5.1believe. The New Testament is clear on what it means to believe. Believing brings action. It is never passive, but it is always active. To believe on Jesus Christ brings action. It means repenting, being baptized and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19). When a person has biblically believed by being born again of water and spirit (Jn 3.1-7), he is born of God.

5.2-3 love. Love is also an active entity. John exhorts that when we love God we do something. Love produces action. We keep His commandments. This is the love of God that we keep His commandments. His commandments are not grievous (burdensome). Love and obedience are inseparable.

5.4-5 overcome. Jesus Christ overcame the world. When someone is born of God they also overcome (subdue) the world. This is the natural process of believing. It should be natural for a child of God to overcome the world. Believing produces victory through obedience.

5.6-8 witness. John is presenting his witness for Jesus Christ. He presents water and blood as sure witnesses. He declares there are three that bear record in heaven, and these witnesses are sure. He declares The witnesses on earth as well. Heaven and earth, the water and the blood all agree Jesus Christ is the savior of the world.

5.9-10 ibid. The witnesses John presented are true. The witness of men is true, the witness of God is greater. God himself witnesses of Jesus Christ. There is no more powerful voice of truth than the Father himself. The Gnostics had no witnesses for their damnable doctrine. John presents witnesses from heaven and earth, and then the star witness, God himself. If this array of witnesses is not believed, that person is a liar. To deny the biblical witness of Christ is to reject God himself.

5.11-12 life. This is the record. God hath given us eternal life and that life is in Jesus Christ. The simple fact is if you have Jesus Christ you have life. If you do not have the Son of God you do not have life. Your believing requires action to be valid.

5.13-15 name. The assurance of a believer is not based on feeling, but on the principals of God’s Word. These principals include obedience, believing, and loving the brethren. These things bring an inner witness of the Spirit of God. It is this assurance that leads to confidence in prayer. We know we have the petitions we ask of God.

5.16-21 sin. These final words are written to encourage the believers about what John has written in this epistle. The sin unto death is not believing in Jesus Christ. Anyone not believing in Jesus Christ will be lost. The sin not unto death are sins that do not mark deliberate and persistent rebellion against God. All believers must use caution to not fall into these sins. These sins are not apostasy from biblical truth or failure to trust in Christ. Living in faith and obedience puts the believer beyond the touch of Satan. John issues a final note of assurance. We are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Believers have believed in the true God, Jesus Christ. The final charge is to keep yourself from idols. The love and devotion of believers is to be toward Jesus Christ only. Any other love equates to worshipping idols.

Thanks for reading today….