Lesson for September 11, 2024

The Book of I John

I John 5:1-9

Verses 1-2

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments.”

The Greek word for born is “gennao,” which means to bring forth, deliver, or be made. Spiritually, born refers to the Doctrine of Regeneration, which is when we are made new creations in Christ at salvation. Believes that Jesus is the Christ means you believe He is the Savior Who died on the Cross to pay for your sins. 

Personal love for God (Problem-Solving Device # 7) precedes impersonal love for others (Problem-Solving Device # 8). Exhibiting God’s love for others, by following His commands to do so, is an indication that a person is a child of God, meaning they are Royal Family of God.

Verse 3

 ^“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Christians demonstrate their love for God by following the instructions found in God’s Word to love others unconditionally. Keeping His commandments should be something we desire to do, because we know that it pleases Him. Jesus said that following Him is easy and not a burden in Matthew 11:28-30.

Verse 4

^“For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.”

At salvation, every believer shares in the victory that Christ won over Satan and his world system, positionally. It is because of Christ’s strategic victory over Satan that believers have the potential to win daily tactical victories over him and his world system. The filling of the Holy Spirit supplies the power to accomplish this. The Christian Way of Life is a supernatural way of life, and it requires a supernatural power to live it and to overcome the tactics of Satan, his demon army, and his world system. (John 16:33;

I Corinthians 15:51-57; I John 5:1-21)

Verse 5

“Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 

Overcomes is the Greek word “nikao,” and means to prevail or to conquer. Believers, through the power of the Holy Spirit, are the only ones who can overcome Satan and his world system. The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God is the one who has faith in Christ as Savior. (I John 5:4-5; Revelation 12:11) 

Verse 6

^“This is the One Who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.”

John was teaching the Hypostatic Union of Christ to refute the false teaching of the Docetic Gnostics, who denied the humanity of Christ. Docetic Gnosticism contended that Jesus was a phantom, that the Cross was an optical illusion, and therefore they rejected the entire system of salvation, as presented in the Word of God.

Came by water and by blood emphasizes the fact that Jesus Christ became a human being with both water (serum) and blood in his body. This was confirmed in John 19:34, when His side was pierced, and blood and water (serum) came out. Not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood refers to His physical life and is proof of His true humanity. When “the blood” is referred to alone in a figurative sense, it refers to the spiritual death of Christ bearing our sins. But when blood is used with water (serum), it refers to His physical death.

It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. Since the Holy Spirit is God, He is absolute truth. The Holy Spirit is the One Who reveals the truth regarding the Hypostatic Union. And the fact that He permanently indwelt the humanity of Christ proves that Jesus was exactly Who He said He was, God in the flesh. (Luke 3:21-22)

Verses 7 – 8

^“For there are three that testify: the (Holy) Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” 

For further proof of the Hypostatic Union of Christ, John used the Jewish law. Under the Law, there must always be at least two witnesses (three is better) in a court to testify of an event or happening. In keeping with this tradition, John gave his hearers three credible witnesses to affirm the Hypostatic Union of Christ. These three witnesses were the Holy Spirit Who indwelt His body, the water (serum) in His body, and the blood that flowed through the veins of His body. (Matthew 1:23-Immanuel).

Verse 9

^“If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son.”

God’s witness on any subject would be infinitely greater than that of any human being. God’s testimony regarding Jesus Christ has been given in the Old and New Testaments. God said that Christ was His beloved Son in Whom He was well pleased in Matthew 3:17. God testified to the fact that His Son is both deity and humanity in Matthew 22:44 (sit at my right hand).