In 1 John 5:13 (ESV) John writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” In other words, John doesn’t want to leave us wondering. Often believers will question themselves, wondering if they truly have been adopted into the family of God—but we don’t have to wonder or be confused! John says he is going to make it clear for us. Through this letter, John wishes for believers to possess, here and now, a certainty of the life we have in Christ.[1]
We might wonder what “things” John is referring to in verse 13. After all, this verse comes toward the end of the book of 1 John, so the reader has to wonder what he is referring to. While the “things” that John is referencing might specifically be his teachings in verses 1-12, the author might also be speaking of the entire book of John.[2] Either way, John provides plenty of evidence to show his readers that their belief in God is not false. In fact, if we simply start with verse 5:1, we can follow along with John as he explains it.
In 1 John 5:1 the author starts by explaining that “everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.” There are, of course, items that are to be included for believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Those items specifically include believing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2), that he is God’s Son, and that He is the Savior of the world through his death and resurrection (1 John 4:14-15).[3] These three things comprise the totality of believing in Jesus for salvation. Typically, when a person accepts Jesus, they accept all three of those facts about Him, but it’s always worth examining ourselves to make sure that our understanding of Christ encompasses all three.
It interesting to note that in the original Greek, this verse actually indicates that the present, continuing activity of believing is the result of our new birth.[4] In other words, our daily belief in Christ as the Son of God who died for our sins is the evidence of the new birth we experienced to become God’s children.[5] When I wake up every morning and continue believing in God and continue serving Him (v. 2-3), and continue professing His name, such things are evidence that when I accepted Christ, I meant it. What a gloriously easy way to tell that I belong to the Lord! Rather than taking hours of self-examination, which would likely come with self-doubt, we simply get out of bed, believe in God, serve God, and profess God. Through this, we are assured of our salvation.
Before we even leave verse 1, we can find another hint that we belong to God. John writes, “everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” The language in the ESV seems a bit confusing at first, but it is simply saying that if you truly love the Lord, you love other believers. John is stating that a believer must love his/her heavenly Father and those who are the offspring of the Father—and that means those who are brothers and sisters in Christ.[6] How do we know if we are correctly loving our Christian brothers and sisters? Simply put in verse 3, we keep the commandments of God.
How does keeping the commandments of God prove that we have been adopted into God’s family as children? Well, to begin, the commandments of God center around serving others well as evidence for a believer’s love for the Lord. In 1 John 4:20 he writes, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.’” Put clearly, if you don’t have the capacity to love someone who is right in front of you, you do not have the capacity to love someone that you can’t even see. The power of having someone right in front of us is that we can experience their emotions, both joy and heartache, tangibly. That tangible connection should lead us to deep love for our brothers and sisters.
One of my favorite Bible commentaries notes that love for God and love for man are so inseparable that the presence of either is evidence of the other.[7] The opposite can also be found to be true, that if either is found alone, it is not genuine love.[8] John is saying that loving God means you love your Christian brothers and sisters and if you are lacking that love, then you do not actually love God. Again, this is an easy way to assess the truth of our relationship with God. Do we love other believers? Do we come to their aid when they are in need, pray for them, and lift them up in the church? We don’t have to be close friends with every believer to love them, but we are called upon to serve them when there is need and keep peace (Rom. 12:18, Heb. 12:14). Whether shown to God or to human beings, love is always practical and active.[9]
In verses 4 and 5 John writes that those who have “been born of God” overcome the world (1 John 5:4). In verse 5 he reiterates this by writing, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The divinely implanted nature and new life within us when we accept Christ enables us to gradually and more successfully overcome sin.[10] We rely on Christ to assist us to live correctly in our flesh, increasing in victory over sin.[11]
Victory in the Christian life is a virtue that is like all other virtues—it is progressive in nature.[12] Although we often hear of those who become saved immediately throwing out addictions or completely abandoning certain sins, those who walk a path of doing just a little better every day don’t need to be dismayed. More often, as the believer matures, he or she increases more and more in victorious living.[13] The new birth is a supernatural event which takes us out of the world, where Satan rules, into the family of God where we are afforded victory.[14]
If we address this in a practical sense, are you working towards overcoming sin in your life? Do you progressively move forward in your walk with Christ every day? The glorious thing about being a part of the family of God is that we don’t need to make huge steps, small steps will do, and still show our devotion to Him. Don’t allow the massive advances of others to sway you into a feeling that you aren’t doing enough. Daily victory is granted to the individual believer, provided that he/she exercises faith in Christ and is active in his/her pursuit of God.[15] It is up to each individual believer to be forthright with themselves regarding whether they are active or not in their daily pursuit of God.
If we summarize John’s line of thought, we come to this: Christians must believe that Jesus is the Christ or the Messiah, that He came to earth in the flesh, that He is God’s Son, and that He is Savior of the world.[16] In addition, Christian believers are God’s children, born from Him, and they must keep God’s commandments and show love to their Christian brothers and sisters.[17] Finally, they keep these commandments because they overcome the world through the power of God, which allows us to conquer sin in our lives, gradually chipping away at, and putting behind us, anything that separates us from God.[18]
In these ways John allows us to assess if we are in right standing with God and if we have, indeed, been granted eternal life. To some, this may seem overwhelming, but even for that feeling, John has a reassurance. He writes in verse 3 that God’s “commandments are not burdensome.” Rest assured, His commandments are reasonable because we have received the power to obey them.[19] Through Christ we are not left wondering if our relationship with Him is on the right course. In His goodness, He has been clear about what we need to do, and believe, to be in relationship with Him and secure eternal rest in His presence. The book of 1 John is one that believers can find rest and practical application from, putting real-life questions at ease.
Wishing you all God's Love and Smiles,
Chala Baker, MDiv.
[1] Stott John R W., Letters of John - an Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-varsity Press, 2009), accessed April 15, 2022, app.logos.com. [2] Daniel L Akin, The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 2001). [3] Ibid.
[4] Stott John R W., Letters of John - an Introduction and Commentary. [5] Ibid. [6] Daniel L Akin, The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John.
[7] Michael Rydelnik et al., The Moody Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1983. [8] Ibid. [9] Stott John R W., Letters of John - an Introduction and Commentary. [10] Michael Rydelnik et al., The Moody Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1983. [11] Ibid. [12] Ibid. [13] Ibid. [14] Stott John R W., Letters of John - an Introduction and Commentary. [15] Daniel L Akin, The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John. [16] Stott John R W., Letters of John - an Introduction and Commentary. [17] Ibid. [18] Ibid. [19] Michael Rydelnik et al., The Moody Bible Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1983.