Lesson 13

1 John 5 New International Version

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[a] 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.

1 – First Impression?

 Others mentioned victory and that belief equals life, but for me, I focused on the fact that God’s testimony is better because He is God. Pretty basic.

2 – Believe, Love, Love, Commands, – Why does God not list out the commands?

 I picture a building, the foundation is God, the slab is loving God, and everything else flows from there. Without getting the first bit right, nothing else matters. If you have the first bit right, everything else works.

3 – Overcomes, victory, overcomes –   What is this overcoming and how does it look in your life?

 Overcoming is not looking to the world for success or measures. God has given us success and our victory over the world is simply focusing on God and not the world. In my life, it is not having the latest, newest whatever.

4 – Water, blood, Spirit – Anyone know what born of water is? What does born of blood mean to you? How does the Spirit fit in as part of the set?

Cleansing of baptism. Cleansing of Christ’s blood and death. They are all aspects of a new life in Christ.

5 – Testifies, testify, agreement, testimony, testimony, testimony, etc. – How do you understand the testimony of the water? How do you understand the testimony of the blood? How do you understand the testimony of the Spirit?

 Baptism shows that we believe in God. The blood shows that we have accepted Christ as our salvation. The Spirit allows us to hear and obey the commands of God to give Him glory and love others.

6 – Human testimony – Why do we accept human testimony?

Because we trust the people, because we can ask other witnesses, and because we can fact check.

7 – God’s testimony is better because He is God. – How does this factor into your thoughts on Jesus claiming to be God?

Once you accept that God is God, then His saying something makes it fact. Any man that claimed to be God was by normal definitions a liar and worthy of death. Jesus as God was just testifying to truth, and it was fact because He said so. The people of His day had only the testimony of the Old Testament and the witness of His life to test His claim. His small group believed He was God and accepted His proclamation. Very few others were allowed to until the Spirit came to testify as well.

John is starting to wrap up this letter with the very foundations of life on earth. These key aspects of a relationship with God are the most important part of the message and he has built the pieces up to lay out the plan. Life can be super simple and full from these two things: Love God, Obey God. Simple.