seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read. Please follow the link and read all of the commentary.
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: John has often mentioned being born of God (as in 1 John 2:29, 3:9, and 4:7). Here he tells us how one is born of God: whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ. This means believing that Jesus is his Messiah, not just the Messiah in the generic sense.
John’s great emphasis has been on love, but he never wants anyone to believe he earns salvation by loving others. We are born of God when we put our trust on Jesus and on His saving work in our lives.
By this we know that we love the children of God: Just as much as our love for the people of God reflects our love for God (as expressed in 1 John 3:10, 17), so our love and obedience to God is a demonstration of love to the body of Christ.
It is sometimes said that the best thing a father can do for his children is to love his wife and their mother. Even so, the first way for a child of God to love his brothers and sisters in Christ is to love God and to obey Him. And, if you love the parent, you will love the child. It all works together.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: To love God is also to keep His commandments. The one who says he loves God, yet walks in a lifestyle of conscious disobedience is like the believer who says he walks in fellowship with God, yet walks in darkness (as in 1 John 1:6) — he is lying.
Who is he who overcomes the world: This tells us we overcome primarily because of who we are in Christ, not because of what we do. We overcome because we are born of God, and we are born of God because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God — again, not in a mere intellectual sense, but we put our lives on the fact that Jesus is the Son of God for us.
He who came by water and blood: John makes it clear that the Jesus he speaks of is not the Gnostic, “phantom” Jesus who was so holy that He had nothing to do with this world. The Jesus we must believe on is the Jesus who came by water and blood; the Jesus who was part of a real, material, flesh-and-blood earth.
He who came by water and blood: Probably the best explanation (though there are good points to some of the other ideas) is the oldest recorded Christian understanding of this passage (first recorded by the ancient Christian Tertullian). Most likely, John means the water of Jesus’ baptism, and the blood of His crucifixion.
When Jesus was baptized, He was not baptized in repentance for His own sin (He had none), but because He wanted to completely identify with sinful humanity. When He came by water, it was His way of saying, “I am one of you.”
When Jesus died on the cross, He did not die because He had to (death could have no power over Him), but He laid down His life to identify with sinful humanity and to save us from our sin. When He came by… blood it was so that He could stand in our place as a guilty sinner, and to take the punishment our sin deserved.
He who does not believe God has made Him a liar: When we refuse to believe on Jesus, we reject the testimony God has given of His Son. Therefore, we call God a liar with our unbelief.
These things I have written to you who believe… that you may know that you have eternal life: In stating the message so plainly, John hopes to persuade us to believe. Even if we already believe, he wants us to know that you have eternal life, so we can have this assurance, and so that you may continue to believe.
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Ugh... The thought of eternal life on earth is a real bummer.
There are some Jehovah's Witnesses who live in our neighborhood. Easter Services are in the planning. The Jehovah's Witnesses were out yesterday personally inviting everyone to their "service". The neighbors didn't go around inviting us in... it was two men. I live in a 55+ community and about half the people in my community have a little dog. Two strangers going through the neighborhood set off all the little dogs. An eternity of dogs warning men off the property would be a real bummer.
Hubby is ill, neighbors are in need, dogs are barking at strangers inviting people to help them celebrate "the death of Jesus" [their words not mine], and now I'm realizing I'm a horrible Christian Sister and really need to get on my knees.
Eternal life as a Christian, once we leave the world, will be Heavenly. Wait, will we leave earth or just the world? Oh man... more and more questions... I wish I knew what I was doing!!!! I'm just an old lady with an Online Bible and some Online Commentary. All this stuff is very confusing and it's really putting a mirror on my "life as a Christian so far". Ugh....
I'm so glad I have Jesus. I can't imagine how much worse my life would be without Him.
So back to reading from Daniel, through John's Gospel and letters, and then Revelation and the End Times Prophecy... These verses are titled "Faith in the Incarnate Son of God" by my Online Bible.
I did not know there were so many agnostics and atheists in Southern Maryland. I had no idea how many people would be willing to show me the error of my ways over the years.
John, through his Gospel, and this letter, has shared with us that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah. God and Jesus love us. They want us to live forever!!!! All we have to do is Believe. That Belief will cause us to want to be part of the family of God. Once we say "Hey... Me too!!!" then God will make our lives better, more stable, and give us purpose.
Jesus is the Messiah. We are called to have Faith in that fact.
I Believe Jesus is the Messiah.
I have Faith that Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus is the Messiah and He's coming back.
You can bet on it!
