prophesied Elijah who was to come before the Messiah in order to prepare the way for His ministry (Matthew 17:10-12; Malachi 4:5-6).
The message of John the Baptist was: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2); Jesus began His ministry with these words: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) – there was a seamless transition from the preparatory work of John to the ministry of Jesus. However, the entire ministry of John the Baptist was repentance from sin (baptism being the outward sign), whereas Jesus began with the need for repentance and went on to bring an end to sin. The water of repentance was essential to Jesus’ Message, but it was not just the need for repentance (the water) – it was also the blood.
As Jesus met with His disciples on the evening before His crucifixion, He introduced what we now call the Lord’s Supper. “26. And while they were eating, Jesus did take the bread, and blessed [it], broke [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat, this is My body.’ 27. And He did take the cup and gave thanks, [and] gave [it] to them saying, ‘All [of you] drink from it; 28. because this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is being poured out for all, for the remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28, literal). Earlier, as Jesus taught in a synagogue, He said: “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:56); He identified Himself as being the Bread that came from heaven, and His flesh as being the bread (John 6:51). This caused the Jews a great deal of distress, yet it was not until He was together with His disciples on the night before His crucifixion that He explained the symbols of the bread and the fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:29) as representing His body and blood.
As Jesus came to the end of His earthly ministry, He explained to His disciples the New Covenant that would come through His shed blood. Did they understand that with the establishment of the New Covenant, the Old would be removed? It seems not. Some fourteen years after his conversion, Paul was contending with the disciples of Jerusalem regarding the matter of adding obedience to the Law of Moses to faith in Christ (Galatians 2:1; Acts 15:5). Paul’s position was that anything that was added to the Gospel, destroyed it (Galatians 1:6-8), yet the Jews of Jerusalem who believed in Christ sought to impose the Law of Moses (the Old Covenant) onto those who had been reborn into the New Covenant. It is evident that they did not understand that the New fulfilled and replaced the Old, or, if they did, then they were very tolerant of those who endeavored to retain the Old. The writer of Hebrews linked the New Covenant that was instituted by Jesus to that which was spoken of through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31), and declared: “By saying “new,” He [Jehovah, Who spoke these words through Jeremiah] has made the first obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13a, literal). It is estimated that the book of Hebrews was written in the late 60s AD,8 which is more than ten years after Paul dealt with this issue before the Apostles in Jerusalem; clearly, many of the Jews still neither understood nor accepted the fact that the Old Covenant was ended.
“And according to the Law, almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood, no pardon comes” (Hebrews 9:22, literal). Under the Law of Moses, the shedding of animal blood was prolific, and, without it, no forgiveness could be made for sins committed. Yet these sacrifices, and the shedding of blood, had to be done on a continual basis, without end, because “… the blood of bulls and goats [is] not able to take sins away” (Hebrews 10:4, literal). This is the reason that the OT saints could not be raised immortal until after Christ was raised from the dead (Matthew 27:52-53); they remained in Paradise until Christ came, shed His blood in order to remove sin, and then they could be raised from the dead and taken by Jesus to heaven when He ascended (Ephesians 4:8). “11. But Christ being come an high priest … 12. by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:11-12). Forgiveness of sins has always required the shedding of blood (from the very beginning, Genesis 3:21), and the blood of animals (even under the Law of Moses) could never bring a permanent forgiveness (the sacrifices needed to be continually repeated), yet through the blood of Christ came an eternal redemption – the sacrifices were ended! As Jesus’ ministry came to a close, He shed His blood for the sins of humanity: “And He is the means of forgiveness for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for [the sins] of all of humanity” (1 John 2:2, literal). All of the sacrifices of the OT pointed forward to the One Who was coming to make an end of the Old Covenant, which included the many sacrifices and the priesthood.
Jesus’ ministry began with the water of repentance (the message of John the Baptist), but it went beyond that to the blood that He would shed at the end of His ministry in order to make eternal forgiveness of sins available to everyone. The Spirit of God, Who abides within us, testifies to this: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26). To the Romans, Paul made very evident the crucial role of the Spirit within the life of the child of God: “8. And those who are living in the flesh are not able to please God. 9. And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed, the Spirit of God is dwelling in you; but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His” (Romans 8:8-9, literal). As we abide in Christ (through faithful obedience), the Spirit will remain in us, and He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13) – a full knowledge of Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). To the Colossians, Paul wrote of God “Who did deliver us from the domain of darkness and did transfer [us] into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13, literal); that is the essence of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins that is available through the shed blood of Christ – a turning from and a turning to. The Spirit of God will never ignore repentance, because without it He will not abide within us. The blood of Christ is the foundation of the New Covenant, and faith, which requires repentance, permits us access into it; even as a disciple of the Lord, repentance from failure (inadvertent sin) will ensure that we remain in the New Covenant, cleansed by His blood (1 John 1:9 – confess means to agree with the Lord;9 such confession is only genuine when it is the first part of repentance: turning from).
Evangelicals are under the false impression that if they pray a prayer, then they have secured eternal salvation with the Lord. The problem is that they have never heard Jesus’ words that they must first count the cost of being His disciples; praying a prayer for salvation is not the end, but the beginning of a whole new life in Christ lived out through the guidance of the Spirit of God. To the Ephesians, Paul made this very clear: “22. Ye have put off, as to the former way of life, the old man that is corrupted as a result of deceptive desires [repentance], 23. now to be renewed by the Spirit in your mind, 24. and the new man ye have put on, for God did create [him] in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:22-24, literal). Here we have: 1) a turning away from the ways of the old man, 2) donning the new man whom God creates in righteousness, and 3) having the Spirit of God actively at work renewing our minds. The renewal in Christ begins with repentance – setting the life of the old man aside.
After repentance, faith in Christ as our means of forgiveness opens a whole new life that is diametrically opposed to the old life. “Now you have been made free from sin, [and] have become enslaved to righteousness” (Romans 6:18, literal); from sin and to righteousness – that is the difference between old man and the new man. This encapsulates the truth that John is presenting: Jesus came with John’s water of repentance, but not repentance alone; He carried that into the availability of eternal forgiveness of sins through His shed blood. We do not simply add Jesus to our lives; we must forsake our old lives, and embrace the lives of righteousness that God has prepared for us – the Spirit of Truth will guide us as we become enslaved to righteousness.
7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Because there are three Who are bearing witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit – and these three are one (literal).
Within modern translations, this verse, and the following one, have suffered under the hands of the textual critics of the late 19th century, without regard to the Lord’s admonition to not add to, or take away from, His Word (Deuteronomy 4:2). For example, the NASB reads: “7. For there are three that testify: 8. the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” Since the textual critics who were intent on reconstructing the original Greek text held little regard for anything else, and were openly critical of the Textus Receptus that underlies the KJV, it is not surprising that their text departed from it. Through critical-thinking rationale and high-sounding arguments, the corrupted Greek text has won its place as the foundation for virtually all modern translations of the NT. Despite this, the KJV is still the third best-selling Bible translation in 2026.10 However, the shift to modern translations has been massive among Evangelicals; even those who are considered to be conservative, prefer the modern translations; the late John MacArthur favored the NASB, and used it as the basis for the translation that he supervised, the Legacy Standard Bible.11 He, too, had accepted the work and philosophy of the 19th century heretics, Westcott and Hort.
John, through the guidance of the Spirit of God, declared that there are three Who are bearing witness in heaven, that these are the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one. The Spirit of Truth is bearing witness to the need for repentance (the water of the previous verse) in order to be cleansed by the blood of Christ (the blood) under the New Covenant. However, John now points to three persons of the Godhead Who are in heaven, and are testifying to the same thing! This should not be surprising, for the plan of redemption was devised within the Godhead before creation (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). The three members are identified as: the Father – of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word – Who became the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – Who overshadowed Mary and conceived Jesus. John adds that these three are one!
We accept this as being true, but let’s take a moment to consider how this is presented throughout Scripture.
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God [Elohim, plural, which in Hebrew emphasizes the power and majesty of God] created [bara, singular] the heaven and the earth.”12 When Elohim is used in reference to the true God, the verb is always singular.13 “2b. And the Spirit [ruah, singular] of God [Elohim] moved [rahap, singular; hovered] upon the face of the waters. 3. And God [Elohim] said [the Word (John 1:1); ‘amar, singular], Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:2b-3).14 Elohim is used for the God of creation: all powerful and majestic – “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good [exceedingly good]” (Genesis 1:31a).15
Psalm 33:6 – “By the word [the XXL shows this as logo, the Word (John 1:1)] of the LORD [Jehovah, His relational name] were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath [ruah, Spirit] of his mouth.”
Luke 3:22 – “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him [Jesus], and a voice came from heaven, which [the voice of the Father] said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things ….” The Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father in the name of the Son of God, Jesus.
Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Jesus’ parting words to His disciples is a commission to go and to teach the Gentiles (from ta ethnos, those not of Israel), baptizing those who accept their teaching (the Gospel) in the singular name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.16
These are just a few of the examples that could be cited to demonstrate the tri-unity of the Godhead. It is evident that there are many passages in God’s Word that identify the members of the Godhead, and so one of the justifications used to minimize what the corrupt Greek text has done, is that it has not seriously impacted any significant teaching of Scripture. However, God has stated very clearly in His Word: “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep [observe, or obey; may detracts from the overall thrust] the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). God gave specific instructions regarding the handling of His Word: do not add to, or subtract from, it. The Scriptures have suffered much under the hands of the textual critics of the late 19th century who ignored God’s promised preservation of His Word (Psalm 119:89; Matthew 24:35), and who, guided by the philosophy of the Enlightenment, determined to re-create the original Greek NT text using their intellect as their guide. Out of this time, Westcott and Hort emerged as dominant among the textual critics; Westcott, who was restrained in his public stand on Biblical matters, did deny that the first three chapters of Genesis were to be accepted literally, and denied that Jesus was God (stating that Jesus never claimed to be God – and he worked on the Greek NT text?); Hort considered the teaching that Christ bore the sins of the world to be heresy, denied the existence of Eden, preferred Darwin’s theory of evolution to God’s creation, and considered hell to be figurative.17 These were the great intellects who compiled the Greek text that is the basis for virtually every modern translation. In truth, they were godless men who followed the guidance of their father, the Devil, in an effort to undermine God’s Word.
It is interesting to notice that Jesus, the Son of God, is called the Word – the name that He held in the beginning (John 1:1). When He comes to establish His Millennial kingdom, His name is given as the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), and yet, when John first saw Him in heaven, He appeared as a sacrificed Lamb (Revelation 5:6). When John is shown the New Jerusalem, the place of worship (the temple) is Almighty God and the Lamb, and the Lamb is its light (Revelation 21:22-23). Even as Jesus, in His glorified body, still bore the signs of His crucifixion (John 20:27), likewise, in the glory of the New Heaven and Earth, He will still bear the marks of His sacrifice as the Lamb of God – a reminder to all who have been redeemed by His blood that He is the reason that their names are in the Book of Life.
Consider these three Witnesses: 1) the Father is shown as abiding in heaven – the voice at Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:22), and on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:35); 2) the Word is the Lord Jesus Who came from heaven to make payment for the sins of men, Who was indwelt by the Spirit (John 1:32), and remained One with His Father (John 10:30); 3) the Holy Spirit Who remained with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry (John 1:32), and Whom Jesus promised to send to abide forever in those who are His faithful disciples (John 14:15-17). However, there is more: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone is loving Me, My word he will obey, and My Father will love him, and with him We will come and will make Our dwelling place with him’” (John 14:23, literal). As John witnessed the coming of the New Jerusalem, he heard these words: “The one who is overcoming will inherit all things, and I will be to him, God, and he will be to Me a son” (Revelation 21:7, literal); looking forward to the New Heaven and Earth, it is the one who is living faithfully for the Lord in this life (overcoming is in the present tense), who will be (future tense) with God (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) forever.
Nevertheless, the three Witnesses in heaven, as One, testify to the Truth, and will never change. Men will always seek to rationalize and justify their actions and their reasoning, and this is equally true within those who only profess to know God (1 John 2:4). However, what they fail to realize is that there is nothing that they can do to gain God’s favor except to repent, accept the cleansing from sin that comes only from Christ, and live in obedience to the commandments of God (1 John 5:3).
8. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
And there are three who are bearing witness in the earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood – and the three are in the one (literal).
John draws a parallel to the previous verse, except that, this time, the three bearing witness are in the earth.
The first of these is the Spirit, Who is also one of the Witnesses in heaven. It is the Spirit Whom Jesus promised to send to those who are living faithfully for Him, and the presence of the Spirit will remain with us forever (John 14:16), on the condition that we remain faithfully and obediently in Christ. The Spirit will not willingly depart from us, unless we willfully depart from Him. “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). Jesus forewarned His disciples (and so us, as well) to be aware that false Christs and false prophets will come with grand philosophies and great signs in an effort to lure His children away from His Truth (Matthew 24:24-25). If we surrender to their persuasion, then we have become apostate from God: the Spirit of Truth is no longer abiding within, and our eternal future with God has been lost. “4. [It is] impossible for those who have one-time been enlightened, who did taste of the heavenly gift, and who did become partakers of the Holy Spirit … 6. and who have fallen away, to renew [them] once more unto repentance, who, to themselves, the Son of God are crucifying again and holding [Him] up to public shame” Hebrews 6:4, 6, literal). This is someone who came to know the forgiveness of sin that comes through Christ’s shed blood (one-time been enlightened), has experienced the Spirit abiding within, and then has become apostate from God – thereby considering as nothing Christ’s blood that made him holy, and denying the work of the Spirit within (Hebrews 10:29): for such a person there is only a terrible expectation of condemnation and fury of fire (Hebrews 10:27, literal). To His disciples, Jesus said: “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against [or, insults] the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10).18 The Spirit has been sent to guide us into all truth (John 16:13), if we do not permit Him to lead us into that Truth, then we have denied Him the purpose for which He has come to us, and that is the ultimate insult, which, Jesus says, is unforgiveable! Such an action makes us to become apostate from God, from which there is no possible restoration, only a sure condemnation before a holy God.
Water, as we have seen earlier, speaks of the need for repentance from sin. This was the message of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and Jesus began His ministry with the same words (Matthew 4:17); repentance speaks of a change of mind that leads to a change of life – a shift from sin to life in Christ. It is easily seen that repentance is an essential element of our commitment to Christ; we forsake the old man and embrace the new man in Christ – all through the renewing work of the Spirit of God within us, which begins the moment that we turn away (repent) from the old man (Ephesians 4:22-24).
The blood, as we have also learned, identifies the New Covenant that was instituted by Jesus through His shed blood (Luke 22:20). It is under this Covenant, which replaced the old Mosaic Covenant (Hebrews 8:13), that the Spirit of God enters the life of the one who places his faith in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin (Romans 8:9), and God writes His Laws (the Ten Commandments) on his mind and places them upon his heart (Hebrews 10:16). The Spirit is abiding within through repentance, and the New Covenant has been written into our very being: the Spirit, the water, and the blood – all three testifying as one to the marvelous working of God within us.
Jesus said to His disciples: “7. But I am telling you the truth, it is better for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you, but if I go, [then] I will send Him to you. 8. And having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgement: 9. concerning sin, truly, because they are not believing in Me; 10. and concerning righteousness, because to the Father I am going and you are no longer looking at Me; 11. and concerning judgement because the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:7-11, literal). The Comforter (parakletos, meaning one who is called alongside to help19) is sent to those who are living faithfully for Christ, with the intent that He will abide within us (the overcoming ones) forever (John 14:16). However, Jesus also said that the Spirit will convict the world in three areas, which means that His convicting work will be done as He is abiding within those who are faithful and obedient to the Lord; notice that Jesus did not say that the Spirit would roam throughout the world convicting the godless. It is as He is dwelling in those who are made righteous through Christ, that He will bring conviction to the world. Sinners will be convicted of sin because they are not believing in Christ; it is because we do, that they will come to understand sin. They will be convicted of righteousness, because our lives express the righteousness of Christ, even though He is no longer on the earth; they will be convicted of judgement because they will recognize that Satan is a defeated foe in us. Clearly, for the Spirit of God to convict the world, we must live in a manner that exemplifies the holiness of God (faithfully obedient to His commandments), and then be able to provide a vocal testimony to what He has accomplished in us. “And the Lord God you must hold with reverence in your hearts, always ready with a defense, along with humility and fear, to everyone who is asking you concerning the word of hope [that is] in you” (1 Peter 3:15, literal). Notice that everyone is able to see the hope that is in you, which means that our lives must accurately reflect God’s holiness and our heavenly inheritance – our defense is to be ready when they ask. Our hope is the Lord Jesus through Whom our Godly inheritance is made sure; yet He assured us that our promised salvation will only come if we remain faithful to Him unto the very end (Matthew 24:13). “Let us hold fast an unwavering confession of hope, because faithful [is] He Who did promise” (Hebrews 10:23, literal).
There are three witnesses on earth: our repentance (the water), the New Covenant life in Christ (the blood), and the Spirit of God Who has come to hold it all together into eternity: the fulfillment of the plan of redemption devised by the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit before the foundation of the world. The heavenly and earthly witnesses are one! “Then they all are one even as You, Father, [are] in Me and I in You; that they are also one in Us, so that the world believes that You did send Me” (John 17:21, literal).
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.
Inasmuch as we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater: so that this is the witness of God, which He did testify concerning His Son (literal).20
John establishes the significance of what he has just written: when men testify, or provide evidence, concerning a matter, it is generally accepted as being true; how much greater is the testimony of God, Who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Even in court, while being under oath to tell the truth, men have been known to provide evidence that is false; this is not possible with God!
This is the witness of God refers back to what came before – that which modern translations have shredded in keeping with the corrupted Greek text produced by the heretics of the late 19th century. In verses six, seven and eight, bearing witness is a verb that comes from the Greek martureo; in our verse, testimony and witness are nouns from the Greek marturia.21 The former deals with presenting objective, firsthand and provable facts, while the latter refers to those facts; John declares that God’s testimony concerning the Lord Jesus is totally accurate and irrefutable in all respects. However, John will continue to provide additional confirmation of the testimony of God.
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.
The one who is believing on the Son of God has the Witness in him; the one who is not believing God, has made Him [to be] a liar because he did not believe the testimony that God declared concerning His Son (literal).
A reminder that Biblical believing is not just a mental acceptance, it involves evaluation and counting the cost, which yields a strong conviction of the Truth that then results in a change of life. Moreover, such believing must be continuous (as it is used here, it is in the present tense) – if this believing on the Lord Jesus should fail, then that person has become apostate from God (Hebrews 3:12).
John declares that if we are believing on Jesus (as just explained), then we have the Witness in us. To the Romans, Paul wrote: “And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God is dwelling in you; and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, [then] this one is not His” (Romans 8:9, literal). Everyone who has placed his faith in the Lord Jesus has the Spirit of God, just as Jesus promised (John 14:16-17); John has just identified the Spirit of God as a Witness both in heaven and earth. We have also learned that the Spirit is at work in this world through the child of God who is living faithfully for the Lord; truly, the Witness is within!
This is now the fifth time that John has used the word liar. If we say that we have not sinned, then we make God to be a liar (1 John 1:10); the one who says that he knows God but does not obey His commandments, is a liar (1 John 2:4); if you deny that Jesus is the Christ, then you are a liar (1 John 2:22); should you say that you love God, while hating your brother, you are a liar (1 John 4:20). Interestingly, three times John declares that we are the liar when we meet the specified criteria; yet twice we are making God to be the liar. In the first case, we declare that we have not sinned, when God’s testimony concerning us is that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “… there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:3b). In other words, our testimony contradicts God’s word on this matter: if we are right, then God is a liar.
Here John states that whoever is not believing God has made Him to be a liar because he has not believed God’s testimony concerning the Lord Jesus. John has just observed that we will accept the witness of men, but noted that the witness of God is far greater than that. Therefore, we understand that whoever will not accept God’s declarations concerning His Son has, in fact, determined His evidence to be false – i.e., He is a liar! We’ve already seen that this applies equally to someone who simply contradicts what God has said: God says that all are sinners, and anyone who says that they have not sinned is, in essence, saying that God is a liar.
Furthermore, we read this: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled [stands firm] in heaven” (Psalm 119:89);22 the Word of God will not change. Jesus, Who is called the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), confirmed this by declaring that “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Consequently, the evidence of God tells us that anyone who either contradicts or does not believe His Word, has called His testimony into question, and has made Him out to be a liar. If we permit this to settle into our thinking, then we will begin to understand the depth of the failure of professing Christians who claim heaven as their surety even while they disregard God’s Word on so many issues. John has zeroed in on this very significant problem.
John declared that the one who says that he knows God (this is a professing Christian), but does not obey His commandments, is a liar and devoid of the Truth (1 John 2:4). Reading through John’s letter, it is impossible to miss the need of being obedient to the commandments of God. These commandments God wrote upon tables of stone, gave them to Moses and told him to keep them in the holiest place in the tabernacle (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 10:2). Jesus confirmed the significance of these commandments by providing a summary of them: “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” (Matthew 22:37-40). Notice that last comment: all the law and the prophets hang from these two commandments, which are a summary of the Ten. When someone came to Jesus and inquired how he might have eternal life, Jesus told him to obey the commandments (Matthew 19:17); when he pressed Him as to which commandments, Jesus listed five of the six Commandments that deal with how we are to love our neighbor (Matthew 19:18-19). Paul also listed five of the last six Commandments as the fulfillment of our need to love one another (Romans 13:9-10). Clearly, the Ten Commandments are in effect even today; contrary to what many believe, they did not end at the cross!
Jesus identified two commandments that are a summary of the Ten (Matthew 22:37-40): the first, to love God, summarizes the first four Commandments; the second, to love our neighbor, the last six. Then Jesus declared that all of the law and the prophets depend upon these two summarizing commands; the Law of Moses and the message of the prophets were both dependent upon the Ten Commandments for their authority; the Ten Commandments are greater and formed the foundation for both, and thus come to us without change and remain in full effect.
Let’s draw this all together with something that Luke wrote: “the law and the prophets [were] until John [the Baptist]; from then the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone is trying hard to [enter] into it” (Luke 16:16, literal). We understand that it was the Mosaic Law, the Law of God, and the prophets that were in effect until John the Baptist, because it has already been proven that the Ten Commandments of God are not part of the Law of Moses. The message of John the Baptist was: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven [the same as the kingdom of God] is at hand [has come, perfect tense]” (Matthew 3:2);23 this stands in contrast to the Mosaic Law and the word of the prophets, who sought to convince Israel to return to the Lord and live in obedience to the Law of Moses. John, whose ministry was primarily in the wilderness, declared the need to repent because he, as the prophesied Elijah (Matthew 17:12-13; Malachi 4:5), was preparing the way for Jesus (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). Luke tells us that from the time of John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven has come, and Jesus reiterated the same message as He began His ministry (Matthew 4:17); as eternal God, Jesus represented the kingdom of heaven on earth – although the Law of Moses was not yet removed (Matthew 8:4), His message was in preparation for its fulfillment and the New Covenant that would replace it.
When a young man came to Jesus inquiring how he could have eternal life, Jesus did not point him to the Law of Moses, but to the Law of God, the Ten Commandments (Matthew 19:16-19). Notice that Jesus, being very gracious, identified the five Commandments that the young man was keeping but did not include the one where he was failing (do not covet) – He allowed the man to come to that realization on his own. This account shows us that the Ten Commandments are a part of the kingdom of heaven; the Law of Moses was based upon the Law of God, but, throughout His ministry, Jesus was showing Himself to be greater than the Mosaic Law, and that He came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). It is also notable that Jesus did not refer to any of the first four Commandments that deal with our relationship with God; the first three are largely internal, without external evidence, and the fourth (the keeping of the Sabbath) was well legislated at that time by the religious leaders.
However, it was on the Fourth Commandment that the religious Jews most frequently found occasion to be critical of the Lord Jesus. It became a matter of routine for the religious leaders to take Jesus to task for healing on the Sabbath; they had developed their own litany of laws – a rationalized expansion of the Law of Moses, which they used to measure the actions of the people. As a matter of fact, it is evident that they even went so far as to make sure that an obvious physical defect was in His presence, and then inquired of Him if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10); just before healing the man’s withered hand, Jesus declared that “it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath days24” (Matthew 12:12b). Although Jesus was trying to get the religious leaders to return to the Word of God, without their enhancements, there was great reluctance to even consider His words – they sought for ways to accuse Him so that they could destroy Him (Matthew 12:14) or, at least, discredit Him before the people. The Fourth Commandment was a problem for the religious Jews, when it came to Jesus.
However, it is no less a problem for the Evangelical of today. The Jews of Jesus’ day had created numerous, meticulous laws around the Sabbath, which they forced upon their own people. Today, the Sabbath has been rationalized into becoming the first day of the week, and, despite God’s clarity in presenting the Fourth Commandment, Evangelicals feel completely justified in disagreeing with God on this matter: the evidence that God has presented is considered as being no longer applicable. Nevertheless, as we have considered a proper attitude toward the Ten Commandments, it has become crystal clear that they are all in full effect today, and so today’s Evangelical is calling God a liar – they do not believe the evidence that God has given through the Lord Jesus Christ!
11. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
And this is the testimony: that God has given everlasting life to us, and this life is in His Son (literal).
John has just made the point that the one who does not believe what God has declared concerning Jesus, has made God to be a liar. Now he specifically identifies what God has presented as the evidence (testimony) that some do not believe: it is through His Son, the Lord Jesus, that God has given us everlasting life. “For in this way, God did love the world: so that He did give His Son, the One and Only, that everyone who is believing in Him will not perish but is having life everlasting” (John 3:16, literal). “13. You must enter through the narrow gate; for wide [is] the gate and many are those who are going through it, and broad [is] the way that is leading to destruction. 14. For narrow [is] the gate and compressed [is] the way that is leading to life, and few are finding it” (Matthew 7:13-14, literal). Jesus further defined the Gate and the Way: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b, literal). This is part of the testimony that God has given to us regarding His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; if we do not agree with this, then we are accounting God as being a liar – otherwise we would believe the testimony that He has given.
In a cursory fashion, you will find that most Evangelicals will profess to believe this testimony that God has given. However, a more careful examination of what God has declared reveals how little that they truly accept. Jesus said that it is the one who is believing who also has life everlasting; is believing is in the present tense, which means that this must be a continuous action. Most Evangelicals have accepted the Devil’s doctrine of eternal security: if you have believed at one time, then you can never be lost eternally – that is not what Jesus taught. In the parable of the soils, Jesus made this observation: “and those on the rock, when they heard, with joy accepted the Word, and these have no root, who for a time are believing, and in a time of trial become apostate” (Luke 8:13, literal). Those of the rocky soil received the Word with joy, and, notice, for a time they are believing (present tense – a continuous action, indicative mood – a statement of fact; these are Jesus’ words!), but when faced with a trial because of the Word, they become apostate, from which there is no recovery (Hebrews 6:4-6). Most theologians have twisted this parable in order to make it fit into their polished theologies, but Jesus very clearly stated that it is very possible to go from believing to apostasy. The late John MacArthur wrote that “their own shallowness or worldliness make it impossible for God’s Word to take root (Matthew 13:20-22). Despite whatever appearance of spiritual life they might display … they eventually fall away (bold added).”25 It is clear that MacArthur chose the reference in Matthew simply because it does not include the fact that they are believing, thereby making it much easier to change the truth that Jesus taught. It is very evident that MacArthur did not accept the testimony of Jesus that those with rocky soil did truly believe for a time; if we do not accept the evidence that God has given, then, John tells us that we make God to be a liar! Jesus commanded us to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24): not by appearances, but in truth according to the irrefutable Standard, the Word of God. Jesus told His disciples: “if your righteousness does not abound to a greater degree [than that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of the heavens” (Matthew 5:20, literal);26 notice that He is stating that the scribes and Pharisees were not entering into the kingdom of heaven, and that it would take a righteousness greater than theirs to do so. The scribes and Pharisees were the theologians of Jesus’ day: not only could they not enter the kingdom of heaven, but they were standing in the way of those who desired to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees – hypocrites, because in the face of men you are closing the kingdom of the heavens; indeed, you are not entering, nor are you allowing those who are entering, to go in” (Matthew 23:13, literal). These Jewish theologians felt certain that they were destined for God’s kingdom, yet, because they did not have the truth, not only were they not entering the kingdom, but, due to their error, they were closing the way for everyone who followed their faulty teaching. Since the vast majority of today’s theologians do not fully accept God’s Word concerning the Lord Jesus, like the scribes and Pharisees, then it is righteous judgment to apply Jesus’ words to them as well.
John emphasizes that the everlasting life that God has available for us, comes only through the Lord Jesus; it is only as we are abiding in Him that this life is ours. Earlier, he wrote: “And the one who is obeying His commandments is abiding in Him, and He in him …” (1 John 3:24a, literal). We are in Him when we are obeying His commandments; therefore, the everlasting life of which Jesus spoke, is only ours if we are living in obedience to His commandments! Herein is the greatest failure of today’s theologians; virtually without exception, they are convinced, and so teach others, that the Ten Commandments of God ended at the cross. We have already proven that that is not the case; John has made it abundantly clear that unless we are living in obedience to the commandments of God, we are not abiding in Christ – if we are not in Him, then we are not in His kingdom, nor are we destined for heaven! Based upon Jesus’ words, today’s theologians are not entering into His kingdom, and they are blocking the way for those who truly desire to follow the Lord. “And evil men and deceivers will advance toward the worse: who are leading astray and being led astray” (2 Timothy 3:13, literal). Today’s theologians, having been led astray by the educated theologians who taught them, are leading others astray. A theologian who has been duped to believe error is deceived, and it is impossible for them to lead anyone beyond the error that they have accepted – the deceived can only deceive others. They may profess to know the Lord, yet because of their disobedience they do not know Him, nor can they lead anyone else to come to know Him.
It takes the few who have a thirst for the truth of God, to study His Word, discover His Truth, and begin to walk that restricted Way that leads to life. Central to this is: faith in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9), repentance from a life of sin (Acts 17:30), and obedience to the commandments of God (John 14:15). This is not the message that is heard from most pulpits today, nor is it accepted by most professing Christians. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6); “if you are loving Me, [then] you must obey My commandments” (John 14:15, literal).
12. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The one who has the Son, has life; the one who does not have the Son of God, does not have life (literal).
Clearly, the central question here is: how do we have the Son? “The one who is believing on the Son has everlasting life …” (John 3:36a, literal); believing is the key! This word in the Greek is in the present tense – this is a continuous action, and active voice – the one who is doing the believing. Who is the one who has the Son – the one who is believing on Him! Peter shows the connection that exists between our love for the Lord and believing on Him: “Whom [referring to Jesus] having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8); through examination, we are believing everything that Jesus has done to free us from sin, and so we love Him. Jesus said: “if you are loving Me, [then] you must obey My commandments” (John 14:15, literal). As we have just seen: “And the one who is obeying His commandments is abiding in Him, and He in him” (1 John 3:24a, literal). Once again, John’s instructions are clear: obey His commandments as evidence of our faith in Him (James 2:26), our love for Him, and our hope for everlasting life that rests in Him alone.
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.
I have written these things to you who are believing on the name of the Son of God so that you know that you have everlasting life, and that you are believing on the name of the Son of God (literal).
This might sound somewhat repetitive, but let’s consider it more carefully for a moment. John is writing to those who are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is doing so for two reasons: 1) so that they will know that they have everlasting life, and 2) that they will be assured that they are truly believing in the Lord. John has made it abundantly clear that faith alone is not sufficient to receive the life that the Lord has promised to those who are His: it is faith and obedience working together unto the end (Matthew 24:13). James declared that faith without works is dead (James 2:17), and John has provided ample clarification that the works that James identified are works of obedience to the commandments of God.
The writer of Hebrews confirmed John’s teaching, and included a warning: “And the righteous [those who are in Christ], by faith [believing on the name of the Son of God], will have life, and if he should draw back, [then] My soul will not delight in him” (Hebrews 10:38, literal). It is through faith (that must always be accompanied by works of obedience) that everlasting life comes, but if that person turns away from the faith, then he is apostate and has lost the promised life (Hebrews 3:12). It is only as we endure in that faith, understanding that it includes obedience to the Lord’s commandments, that we know that we have everlasting life. Jesus warned His disciples against being deceived, and went on to say: “… the one who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal). This is speaking of someone who is in the faith (believing and obeying), and who perseveres in this unto the end; John provides a strong emphasis on the necessity of obedience to the commandments of the Lord in order to hold a relationship with the Lord.
14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And this is the confidence that we have with Him: that if we ask anything according to His desire, [then] He is hearing us (literal).27
When we considered something similar in 1 John 3:22, where John wrote that if we are obedient and pleasing to the Lord, then we will receive that for which we ask, we tempered that with Jesus’ words that the purpose for granting our requests is so that the Father will be glorified (John 14:13). John now provides another principle that is in effect in having our requests granted by God: we must ask in accordance with His desires for us. Since we cannot know God’s desires for us in everything that we face, we are dependent upon the Spirit and Jesus making intercession with the Father for us (Romans 8:26-27, 34).
However, even in this, we are only assured that He hears us, not that we will be granted our petition. Paul requested to have a thorn removed, and the answer that he received was: “My grace is enough for you, because My strength is being made complete in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, literal). Although his request was heard, it was not granted; instead, the Lord provided grace to bear the thorn, which would bring Him greater glory than removing it. We must exercise discernment as we present our petitions to the Lord, and await His response.
15. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
And if we understand that He is hearing us, whatever we ask, [then] we understand that we have the requests that we did ask from Him (literal).
Based upon what John just wrote, we understand that when we make a request in accordance with His will, then He hears us. Now he carries that thought further by saying that we also understand that we have that for which we asked. Most of us will find this difficult to reconcile with our experiences; there must be more to this than meets the eye.
To the multitudes who followed Him, Jesus said: “You must be asking, and it will be given to you … For everyone who is asking, is receiving” (Matthew 7:7-8, literal). He went on to provide the context for this: “If you then, being evil, do know good gifts to give to your children, how much more your Father in the heavens will give good to the one who is asking?” (Matthew 7:11, literal).28 This is not an open promise from God that He will give you everything for which you ask, but it is certainly appropriate to request spiritual understanding (James 1:5); Jesus identifies the God in heaven as your Father, which means that the one who is asking has a personal relationship with God. Jesus notes that evil people know how to give good gifts to their children, but asking and receiving from the Lord is not open to them because they lack that personal connection. We’ve just seen that John provides an additional criteria: asking in accordance with His desire. We may not know the desires of God in every situation, and so we are to rely upon the Spirit and the Lord Jesus to present our petitions to the Father, as they should be (Romans 8:26-27, 34). All of this is dependent upon being in Christ and living faithfully for Him.
However, as we noted earlier, Paul shows us that even then we must permit the Lord to use His superior insight to work in and through us. Paul petitioned the Lord three times to remove his thorn, but the Lord showed him that “My grace is enough for you, because My strength is being made complete in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, literal). Jesus promised that in this life we will have tribulation (John 16:33), and Paul understood this more than most; yet his response to the Lord’s answer was: “more certainly, then, I will glory in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ will rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9b, literal). We, like Paul, must trust the Lord to use our frailties to His glory – to work through us despite our limitations, and thereby bring greater glory to Him. We are assured that life will not be easy, and the oppressions and afflictions that we will face may often be exacerbated by our weaknesses – what comes at us externally may well be intensified because of our personal frailties. However, we, like Paul, must commit ourselves to His keeping, knowing that He is able to accomplish His purposes through us, despite our weaknesses.
Whatever we, as the faithful of the Lord, ask of Him, we know that He will answer by granting our request, or by denying our request and extending His grace to enable us. In our humanity, we long to have our petitions granted, yet we must be aware of our limited perspective on life and that He Who knows the end from the beginning desires that we flourish as we faithfully endure in Him. The Word of God that fell upon those with good soil, produced a harvest, not because there were no trials, but because they persevered in the Truth (Luke 8:15).
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.
If anyone sees his brother who is sinning a sin [that is] not to death, he will ask and He will give life to those who are not sinning to death; there is a sin to death – I am not saying that anyone pray concerning that [sin] (literal).29
This is a difficult verse. However, Jesus provided us with a clue that will assist us in determining what John means here. “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him – neither in this age, nor in the coming [age]” (Matthew 12:32, literal). The judgment for speaking against the Holy Spirit is predetermined, unchangeable, and unforgiveable; therefore, it is important that we understand what this means. The writer of Hebrews provides us with another clue: “26. No more sacrifice for sins continues to exist for our intentional sinning after a full knowledge of the truth [has been] received, 27. but only a terrible expectation of condemnation and fury of fire that is about to be devouring the adversaries [of God] (Hebrews 10: 26-27, literal). Notice the common element between Jesus’ words and those in Hebrews: there is a surety of condemnation in both cases. Let’s consider what follows the quoted passage from Hebrews, because it will complete our understanding of this matter: “28. Anyone who did reject the Law of Moses, on the basis of two or three witnesses, he died without mercy; 29. How much more severe punishment, do you suppose he is worthy, who treats with disdain the Son of God and considers the blood of the [New] Covenant unclean, by which he was made holy, and did insult the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:28-29, literal). Let’s be sure that we understand this correctly. This is speaking of someone who has been born again by the Spirit of God: this one holds a full knowledge of the truth, which only comes through new birth, and he was made holy by the blood of Christ, also something that requires being born from above under the New Covenant and confirms that the Spirit of God was abiding within. This person, who is in a born-again relationship with the Lord and has His Spirit abiding within, is now intentionally sinning; in other words, he has turned away from the Spirit’s guiding influence (the Truth), and has chosen to commit himself to a life of sin (2 Timothy 4:4). The writer of Hebrews warned against such a thing: “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal). Notice that this warning is given to brethren, those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin; someone who has deliberately turned away from the Lord and committed themselves to sin has a wicked heart of unbelief – they have become apostate from God. Apostasy is a sin for which there is no cleansing: “4. [It is] impossible for those who have one-time been enlightened, 5. who did taste of the heavenly gift, and who did become partakers of the Holy Spirit … 6. and who have fallen away, to renew [them] once more unto repentance …” (Hebrews 6:4-6, literal). For the one who has been born again, and who then becomes apostate from God (has fallen away), it is impossible to restore such a person again to that place of repentance before God through Christ! Christ died one-time for sin (Romans 6:10), and cleansing from sin is available one-time to the sinner (Hebrews 6:4). For the one who has fallen away, there is only a terrible expectation of condemnation (Hebrews 10:27).
John tells us that there is a sin to death, and, as we have seen from other Scriptures, this is the sin of apostasy; such sin is particularly directed against the Holy Spirit Who is given with the intention that He will abide with us forever. Jesus said: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give another Comforter [the Holy Spirit] to you so that He will abide with you forever” (John 14:16, literal). When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus for cleansing from sin, the Spirit of God comes to be with us into eternity – that is God’s intended purpose; when we reject the truth of God, this one-time Gift is gone forever: there is no hope of restoration – only the surety of God’s condemnation remains! John tells us not to pray for the one who has become apostate, because that person’s destiny has already been determined – there is no cleansing available for the sin of apostasy.
However, for the brother who is sinning in ignorance, John tells us to pray for that person so that they will again know the life that is only available through Christ. As John wrote earlier: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). For the one who is born again (a brother in Christ), agreeing with the Lord concerning a sin (confess) will bring restoration of the relationship with the Lord. It is the one who does not acknowledge his sin, and continues in that state of sinfulness, who has embarked on the road to apostasy.
The difficulty that we face today is that of determining who are professing Christians but have never known the Lord, and who profess but are actually apostate. What is very evident is that there are only a few who have found the Narrow Gate to the Way of Life (Matthew 7:13-14).
It is contended that “to be evangelical means to be faithful to the gospel,”30 yet, as we consider the broad spectrum of those who claim to be Evangelical, the question that comes to mind is: which gospel? Even before the canon of Scripture was closed, Paul dealt with those who were sincerely seeking to change the Gospel – his letter to the Galatians makes it abundantly clear that any change only worked to destroy its life (Galatians 1:6-9). Therefore, it is beyond question that with the passing of many more years, the Gospel would be trimmed and padded to meet the needs of many groups – each feeling justified in the changes that it made. However, what appears to be common to most of them is a failure to consider John’s message of the need to obey the commandments of God in order to abide in the Truth (1 John 2:4). Modern Evangelicals do not have a heritage of obedience to God’s commandments; they are a product of the Reformers, and a cursory review of the Reformers’ positions makes it clear that they did not completely forsake their Roman Catholic roots – and so the tainted gospels were perpetuated, and modified by later reformers.
“Take heed [that] no one will lead you astray through philosophy and worthless deception: according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8, literal). Modern theologies are a product of men who have studied the Scriptures with the purpose of defending and enhancing what they considered to be the truth of God’s Word; in essence, they have developed Christian philosophies – the very thing that Paul warns against. Earlier, John warned us to examine everything that comes our way so that we are able to determine if it bears the Spirit of God or the spirit of the Devil (1 John 4:1). Anyone who teaches anything that departs from the Word of God in any respect, is to be rejected (Romans 16:17). These many warnings in Scripture are given to keep us true to the Word of God and so that we do not choose the way of apostasy, which brings certain condemnation.
17. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
Every unrighteousness is sin, and [there] is a sin not unto death (literal).
By way of clarification, John now tells us that every act of unrighteousness is sin, and not just that which leads to spiritual condemnation. We must not focus on that sin of apostasy to the exclusion of all other sin; we must be attentive to every sin. Even though every wrongdoing is sin, yet, interestingly, James adds another element. “Therefore, the one who has known to do right, and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17, literal).31 Sin can also be inaction, when a situation calls for right action.
In both of these cases (wrong action and no right action), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Such confession and restoration is only available for the sins that are not apostasy. As we have noted, the sin of apostasy results in condemnation that cannot be undone (Hebrews 6:4-6) – it is a sin unto death!
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.
We have known that everyone who has been born of God is not sinning, but he who was born of God is guarding himself, and the Devil is not harming him (literal).
Earlier, John wrote: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). However, here not sinning is in the present tense, which speaks of a continual sinning. We have already looked at Hebrews 10:26-29 where it is very clear that the one who was born of God, but is now living in a state of continual sin, is destined for God’s condemnation – that is the sin of apostasy for which there is no remedy (Hebrews 6:4-6). Therefore, it is not that we no longer sin, but we do not live in continual, intentional sin.
However, it is not that the Devil is not seeking to destroy those who are children of God. Peter warned us: “Be clear-headed, be alert because your adversary, the Devil, as a lion that is roaring, is going about looking for anyone [whom] he might completely overpower” (1 Peter 5:8). The Devil is not looking for the ungodly, for they are already under his control; he is seeking the child of God who has dropped his guard for a moment. John tells us that the one who has been born of God is continually guarding himself against the Devil’s tactics. To the Ephesians, Paul commanded: “Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you are enabled to stand against the craftiness of the Devil” (Ephesians 6:11, literal). The protection that we have against the Devil comes from what the Lord makes available for us to wear: encircled by truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of deliverance and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-17). As we are born of God, He provides us with all of the protection that we need in order to stand against the Devil and his cunning ways. However, as Paul makes it clear, we can choose to accept the armor that the Lord provides, or we can ignore it to our own detriment.
John says that the one who has been born of God will guard himself against attacks by the Devil. It is because this one is making use of the armor of God that the Devil is not causing him spiritual injury. It is important that we recognize that the Lord’s protection is defensive. Paul says to put the armor on so that we are able to stand against the Devil; John tells us that it is the one who is guarding himself that the Devil will not injure. Standing and guarding speak of being adequately prepared to defend against the attacks of Satan; it is certain that we must not incite the Devil. Jesus, through His one-time sacrifice for sin, has “put an end to the one having the power of death – namely, the Devil” (Hebrews 2:14b, literal). However, even though defeated, Satan is still at war against the followers of Christ who “are obeying the commandments of God and who are holding the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17b, literal). Even though his destiny is sure (Revelation 20:10), as Peter declared, he is still going about looking for someone whom he is able to overpower and control (1 Peter 5:8) – his targets are the faithful children of God!
19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
We have known that we are of God, and the whole world is lying in evil (literal).
What has become very clear from John’s writing is that if we are of God, then we must be living in faithful obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:4-5)! As we have just seen, this will make us the particular targets of the Devil, and our protection is found in the armor of God with which we are to clothe ourselves. John has also warned us to examine all that comes before us in order to ascertain whether it is from God or Satan (1 John 4:1), understanding that it will not always be obvious without such a careful evaluation.
Have known is in the perfect tense, a past completed action with continuing results, and indicative mood – it’s a statement of fact. This presupposes that we are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 5:1), that we are abiding in Him and He in us (1 John 3:24), that we are showing forth His love (1 John 4:7), and that we are living in obedience to His commandments (1 John 5:3) – we have known that we are of God. Interestingly, both have known and are bear the indicative mood; the evidence for affirming that we are of God is factual: we have known and continue to do what is required to be of God.
Again, John shows the separation that must exist between the world and the child of God. We’ve just seen that the child of God is not sinning, and John reminds us that the whole world abides in evil – these two things hold nothing in common. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). Jesus said: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24); mammon is the wealth (money and property) that the world has to offer,32 and Jesus says that it is not possible to work for both. John leaves no doubt that a love for God excludes the attractions of the world, because the world is evil.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He was shown all of the kingdoms of the world, and Satan offered them to Him if He would simply bow to him (Matthew 4:8-9). Jesus did not question that Satan had control of all of the kingdoms of the world, for, indeed, since the sin of Adam, humanity has functioned under his guidance, which is why the world is evil. As Jesus prayed for His disciples, He did not ask that the Father would take them out of the world, but that He would guard them against the evil one (John 17:15); thus, even though we are in the world, we are not to be of the world. We, who know that we are of God, have been called into His kingdom, and His kingdom is absolutely not of this world. We must strive, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, to live separated from this world – the domain of Satan and his hordes.
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.
And we have known that the Son of God has come and has given to us understanding, so that we are knowing the True One, and we are in the True One – in His Son, Jesus Christ; this is the True God and everlasting life (literal).
As John brings his letter to a close, this is the third time that he presents what we have known. We have known that the one who is born of God does not live in continual sin (v. 18), we have known that we are of God (v. 19), and now we have known that it is through Jesus that we receive spiritual understanding and are knowing (present tense) the Father. It seems that he is recalling Jesus’ words to His disciples: “If you have known Me, [then] you have known My Father also, and from now on, you are knowing Him and have seen Him” (John 14:7, literal); His further explanation of this was: “… he who has seen Me, has seen the Father …” (John 14:9b, literal). Even though the disciples had some difficulty understanding what Jesus had explained to them, it is clear that John now fully understood this truth. The writer of Hebrews described Jesus as “being the radiance of the glory and the exact representation of His [God, the Father’s] essence” (Hebrews 1:3a, literal). Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, He was still God, even though He limited His glory so that He was able to live among those who were made in His image.
John also presents the reality of Jesus’ words: “no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b, literal). It is through Jesus that we come to know God, and are able to abide in Him as we remain in Jesus. To His disciples, Jesus commanded: “Abide in Me and I in you …” (John 15:4a, literal), and He then clarified what was required in order to abide in Him: “If My commandments you obey, [then] you will remain in My love …” (John 15:10a, literal). John has emphasized the need for the child of God to live in obedience to God’s commandments; Jesus taught this truth, and John has done his utmost to ensure that his readers understand it.
In keeping with John’s writing, it is only fitting that we take a moment to be sure that we understand this truth with clarity. Earlier, John stated: “The one who is saying, ‘I know Him,’ and His commandments he is not obeying, is a liar, and the truth is not in this one” (1 John 2:4, literal). In order for us to abide in the True One, we must be living in obedience to His commandments, and so we must also understand to what commandments John is referring. To the rich, young man who desired to have eternal life, Jesus said: “… if you are desiring to enter into life, obey the commandments” (Matthew 19:17b, literal), and, when queried further, He went on to specifically identify five of the six Commandments that deal with our relationship with others (Matthew 19:18-19). There is no question that Jesus referred this man to the Ten Commandments, and declared that, in order to enter eternal life, it is necessary to obey them all! This is the very theme of John’s letter! Yet today, among those who profess to know the Lord, there is an acceptance of the lie that the Ten Commandments were removed at the cross. There is a general acceptance that the Ten Commandments were a part of the Law of Moses, and it has all been ended through Christ’s sacrifice for sins. Once again, there is a willing compliance to theology, man’s understanding of God’s truth, over God’s truth – including the clearly expressed teachings of Jesus.
When tested by a religious lawyer as to the greatest commandment in the Law of Moses, Jesus provided two that summarize the Ten Commandments, and declared that it was upon these two that the Law of Moses was supported (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus pointed this man to the Ten Commandments, which were written by God Himself (Deuteronomy 4:13), and form the foundation for the Law of Moses, which came via angels through Moses (Galatians 3:19). Through John’s writing, it has been made abundantly clear that obeying the Lord’s Ten Commandments is essential for the child of God to remain in the Truth; James affirms that unless our faith in the Lord is accompanied by works of obedience, it is dead (James 2:26). John has clarified that it is obedience to the Law of God (the Ten Commandments) that must be a part of our faith in the Lord; without faith and obedience working together, Jesus said that we are not able to abide in Him: “if you are loving Me [faith], [then] you must obey My commandments [obedience]” (John 14:15, literal; cp. John 15:10).
John the Baptist understood this reality: “The one who is believing in the Son has everlasting life; and the one who is disobeying the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God is abiding upon him” (John 3:36, literal). John brought faith (an ever-present believing) together with the need for obedience – disobeying the Lord will never lead to life, but the wrath of God remains upon this one. John the Baptist understood and proclaimed what today’s theologians dismiss without a second thought. Theology is defined as the study of faith33, and so we see that it comes through man’s reasoning, and is definitely not something that anyone should accept without a very thorough examination; there is a theology for the Roman Catholics, the Seventh-Day Adventists, Mormons, Evangelicals, Baptists, etc., and each must be regarded as only man’s perspective on matters that pertain to God. Today it is more common to have professing Christians identify with a particular preacher or teacher (I am of David Jeremiah, or I am of John MacArthur, etc.), rather than even being familiar with their favored teacher’s theology. Paul dealt with this: “for when someone is saying, ‘I, indeed, am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I, of Apollos,’ are you not sinful?” (1 Corinthians 3:4, literal; the Greek construction is such that the question requires an affirmative response: i.e., “yes, we are sinful”).34 It is incumbent upon all who profess to know God, to know Him in truth: i.e., in faith and obedience! There is no hope in holding to a favored theology, or following the teaching of a favored preacher or theologian. We must test all (both the teaching and the teacher) according to the Word of God (1 John 4:1), which means that we must allow the Spirit of God to guide us in our study of His Word. Jesus promised that the Spirit would come to lead us into all Truth (John 16:13); however, the Spirit can only lead if we are willing to follow. Like Israel of old, we must choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19): faith in the Lord and obedience to His commandments!
John ends with a strong affirmation that Jesus is the True God and the only Way to everlasting life. It is evident that the theme of the Gospel of John is Jesus as the Son of God (John 20:31), and John has chosen to weave that truth throughout this writing as well (1 John 5:1). This is foundational to faith in the Lord, and key to understanding the Way to everlasting Life (John 14:6).
21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Little children, protect yourselves from idols. Amen (literal).
John has just declared Jesus to be the True God and the means to everlasting life; he follows that with this warning to guard against accepting idols. Although an idol can be an image before which some will bow and worship, for the child of God it is better to think of it as anything, or anyone, that holds a higher priority in our lives than God. The First Commandment is: “Thou shalt have no other gods before [or, in preference to] me” (Exodus 20:3).35 Jesus, as the True God, must always hold that place of prominence in our lives: “If anyone is coming to Me and is not hating his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and even his own life also, he is not able to be My disciple” (Luke 14:26, literal); hating, as it is used here, means to show a greater preference or love for the Lord than for our family – members of our family must not become idols that take the place of the Lord in our hearts.36 John is commanding that we guard against permitting the Lord to be replaced by anything, or anyone; protect, or keep, is in the imperative mood! It is as we live in obedience to the First Commandment that we will submit to the Lord, and, with the guidance of the Spirit, find it much easier to live in compliance with the other nine Commandments. This is John’s desire for his readers, and the Lord’s desire for His followers.
Amen – a transliteration from Hebrew: so let it be.37
END NOTES:
1 BDB.
2 https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/john-gill/the-proof-of-the-baptism-of-jewish-proselytes-inquired-into/.
3 Friberg Lexicon.
4 Stephanus 1550 NT.
5 https://learnhebrewforchristians.com/blog/meaning-of-elohim-hebrew.
6 https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-15.pdf.
7 Friberg Lexicon.
8 https://www.understandchristianity.com/timelines/chronology-new-testament-books/.
9 Friberg Lexicon.
10 https://lumenology.ai/blog/most-popular-bible-translations.
11 https://www.bibleanalysis.org/what-is-the-legacy-standard-bible-and-how-does-it-differ-from-other-translations-of-the-bible/.
12 BDB; TWOT #278; https://learnhebrewforchristians.com/blog/meaning-of-elohim-hebrew.
13 https://learnhebrewforchristians.com/blog/meaning-of-elohim-hebrew.
14 BDB; TWOT #2131a, 2149.
15 BDB.
16 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
17 https://heritagebbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Views-Complete-4a-and-b.pdf.
18 Friberg Lexicon.
19 Ibid.
20 https://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_john/5-9.htm (Meyer’s NT Commentary).
21 Stephanus 1550 NT.
22 BDB.
23 Friberg Lexicon.
24 Beyond the seventh-day Sabbath, there were Jewish feast days that were kept in the same way – this includes them all; keep in mind that the Law of Moses had not yet been replaced.
25 John MacArthur, The Truth War, p. 44.
26 As a Jewish writer, Matthew followed the Hebrew, which has heaven as being plural – either the created heaven, or the dwelling place of God. So for Matthew 23:13 as well.
27 Vine’s, “will.”
28 Again, the plural heavens follows the Hebrew.
29 Plus Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
30 https://www.crossway.org/articles/does-evangelicalism-have-a-history/.
31 Plus Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon.
32 Friberg Lexicon.
33 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theology.
34 Friberg Lexicon.
35 BDB.
36 Friberg Lexicon.
37 Gingrich Lexicon.
1 BDB.
2 https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/john-gill/the-proof-of-the-baptism-of-jewish-proselytes-inquired-into/.
3 Friberg Lexicon.
4 Stephanus 1550 NT.
5 https://learnhebrewforchristians.com/blog/meaning-of-elohim-hebrew.
6 https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-15.pdf.
7 Friberg Lexicon.
8 https://www.understandchristianity.com/timelines/chronology-new-testament-books/.
9 Friberg Lexicon.
10 https://lumenology.ai/blog/most-popular-bible-translations.
11 https://www.bibleanalysis.org/what-is-the-legacy-standard-bible-and-how-does-it-differ-from-other-translations-of-the-bible/.
12 BDB; TWOT #278; https://learnhebrewforchristians.com/blog/meaning-of-elohim-hebrew.
13 https://learnhebrewforchristians.com/blog/meaning-of-elohim-hebrew.
14 BDB; TWOT #2131a, 2149.
15 BDB.
16 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
17 https://heritagebbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Views-Complete-4a-and-b.pdf.
18 Friberg Lexicon.
19 Ibid.
20 https://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_john/5-9.htm (Meyer’s NT Commentary).
21 Stephanus 1550 NT.
22 BDB.
23 Friberg Lexicon.
24 Beyond the seventh-day Sabbath, there were Jewish feast days that were kept in the same way – this includes them all; keep in mind that the Law of Moses had not yet been replaced.
25 John MacArthur, The Truth War, p. 44.
26 As a Jewish writer, Matthew followed the Hebrew, which has heaven as being plural – either the created heaven, or the dwelling place of God. So for Matthew 23:13 as well.
27 Vine’s, “will.”
28 Again, the plural heavens follows the Hebrew.
29 Plus Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
30 https://www.crossway.org/articles/does-evangelicalism-have-a-history/.
31 Plus Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon.
32 Friberg Lexicon.
33 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theology.
34 Friberg Lexicon.
35 BDB.
36 Friberg Lexicon.
37 Gingrich Lexicon.