4:21 This verse summarizes chap. 4. One cannot love God without first loving his fellow believer. A claim to love God is a delusion if not accompanied by unselfish love for other Christians.
1 John 5
5:1–5 John introduces the subject of the victorious life. While the Bible uses many terms to describe what Christians are (e.g., believers, friends, brothers, sheep, saints, soldiers, witnesses, etc.), John highlights one particular term in this chapter: the overcomer (see note on v. 4 for the meaning of the term). Of the 24 times the word occurs in the NT, John uses it 21 times (cf. also Rev. 2:7, 11, 17; 2:26; 3:5, 12, 21). Several different forms of this term appear in these verses to emphasize the victorious nature of the believer.
5:1 Whoever believes. Saving faith is the first characteristic of an overcomer. The term “believes” conveys the idea of continuing faith, making the point that the mark of genuine believers is that they continue in faith throughout their life. Saving belief is not simply intellectual acceptance, but whole-hearted dedication to Jesus Christ that is permanent. Jesus is the Christ. The object of the believer’s faith is Jesus, particularly that He is the promised Messiah or “Anointed One” whom God sent to be the Savior from sin. Whoever places faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior has been born again and, as a result, is an overcomer (v. 5). born of God. This is a reference to the new birth and is the same word that Jesus used in John 3:7. The tense of the Gr. verb indicates that ongoing faith is the result of the new birth and, therefore, the evidence of the new birth. The sons of God will manifest the reality that they have been born again by continuing to believe in God’s Son, the Savior. The new birth brings us into a permanent faith relationship with God and Christ. everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. Love is the second characteristic of the overcomer. The overcomer not only believes in God, but loves both God and fellow believers. The moral test is again in view.
5:2, 3 keep His commandments. John repeats this phrase twice in these two verses. Obedience is the third characteristic of an overcomer. In these 5 verses, John weaves faith, love, and obedience all together inextricably. They exist mutually in a dynamic relationship i.e., as the genuine proof of love is obedience, so the genuine proof of faith is love. The word “keep” conveys the idea of constant obedience (cf. John 8:31, 32; 14:15, 21; 15:10).
5:3 His commandments are not burdensome. For example, in contrast to the burdensome man-made religious traditions of the Jewish leaders (Matt. 23:4), the yoke of Jesus is easy and the burden light (Matt. 11:30).
5:4 overcomes. John clearly defines who these overcomers are: they are all who believe that Jesus is God’s Son, and all that means. The overcomers are believers—all of them (cf. 2:13). The word for “overcomer” comes from a Gr. word meaning “to conquer,” “to have victory,” “to have superiority” or “conquering power.” The word reflects a genuine superiority that leads to overwhelming success. The victory is demonstrable; it involves overthrowing an enemy so that the victory is seen by all. Jesus also used this word to describe Himself (John 16:33). Because of believers’ union with Christ, they too partake in His victory (Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:14). The word “overcomes” in the original language conveys the idea that the believer has continual victory over the world.
5:4, 5 the world. Satan’s worldwide system of deception and wickedness. See notes on 2:15. Through Christ and His provision of salvation, the believer is a victor (v. 5) over the invisible system of demonic and human evil that Satan operates to capture men’s souls for hell. John repeats the reference to overcoming the world 3 times—to press it home. our faith…he who believes. Faith in Jesus Christ and dedication of one’s life to Him make one an overcomer. John repeats the truth for emphasis.
5:6–12 The term “witness” is the theme of this section. The passage concerns the witness or testimony of God and the Spirit to the world regarding the great truth of the deity of Jesus Christ. The previous passage (5:1–5) described overcomers as those who believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and here John presents God’s own testimony to confirm that Jesus is the Christ (John 5:31–37; 8:13–18). He gives two kinds of testimony: external (vv. 6–9) and internal (vv. 10–12).
5:6 water and blood. Water and the blood constitute external, objective witnesses to who Jesus Christ is. They refer to Jesus’ baptism (water) and death (blood). John combats the dualism of false teachers who asserted that “Christ-spirit” departed from the man Jesus just prior to His death on the cross (see Introduction: Background and Setting). John writes to show that God has given testimony to the deity of Jesus through both His baptism and death. bears witness. Both the verb “bear witness” and the noun “testimony” come from the same Gr. word and are used a total of 9 times in this section. The basic meaning is “someone who has personal and immediate knowledge of something.” the Spirit is truth. John no longer stresses apostolic testimony (1:1–4; 4:14) but writes of the testimony of God that comes through the Holy Spirit. Since the Spirit of God cannot lie, His testimony is sure.
5:7 three that bear witness. The OT law required “the testimony of two or three witnesses” to establish the truth of a particular matter (Deut. 17:6; 19:15; cf. John 8:17, 18; 1 Tim. 5:19).
5:7, 8 in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit… three that bear witness on earth. These words are a direct reference to the Trinity and what they say is accurate. External manuscript evidence, however, is against them being in the original epistle. They do not appear in any Gr. mss. dated before ca. tenth century A.D. Only 8 very late Gr. mss. contain the reading, and these contain the passage in what appears to be a translation from a late recension of the Latin Vulgate. Furthermore, 4 of those 8 mss. contain the passage as a variant reading written in the margin as a later addition to the manuscript. No Greek or Latin Father, even those involved in Trinitarian controversies, quotes them; no ancient version except the Latin records them (not the Old Latin in its early form or the Vulgate). Internal evidence also militates against their presence, since they disrupt the sense of the writer’s thoughts. Most likely, the words were added much later to the text. There is no verse in Scripture which so explicitly states the obvious reality of the Trinity, although many passages imply it strongly. See 2 Cor. 13:14.
5:8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood. At the baptism of Jesus, the Father and the Spirit testified to the Son (see Matt. 3:16, 17). The death of Jesus Christ also witnessed to who He was (Matt. 27:54; Heb. 9:14). The Holy Spirit testified throughout Jesus’ life as to His identity (Mark 1:12; Luke 1:35; Acts 10:38).
5:10 has the witness in himself. John writes of the internal subjective witness to the Son within the believer’s heart (Rom. 8:15, 16; Gal. 4:6). made Him a liar. If someone refuses the testimony of God regarding His Son, such rejection is the ultimate form of blasphemy for it is tantamount to calling God a liar (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18).
5:11, 12 This summarizes the blessing of the believer’s subjective witness—the very life that we possess in Christ expressed in the grace and power He provides all the time. It is the very experience of knowing Christ in one’s life. Life is only in Him, so it is impossible to have it without Him.
5:13–21 John concludes his letter with a discussion regarding 5 Christian certainties that constitute a powerful climax to the entire epistle. He accentuates their certainty by using the word “know” 7 times in this section.
5:13 These things. This has reference to all that John has written in his letter. that you may know that you have eternal life. Assurance of eternal life constitutes the first Christian certainty. While John wrote his gospel to bring unbelievers to faith (John 20:31), he wrote the epistle to give believers confidence that they possessed eternal life. The false brethren’s departure left John’s congregations shaken (2:19). He assured those who remained that since they adhered to the fundamentals of the faith (a proper view of Christ, obedience, love), their salvation was sure. eternal life. This does not refer primarily to a period of time but a person (v. 20; John 1
7:3). Eternal life is a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ and possessing His nature (as in vv. 11, 12).
5:14–17 Answered prayer is the second Christian certainty.
5:14 confidence. For the meaning of the term, see note on 3:21. Christians can know with absolute confidence that God answers prayer when they approach the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). according to His will. This phrase constitutes a strategic key to answered prayer. To pray according to God’s will is to pray in accord with what He would want, not what we would desire or insist that He do for us (John 14:13, 14). John already specified that answered prayer also depends on obedience to God’s commandments and avoidance of sin (3:21; Ps. 66:18; John 15:7; 1 Pet. 3:7). Since genuine believers know God’s Word (i.e., His will) and practice those things that are pleasing to Him, they never insist on their own will, but supremely seek God’s desires (Matt. 26:39–42). He hears us. The word “hear” signifies that God always hears the prayers of His children (Ps. 34:15–17), but not always in the manner they were presented.
5:16, 17 John illustrates praying according to God’s will with the specific example of the “sin leading to death.” Such a sin could be any premeditated and unconfessed sin that causes the Lord to determine to end a believer’s life. It is not one particular sin like homosexuality or lying, but whatever sin is the final one in the tolerance of God. Failure to repent of and forsake sin may eventually lead to physical death as a judgment of God (Acts 5:1–11; 1 Cor. 5:5; 11:30). No intercessory prayer will be effective for those who have committed such deliberate high-handed sin, i.e., God’s discipline with physical death is inevitable in such cases as He seeks to preserve the purity of His church (see notes on 1 Cor. 5:5–7). The contrast to the phrase “there is sin leading to death” with “there is sin not leading to death” signifies that the writer distinguishes between sins that may lead to physical death and those that do not. That is not to identify a certain kind of mortal or non-mortal sin, but to say not all sins are so judged by God.
5:18 Victory over sin and Satan is the third Christian certainty (3:9; Rom. 6:15–22). himself. This word is not in the best manuscripts. The better reading in the original language is “keeps him,” referring to the fact that God protects the believer. wicked one. This is a reference to Satan. does not touch him. John uses this word only here and in John 20:17. The word suggests “to lay hold of” or “to grasp” in order to harm. Because the believer belongs to God, Satan must operate within God’s sovereignty and cannot function beyond what God allows, as in the example of Job (Job 2:5; Rom. 16:20). While Satan may persecute, tempt, test, and accuse the believer, God protects His children and places definite limits on Satan’s influence or power (2:13; John 10:28; 17:12–15).
5:19 we are of God. That Christians belong to God is the fourth Christian certainty. Only two types of people exist in the world according to John: children of God and children of Satan (see note on 3:10). One belongs either to God or to the evil world system that is Satan’s domain. Because the whole world belongs to Satan, Christians should avoid its contamination.
5:20 true. The word means “genuine” as opposed to what is false (cf. v. 21). God and eternal life. That Jesus Christ is the true God is the fifth Christian certainty. This verse constitutes the summation of John’s whole letter. The greatest certainty of all, the Incarnation, guarantees the certainty of the rest. This is the doctrinal foundation, out of which comes love and obedience.
5:21 keep yourselves from idols. John contrasts the term “idols” with “the true God” of v. 20. He has reference here to the false teachers that withdrew from the brotherhood with which they had been formerly associated (2:19). Their false beliefs and practices are the idols from which the readers are commanded to protect themselves. The false teachers upheld the world’s philosophy as superior to God’s revelation as demonstrated in their perversion of basic Christian teaching (faith, love, and obedience). In closing, John once again highlights the importance of adherence to the fundamentals of the faith.
1 John 1
1:1 a (John 1:1); 1 John 2:13, 14
1:1 b Luke 1:2; John 1:14
1:1 c 2 Pet. 1:16
1:1 d Luke 24:39; John 20:27
1:1 e (John 1:1, 4, 14)
1:2 f John 1:4; (1 John 3:5, 8; 5:20)
1:2 g Rom. 16:26; 1 Tim. 3:16
1:2 h John 21:24
1:2 i (John 1:1, 18; 16:28)
1:3 j John 17:21; 1 Cor. 1:9; 1 John 2:24
1:4 k John 15:11; 16:24; 1 Pet. 1:8
1:4 1 NU, M our
1:5 l John 1:19; 1 John 3:11
1:5 m (1 Tim. 6:16); James 1:17
1:6 n (John 8:12); 2 Cor. 6:14; (1 John 2:9–11)
1:7 o Is. 2:5
1:7 p (1 Cor. 6:11)
1:9 q Ps. 32:5; Prov. 28:13
1:9 r (Rom. 3:24–26)
1:9 s Ps. 51:2
1:10 t John 3:33; 1 John 5:10
1 John 2
2:1 a Rom. 8:34; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:25; 9:24
2:2 b (Rom. 3:25); Heb. 2:17; 1 John 4:10
2:2 c John 1:29
2:4 d Rom. 3:4
2:5 e John 14:21, 23
2:5 f (1 John 4:12)
2:5 1 has been completed
2:6 g John 15:4
2:6 h Matt. 11:29; John 13:15; 15:10; 1 Pet. 2:21
2:7 i John 13:34; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:21; 2 John 5
2:7 2 NU Beloved
2:7 3 NU omits from the beginning
2:8 j John 13:34; 15:12
2:8 k Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:4
2:8 l (John 1:9; 8:12; 12:35)
2:9 m (1 Cor. 13:2); 1 John 3:14
2:10 n (1 John 3:14)
2:10 o 2 Pet. 1:10
2:11 p (1 John 2:9; 3:15; 4:20)
2:11 q John 12:35; 1 John 1:6
2:12 r (1 Cor. 6:11)
2:13 s John 1:1; Rev. 22:13
2:13 t (Rom. 8:15–17; Gal. 4:6)
2:14 u Eph. 6:10
2:15 v (Rom. 12:2); Gal. 1:4; James 1:27
2:15 w Matt. 6:24; James 4:4
2:16 x (Eccl. 5:10, 11)
2:17 y 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 Pet. 1:24
2:18 z John 21:5
2:18 a Rom. 13:11; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 1:2; 1 Pet. 4:7
2:18 b 2 Thess. 2:3
2:18 c Matt. 24:5, 24; 1 John 2:22; 4:3; 2 John 7
2:18 d 1 Tim. 4:1
2:18 4 NU omits the
2:19 e Deut. 13:13
2:19 f Matt. 24:24
2:19 g 1 Cor. 11:19
2:20 h 2 Cor. 1:21; Heb. 1:9; 1 John 2:27
2:20 i Acts 3:14
2:20 j Prov. 28:5; (John 16:13); 1 Cor. 2:15, 16
2:20 5 NU you all know.
2:22 k 2 John 7
2:22 l 1 John 4:3
2:23 m John 15:23
2:23 n John 5:23
2:23 o 1 John 4:15; 5:1; 2 John 9
2:24 p 2 John 5, 6
2:24 q John 14:23; 1 John 1:3; 2 John 9
2:25 r John 3:14–16; 6:40; 17:2, 3; 1 John 1:2
2:26 6 lead you astray
2:27 s (John 14:16; 16:13); 1 John 2:20
2:27 t (Jer. 31:33)
2:27 u (John 14:16; 1 Cor. 2:12); 1 Thess. 4:9
2:27 7 NU omits will
2:28 v Eph. 3:12; 1 John 3:21; 4:17; 5:14
2:28 8 NU if
2:29 w Acts 22:14
2:29 x John 7:18; 1 John 3:7, 10
1 John 3
3:1 a (John 3:16; Eph. 2:4–7; 1 John 4:10)
3:1 b (John 1:12)
3:1 c John 15:18, 21; 16:3
3:1 1 NU adds And we are.
3:1 2 M you
3:2 d (Is. 56:5; Rom. 8:15, 16)
3:2 e (Rom. 8:18, 19, 23)
3:2 f Rom. 8:29; 2 Pet. 1:4
3:2 g (Ps. 16:11)
3:3 h 1 John 4:17
3:4 i Rom. 4:15; 1 John 5:17
3:5 j 1 John 1:2; 3:8
3:5 k (Is. 53:5, 6); John 1:29; (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26)
3:5 l (2 Cor. 5:21); 1 John 2:29
3:8 m M
att. 13:38; John 8:44; 1 John 3:10
3:8 n Luke 10:18; (Heb. 2:14)
3:9 o John 1:3; 3:3; (1 John 2:29; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18); 3 John 11
3:9 p 1 Pet. 1:23
3:11 q (John 13:34; 15:12); 1 John 4:7, 11, 21; 2 John 5
3:12 r Gen. 4:4, 8
3:13 s (John 15:18; 17:14)
3:14 3 NU omits his brother
3:15 t Matt. 5:21; John 8:44
3:15 u (Gal. 5:20, 21; Rev. 21:8)
3:16 v (John 3:16)
3:16 w John 10:11; 15:13; Gal. 2:20
3:17 x Deut. 15:7
3:18 y Ezek. 33:31
3:19 z John 18:37
3:19 4 NU shall know
3:19 5 persuade, set at rest
3:20 a (1 Cor. 4:4, 5)
3:21 b (Heb. 10:22; 1 John 2:28; 5:14)
3:22 c Ps. 34:15; (John 15:7); 1 John 5:14, 15
3:22 d John 8:29; Heb. 13:21
3:23 e Matt. 22:39
3:23 6 M omits us
3:24 f John 14:23
3:24 g John 14:21; 17:21
3:24 h John 14:17; Rom. 8:9, 14, 16; 1 Thess. 4:8; 1 John 4:13
1 John 4
4:1 a 1 Cor. 14:29
4:1 b Matt. 24:5
4:2 c (Rom. 10:8–10); 1 Cor. 12:3; 1 John 5:1
4:3 1 NU omits that
4:3 2 NU omits Christ has come in the flesh
4:4 d John 14:30; 16:11
4:5 e John 3:31
4:5 f John 15:19; 17:14
4:6 g (1 Cor. 2:12–16)
4:7 h 1 John 3:10, 11, 23
4:7 i 1 Thess. 4:9; (1 John 3:14)
4:9 j Rom. 5:8
4:9 k Is. 9:6, 7; John 3:16
4:10 l Titus 3:5
4:10 m 1 John 2:2
4:11 n Matt. 18:33
4:12 o John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 4:20
4:13 p John 14:20
4:14 q John 1:14
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 664