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1 John

1 John 5

By Pastor Doug
Bearing the name above all names.

Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military commanders of all time.  In the heat of the battle one day he saw a soldier shying away from the enemy.  He was holding back and lingering away from the battle instead of pressing on into the fight.  Fearing that the young soldier was showing cowardice Alexander approached him. 

"What's your name?" asked the great general.

 

"Alexander, sir."  the nervous soldier answered.

 

Alexander the Great asked a second time, "What's your name?"

 

The young man answered, "Alexander."

 

The great general looked the young man straight in the eye and said, "Alexander, either get in there and fight with courage or you change your name."   The Great general didn't want his name associated with cowardice.  He didn't want the greatness of his name smeared by this young man bearing the same name.

 

John's point, all the way through this epistle, is much the same.  If we are going to identify our selves with King of Kings by calling our self a Christian, then our conduct ought to reflect our association.  If we are a child of God and are among those God loves, our conduct ought to give testimony.  Our action should be consistent the greatness of our God and King and Lord.

 

Up to this point in this little book John has set up a very stark contrast.  He describes the disciple and how the disciple has the assurance of a God.  He spoke in great detail about belief, love and obedience as the basic characteristics of a believer and a disciple.  These 3 things; belief, love and obedience are then worked out in our life in all we do, in deed and truth.  All our deeds, all the works of our life and the truths that move us and that our life is established on will reflect belief and love and obedience born of Jesus Christ.  Jesus comes out in every part of a believer's life.

 

Earlier in the book John described some people who considered themselves Religious but these things (belief, love and obedience) weren't present in their life.  They didn't know Christ.  The testimony of Jesus was either not there or incorrect.  Belief and love and obedience were missing from their life.  Their life was characterized more by darkness and rebellion and disobedience.  Sin had set up residence in their life.  There was no sign of the God of the bible in their life even though they thought of themselves to be very religious.

 

Now as we enter into this last chapter, we'll see John begin to solidify the position of the disciple.  He started very basic early on in this epistle.  Now he's a little stronger and maybe even forceful in as he wraps up.  John knows the stakes are high and his time is short.  There are only 2 ways to go; one is darkness, the way of the Antichrist.  It's rebellion and unrighteousness, separation from God.  The other is light, born of Christ, it's sanctified and righteous, eternally in the presence of the God who saved you and gave you life.  This isn't just small difference among the religions of the world.  Being in Christ is the only true religion of the world.  To claim any way to God other than repentance and faith in Christ is to call God a liar.  To be seen as righteous by God is no small thing.  You're not just on the other side of some line separating you from others.  You are in a place where the Lord is making much of you.  John said, As Jesus is, you are in the world.  Even in this dark place, we walk righteous in the eyes of God.  In this chapter and as John closes, he tells us the 'born of God' lead victorious lives.

 

This is one of John's last chances to write down his thoughts.  He wants this to be abundantly clear.  There can be arguments so there can be no one mistaken when it counts.  I want to remind you that John is ninety something years old as he wrote this.  He's been through a lot in his life; seen a lot since Jesus called him to come follow Him.  Yet, the world hasn't worn him down.  John is an over-comer.  He's living a victorious life in Christ and he's sharing that path with each of us.

 

Seven times in this little epistle John said, "Keep His commandments" as he spoke of obedience.  Ten times John used the word "Believe" to speak to us of trust and faith.  And 25 times John used the word "love" in this short little epistle to speak of the right response to being among those God loves.  And then the word "Know" appears a whopping 39 times in this little epistle. 

 

John is revealing the God He was called by and the God He loved and served.  He wants those people of that time, and everyone since then, to know the Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:1-5

This is the first mark of those who bear the name of Christ; belief and trust in Jesus.  The second mark is love.  It is these things that create a contrast to an unbelieving world and to the world the false teachers preach.  It's a love for God but also a love for those born of God.  To say we love God is to say we love those who are also begotten of Him. 

 

The 3rd mark of the one who bears His name is obedience.  We love to keep His commandments.  This isn't a reference to thee 10 Commandments but to the commandments of Jesus.  The manmade religions, the false religions say do, do, do.  Do this, do that.  Go here, say that.  Keep this list of dos and don'ts.  The burden is heavy.  Christianity stands apart from the religions of the world because it says "It's done".  The world says do, do, do.  Jesus said it is finished. 

 

We are to love God and love our neighbor.  The obedience to love is not out of compulsion.  It is not burdensome.  It's an easy yoke and light burden to serve Jesus.  It's obedience because He loves us and because He begot us, so we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, others who have been begotten in Him.  As one who bears the name of Jesus it's our great joy to keep His commandments.  It's not burdensome in the least.

 

John liked this word 'overcome'.  It's used 28 times in the New Testament; Paul used it 3 times and Luke once.  The other 24 times were all John. To overcome is to be victorious over all foes.  It's to be established as the victor.  John first wrote this word in his gospel account as he writes what Jesus said as he was talking to His disciples about all that was about to happen to them.

 

John 16:25

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

 

John heard those words from Jesus and He wrote them down.  Now, here he is, an old man speaking that same truth into a generation that was trying to lose their way.  He says, victory is won through faith.  Not faith in your self, not faith in a good outcome.  Not willing things to be better.  It's a faith in Jesus Christ that makes you born again.  it's a faith that eternally bonds you to the name of Jesus Christ.

 

As a believer, our name is associated with Jesus and Jesus was victorious over sin and death.  He was the firstborn of the dead; we are coming after Him.  We are named with Jesus.  The victory has already been won.  We are asked to remain courageous and fight on with full knowledge of the outcome.  The outcome for us is we overcome the world.  We know what is expected of us and we know the outcome.  There is no uncertainty nor is there anything to fear.  We will be victorious.

 

This is John's testimony, that what he was an over-comer; a man born of God who had lived a victorious life.  His entire life story wasn't of one who was just living a life counter to culture.  His life was much more.  It was the abundant life of a disciple.  We talked about this before.  Just think what this man has seen and experienced.  Just think of the hours and hours of stories of great faith this man could share.

 

Let me ask you, what stories of faith do you have from the week that just passed.  Where did you step out and trust the Lord?  What burden did you lay down and cast on Him? 

 

John's passing on what he knows to be true as a heritage to the next generations.  It started with that fellowship at that time but then extended to today, right now, to us.  Are you receiving it?  We are the current generation that is also in serious danger of losing their way.  John wants us to know we are over-comers.  We have victory over the world.  The life as disciples isn't a life of heavy burden, full of rules, tip toeing through the dark trying not to make God mad.  The life of one born in God is a life lived in the grace of God.  It's a life of victory because we are freed from the burdens of the world.  We are freed from the shame of our sins.

 

John 8:36 says.......

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

 

1 John 5:6-8

This passage is a little harder work than most.  To start off, depending on what bible you are using verse 7 and 8 could be vastly different.  Bibles written by the earliest manuscripts eliminate the latter part of verse 7 and first part of verse 8.  Because of that you can read 4 commentaries and hear 6 differing opinions regarding this passage.  Essentially, the later manuscripts speak of 3 witnesses in heaven and three on earth.  That's the way the King James and New King James reads.

 

That's only part of what makes this passage hard.  The varying opinions all deal with what does the water and blood mean.  I think after all the debates and variations everyone lands at the same point that John was trying to make.  That point was that Jesus is a real man.

 

Remember at the beginning of this epistle.......John said.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us

 

The false teachers and the false teaching of John's time said that the Christ Spirit came down on Jesus when he was baptized and it left again before he died.  They denied that Jesus was a man.  They denied that the God man, Jesus was born of the water of the womb.  They denied that the God man, Jesus could be nailed to a cross and to bleed and die.  The false teachers said he came only by water, by baptism where the Christ spirit came to dwell on Him.  In this belief they thought they were taking some high position, saying our God would never stoop so low as to be born of a woman and to bleed on a cross.  In taking this position though all they were doing is denying the shed blood that could save their soul.  When John speaks of being born of water and blood he is testifying to the real, physically, human person of Jesus.

 

God testified to the Son when he was baptized in the Jordon.  God said, this is my beloved Son of whom I am well pleased.  And God testified of the Son at the cross when He brought darkness and an earthquake and tore the temple veil from top to bottom.  It's by the witness of a 2 or more a thing shall be established.  John said that 3 bear witness; the water and blood and the Spirit.

 

1 John 5:9-13

We are bombarded daily with the witness of men.  Opinions come and go and change daily.  Teachers come and go.  The witness of a man is fickle and ever changing because it is swayed by sin.  The witness of God is greater.  These false teachers were giving the witness of men; opinion and feeling and emotion; even though it may have been with much sincerity, it was still wrong.  Sincerity without truth has no value.

 

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer is that witness.  It is proof of belief; proof of life.  Paul wrote the same thing in Romans 8:16:

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

 

If you deny this testimony, as those teachers of that time were doing, then you are calling God a liar.  God has given testimony of His Son that should be received for what it is.  Let God be true and every man a liar.  What person can stand before God and say, "Well, I understand what it says, but I just don't believe that."  Men and women say this every day.  Maybe you've said that at some time in your life.  I did.  It's idolatry.  It's creating a God of your own making.  Which is no God at all.

 

Testimony from God confirms that believers have eternal life through the life of His Son.  He who has the Son has life.  He who has anything else does not.  He who has created an idol and called it Jesus does not have life.  He who believes a Christ Spirit existed in Jesus as a man like being does not have life.

 

Over-comers don't just believe and go on about their life.  You can't die to your self and be born of God without a serious change in your life.  It's not possible.  Belief isn't a one time, I agree, I'm good to go and then get on with your life as you see fit.  John wants the believers to know and believe and to continue in that belief.  This continuation is an assurance in their life.  Without the continuation, you need to look back at what you thought you knew.  If there is no continuation, nothing was ever started!!!

 

John said to the believer in the shed blood of Christ, even though you still walk in the world; even though others are teaching dark things all around them, you can know and have the assurance of eternal life.  You have overcome the world and may live a victorious life in Christ.

 

1 John 5:14-17

As John wraps up, he is telling us all we can know.  As an over-comer of the world, as a disciple of Christ, we can know with confidence that our prayers are heard.  And if we seek him and ask according to His will, we know our prayers will be answered. 

 

When we see a brother or sister in Christ in sin our response is to pray for them.  This is our act of love.  God honors these prayers offered this way.  And it says He will give them life.  John made it clear, as Christians our life is not to be characterized by sin.  This doesn't mean we never sin.  If our brother or sister sins, we ought to be in prayer for them and bringing them back.

 

There is a sin that leads to death. This isn't a specific sin, but a type.  There's an example of this in 1 Corinthians when someone among the believers at Corinth was acting disgracefully at the Lord's Supper.  Paul said some men were weak and sick, some were dead.  When the Lord is dealing with someone regarding these sins our prayers have no affect.  The Lord is dealing with that person.  Remember now, this is the Lord dealing with a believer.  This isn't talking about spiritual death.  They are still brothers but because of this sin the Lord takes them home.

 

What are those sins? It may be denying Christ or some public display of rejecting God's grace.  We can look at the deaths of Annanias and Saphira when they lied to God about their offering.  We could look to Achan

 

1 John 5:18

This is another certainty of the believer and over-comer.  If we are born of God, we have victory over sin.  Our life is not victimized in it; we are not terrorized by it; nor are we characterized by it.  The wicked one doesn't touch us.  The word 'touch' implies getting a 'tenacious grip'.  The enemy may mess with us, but we can resist his tenacious grip.

 

1 John 5:19

There are only 2 groups of people walking this earth; those who are of God and those under the sway of Satan.  Citizens of heaven already have victory in Christ.  The citizens of this world are looking for answers, hoping in some change, looking for an election to save the day, hoping the economy bounces back, wishing for good health, longing for something solid to hold onto as this world becomes darker and more hopeless.  Jesus is the hope for the hopeless.  He is the only hope.  He is the only light in a world growing darker by the day.

 

1 John 5:20

Our understanding isn't because we are wise or special, it's a gift; our understanding comes from a renewed mind.  This renewed mind is for us to use to know Him, to know we are in Him.

 

John wants people to have the right Jesus; the Jesus that saves, the Jesus that was born of the virgin Mary; a real man that lived a sinless life, that was nailed to a cross and died a very real and very bloody and painful death as the scriptures detailed.  And on the 3rd day He rose again, and He ascended to take His place at the right hand of the father.  And he is coming again, very soon, to judge the living and the dead.

 

1 John 5:21

John's final words to these believers almost seem out of place.  It's the only time John used the word idol in this entire letter.  Here's the final truth that might seem harsh to some.  Yet, harsh or not, its the final words from a man whose lived a long life as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I think it is profound that he ends with this simple statement.

 

There are a lot of idols out there and a lot of people are falling for them.  John warns, don't let the idols draw you away or entice you.  Make sure you have the truth and hold to the truth.  The stakes are eternal, the mistakes are everlasting. 

 

Be the real thing.  Be authentic in your faith.  Be committed to your belief and love and obedience.  Bear the name of Jesus Christ well.  Abide in Him and He will abide in you.  John wrote all this so you can know and you can continue.  Know Him and continue in Him.  Until He comes.

 

©2012 Doug Ford

Revised & edited 2020