Verse 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.
In order for a person to believe that Jesus is the Christ, that person has to have had this truth revealed to him by the LORD. The title of “Christ” means the anointed one and is synonymous with the Messiah. It is not a name. When Jesus asked Simon Peter who he believed Jesus to be, he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 Jesus then stated, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 16:17
Verses 2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
What are the commandments of God that are not grievous? There are only two for the New Testament believer. “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. This is the first and great commandment. and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
Verse 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
The Greek word translated as “overcometh” is “nikao” and it means to conquer, to prevail or to get the victory. The world offers sin, the consequences of which is death and then Hell. To be born of God means that a person is repentant and filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit of God and therefore is no longer subject to the dictates of the world and its demonic system. Remember, Satan is the god of this world. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 A Christian believer is free and has the gift of faith which God gives to all believers so that they can trust in the Word of God and in those things that they cannot see or which have not happened yet but are promised by the LORD.
Verses 5-6 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 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.
In summary, a person that believes that Jesus is the Messiah promised long ago, the Son of the living God, who is born again by the spirit of God, will love both God and his fellow man and live by faith to be an over comer in a wicked and perverse world.
All humans are born by water and blood as there is the amniotic fluid a baby develops in and the blood from the umbilical cord and placenta that nourishes its growth and development inside the womb. But the reference above is one pertaining to water baptism and the shedding of Jesus’ blood for the remission of sins for all mankind.
Verse 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
The Greek word translated as “bear record” is “martureo” and it means to be a witness to or give testimony. How does the believer know that Jesus is the Christ? He knows because of the testimony of the Father through His Word, the Bible, and through His Holy Ghost that was given to each believer at the time of the death of Jesus on the cross. This concept can be confusing unless it is remembered that Jesus was/is the human body of the Father. Jesus is God, very God, the almighty and the Creator of all things. There are not three persons or gods. Just one God manifesting Himself in three different ways. That is why the apostle John states in the verse above that “these three are one.”
Verse 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
It is a mystery to the casual onlooker how a person can be transformed from a state of sinfulness and depravity into an upstanding citizen simply by having a conversion experience. But when an unrepentant sinner is called by God to repentance and to salvation, that person is touched by the Spirit of God, is obedient and enters in water baptism, and then is covered spiritually by the shed blood of Jesus. They rise from the water of baptism to a newness of life, a changed person no longer under Satan’s control.
Verses 9-12 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
People accept the witness of others all the time. Courts run on the testimony or witness of people. For some reason, it is easy to believe another human being but often difficulty to believe the LORD and His testimony. Jesus clearly let the people of His day know that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, and He was murdered. The Christian believer must accept the whole council of God (the entire Bible) as being true and have faith that it is true and base all other information on what the Scripture says. This writer always says that if it isn’t in the Bible, it isn’t true. So, simply put by the apostle John in the verses above, eternal life is in Jesus, and without Him a person does not and will not have eternal life in Heaven.
Verses 13-15 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. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
The name of the Son of God is Jesus. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 There is all kinds of debate in the religious world as to whether the name Jesus is correct. In the English language it is correct. This writer does not speak Hebrew or Greek. In English, the name is Jesus. End of discussion. Note however that Jesus and Joshua both mean salvation. That is why the name was given by the angel of the Lord to Joseph in a dream. There can be no confusing the purpose of the LORD’s physical sojourn here because of the meaning of His name.
Verse 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.
What is the sin that is not forgivable? It is the rejection of the LORD Jesus Christ and the work of His Spirit here on Earth. As the apostle John stated above, there is no life for those that do not have Jesus. So the only sin God will not pardon is rejection of His Son and His sacrifice on the cross. All other sins can be forgiven when repented of.
Verses 17-21 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not 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. 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5)
Notice that the last thing the apostle John states in this letter is the admonition for believers to stay away from idols. Why? The devil uses idols to draw believers away from the presence of the LORD. Idols today are not stone or metal statues in churches or homes. Idols are anything that a person gives his/her heart to. If a person’s heart is given over to possessions, family, career or any other pursuit that becomes more important than spending time with God and with His people, the devil has a foothold in that person’s life. Everything in this life is given by God and nothing should be tightly grasped as it isn’t ours to begin with. Think about it.