Here is a teaching on chapter 5 of the book of 1 John. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters from now on, join our group here. Once you get added to that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and see all the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
I did want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every person reading this right now. Please give us knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we are reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. Holy Spirit please guide us and help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. I pray that whatever it is that each person is supposed to receive from this Bible study, they receive it and implement it in their daily lives. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
1 John Chapter 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 This is love for God: to obey 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 he 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 man's testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has 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 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Alright, so I am going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. So in verse 1, whenever we believe in Jesus Christ and we are saved then we have a new life in Christ and we are born of God, we are children of God the Father. We can't love God the Father unless we love and believe in Jesus Christ. In verses 2-3, whenever we love God and we obey His commands we will love the children of God and other people. As we saw in our Bible study from chapter 4 of the book of 1 John, God gave us the command that whoever loves God must also love his or her brother or sister. In verses 4-5, Jesus Christ has overcome the world and whenever we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we are saved, and we have a new life in Jesus, then we have overcome the world. This is only our temporary home, our true home is in heaven with Jesus and God the Father.
In verse 6 when John says "the one who came by water and blood," Jesus came and walked on this earth, and even though throughout the centuries there have been many ideas about what this phrase means, the oldest recorded Christian understanding of this passage is probably the best explanation, and that is that John means that the water that Jesus came by is the water of Jesus's baptism (whenever John the baptist baptized Jesus). We saw that in Luke 3:21 which says: "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” The blood that John is talking about here in verse 6 of chapter 5 of 1 John is the blood of Jesus's crucifixion whenever he died on the cross for our sins. The Spirit who testifies is the Holy Spirit that God sends to those who believe in Jesus Christ to counsel us and to show us the truth. The Holy Spirit only speaks truth that He hears from God the Father.
In verses 7-8, there is a note here in my Bible that says "late manuscripts of the Vulgate testify in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth:" and then it goes on to say "the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement." So people can accept man's testimony but the testimony of God is greater than the testimony of man because God is the Almighty, He is our Creator and God the Father gave this testimony about His Son Jesus Christ. We can see the testimonies of Jesus in John chapter 5, if you want to read further into that I did go over that in our Bible study on John chapter 5 but I'm just going to read a couple of verses with you guys here. John 5:36-40 say: 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life." So in these verses here, this is Jesus Christ talking about his testimony about him and we can see that the very work that Jesus did on the earth testifies that the Father had sent him. God the Father testifies Himself concerning Jesus and all throughout the scripture we can see testimonies of Jesus Christ. So whenever we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, his testimony is in our hearts. The ones that don't believe have made God out to be a liar because they don't believe the testimony that God the Father has given about God the Son.
In verse 11, God the Father has given us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. He loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross to forgive us of our sins. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ and is saved by him has eternal life in heaven with him and God the Father. The only way to have eternal life in heaven and the only way to be saved is by believing in Jesus Christ.
Oh hey friend, sorry to interrupt this blog post, but I just wanted to remind you guys that "Christ Transforms Me," my 90-day journal is available for purchase on Amazon. To learn more about the journal or to purchase one, go to www.faithfuelsmyfire.com/journal
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.
16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Alright, those are all of the verses of chapter 5 of the book of 1 John, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. In verse 13, John is writing these things to the believers of Jesus Christ to let them know that they have eternal life in Christ and in heaven with God the Father and Jesus Christ when it's their time to go. In verses 14-15, whenever we pray to God and ask for anything that is according to His will He hears us. Now, this doesn't mean that He is going to answer any prayer that we have of worldly things and things that we want but whenever we ask for things according to His will He hears us and if it's in His will He is going to answer our prayers. It may not be the way that we want them answered, it may not be on our timing because everything is in God's timing and His timing is perfect, but whenever we follow God, we obey His commands, we stay in constant relationship with Christ, we worship Him and pray to God, then we can have confidence in praying to God and asking for things according to His will.
In verses 16-17, the first thing that we should do whenever we see someone that sins and it doesn't lead to death we should pray for them. John says there is a sin that leads to death and here he probably means a sin that leads to physical death. There is an example of this in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 and they say: 27 "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." So it seems what John is saying here in verse 16 of chapter 5 of 1 John is that a believer can sin to the point where God believes that it is best to just bring them home. Whenever a Christian's sin leads to death there is no point in praying for them because that situation is in God's hands alone.
In verses 18-20, what John is talking about here in verse 18 we saw in our Bible study from chapter 3 of 1 John. The one who is born of God is Jesus Christ, He is God the Son, and he keeps us safe and protects us from the evil one, which is the devil. Whenever we are staying fully submitted to the will of God the Father, we are saved, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and we are praying to God, worshipping Him, obeying His commands, following Jesus, and seeking to live and have a heart like Jesus, we cannot be harmed by the evil one (by the devil). This world is full of evil and corruption and the whole world is under the control of the devil, but we as believers of Jesus Christ are children of God and we are not controlled by the devil but we belong to God. In verse 20, we know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come onto the earth, and whenever we are saved and believe in Jesus Christ we are given that understanding, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and the Holy Spirit guides us and shows us the truth. Whenever we are saved we are dead in our sins and alive in Jesus and we are in Jesus Christ and God the Father,
In verse 21, John says to keep ourselves from idols, we cannot be deceived by this world and have idols or people we look up to things we look up to, or things that we put above God. We have to make sure that we are standing firm in our faith, we are believing in Jesus Christ, we are following God, we are loving God with all of our hearts, and we are letting the Holy Spirit guide us. We cannot be conformed to this world or deceived by this world or put anything else before God in our lives.
Here are 3 takeaways to write down:
1. Whenever we believe in Jesus Christ we are children of God
2. God's testimony is greater than the testimony of men
3. We have to pray for those that we see sinning and it doesn't lead to death
1 John Ch 5 Study Guide
How are we born of God?
How can we show our love to God?
In verse 11, how can we receive eternal life?
Does God answer all of our prayers? Why or why not?
As children of God, can we be harmed by the evil one? Why or why not?
Why did Jesus come on the earth?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 5 of the Book of 1 John. Next time we're going to go into 2 John so make sure that you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights