1 John 5

This is the last Sunday in 1 John; next week: Revelation!

This is a rich lesson however, so here are some major thoughts to consider.

John's thoughts seem to be tumbling all over the place, reiterating what he has already said and trying to drive it home. He also adds some new material, and one part can throw you for a loop. First, let's look at the problem and then deal with the easy (?) parts.

Verses 6-8 introduce the idea that Jesus came “by the water and the blood.” Huh? Where did that come from? Scholars have all sorts of fun debating it. The Lifeway writer gives one interpretation that may or may not be correct: water represents Jesus's baptism and the blood represents the cross. Others take “water” as representing his birth, as in the “breaking” of the mother's water. The blood can also mean human life, stressing that Jesus was indeed a man. Most agree that whatever the individual elements mean, John is making the point that Jesus really was a man, who lived in the flesh and died on the cross. He did not merely appear to live and die.

Now back to verse 1. Faith and the New Birth go together – and so does obedience!

If you believe Jesus was the Messiah (Christ), you have been born from above. Throughout the Johannine writings we see repeatedly an emphasis on faith and new birth. In this letter he also stresses that loving God means also loving the others who are part of God's regenerated family. We all belong to the family, and the family is supposed to love each other.

...and obey His commands...uh oh...

This is not new. The Bible holds no shrift for faith that does not express itself in obedience. Jesus said. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. So don't be surprised that John does likewise. I always picture a mother responding to a kid, “If you love me, clean up your pigpen of a room!” John assures us that keeping His commands is not a burden because we have been saved. His Spirit lives in us to support us.

Fanfare with trumpets: powerful thought coming up!

Because we have been born from God, we can overcome the world! Our faith conquers the world. Catch that! Memorize it. Bring it out when all the world seems against you. John repeats this in a slightly different way three times! So nail it down!

And once more the writer bears down on the relation between Jesus and His Father. They are one. Note that the Spirit is also mentioned in this passage. This is one of quite a few passages where the three are mentioned in close conjunction. Nowhere in the New Testament does it spell out the doctrine of the Trinity, but so many references tie them together that it was easy for the Church to take the next step and declare the doctrine of the Trinity two or three hundred years later.