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Our faith overcomes the world
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God;* also, whoever loves the Begetter should love the one begotten by Him as well. 2 In this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;† His commandments are not burdensome, 4 in that whatever has been begotten by God overcomes the world;‡ this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world if not he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Receive the witness of God
6 This is He who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ—not by the water only, but by the water§ and the blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the Truth; 7 actually there are three who bear witness* 8 —the Spirit, the water and the blood—and the three are to one effect. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is God's testimony which He has testified concerning His Son. 10 He who believes into the Son of God has the witness within himself; he who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.†
13 I have written these things to you who believe into the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life, really believing into the name of God's Son.‡
Our confidence
14 Now this is the confidence that we have toward Him: if we should ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we may ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.§
Sins not leading to death
16 If anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, let him ask, and He will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is sin leading to death; I am not saying that he should make request about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.*
18 We know that whoever has been begotten by God does not sin;† rather the one who was begotten by God preserves himself,‡ and the evil one does not touch him.§
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.*
Conclusion
20 We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the genuine God, and the Life eternal. 21 Dear children, guard yourselves from idols.† Amen.
* 5:1 I suppose that John would say that ‘knowing’ and ‘believing’ are different things. Satan certainly ‘knows’ that Jesus is the Christ, but it does not do him any good. How we act shows what we really believe, so to “believe” that Jesus is the Christ requires that we submit to Him. † 5:3 The appropriate ways to demonstrate love differ according to the specific relationship involved; to demonstrate love for God is to obey Him. ‡ 5:4 To overcome the world on a personal level is to reject its values and live according to Christ's values. It is the ‘new nature’ that has been “begotten by God”; the ‘old nature’ cannot overcome the world. To receive a new nature one must believe into Jesus. § 5:6 I suppose that “the water” stands for the Scriptures. * 5:7 Those who use the AV or NKJV are used to: “There are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” The words in italics are only found in five late Greek manuscripts (less than 1% of the total) and part of the Latin tradition, from which they came. To be more precise, the manuscripts are: (61)[16th], (629)[14th], (918)[16th], 2318 [18th], 2473 [17th], wherein the cursives in ( ) all differ from each other; the two that agree verbatim with TR were probably copied from it. The only one that is clearly early enough to have served as TR's exemplar, 629, is far too different—it lacks the seven last words in TR, omits another five, changes five and adds two—19 out of 40 words is too much; the Textus Receptus is not based on cursive 629, so it must be a translation from the Latin (or its exemplar is lost). The shorter reading makes excellent sense. [Those who make ‘the three heavenly witnesses’ a litmus test for orthodoxy are either ignorant or perverse (or both).] † 5:12 Here is a plain statement. ‡ 5:13 A person's name represents that person. Some 4.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “really believing into the name of God's Son” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). § 5:15 Again, in order to be ‘heard’ we must ask “according to His will”. * 5:17 The way John phrases this, “there is sin not leading to death”, almost gives the impression that most sin does lead to death. Well, ‘the wages of sin is death’, both physical and spiritual. Christ's sacrifice can save us from spiritual death, but not the physical. So is John referring to a premature physical death? But verse 16 is about a “brother” sinning. Consider what is said in Hebrews 10:26-31. 26 Because, if we deliberately keep on sinning after having received the real knowledge of the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 just a certain fearful anticipation of judgment and fierce fire that is ready to consume the hostiles. 28 Anyone who rejected Moses' law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be deemed worthy who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “ ‘Vengeance is up to me’, says the Lord, ‘I will repay’.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God! Note the ‘after having received the real knowledge of the Truth’ and ‘by which he was sanctified’ (see also verses 32-36). I fear that what I was taught in Seminary on this subject does not square with the Text. I am not aware of any passage that spells out the sins that do and/or those that do not. I suppose that a request about a sin leading to death simply will not be granted. We ignore this area of truth at our peril. † 5:18 This statement is very similar to the one in 3:9 above—please refer back to the note there. ‡ 5:18 Instead of “himself”, perhaps 8% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘him’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). This changes the interpretation of the statement. § 5:18 “The evil one does not touch him” has given rise to the catastrophic idea that Christians cannot be demonized; but let us analyze the situation a bit. Wherein might the “touch” in the Text consist? It cannot be temptation, because Christ Himself was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11); it cannot be an attack on the body, because the Apostle Paul was so attacked (2 Corinthians 12:7); it cannot be an attack on the mind, because the Apostle Peter was so attacked (Matthew 16:22-23). So wherein might the “touch” consist? Consider Ephesians 6:12—“our wrestling match” is against wicked spirits (wrestling is direct, physical, violent—it is impossible to be in a wrestling match and not be ‘touched’). Consider also 1 Peter 5:8—why ‘be vigilant’ if that lion cannot touch us? You may be absolutely certain that believers can be and are demonized! The crucial thing is a conscious submission to the Holy Spirit (while controlled by the Spirit you will never be controlled by a demon). But just who is it that the evil one does not touch? The one begotten by God, or born of God—but who is the “born of God”? Since only Jesus was literally born of God from His mother's womb, the rest of us receive the ‘new man’ at regeneration, so the believer as a whole person is not in view. Please refer back to the note at 3:9 above. * 5:19 The verb ‘lie’ here is used for lying on a bed—your whole weight is resting on it. A bed has no volition, but Satan does; the picture is one of control. All human cultures have features that serve Satan's purposes, but some have more than others. Any true follower of Sovereign Jesus needs to evaluate the culture that surrounds him and reject those features that are contrary to God's values. † 5:21 The most dangerous “idols” are not made of wood, plaster or stone. Things like money, power, prestige, social standing and non-biblical worldviews are more dangerous.