1 John 5 - Can You Know That You Have Eternal Life?

Click Here to Read or Listen to 1 John 5

Faith in the Incarnate Son of God

5 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.

John teaches about the relationship of becoming a child of God, loving God, and keeping his commandments. We can't misunderstand this to mean if we keep God's commands that earns us God's love. Most importantly John says God's commands are NOT BURDENSOME. By giving us commands and principles to live by, God is not trying to make our lives miserable. It is when we don't live by God's commands that our lives become miserable. 

After all how might dishonoring one's parents, killing people, or cheating on one's spouse ever bring you happiness. Quite the opposite! When we break these commandments the consequences show us why God gave us the commandments to begin with.  When we are born from above, we can overcome the world, just as Jesus has overcome the world. 

All this starts with believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Note once again John is calling out the false teaching about who Jesus is and also the nature of God's commandments. 

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. 

What does it mean that Jesus came by "water and blood"? And why is this important? 

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. - Guzik

John points out that God has testified about His Son through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the truth in the sense that the Spirit reveals who Jesus is to us. In the flesh we cannot understand the nature of who Jesus is. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to us that Jesus is the Son of God. This is why many people in the flesh think Jesus was a good man and a good moral teacher. When you read about his life this is easy and logical to conclude about him. 

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. - Guzik

Concluding Affirmations

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him.

We see John's overarching purpose in writing by his gospel and letters. He wanted people to believe in Jesus and know they had eternal life. By knowing Jesus, we can know we have eternal life. Once I became a Christian, I have never really doubted either that I know him or that I had been given the gift of eternal life. I have this confidence not because of how great a person I am, but through knowing the true nature of who Jesus was. 

In the same way because Christ lives in me, when I pray I know God hears me. I don't know how God will answer my prayer, but I know He hears me and will answer me according to His will being done. 

There are times that I did not understand why he answered my prayer in a certain way, or not at all. Many times later I can understand why God did or did not answer a certain prayer. There are of course some prayers that remain unanswered that I may not know why until the next life. 

Do you have confidence that you are a child of God? Do you realize that God WANTS you to know that You have eternal life? If you are not sure what is a next step for you to take to pursue this matter? Do you consider God's commands as burdensome or life giving? Where is not obeying God's commands making your life burdensome? What commands do you need to obey to set you free? 


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