The testimonies: (5:6-12)
- Regarding the Son of God: (5:6-9):
All sinners must believe that Jesus is the Christ and that He died for their sins before they can be saved and born into God’s family. Jesus died on the Cross completing His work. There are several suggested explanations of the phrase “water and blood.” We may relate it to John 19:34-35, where John saw the blood and water come out of Christ’s wounded side, thus proving that He had really died. Jesus came with both water (speaking of Jesus’s baptism) and the blood of His crucifixion.(This is the oldest recorded Christian understanding by Christian Tertullian.)
John had the false teachers in his mind. Some of the false teachers “Gnostic (Cerinthus)” taught that Jesus was a mere man, but that “the Christ” came upon Jesus at the baptism, then left Him when He died on the cross. All such false teaching was existing in John’s days. John vehemently denied them and said John, our Saviour Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God at His baptism (Matt.3:17), and proved to be the Son of God at the cross (Jn. 8:28; 12:28-33). Of course, the symbolism reminds us of the brazen altar (blood) and the laver (water of the Word) in the OT tabernacle. The Spirit bears witness that Jesus is the Christ through the written Word of God.
For the entire Godhead agrees that Jesus is the Christ. The Spirit, the Word (water), and the Cross (blood) bear the same witness. God is witnessing to the world that this is His Son, yet people didn’t believe.
All the three are in agreement. Just as our God is a Triune God, the Spirit, the water and blood agree that Jesus Christ was both Man and God. The worldly people receive the witness of men but reject the witness of God. By doing this they are making God a liar. As believers we must trust Him and the Word and rely on the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.
- Regarding the believers and saints of God: (5:10-12)
A believer has the testimony in his heart and puts all things beyond doubt. He makes firm decisions. The awful thing about an unbeliever is that he doesn’t believe on the testimony of the Son. It is very clear that God has given us the eternal life and this eternal life is only in the Lord Jesus Christ. In simple words, “he who has the Son has the eternal life and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (5:12). We don’t need to wait for the eternal life because it begins the moment we believe. We don’t need to work for it, because it is already ours. We don’t need to worry about it because we have been given eternal life by God Himself and it is well guaranteed.
The transgressions ( a caution) for believers: (5:16-17):
- The transgression that does not lead to death: (5:16a): There are sins that war against our spiritual lives and keep us away from the presence of God. But the moment we show true repentance and confession, the Father is quick to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn.1:9). A believer must always be cautious. There are sins of commission and sins of omission. A believer must be fully cleansed with these sins and present himself as spotless in the presence of God. All sins must be cleansed before entering into the presence of the Lord. A special emphasis is given before the Lord’s.
- The transgression that leads to death: (5:16b-17): ). This “sin that leads death” is not some “unpardonable sin” that a believer unwittingly falls into, but a deliberate sin in defiance of the Word of God (Heb.12:9), something that other believers can see and recognize as rebellion.
Paul wrote that some Christians had died because they took communion in an unworthy manner (1 cor.11:27-30). Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead when they lied to God (Acts. 5:1-11). Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit results in spiritual death (Mk.3:29) and even physical death too. John was probably referring to the people who had left fellowship and joined the antichrists. By rejecting the only way of salvation, these people were putting themselves out of reach of prayer. In most cases, however, even if we knew what the terrible sin is, we would have no sure way of knowing whether a certain person had committed it. Therefore we should continue praying for our loved ones and for our Christian brothers and sisters, leaving the judgement up to God.
Conclusion: Obedience, love, and truth are the key thoughts in this epistle. They are the evidence of salvation and the essentials of fellowship, which is the secret for truthful and abiding life.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- NIV Life application Bible.
- ESV Study Bible
- Ryrie study Bible.
- NIV Study Bible.
- Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament.
- The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe
- Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.
- Adam Clarke’s Commentary
- Wycliffe Bible commentary.
- Mathew Henry conscise
- Blue letter Bible by David Guzik.
- Unlocking the Bible by David Pawson.
- The outline Bible by Harold L Willmington.
Note: Please use this notes only as an outline, but spend more time studying the Word of God. For your questions, suggestions, and criticism, please contact me. Kati Ravikumar, Mob: +918986873994, Email: katiravikumar@gmail.com