5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
Faith is the link to the things of God. It is faith that becomes the catalyst of our new life in Christ as well as the victory over sin, a fallen world, and the devil himself. This faith is rooted in the witness, the testimony of God. John tells us this witness comes from the Father, the "Word" Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (v. 6-7).
The end result of this witness to our faith is a settled confidence that eternal life is our own personal possession (v. 9). This confidence soon expands to include our confidence in being heard by Him in prayer (v. 14-15). We "know" He hears us and will answer all our prayers that are in harmony with His will.
An example of a legitimate basis of expectant prayer is given in our prayer for those who have been overtaken by sin. Prayer for such a brother should be given with complete confidence that God will extend His power to bring victory to our brother's life. A willful rejection of Christ is the only sin that leads to death and cannot be overcome.
Our confidence in prayer for believers who have been overtaken by sin is rooted in God's promise. God promises that those born of Him are able to keep themselves from the wicked intention of Satan. We must stand in the knowledge that we are of God and under His Kingdom, a Kingdom that has complete authority over the kingdom of darkness (v. 18-19).
Lastly, our confidence in who we are in Christ results in a deep inner witness of the reality of Christ and the truth found in Him. It is a spiritual reality that is our solid hope of the potential glory that has been placed within us.
1 John 5:11-21
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 life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Confidence and Compassion in Prayer
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
Knowing the True—Rejecting the False
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
1 John 5:11-21
v. 11 This Life is in His Son – This is what the Spirit, the Word, and the blood are testifying to. God has given us eternal life. If eternal life is a gift of God, you cannot attain this life through your own efforts. And you cannot receive this eternal life apart from God's Son, because this life is found in His Son (John 3:16, 36; 5:21, 26; 6:27, 40, 53; 20:3).
v. 12 Has Life…Does Not Have Life – Here is one of the clearest teaching of the New Testament concerning eternal life. This eternal life that God gives is only found in Jesus Christ (John 17:3). Outside of Jesus Christ there is no life. This settles once and for all the question of validity of man's religions and their power to save or give life.
v. 13 That You May Know that You Have Eternal Life – The Bible is written that you might know that you have eternal life. God's intention is that you might know that you already have eternal life through simple faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:15-18, 10:9-13; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
v. 14 the Confidence That We Have in Him – The word confidence implies an assurance that produces open boldness and cheerful courage. This confidence is not in ourselves, but in Him. Any strength we have as Christians is found in the person of Jesus Christ and not in ourselves. Our strength is temporal and unreliable. Christ's strength is permanent, unchanging and unlimited (Col. 1:13-19, Heb. 1:1-4, 13:8).
if We Ask Anything According to His Will – The key phrase here is according to His will. The truth is, we are obligated to obey Him. And anything we receive from Him is by grace. The specific promise found here is that, He hears us IF we pray, according to His will. This text also implies that there are any number of things we can ask for in prayer that may not be according to His will. There is no promise in this text that God will hear and answer any prayer that is not according to His will.
He Hears Us – Our first concern in prayer should be that He hears us. This verse implies that if we pray contrary to His will He doesn't hear us. For instance, we know that God will not hear the prayers of an unrepentant sinner (Ps. 66:18, Is. 59:1-2).
v. 15 If We Know That He Hears Us – Here is our confidence. If we pray anything according to His will.
v. 16 Sin Leading to Death – This is rejecting the work of God's Holy Spirit who leads you to repentance and accepting Christ (Mark 3:28-29; Heb. 3:12-19, 6:4-6, 10:26-31).
v. 17 All Unrighteousness is Sin – All wrongdoing is sin. And no one is perfect or innocent before God (Rom. 3:10, 23; Ecc. 7:20; Ps. 130:3).
Unrighteousness – adikia (Gk.) doing wrong, wickedness
There is Sin Not Leading to Death – In the midst of this very serious talk about a sin leading to death it is important to note that not every sin will lead us to physical or spiritual death. Every Christian should be conscious of the sins in his or her life (1 John 1:8-10).
v. 18 We Know – eido (Gk.) to experience any state or condition. There are things in life we can know for certain. John is referring to Christians who have been taught the truth through God's Word.
Born of God – This phrase is synonymous with being born again (John 1:13; 3:3, 7; 1Peter 1:23) or saved (John 3:17; 5:34; Acts 2:21, 47; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30, 31; Rom. 10:9, 13; 11:26; Eph. 2:5, 8; Titus 3:5).
Does Not Sin – When an unregenerate man (a person who has not been born of God ) sins, he is doing what comes naturally to him. He is simply living according to his nature. When a Christian sins, he is going against the new nature given him from God. Therefore, John is saying that one who is born again does not live in sin.
Keeps Himself – Jesus keeps the saint from sin. Jesus is the keeper of our souls (John 10:28-29, Rom. 8:28-39). Yet, there is also a certain responsibility of the believer to live in obedience to God and keep himself from sin (Acts 15:29; 1 John 5:21; Jude 21). The context of this verse indicates that the Christian has been given a new nature from God and has been empowered to live according to that new nature. He has also been given the power and responsibility to resist temptation and to not live according to his old nature. Also see Psalms 17:4, 18:23, 39:1, 119:101; Proverbs 4:23; John 15:4,7,9; and 1 John 3:3, 5:21.
the Wicked One – These three English words have been translated from one Greek word, poneros which can mean derelict, vicious, bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious. The wicked one here obviously refers to the devil or any of his demons.
Does Not Touch Him – What John is saying is that the devil and his demons cannot overpower one who is born of God to harm him.
v. 19 We Know That We Are of God – Again John stresses that we who are born of God can know for a certainty that we are of God (Rom. 8:16).
Whole World Lies Under the Sway of the Wicked One – Those who have not been born of God do not have the ability to resist the wicked one. They are under the devil's power. Keep in mind that when a non-Christian sins, he is just living according to his sinful nature. He is simply doing what comes naturally to him.
v. 20 Has Given Us an Understanding – Jesus has given us much more than just a spiritual feeling. He has given us a true understanding of spiritual things. This true understanding leads us into true relationship with God.
True – alethinos (Gk.) real, true genuine. Opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended. Jesus Christ has given us true understanding that leads to true relationship with the true God.
In Him Who is True – Him who is true refers to God Himself. This is a description of extreme intimacy with God that we would be in Him who is true. The only other place where this phrase is found in scripture is a record of John receiving instruction from the Lord God Almighty (Rev. 1:8-11).
In His Son Jesus Christ – The only way we can be in Him who is true is by being in His Son Jesus Christ. When we are in Christ we are in the Father who is true (John 14:20-21).
This is the True God and Eternal Life – This is a description of the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son. This is very similar to what Jesus Himself said during His prayer to the Father (John 17:3). You cannot separate one from the other (John 5:23,1 John 5:11-13, John 17:3).
v. 21 Little Children – As his custom, the aged apostle John writes to his readers as a loving father. This is his style and mood in all his epistles. Thus, he accurately represents the heart of God to his readers.
Keep Yourselves From Idols – An idol is any person, place or thing, which receives the honor and attention rightly belonging to God. It is important to realize that just as there is a true, there is also a false. And just as it is each Christian's responsibility to follow Him who is true, it is also each Christian's responsibility to reject all that is false (v. 18).
Amen – amen (Gk.) so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. –1 John 5:11
What a simple truth, God, but what a life-changing one. We pray today for those who do not know the truth of Jesus Christ and the grace that You freely provide for us through Him. We pray that those who will not receive eternal life are able to hear and receive Your truth.
Calvary Christian Preschool
My daughter loves attending her preschool class and I love hearing about all the Bible verses and moral lessons she is learning. Everything is tied into Jesus, which is the perfect foundation for her life with the Lord.
Prayer Points
* that the teachers would be able to walk in the Spirit and always show the love of Jesus in their time with the children
* that the children would come to know Jesus early in life
