Andy and Wes discuss the thrilling truth that faith in the Son of God gives eternal life and overcomes the world. Faith also forms the basis of the believer’s assurance.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study Podcast. This is Part 1 of Episode 8 in our 1, 2, & 3 John Bible Study Podcast entitled, Faith in the Son of God Gives Eternal Life, where we’ll discuss 1 John 5:1-13.
I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis.
Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Well, it seems like the entire epistle of 1 John is an epistle of assurance so that people who are genuine believers in Christ may have the way by which they can have a solid assurance of eternal life. And some of the most famous verses on this topic of assurance are in the passage we’re going to study today, which is 1 John 5:1-13, which tells us that we can and should have a healthy assurance of our salvation through faith in Christ. But what is the basis of that assurance? And so, this section is also going to talk about that, the testimonies that come into us from the outside that we then believe and on the basis of that testimony, we have faith in the Son of God. And this faith in the Son of God we’re told in this very section overcomes the world. So that’s a very thrilling sense of the power of faith in Christ which overcomes the world and is the basis of our assurance. So, we’ll walk through all that today.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read verses 1-13 as we begin.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
Andy, what does it mean to be born of God and how does this happen to a person?
Andy
Yeah, so right from the beginning he says this, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And so fundamentally it means to be born again by the Spirit. It’s an analogy that Jesus used with Nicodemus when he said, unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. And so, it’s an analogy or a metaphor which says, is speaking in earthly language so that we can understand. So, I think what it means is that the change that happens in us by the sovereign work of the Spirit of God is so radical and so transforming it’s like we have become new people. It’s like from that moment on, we have a new existence, a new life, a new spiritual life. And Jesus used the analogy of being born again. 1 Peter also uses that same expression of being born again. So, to be born of God means it is God that gives that birth. The Old Testament picture in the book of Ezekiel in chapter 36 is the heart of stone is removed and the heart of flesh is put in. That’s such a radical heart transformation that that’s Ezekiel’s version of being born again, and it all comes from God. Only God can do that. So that’s what I think it means to be born of God.
Wes
How does this verse relate to John 1:12-13?
Andy
Well, in John 1 the prologue, first 18 verses of the Gospel of John, it introduces the entire gospel. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). And then later it says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). But a few verses before that, it says that he, Jesus came into the world, he came to those who were his own, the Jews, and they did not receive him. “But as many as did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” And then it says, “Children who were born, not of the will of man or the will of the flesh, but born of God” (John 1: 11-13). So not born in a biological sort of way, not born as an act of the will, but born by the sovereign working of the Spirit of God. And so, I think John’s telling, is speaking about the same thing here.
Wes
What themes do verses 2 and 3 repeat that we’ve already seen many times in 1 John and remind us why John repeats himself so many times in this letter.
Andy
Sure. Well, I’m going to actually answer you by extending out to the next paragraph where he talks about the activity of the Spirit. And I think these four themes are the ways by which we can know that we’re children of God. First, the doctrinal test, so to speak. Do we believe that Jesus is the Christ born of God, born of, born in the flesh? Do we believe in the incarnation? And that’s what John’s going to say in this section it means to have the Son. We believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. And that’s how the gospel of John speaks as well. In John 20:31 it says, “These are written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and believing that may have life in his name.” So first, the doctrinal test about Jesus.
Secondly, the obedience test. Do you obey the laws and the commands of God? Are you living a righteous life, an obedient life, a holy life? The third is love for the brothers. He’s going to bring that up here, to love those who are born of God. That’s a test. And then the fourth is the testimony of the Spirit. The Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are God’s children, speaking in Paul’s language in Romans 8. And so those are the four great tests of the book 1 John, and they’re all here in this paragraph. So, he’s going back over it again in a kind of summary way, in a concentrated way, all in a few verses to say, Hey, this is what we’ve talked about. And he repeats it because we need that repetition. It is just good instruction to say important things more than once.
Wes
Yeah, verse 2 says that by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandment. So right in there we have the love for the children of God, but also this obedience to his commandments. Verse 3 says, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. Why do you think John says that God’s commandments are not burdensome? And how does this verse really help us maybe when they seem burdensome from time to time?
Andy
Yeah, that is great, and I definitely want to talk about that. But something hit me while you were reading and even before we began the podcast today, and that is how circular this whole thing is. It is like this is love for God to obey his commands and what are his commands to love the children of God? And how do we love the children of God? By obeying God. It’s the whole thing’s very circular. Well, I think what I get out of that, it’s not like John was trying to go in a circle or be logical or something. Like he’s saying, all of these things are essential to the Christian life. You can’t pick and choose, right? You can’t take one and not have the other. I’m going to the one and not the other. You’ve got to do them all.
the commands of God flow from his essential nature. He is light, he is love, and the commands come from that
And so, you got to go vertical and horizontal. You got to love God, and you got to love each other and that’s it. You can’t pick and choose. So, I love the circularity of it. Now, let’s talk about the commands of God not being burdensome. I think we need to understand how the commands of God flow from his essential nature. He is light, he is love, and the commands come from that. He is holy. And so fundamentally when he tells us we are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but we must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for when we eat of it, we’ll die, that’s not burdensome. That’s the limit that God has put, that God put on Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. And so later in the laws of Moses, when there are all the 10 commandments, it’s not a burden to not murder. It’s not a burden to not commit adultery. The real burden is sin. To be a murderer, to be an adulterer is to be enslaved to evil. It is to be enslaved to Satan. It is to be on your way to hell. That’s the burden. Jesus said, come to me all you who are burdened and heavy laden, and I’ll give you freedom. I’ll give you life. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. It’s about the same thing that’s being said here.
So, this is how I see it. The laws of God are perfect and pure and delightful. As Psalm 119 says over and over, the laws are delightful. He says in Psalm 119:32, “I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart free.” There’s something very, very beautiful Jesus said in John 8:34 & 36, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin…. So, if the Son sets you free, you’ll be free indeed.” So, there’s this true freedom. So therefore, we have to understand what freedom is. Freedom is not autonomy. Freedom is not self-definition. We have an idolatry of freedom in our Western culture today where you define even your own gender, you define your own stuff, et cetera. No, no, no. Freedom is being delighted in what God made you to be and what he commands you to do. That’s what the freedom is, to be happy in what God made you to be and in what he told you to do. That’s what freedom is. And so therefore, it is not burdensome to do the things that God’s commanded us to do.
So right here in this context, the command is love each other. Serve each other, wash each other’s feet, care for each other. How is that a burden? Now here’s the thing. In our sinfulness, in our wickedness, we often feel like these things are a burden. Like for example, offer hospitality without grumbling. Wes, what does that tell you? There’s something about human nature in that, right?
Wes
So, some days you’re going to want to close the door, not be bothered.
Andy
Right? And so, there’s an essential weakness and a sinfulness to feeling like it’s a burden. And we see this in Malachi as well, as the Jews were very annoyed at the animal sacrificial system, and they sniffed at it. They said, what a burden. They literally said that. And so, there’s that sense in which boy, it just feels like a burden. But I think for us what we need to do is be delighted to do everything God has commanded us to do. And be very, very thankful for the prohibitions as well as saying, you’re freeing me up from being an adulterer or a murderer or a covetous person. For example, you shall not covet. How is that a burden? Well, let’s imagine you perfectly fulfilled. It meant you are completely content in the things God’s given you, and you’re not yearning after somebody else’s stuff. That’s a free life right there. So that’s not a burden at all. So, his commands are not burdensome.
Wes
I think in that Malachi passage as well, God says, I have no pleasure in you. So, there’s this sense of even just checking the box with the wrong attitude is not what God’s after. He’s not after empty obedience, but an obedience that really flows from understanding his love for us, right? First, God loved us and because of that, we now love him, and we love the brothers as well.
Andy
We also need to remember who God is. We need to remember he doesn’t need anything from us at all. So, in the animal sacrificial days, God doesn’t eat animal flesh. What is it he wants? He wants a heart of glad sacrificial worship. Like take for example Noah after the flood was over. And he took some of the clean animals, a very narrow and precious stock that he had with him on that ark, and he gladly and willingly gave those animals up to God as a fragrant offering. And the Lord smelled that offering and was delighted – not because he eats animals or loves the smell of burning flesh. It’s not that. He loved Noah’s heart. And Noah was thankful. God, because of you, I’m alive today and my family. I deserve to die just along with everybody else, but instead you spared me. Thank you. Well, that’s worship.
Wes
In verses 4-5, we get this overcoming language. What does it mean to overcome the world in this context? And how does genuine faith in Christ overcome the world’s evil system in verses 4-5?
Andy
It’s incredible. And it’s like what we saw earlier when it says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15). The world is set against Christ and against faith in Christ. So, I would think one of the top priorities in the world, I would say the top priority for God in the world is his glory in the salvation of his people by the spread of the gospel. Alright, any chance Satan is aware that that’s God’s top priority? Therefore, what is Satan’s top priority? Stop that.
Do everything he can to prevent people from coming to a genuine faith in Christ. So that would be using governmental authority, that would be using the weakness of the church, or the sins of the church or anything he can to shut down the spread of the gospel. He’s going to fight it. And he’s going to be handing people idols and he’s going to be distracting people and mixing in false religions, the wheat and the tears, that whole thing. He’s going to be mixing in weeds along with the weed. He’s going to do everything he can to stop the spread of the gospel. So therefore, if you do genuinely come to faith in Christ, you’ve overcome the world.
You’ve overcome everything Satan did to try to stop you from becoming Christian, but don’t be arrogant or boastful. It is because of God that you’re in Christ it says in 1 Corinthians 1, to God be the glory. But you have become an overcomer. And Paul says this triumphantly in Romans 8, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. So, all of the things Satan does to try to stop us, we are going to be more than conquerors. We’re overcoming it. So, this is what has overcome the world. So therefore, you can picture not to your own arrogance or your own boastfulness, but you’re standing on the gold medal podium of life and you’re bending over and they’re handing you or putting around your neck the gold medal of life, faith in Christ. That’s what you got out of this world, your soul.
You got the salvation of your soul. That is the goal of your faith Peter tells us. So, you got it by being a Christian. So not so much, I don’t say congratulations to you because we’re not arrogant or boastful about it, but you got the victory that overcomes the world.
Wes
You even get the sense that the weight of verse 5 is at the end, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” It’s faith in his name that gives us this victory. What does it mean that Jesus came by water and blood?
Andy
Well, if I can say I don’t know for sure. So, I think it’s good for me as a pastor who studied the Bible for many, many years when I come to a passage to say I’m not a hundred percent sure what it means to be honest. And so that tells us that not all scriptures are equally clear. And this is a difficult passage
And there’s going to be another one later in this same chapter. We’re not going to get it to it in this podcast, but it is what is the sin that leads to death or does not lead to death? What is all that? We’ll get into all that, and I’ll say I don’t know there either. But here, I don’t know for sure, but this is what I think. I think that Jesus came by water, and the blood refers to the history of his public ministry. It may refer to the history of his life on earth. So, the water could either be the water of his physical birth through the virgin Mary, like when her water broke, something like that, the water of birth, or it could be the water of his baptism by John the Baptist when he was proclaimed to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
And the Son of God that day by John, the precursor, the one who came to get everything ready and that was his day of being publicly announced to Israel as the Messiah. So, I am going with that. I think it’s the water of his baptism by John, and then the blood must be the blood of the cross. I don’t know any commentator that doesn’t think the blood is referring to his blood shed on the cross. So, I think this is somewhat like the Alpha and the Omega of his physical life on earth. And so, what we have is we have four records of that life, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And on the basis of those gospel accounts, we believe in Jesus. There is no other testimony and that’s what he’s getting to. This is the testimony that is the basis of our faith. So, Jesus came by his history from the water to the blood. So, either from his physical birth to his death or from his baptism and public announcement to Israel to his death. Either way, you get about the same thing. This is the record of Jesus’ ministry, his life on earth and his ministry. He came by that testimony.
Wes
And both of these are significant because he says it’s not by just one or the other that we acknowledge or recognize him, but by both. Then he goes on to say, and the Spirit is the one who testifies because the Spirit is truth.
Andy
Amen.
Wes
How does the Spirit testify to Jesus?
Andy
We don’t know anything about Jesus, neither the water nor the blood or any single thing about him at all except by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that’s given us the Bible and it is the Spirit that has given us the witnesses such as, “You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you’ll be my witnesses.” And we live now in the 21st century, there’s been a relay race of church history of believers who have gone before us, all of them filled with the Spirit and taking the relay baton of the gospel generation after generation. It is by the Spirit we know anything about Jesus at all. And so, the Spirit is the one who testifies to this. And Jesus said this, he said, “When the Counselor, the Spirit of truth comes, he will testify about me, and you also must testify” (John 15:26-27). So that’s why I think it means the Spirit in all of his ministry, such as the written word of God. So, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the work of the Spirit, all four, work of the Spirit. And then is the work of the Spirit through the church, over church history, the history of missions and all that. It is by the work of the Spirit that you are a Christian.
Wes
Alright, so then how do the Spirit, water and blood together testify to Jesus? What’s the cooperative work of testifying to Jesus that’s going on here?
Andy
We don’t know anything about Jesus,… except by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that’s given us the Bible.
There’s a perfect cohesiveness to the work of the Spirit and the work of Christ. They work together perfectly. They’re not in contest with each other. They’re not contradicting each other. They are perfectly harmonized. And so, they testify, they are in agreement. Now, we need to say something about the extra verses here that are in the footnote. And my version says, late manuscripts of the Vulgate say this, testify in heaven. There are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, that’s the Trinity. And these three are one. That’s an absolute trinitarian verse. It’s amazing in verse 8. And there are three that testify on earth. And then the three that testify on earth are the Spirit, the water and the blood. It’s like, wow, that’s in the KJV. How come they’re not in my Bible? Well, they kind of are in your Bible, almost certainly in your footnote though, because here’s the thing, the New Testament was written based on Greek manuscripts. And the Greek manuscripts, none of them before the 14th century, not one of them has those extra words. So, there’s close to zero chance that those statements, those words were written by John the Apostle when he wrote 1 John.
Where did they come from? Well, it’s an interesting history. We don’t have to get into it, but basically, they were added by Erasmus and some others under some pressure and all that. But let me tell you something, Athanasius who was fighting for the doctrine of the incarnation and the early understanding and the articulation of the Trinity didn’t quote this verse. If it had been there, he would have used it, grabbed onto that with all his strength. Like, yeah, here this is it. They’re the three are one. But it’s the most overtly Trinitarian thing I think I’ve ever read. But it wasn’t scripture, it was later. So that’s why it’s not there. But I think what it is saying is that there’s a perfect harmony between the facts of Jesus’ history and the Spirit’s testimony to us that we’re children of God and that Jesus is the Son of God, et cetera. They all perfectly are harmonized.
Wes
What is the testimony that every Christian has in his or her heart?
Andy
Yeah, I think in context here, it’s the Spirit’s testimony first and foremost about Jesus, and secondly about us, that we have genuinely believed in Jesus. That’s what we call assurance of salvation. So, the Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are children of God, but before that ever happens, the Spirit testifies to our spirits that Jesus is the Son of God. So that’s how that works. The Spirit testifies to us that it’s all true and we believe it. And then the Spirit says, well, now that you believe, I’m going to tell you you’re a child of God. And so that’s that beautiful testimony of the Spirit, first and foremost about Jesus, and secondly about us that we have genuinely believed in him.
Wes
And verse 9 tells us that this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. So, we must believe it. Verse 10 points out why this is such a significant thing if we reject it because essentially then we’ve made God a liar by saying that what the Spirit has said about Jesus is not true.
Andy
Yeah. So first and foremost, tragically we’re looking at unbelieving Jews. I mean these were the people that Jesus was dealing with in his lifetime that were his enemies. And then who the apostles were dealing with in Jerusalem who were their enemies. And yet tragically they are sons biologically anyway, sadly, but not spiritually of Abraham, but they don’t believe that Jesus is the son of God.
And so, they’re making God out to be a liar because God said from heaven at Jesus’s baptism in front of Israel, through the prophet John the Baptist, when he was doing his water baptism, God spoke and said, “This is my Son, my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased.” It’s like, no he’s not. You’re directly saying to God that God’s a liar. And not only that, but he testified in the scripture. And again, the Spirit inspired the scriptures and so, you’re making God out to be a liar. Very, very strong statement. So, here’s the thing, you can’t say we believe and love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but we don’t love Jesus. Well then you don’t love God and you’re calling him a liar.
Wes
Now, we spoke in the introduction to the significance of verses 11-13 in this passage, and really for us as Christians, how do verses 11-13 show us the final testimony to Jesus as the Son of God?
Andy
Well, fundamentally this is, let’s sum it all up. This is the testimony. What is the testimony? The testimony is that God has given us the gift of eternal life and that life is in his Son. And we could add, and no other place, there’s no other Savior. There’s no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved. Jesus is the way and the truth in the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. The absolute exclusivity of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. This is what we’re talking about. God has in his kindness and his grace and mercy given us the gift of eternal life, but only in and through his Son and no other way. So, this is the testimony. Everything tied to eternal life is tied to Jesus Christ. This is the testimony God has given us: an eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Going on, he who has the Son has life. So, if you have the Son of God, you have life. If you do not have the Son of God, you do not have life. It really, totally comes down to Jesus.
Wes
Now, these verses also speak to John’s purpose in writing. In verse 13, he says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” Now, some people believe that no one on earth should have any assurance of final salvation because they think it’ll cause people to become lazy or sinful. How do verses 11-13 address that? And maybe how does 1 John as a whole help us understand how that’s not consistent with what’s being taught here?
Andy
Well, let me take your last question first. We’ve seen again and again, “this is how we know” language, or we know this, we know that; he talks about knowing a lot. And so, 1 John is the epistle of this is how we know, and he wants us to know. And one of the things he wants us to know if it’s true, is that we are children of God. As I just said a moment ago, the testimony about by the Spirit is first and foremost about Jesus and about the gospel of life through him. But secondly, it’s about us. Romans 8:16 says it plainly, “The Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are children of God.” I mean, that’s pretty plain. John is saying the same thing here. John and Paul are in total agreement here. We should indeed. We must know whether we’re children of God while there’s still time.
Now you’re referring to people who think that assurance of salvation is not desirable. It’s not a good thing. It’s not possible. Because they are so works-based in their views of salvation. They think that you’ll become confident and cocky and stop doing the works you need to do because you’ve made it, you’ve arrived. And that just shows a complete misunderstanding of the Christian life. Alright? So fundamentally we believe that at the instant that the Spirit works life in us through faith in Christ, we are born again. We become born as children of God. The very thing we began today’s podcast talking about. So now I’m born again and alive spiritually. Could I ever then later be killed? Well, I guess I could if God did it. But God’s not going to do that. Why would he ignite eternal life in me and then later quench it?
Jesus said in John 5:24, whoever believes in the testimony that God has given has crossed over from death to life. Well, how could I cross over them back from life back to death? It can’t happen. Jesus said in John 6:39, “I will raise them up at the last day.” So definitely we are going to live forever. That’s what eternal life means. And so therefore, the idea that we cannot have assurance is just straight out unbiblical. 1 John 5:13 is given so that we may know that we have eternal life. Sadly, the Roman Catholics and medieval Roman Catholics after the Protestant Reformation under the Jesuits organized the Council of Trent and basically refuted all of the insights of the reformers of Luther and Calvin and all that. And one of them was they anathematized. They said, let them be condemned. They’re like, you’re a heretic. You’re on your way to hell if you believe this. And one of them is, if anyone says that they have arrived at an insurance of final and complete salvation through faith in Christ alone, let them be eternally condemned. That’s completely unbiblical.
So, for them, they are the medieval Catholics under the Council of Trent, were fundamentally saying assurance of salvation is impossible and frankly undesirable. Well, scripture disagrees. I think you can have assurance, but here’s the thing, it’s not going to lead to arrogance. It’s not going to lead to, I don’t need to run. I have to finish this race. I have to run with endurance a race marked out before us. I have to keep running the race of holiness, but not to earn forgiveness. That’s a gift of grace through faith in Christ. Because I want to live my Christian life and it’s not mine to stop. So, the image I get is of the 10 K, which is the longest track race in the Olympics, so it’s, was it 400 meters, 25 laps? I guess it’d be 25 laps. So, you’re running for the gold. All right? And so that’s about a, I don’t know, 27-minute race. Olympic Olympians can do it in that short time. But imagine some guy who’s way out in the lead and he’s on his way to a gold medal, but on the, what is it, 23rd lap. He’s like, I am all set. And starts walking around with his arms up raised and goes over to his wife and gets an American flag or whatever national flag and puts around his, it’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa. And his coach is like, you’re not done yet. You need to finish the race. And so, I think the whole thing is based on a faulty, a misunderstanding of the Christian life.
Wes
Even where we began today. And this chapter speaks of the connection between our love of God and joyfully, freely obeying his commandments, not feeling them to be burdensome, but continuing in that posture of obedience toward him. I think of Paul that also speaks of this, right? Whether it’s the language of finishing his race or pressing on the goal that’s before him.
Andy
Yeah, let me say this thing as well, it’s such a disparagement as we’ve learned here in this very passage we study today to the third person of the Trinity, to the Holy Spirit. The Council of Trent is saying to the Spirit, it’s bad for you to testify to this person that he’s a child of God. You’re telling him he’s a child of God and he’s going to live forever. That’s bad, they say to the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit is saying, I got this. I’m not going to let them go off into wickedness and sin. I will prevent it. I will work in them. I’ll work conviction. I’ll work transformation of life. Don’t you fear; I care about holiness more than you do. I got this so back off and let me give full assurance to those that are born again, that they are children of God and let me work holiness in them as proof of that. That’s what the whole epistle has been dealing with.
Wes
Well, those are rich meditations for us. Any final thoughts on this passage that we’ve looked at today here in 1 John 5?
Andy
Yeah, I think for us, we need to look again at the test, so to speak in 1 John and say, is it going on in my life? Do I see evidence? Do I know that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God based on the testimony of the Spirit in the scriptures and in my own heart? I know he is. I just know Jesus is the Savior of the world. And secondly, I know that I’m a child of God because the Spirit tells me that I am and because I see patterns of holiness in my life that would not be there if the Spirit hadn’t worked them in me. And I see a genuine affection and love I have for other brothers and sisters in Christ. So, I see all the evidence, but I yearn to be more like Christ. If you see that going on in your life, rejoice and be glad because you are a child of God. If you don’t, however, then 1 John is also written to weed out people who have false confessions. And not weed them out from heaven but weed them out from that false assurance so that you can come to a genuine faith in Christ.
Wes
Well, this has been Part 1 of Episode 8 in our 1, 2, and 3 John Bible Study Podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time for Part 2 of Episode 8, where we’ll discuss 1 John 5:14-21. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study Podcast. This is Part 1 of Episode 8 in our 1, 2, & 3 John Bible Study Podcast entitled, Faith in the Son of God Gives Eternal Life, where we’ll discuss 1 John 5:1-13.
I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis.
Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Well, it seems like the entire epistle of 1 John is an epistle of assurance so that people who are genuine believers in Christ may have the way by which they can have a solid assurance of eternal life. And some of the most famous verses on this topic of assurance are in the passage we’re going to study today, which is 1 John 5:1-13, which tells us that we can and should have a healthy assurance of our salvation through faith in Christ. But what is the basis of that assurance? And so, this section is also going to talk about that, the testimonies that come into us from the outside that we then believe and on the basis of that testimony, we have faith in the Son of God. And this faith in the Son of God we’re told in this very section overcomes the world. So that’s a very thrilling sense of the power of faith in Christ which overcomes the world and is the basis of our assurance. So, we’ll walk through all that today.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read verses 1-13 as we begin.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
Andy, what does it mean to be born of God and how does this happen to a person?
Andy
Yeah, so right from the beginning he says this, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And so fundamentally it means to be born again by the Spirit. It’s an analogy that Jesus used with Nicodemus when he said, unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. And so, it’s an analogy or a metaphor which says, is speaking in earthly language so that we can understand. So, I think what it means is that the change that happens in us by the sovereign work of the Spirit of God is so radical and so transforming it’s like we have become new people. It’s like from that moment on, we have a new existence, a new life, a new spiritual life. And Jesus used the analogy of being born again. 1 Peter also uses that same expression of being born again. So, to be born of God means it is God that gives that birth. The Old Testament picture in the book of Ezekiel in chapter 36 is the heart of stone is removed and the heart of flesh is put in. That’s such a radical heart transformation that that’s Ezekiel’s version of being born again, and it all comes from God. Only God can do that. So that’s what I think it means to be born of God.
Wes
How does this verse relate to John 1:12-13?
Andy
Well, in John 1 the prologue, first 18 verses of the Gospel of John, it introduces the entire gospel. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). And then later it says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). But a few verses before that, it says that he, Jesus came into the world, he came to those who were his own, the Jews, and they did not receive him. “But as many as did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” And then it says, “Children who were born, not of the will of man or the will of the flesh, but born of God” (John 1: 11-13). So not born in a biological sort of way, not born as an act of the will, but born by the sovereign working of the Spirit of God. And so, I think John’s telling, is speaking about the same thing here.
Wes
What themes do verses 2 and 3 repeat that we’ve already seen many times in 1 John and remind us why John repeats himself so many times in this letter.
Andy
Sure. Well, I’m going to actually answer you by extending out to the next paragraph where he talks about the activity of the Spirit. And I think these four themes are the ways by which we can know that we’re children of God. First, the doctrinal test, so to speak. Do we believe that Jesus is the Christ born of God, born of, born in the flesh? Do we believe in the incarnation? And that’s what John’s going to say in this section it means to have the Son. We believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. And that’s how the gospel of John speaks as well. In John 20:31 it says, “These are written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and believing that may have life in his name.” So first, the doctrinal test about Jesus.
Secondly, the obedience test. Do you obey the laws and the commands of God? Are you living a righteous life, an obedient life, a holy life? The third is love for the brothers. He’s going to bring that up here, to love those who are born of God. That’s a test. And then the fourth is the testimony of the Spirit. The Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are God’s children, speaking in Paul’s language in Romans 8. And so those are the four great tests of the book 1 John, and they’re all here in this paragraph. So, he’s going back over it again in a kind of summary way, in a concentrated way, all in a few verses to say, Hey, this is what we’ve talked about. And he repeats it because we need that repetition. It is just good instruction to say important things more than once.
Wes
Yeah, verse 2 says that by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandment. So right in there we have the love for the children of God, but also this obedience to his commandments. Verse 3 says, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. Why do you think John says that God’s commandments are not burdensome? And how does this verse really help us maybe when they seem burdensome from time to time?
Andy
Yeah, that is great, and I definitely want to talk about that. But something hit me while you were reading and even before we began the podcast today, and that is how circular this whole thing is. It is like this is love for God to obey his commands and what are his commands to love the children of God? And how do we love the children of God? By obeying God. It’s the whole thing’s very circular. Well, I think what I get out of that, it’s not like John was trying to go in a circle or be logical or something. Like he’s saying, all of these things are essential to the Christian life. You can’t pick and choose, right? You can’t take one and not have the other. I’m going to the one and not the other. You’ve got to do them all.
the commands of God flow from his essential nature. He is light, he is love, and the commands come from that
And so, you got to go vertical and horizontal. You got to love God, and you got to love each other and that’s it. You can’t pick and choose. So, I love the circularity of it. Now, let’s talk about the commands of God not being burdensome. I think we need to understand how the commands of God flow from his essential nature. He is light, he is love, and the commands come from that. He is holy. And so fundamentally when he tells us we are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but we must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for when we eat of it, we’ll die, that’s not burdensome. That’s the limit that God has put, that God put on Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. And so later in the laws of Moses, when there are all the 10 commandments, it’s not a burden to not murder. It’s not a burden to not commit adultery. The real burden is sin. To be a murderer, to be an adulterer is to be enslaved to evil. It is to be enslaved to Satan. It is to be on your way to hell. That’s the burden. Jesus said, come to me all you who are burdened and heavy laden, and I’ll give you freedom. I’ll give you life. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. It’s about the same thing that’s being said here.
So, this is how I see it. The laws of God are perfect and pure and delightful. As Psalm 119 says over and over, the laws are delightful. He says in Psalm 119:32, “I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart free.” There’s something very, very beautiful Jesus said in John 8:34 & 36, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin…. So, if the Son sets you free, you’ll be free indeed.” So, there’s this true freedom. So therefore, we have to understand what freedom is. Freedom is not autonomy. Freedom is not self-definition. We have an idolatry of freedom in our Western culture today where you define even your own gender, you define your own stuff, et cetera. No, no, no. Freedom is being delighted in what God made you to be and what he commands you to do. That’s what the freedom is, to be happy in what God made you to be and in what he told you to do. That’s what freedom is. And so therefore, it is not burdensome to do the things that God’s commanded us to do.
So right here in this context, the command is love each other. Serve each other, wash each other’s feet, care for each other. How is that a burden? Now here’s the thing. In our sinfulness, in our wickedness, we often feel like these things are a burden. Like for example, offer hospitality without grumbling. Wes, what does that tell you? There’s something about human nature in that, right?
Wes
So, some days you’re going to want to close the door, not be bothered.
Andy
Right? And so, there’s an essential weakness and a sinfulness to feeling like it’s a burden. And we see this in Malachi as well, as the Jews were very annoyed at the animal sacrificial system, and they sniffed at it. They said, what a burden. They literally said that. And so, there’s that sense in which boy, it just feels like a burden. But I think for us what we need to do is be delighted to do everything God has commanded us to do. And be very, very thankful for the prohibitions as well as saying, you’re freeing me up from being an adulterer or a murderer or a covetous person. For example, you shall not covet. How is that a burden? Well, let’s imagine you perfectly fulfilled. It meant you are completely content in the things God’s given you, and you’re not yearning after somebody else’s stuff. That’s a free life right there. So that’s not a burden at all. So, his commands are not burdensome.
Wes
I think in that Malachi passage as well, God says, I have no pleasure in you. So, there’s this sense of even just checking the box with the wrong attitude is not what God’s after. He’s not after empty obedience, but an obedience that really flows from understanding his love for us, right? First, God loved us and because of that, we now love him, and we love the brothers as well.
Andy
We also need to remember who God is. We need to remember he doesn’t need anything from us at all. So, in the animal sacrificial days, God doesn’t eat animal flesh. What is it he wants? He wants a heart of glad sacrificial worship. Like take for example Noah after the flood was over. And he took some of the clean animals, a very narrow and precious stock that he had with him on that ark, and he gladly and willingly gave those animals up to God as a fragrant offering. And the Lord smelled that offering and was delighted – not because he eats animals or loves the smell of burning flesh. It’s not that. He loved Noah’s heart. And Noah was thankful. God, because of you, I’m alive today and my family. I deserve to die just along with everybody else, but instead you spared me. Thank you. Well, that’s worship.
Wes
In verses 4-5, we get this overcoming language. What does it mean to overcome the world in this context? And how does genuine faith in Christ overcome the world’s evil system in verses 4-5?
Andy
It’s incredible. And it’s like what we saw earlier when it says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15). The world is set against Christ and against faith in Christ. So, I would think one of the top priorities in the world, I would say the top priority for God in the world is his glory in the salvation of his people by the spread of the gospel. Alright, any chance Satan is aware that that’s God’s top priority? Therefore, what is Satan’s top priority? Stop that.
Do everything he can to prevent people from coming to a genuine faith in Christ. So that would be using governmental authority, that would be using the weakness of the church, or the sins of the church or anything he can to shut down the spread of the gospel. He’s going to fight it. And he’s going to be handing people idols and he’s going to be distracting people and mixing in false religions, the wheat and the tears, that whole thing. He’s going to be mixing in weeds along with the weed. He’s going to do everything he can to stop the spread of the gospel. So therefore, if you do genuinely come to faith in Christ, you’ve overcome the world.
You’ve overcome everything Satan did to try to stop you from becoming Christian, but don’t be arrogant or boastful. It is because of God that you’re in Christ it says in 1 Corinthians 1, to God be the glory. But you have become an overcomer. And Paul says this triumphantly in Romans 8, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. So, all of the things Satan does to try to stop us, we are going to be more than conquerors. We’re overcoming it. So, this is what has overcome the world. So therefore, you can picture not to your own arrogance or your own boastfulness, but you’re standing on the gold medal podium of life and you’re bending over and they’re handing you or putting around your neck the gold medal of life, faith in Christ. That’s what you got out of this world, your soul.
You got the salvation of your soul. That is the goal of your faith Peter tells us. So, you got it by being a Christian. So not so much, I don’t say congratulations to you because we’re not arrogant or boastful about it, but you got the victory that overcomes the world.
Wes
You even get the sense that the weight of verse 5 is at the end, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” It’s faith in his name that gives us this victory. What does it mean that Jesus came by water and blood?
Andy
Well, if I can say I don’t know for sure. So, I think it’s good for me as a pastor who studied the Bible for many, many years when I come to a passage to say I’m not a hundred percent sure what it means to be honest. And so that tells us that not all scriptures are equally clear. And this is a difficult passage
And there’s going to be another one later in this same chapter. We’re not going to get it to it in this podcast, but it is what is the sin that leads to death or does not lead to death? What is all that? We’ll get into all that, and I’ll say I don’t know there either. But here, I don’t know for sure, but this is what I think. I think that Jesus came by water, and the blood refers to the history of his public ministry. It may refer to the history of his life on earth. So, the water could either be the water of his physical birth through the virgin Mary, like when her water broke, something like that, the water of birth, or it could be the water of his baptism by John the Baptist when he was proclaimed to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
And the Son of God that day by John, the precursor, the one who came to get everything ready and that was his day of being publicly announced to Israel as the Messiah. So, I am going with that. I think it’s the water of his baptism by John, and then the blood must be the blood of the cross. I don’t know any commentator that doesn’t think the blood is referring to his blood shed on the cross. So, I think this is somewhat like the Alpha and the Omega of his physical life on earth. And so, what we have is we have four records of that life, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And on the basis of those gospel accounts, we believe in Jesus. There is no other testimony and that’s what he’s getting to. This is the testimony that is the basis of our faith. So, Jesus came by his history from the water to the blood. So, either from his physical birth to his death or from his baptism and public announcement to Israel to his death. Either way, you get about the same thing. This is the record of Jesus’ ministry, his life on earth and his ministry. He came by that testimony.
Wes
And both of these are significant because he says it’s not by just one or the other that we acknowledge or recognize him, but by both. Then he goes on to say, and the Spirit is the one who testifies because the Spirit is truth.
Andy
Amen.
Wes
How does the Spirit testify to Jesus?
Andy
We don’t know anything about Jesus, neither the water nor the blood or any single thing about him at all except by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that’s given us the Bible and it is the Spirit that has given us the witnesses such as, “You’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you’ll be my witnesses.” And we live now in the 21st century, there’s been a relay race of church history of believers who have gone before us, all of them filled with the Spirit and taking the relay baton of the gospel generation after generation. It is by the Spirit we know anything about Jesus at all. And so, the Spirit is the one who testifies to this. And Jesus said this, he said, “When the Counselor, the Spirit of truth comes, he will testify about me, and you also must testify” (John 15:26-27). So that’s why I think it means the Spirit in all of his ministry, such as the written word of God. So, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the work of the Spirit, all four, work of the Spirit. And then is the work of the Spirit through the church, over church history, the history of missions and all that. It is by the work of the Spirit that you are a Christian.
Wes
Alright, so then how do the Spirit, water and blood together testify to Jesus? What’s the cooperative work of testifying to Jesus that’s going on here?
Andy
We don’t know anything about Jesus,… except by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that’s given us the Bible.
There’s a perfect cohesiveness to the work of the Spirit and the work of Christ. They work together perfectly. They’re not in contest with each other. They’re not contradicting each other. They are perfectly harmonized. And so, they testify, they are in agreement. Now, we need to say something about the extra verses here that are in the footnote. And my version says, late manuscripts of the Vulgate say this, testify in heaven. There are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, that’s the Trinity. And these three are one. That’s an absolute trinitarian verse. It’s amazing in verse 8. And there are three that testify on earth. And then the three that testify on earth are the Spirit, the water and the blood. It’s like, wow, that’s in the KJV. How come they’re not in my Bible? Well, they kind of are in your Bible, almost certainly in your footnote though, because here’s the thing, the New Testament was written based on Greek manuscripts. And the Greek manuscripts, none of them before the 14th century, not one of them has those extra words. So, there’s close to zero chance that those statements, those words were written by John the Apostle when he wrote 1 John.
Where did they come from? Well, it’s an interesting history. We don’t have to get into it, but basically, they were added by Erasmus and some others under some pressure and all that. But let me tell you something, Athanasius who was fighting for the doctrine of the incarnation and the early understanding and the articulation of the Trinity didn’t quote this verse. If it had been there, he would have used it, grabbed onto that with all his strength. Like, yeah, here this is it. They’re the three are one. But it’s the most overtly Trinitarian thing I think I’ve ever read. But it wasn’t scripture, it was later. So that’s why it’s not there. But I think what it is saying is that there’s a perfect harmony between the facts of Jesus’ history and the Spirit’s testimony to us that we’re children of God and that Jesus is the Son of God, et cetera. They all perfectly are harmonized.
Wes
What is the testimony that every Christian has in his or her heart?
Andy
Yeah, I think in context here, it’s the Spirit’s testimony first and foremost about Jesus, and secondly about us, that we have genuinely believed in Jesus. That’s what we call assurance of salvation. So, the Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are children of God, but before that ever happens, the Spirit testifies to our spirits that Jesus is the Son of God. So that’s how that works. The Spirit testifies to us that it’s all true and we believe it. And then the Spirit says, well, now that you believe, I’m going to tell you you’re a child of God. And so that’s that beautiful testimony of the Spirit, first and foremost about Jesus, and secondly about us that we have genuinely believed in him.
Wes
And verse 9 tells us that this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. So, we must believe it. Verse 10 points out why this is such a significant thing if we reject it because essentially then we’ve made God a liar by saying that what the Spirit has said about Jesus is not true.
Andy
Yeah. So first and foremost, tragically we’re looking at unbelieving Jews. I mean these were the people that Jesus was dealing with in his lifetime that were his enemies. And then who the apostles were dealing with in Jerusalem who were their enemies. And yet tragically they are sons biologically anyway, sadly, but not spiritually of Abraham, but they don’t believe that Jesus is the son of God.
And so, they’re making God out to be a liar because God said from heaven at Jesus’s baptism in front of Israel, through the prophet John the Baptist, when he was doing his water baptism, God spoke and said, “This is my Son, my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased.” It’s like, no he’s not. You’re directly saying to God that God’s a liar. And not only that, but he testified in the scripture. And again, the Spirit inspired the scriptures and so, you’re making God out to be a liar. Very, very strong statement. So, here’s the thing, you can’t say we believe and love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but we don’t love Jesus. Well then you don’t love God and you’re calling him a liar.
Wes
Now, we spoke in the introduction to the significance of verses 11-13 in this passage, and really for us as Christians, how do verses 11-13 show us the final testimony to Jesus as the Son of God?
Andy
Well, fundamentally this is, let’s sum it all up. This is the testimony. What is the testimony? The testimony is that God has given us the gift of eternal life and that life is in his Son. And we could add, and no other place, there’s no other Savior. There’s no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved. Jesus is the way and the truth in the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. The absolute exclusivity of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. This is what we’re talking about. God has in his kindness and his grace and mercy given us the gift of eternal life, but only in and through his Son and no other way. So, this is the testimony. Everything tied to eternal life is tied to Jesus Christ. This is the testimony God has given us: an eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Going on, he who has the Son has life. So, if you have the Son of God, you have life. If you do not have the Son of God, you do not have life. It really, totally comes down to Jesus.
Wes
Now, these verses also speak to John’s purpose in writing. In verse 13, he says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” Now, some people believe that no one on earth should have any assurance of final salvation because they think it’ll cause people to become lazy or sinful. How do verses 11-13 address that? And maybe how does 1 John as a whole help us understand how that’s not consistent with what’s being taught here?
Andy
Well, let me take your last question first. We’ve seen again and again, “this is how we know” language, or we know this, we know that; he talks about knowing a lot. And so, 1 John is the epistle of this is how we know, and he wants us to know. And one of the things he wants us to know if it’s true, is that we are children of God. As I just said a moment ago, the testimony about by the Spirit is first and foremost about Jesus and about the gospel of life through him. But secondly, it’s about us. Romans 8:16 says it plainly, “The Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are children of God.” I mean, that’s pretty plain. John is saying the same thing here. John and Paul are in total agreement here. We should indeed. We must know whether we’re children of God while there’s still time.
Now you’re referring to people who think that assurance of salvation is not desirable. It’s not a good thing. It’s not possible. Because they are so works-based in their views of salvation. They think that you’ll become confident and cocky and stop doing the works you need to do because you’ve made it, you’ve arrived. And that just shows a complete misunderstanding of the Christian life. Alright? So fundamentally we believe that at the instant that the Spirit works life in us through faith in Christ, we are born again. We become born as children of God. The very thing we began today’s podcast talking about. So now I’m born again and alive spiritually. Could I ever then later be killed? Well, I guess I could if God did it. But God’s not going to do that. Why would he ignite eternal life in me and then later quench it?
Jesus said in John 5:24, whoever believes in the testimony that God has given has crossed over from death to life. Well, how could I cross over them back from life back to death? It can’t happen. Jesus said in John 6:39, “I will raise them up at the last day.” So definitely we are going to live forever. That’s what eternal life means. And so therefore, the idea that we cannot have assurance is just straight out unbiblical. 1 John 5:13 is given so that we may know that we have eternal life. Sadly, the Roman Catholics and medieval Roman Catholics after the Protestant Reformation under the Jesuits organized the Council of Trent and basically refuted all of the insights of the reformers of Luther and Calvin and all that. And one of them was they anathematized. They said, let them be condemned. They’re like, you’re a heretic. You’re on your way to hell if you believe this. And one of them is, if anyone says that they have arrived at an insurance of final and complete salvation through faith in Christ alone, let them be eternally condemned. That’s completely unbiblical.
So, for them, they are the medieval Catholics under the Council of Trent, were fundamentally saying assurance of salvation is impossible and frankly undesirable. Well, scripture disagrees. I think you can have assurance, but here’s the thing, it’s not going to lead to arrogance. It’s not going to lead to, I don’t need to run. I have to finish this race. I have to run with endurance a race marked out before us. I have to keep running the race of holiness, but not to earn forgiveness. That’s a gift of grace through faith in Christ. Because I want to live my Christian life and it’s not mine to stop. So, the image I get is of the 10 K, which is the longest track race in the Olympics, so it’s, was it 400 meters, 25 laps? I guess it’d be 25 laps. So, you’re running for the gold. All right? And so that’s about a, I don’t know, 27-minute race. Olympic Olympians can do it in that short time. But imagine some guy who’s way out in the lead and he’s on his way to a gold medal, but on the, what is it, 23rd lap. He’s like, I am all set. And starts walking around with his arms up raised and goes over to his wife and gets an American flag or whatever national flag and puts around his, it’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa. And his coach is like, you’re not done yet. You need to finish the race. And so, I think the whole thing is based on a faulty, a misunderstanding of the Christian life.
Wes
Even where we began today. And this chapter speaks of the connection between our love of God and joyfully, freely obeying his commandments, not feeling them to be burdensome, but continuing in that posture of obedience toward him. I think of Paul that also speaks of this, right? Whether it’s the language of finishing his race or pressing on the goal that’s before him.
Andy
Yeah, let me say this thing as well, it’s such a disparagement as we’ve learned here in this very passage we study today to the third person of the Trinity, to the Holy Spirit. The Council of Trent is saying to the Spirit, it’s bad for you to testify to this person that he’s a child of God. You’re telling him he’s a child of God and he’s going to live forever. That’s bad, they say to the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit is saying, I got this. I’m not going to let them go off into wickedness and sin. I will prevent it. I will work in them. I’ll work conviction. I’ll work transformation of life. Don’t you fear; I care about holiness more than you do. I got this so back off and let me give full assurance to those that are born again, that they are children of God and let me work holiness in them as proof of that. That’s what the whole epistle has been dealing with.
Wes
Well, those are rich meditations for us. Any final thoughts on this passage that we’ve looked at today here in 1 John 5?
Andy
Yeah, I think for us, we need to look again at the test, so to speak in 1 John and say, is it going on in my life? Do I see evidence? Do I know that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God based on the testimony of the Spirit in the scriptures and in my own heart? I know he is. I just know Jesus is the Savior of the world. And secondly, I know that I’m a child of God because the Spirit tells me that I am and because I see patterns of holiness in my life that would not be there if the Spirit hadn’t worked them in me. And I see a genuine affection and love I have for other brothers and sisters in Christ. So, I see all the evidence, but I yearn to be more like Christ. If you see that going on in your life, rejoice and be glad because you are a child of God. If you don’t, however, then 1 John is also written to weed out people who have false confessions. And not weed them out from heaven but weed them out from that false assurance so that you can come to a genuine faith in Christ.
Wes
Well, this has been Part 1 of Episode 8 in our 1, 2, and 3 John Bible Study Podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time for Part 2 of Episode 8, where we’ll discuss 1 John 5:14-21. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
