First John 5:1-21

I John 5:1-5:

^5:1Every-person believing that the Christ is Jesus, was born² from God; and every-person loving¹ the (One) having begotten, loves¹ the (one) having been born² from Him. ^.2In this we know that we love¹ the children of God – whenever we may love¹ God and we may do His commandments, ^.3for this is the love¹ of God in order that we may keep His commandments, and His commandments are not weighty, ^.4because every thing having been born² from God is-victorious-over the world, and this is the victory, the (victory) having been-victorious-over the world: our belief. ^.5Who is the (person) being-victorious-over the world? – except the (person) believing that the son of God is Jesus.

All/every person who is believing (everyone having faith, trusting) that…

• the Christ (the Anointed-one, the Messiah)
  • presently and actively is Jesus (he is alive today – Jesus the Christ),

…was born and continues born from God (this person was begotten, given birth to, brought forth originating out from God and this truth does not change).

All/every person who is loving¹ (with God's kind of love)…

• the One having begotten (God actively brought forth Christ Jesus and every holy-person, He gave birth to those whom He has fathered),

…loves¹…

• the one who has already been born originating out from God and this truth has not changed (specifically referring to Christ Jesus, and therefore this would also include every holy-person because we have God’s seed which is the spirit of Christ within us; refer to I John 2:20 and 27, 3:9).

In/by this we know (we have a truly active and relative knowing, we are personally knowledgeable) that we love¹ the children of God (that we are loving God’s children, all who are born to/from/by God, which includes Christ Jesus and all holy-people) –

• at whatever time
  • we would be loving¹ God
  • and
  • we would be doing His commandments (performing, making, producing the actions and activities in accordance with that-which is enjoined or commanded of, from or pertaining-to God  [some Greek texts have the verb “keep” instead of “do”]; refer to I John 2:5, 3:22-24, 4:21);

…in truth, this is the love¹ of God (this is the correct usage or way that we manifest God's kind of love according to His will) for the purpose and result that…

• we would be keeping His commandments (as keeping an eye on them, having them in safekeeping, and therefore not neglecting or violating but watching-over, taking-care-of, maintaining, and being observant of the things that are enjoined or commanded by God),

…and His commandments are not weighty (heavy, in the figurative sense that they are not severe to keep or do),

• because all/every thing (this is a neuter word – everything, everyone, every creature) having been born and continuing born from God (having received God’s gift of holy spirit; “spirit” is a neuter word)
  • is victorious over the world (presently and actively conquers, is continuously having the victory over the world, in this context referring to the present world in its condition of being under the influence of the evil-one, satan, the devil, who endeavors to arrange or organize those in it against the only true God; refer to verse 19 below),
• and this is the victory (the achievement of the conquest, that-which achieved the victory),
  • emphatically and specifically the victory that has already been victorious over (which has conquered) the world:
    • our belief (the belief that we have; this belief is the information that God has made known to us to have confidence-in, to believe, to have faith-in, to trust with assured certainty and surety; refer to I John 3:23, 5:1, 5, 10 and 13).

Who is the person being victorious over (presently and actively conquering) the world? The answer is…

• except the person who is believing (if not, only, the one having faith, trusting) that
  • the son of God is Jesus (God’s son is Jesus – he is alive today and he is now at God's right-hand side, second-in-command to God his Father).

The word "love¹" or the verb "to love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. God tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us) how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations. It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will. It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

God’s kind of love is patient, it is benevolent, it is not jealous, it does not vaunt itself, it does not puff itself up, it is not indecorous, it does not seek-after the-thing of itself, it is not sharpened, it does not calculate the bad-thing, it does not joy on the unrighteousness, but it joys-together with the truth, it protectively-covers all-things, it believes all-things, it hopes all-things, it patiently-endures all-things - relative-to God and the things of God (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13).

[Reference: John 3:6; Acts 9:22, 13:33; Romans 1:4, 8:16, 17 and 37-39, 9:8, 10:8-10; I Corinthians 15:57; Ephesians 6:16; Philippians 2:15; Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 1:5, 5:5; 1 John 2:3, 5, 13, 14, 22 and 29, 3:1, 2, 9 and 22-24, 4:4, 7, 9, 15, 20 and 21.]

Verses 6-12:

^.6This is the (one) having come by means of water and blood: Jesus Christ – not in the water only but in the water and in the blood – and the spirit is the (one) bearing-witness because the spirit is the truth, ^.7because the three bearing-witness are: ^.8the spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are into the one-thing. ^.9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, because this is the witness of God that He witnessed² concerning His son. ^.10The (person) believing into the son of God has the witness in himself; the (person) not believing God made² Him a liar because he did not believe² into the witness which God witnessed² concerning His son. ^.11And this is the witness: that God gave eternal life to us and this life is in His son. ^.12The (person) having the son has the life; the (person) not having the son of God does not have the life.

This is the one (specifically referring to Jesus who is the son of God, as verse 5 above) who has already come…

• by means of (through, by way of)
  • water (referring to the physical body)
  • and blood (which keeps a physical body alive, the blood contains soul-life evidenced by breathing – water and blood together refers to a living human-being):
    • Jesus Christ (Jesus is the Anointed-one who has already come via water and blood; when the name Jesus is written immediately before the name Christ it emphases his obedience and service to God on a horizontal level to benefit people – he has already come into the realm of mankind today) –
• not within the water only (not in the physical body alone)
• but on the contrary and emphatically he has came
  • within the water
  • and within the blood (Jesus Christ is in every part of a living holy-person; refer to I John 4:2) –

…and the spirit is the one bearing witness (the holy spirit in all holy-people is attesting with information or knowledge that it has regarding this matter and it is confirming or stating it with authority)…

• because the spirit is the truth (the spirit itself and what it communicates has the quality of truth, it emanates God’s essential reality, inherent verity, the state of being true),
  • because the three bearing witness are:
    • the spirit (the holy spirit, the spirit of Christ in us)
    • and the water (the physical body of a holy-person)
    • and the blood (the soul-life of a holy-person),
  • and the three bearing witness are into the one-thing (with a view to, directed to same thing witnessed, the three agree in what they witness – proving that what is communicated is true; refer to I John 1:2 and 4:14).

If we receive the witness of men (since it is a fact that we take men’s attestation, the witness of/from the body and soul, the physical realm)…

• the witness of God (God’s attestation, the witness of/from Him)
  • is greater (it is comparatively more-great, larger in quantity, quality, magnitude, rank, depth, importance, etc),
    • because this is the witness of/from God that He witnessed and continues to witness concerning His son (God continues attesting with information about Jesus Christ who is His son via the holy spirit within every holy-person, as stated in verse 11).

The person who is believing into the son of God (having faith, trusting regarding God’s son whereby he is the object of this person’s belief)…

• has the witness in himself (this believer has holy spirit within himself, which is his new life, eternal life, the spirit of Christ in him – within his fleshy body and soul);

…the person who is not believing God (an unbeliever, one who does not have faith in what God says and consequently has not received the gift of holy spirit)

• made and continues to make Him a liar (this unbeliever made and still makes God out to be One Who speaks and lives lies, falsehoods, a falsifier)
  • because this person did not believe and continues not to believe
    • into (regarding) the witness which God witnessed and continues to witness concerning His son (as verse 9 above).

And this is the witness:

• that God gave eternal life to us (we have already received the life that is lifelong-life, everlasting life, life that lasts throughout all durations of life, all ages; refer to I John 1:1-3 and 2:25)
  • and this life is in His son (within the cause and sphere of action, character, and attributes of God’s son who is Jesus Christ).

The person who has the son (God’s son within himself during the present time)…

• has the life (eternal life, holy spirit-life which is the witness, the spirit of Christ within him);

…the person who does not have the son of God (within himself during the present time)…

• does not have the life (this person lacks eternal life, he does not have holy spirit-life – a person without God’s life is dead from God’s viewpoint even though he is physically alive with his body and soul-life only).

The Greek word aionios may be translated “eternal” or “agelong”. In the context of verse 11 above, the life is eternal, agelong, lifelong, everlasting. It lasts throughout all durations of life, all ages from the time a person receives it. This life can only be received from God by God's giving of holy spirit by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. All holy-people (Christians) have received holy spirit-life within us, which is the spirit of Christ in us; it is the deposit, token, earnest of what we will receive at a future time. This holy spirit-life will remain for the duration of God's life which will not end. The full completeness for us will come to pass when our Lord Jesus Christ will come to gather all holy-people together with him giving us new spiritual bodies, the life of which will be holy spirit-life, like the body he has already received from God, his Father and our Father, when God raised him up alive from-among the dead-people.

[Reference: Genesis 3:15; Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15; Matthew 18:16; John 1:26-34, 3:16 and 36, 4:23 and 24, 7:37-39, 8:17, 14:16-18 and 26, 15:26 and 27, 16:13, 19:34, 20:31; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4 and 33, 3:15, 25 and 26, 5:32, 10:43, 15:8; Romans 1:4, 6:23, 8:10 and 14-17; I Corinthians chapter 2, 12:7-14, 14:21, 22, 27 and 29; II Corinthians 3:17 and 18, 4:11, 13:1; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:3 and 4, 2:17; Colossians 1:27, 3:1-4; I Timothy 2:6, 3:16, 5:19; II Timothy 1:1; Hebrews 10:22; I John 1:1-3, 7 and 10, 2:8, 13, 14, 20, 25 and 27, 3:24, 4:2, 4, 6, 9 and 13-15. Some Latin/Greek texts written during and after the 4^th century include additional words in verses 7 and 8 – but those words were not in the original writings of the 1^st century.]

Verses 13-15:

^.13I wrote these-things to you, the (people) believing into the name of the son of God, in order that you may have known² that you have eternal life.

^.14And this is the boldness which we have towards Him, that if-ever we may ask something for-ourselves according to His intention He hears us, ^.15and if-ever we knew² that that-which if-ever we may ask-for-ourselves He hears us, we knew² that we have the requests which we asked² from Him.

I wrote these-things (past tense because from the viewpoint of when this letter is read, it will be a completed action – I wrote the things that I have written above) to you…

• the people believing into the name of the son of God (you are the believers whereby the name of the son of God is the object of your believing, you have faith, you trust directed-to and regarding the authority and power of God’s son Jesus Christ),

…for the purpose and result that you would have known and continue to know (perceive, see to the end of perceiving and knowing with your minds) that…

• you presently and actively have eternal life (as verse 11 above; you have the spirit within you and so you are three-part beings: holy spirit-life, your physical body, and soul/breath-life).

And this is the boldness (freedom, frankness and openness of speech) which we have towards Him (God), that…

• if it should ever happen that we would ask something for ourselves (requesting God, as an inferior asks a superior for something to be given to him)
  • in accordance (conformity and proportion) to/with His intention (God’s will, His active volition and desire)
    • He hears us (He listens to us speaking to Him),
• and if-ever we knew and continue to know (perceive) that
  • that-which if-ever we may ask-for-ourselves He hears us (as verse 14),
• we knew and continue to know (perceive) that
  • we have the requests (we presently hold the objects we asked for, the things sought by us) which we asked and continue to ask from Him.

[Reference: John 20:31; Ephesians 3:12 and 20; Philippians 4:6 and 7; Hebrews 1:2-5, 10:19; I John 2:12, 3:21-24.]

Verses 16-19:

^.16If-ever someone may see his brother sinning a sin not towards death, he will ask and He will give life to him, to the (people) sinning not towards death. There is sin towards death – not concerning that (sin) I say in order that he may ask. ^.17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not towards death.

^.18We knew² that every-person having been born² from God does not sin, but the (one) having been born from God keeps him, and the evil-one does not touch him. ^.19We knew² that we are from God – and the whole world is laid in the evil-one.

If it should happen at any time that someone may see (any one of you would perceive) …

• his brother (another holy-person, a Christian)
  • sinning a sin not towards death (behaving badly by committing an aberration from what God has spoken, missing the mark of what God said to/for him, and this sin has not yet resulted in his physical death),
• he will ask (the holy-person who sees his brother sinning will ask God regarding his brother)
  • and He will give life (God will grant life in the physical flesh category)
    • to him (to the brother who committed this sin),
    • to the people sinning not towards death (God will allow people to continue living physically even when they are sinning against Him, and their sins have not yet resulted in their death).

There is sin towards death (referring to a person who continues to reject God’s son Jesus Christ, an unbeliever as verse 12b above, and this would also include an unbeliever who would choose the devil as his god and thereby accepts a devil/demon to live within his body permanently during his lifetime)…

• not concerning that sin I say in order that he may ask (I am not laying this out here for the purpose and result that any holy-person would ask God to give life to an unbeliever; this is not what I am referring to here – because an unbeliever will receive the consequence of/for his unbelief unless he changes to believe regarding God and His son Jesus Christ being true to/for himself, plus an unbeliever who chooses the devil as his god will receive the consequence of/for that sin – death).

All unrighteousness is sin (every injustice, unjustness, the state of not being just/right is sin against the only true God; refer to I John 1:9 and 3:10-15), and there is sin not towards death (the consequence of every sin does not end in death because there are sins that can be dismissed via the Lord Jesus Christ).

We knew and continue to know (perceive, see to the end of perceiving and knowing with our minds) that…

• all/every person having been born and continuing born from God (begotten, given birth to, brought forth originating out from God)
  • does not sin (does not err, miss the mark of God’s Word, swerve from the truth of what God says to/for that holy-person with/by his spirit – in the spirit category; refer to I John 3:9),
• but contrary to sinning and emphatically, the one who has already been born from God (referring to the resurrected Christ Jesus)
  • keeps him (is keeping an eye on every holy-person, has him in safekeeping, and therefore is not neglecting or violating but able to watch over him, takes care of him, maintains, and is observant of him),
• and the evil-one (the one who is actively malignant; referring to satan/the devil, who has many different names corresponding to the different characteristics, activities, etc, which that particular name describes; the term “evil-one” emphasizes the devil’s evilness, the one who is the originator of the bad and malignant things against God and His Word)
  • does not touch him (in the sense of the evil-one applying himself to a holy-person, fastening himself to him, grasping hold of him by entering into his physical body and experience living within a holy-person and affecting him in this manner).

We knew and continue to know that…

• we are (we presently and actively exist being born)
  • originating out from God –
• and the whole world is laid (all parts of the ordered arrangement, the entirety of God's creation, the universe in its current condition is presently caused to be lying down in the position of being)
  • in the evil-one (within the sphere of the one who is actively malignant – satan/the devil; this is the realm that the evil-one touches).

Since the day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts chapter 2), when a person believes what God says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that person receives the gift of holy spirit which is the spirit of Christ in him/her, and this holy spirit makes this person a holy-person (a Christian) – therefore no devil-spirit could possibly enter into that person at any time from the day the person first received holy spirit. A Christian can of course be influenced by satan if the Christian allows himself to listen, and see, and do what satan propounds via his beguiling methods and schemes used by those who work for him (spirits and people). Even during the old covenant times, including when Jesus was carrying out his ministry before the day of Pentecost, no person could have an evil spirit at exactly the same time as having God’s temporary and conditional holy spirit (example: King Saul, etc).

Every holy-person has freedom of will to behave according to the information that the holy spirit-life within him communicates to him; if he does this he remains righteous in his walk, behavior, conduct during the everyday living of his life awaiting Christ’s coming to gather all holy-people together with him. However, a holy-person can perform an unrighteous action thereby committing sin with/by his flesh, in the flesh category – for this sin he will receive the appropriate consequence unless he asks God for forgiveness as detailed in I John 1:6-10.

[Reference: Matthew 12:25-45; John 8:21-30 and 42-47; Acts 5:3-10; Romans 5:12 and 21, 6:11-23, 7:25, 8:1, 2 and 9-13; I Corinthians 5:5, 11:28-30, 15:56; II Corinthians 2:5-11, 5:10; Ephesians 6:13 and 16; II Thessalonians 3:3; I Timothy 1:20; II Timothy 4:18; James 1:15, 5:14-20; I John 1:9, 2:1 and 12-14, 3:1 and 9-15, 4:4-6; Jude 1:1; Revelation 20:12-15.]

Verses 20 and 21:

^.20But we knew² that the son of God is-come and he gave² to us a mind-process in order that we may know the True-One, and we are in the True-One (and) in His son Jesus Christ – this is the True God and eternal life. ^.21Little-children, you must keep-watch (regarding) yourselves away-from the idols.

We (holy-people, Christians) knew and continue to know (perceive, see to the end of perceiving and knowing with our minds) that…

• the son of God is-come (at this time God’s son has come, he has arrived, he is here, he is present – we have the spirit of Christ in us)
  • and he gave and continues given to us (this fact remains unchanged)
    • a mind-process (activity of the mind, the conscious thinking-through and reflecting on the perception in the mind, meditation)
  • for the purpose and result that we would personally know the True-One (have a truly active and relative knowing, have personal knowledge of the One Who is True, emphasizing that God’s quality and essence is trueness, His consistency is truth, He is the actual, certain, real, genuine True-Being – as opposed to a copy such as the false, fictitious, unreal gods, the idols; the only true God is the source of truth, the essential reality, the inherent verity),
• and we are in the True-One (we presently are within the True-One’s sphere of action, His spirit realm)
  • and we are in the True-One’s son Jesus Christ (we could not be in the True-One unless we are also in the state of being within the sphere of action of His son Jesus Christ) –
• this is the True God (the True-One is the True God)
  • and this is eternal life (the True-One’s son Jesus Christ is the eternal life, as stated in verses 11-13 above).

Little-children (in the figurative usage being a very tender, affectionate term of endearment)…

• you must keep-watch regarding yourselves (be vigilant to watch yourselves, keep yourselves safe, guard yourselves)
  • away from the idols.

An idol is an image or something that a person places ahead of God in his/her mind and therefore he/she worships or serves that thing/idol as "god" instead of worshipping and serving the only true God. An idol may or may-not have form and substance. Examples of idols are: books, the people themselves, famous people, devil-spirits, icons, statues, perhaps some agricultural endeavor, the environment, the sun, moon or stars, the web or some other computer-related program, software or hardware, television, video games, eating some particular food, or whatever a person puts above or estimates to be higher in his/her mind and living than the only true God and what He says and does. Anything or anybody placed in higher esteem in the whole of a person's heart and soul and mind process than God is an idol to/for that person.

Verse 20 is a summary of the spiritual standing of all holy-people with the only true God and His son Jesus Christ. Verse 21 is a summary of how we holy-people should behave ourselves to keep the state of our sharing-in-common (fellowship) in accordance with God our Father and with God’s son Jesus Christ our Lord.

[Reference: Matthew 22:37; John 17:3; Romans 6:22 and 23; I Corinthians 2:16, 5:10-13, 8:4-6, 10:6, 7 and 14, 12:2 and 3; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5-14; Colossians 1:27, 3:1-11; I Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 8:10-12, 10:12-18; I Peter 4:1-4; II Peter 1:19; I John 1:2 and 3, 2:8, 20, 23, 25 and 27, 3:24, 4:2, 13-15. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the “perfect” tense – details are provided in the “Relevant Notes” link of this study.]