1 John 5:1-15

God is love.  Be born of God.  See God for Who He is.  Then we shall be like Him.  We will love others.

Vs. 1 "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him Who begot (which is God) also loves him who is begotten of Him (we love others).'

Vs. 2 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments."  Again, what are His commandments?  1 John 3:23, that we believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.  Our love for others is a response to His love and grace for us.  When we see that God is not counting our sins against us, we can do that for others.

Vs. 3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments (believe on the name of His Son, or be born of God, and love one another).  And His commandments are not burdensome."  No, they are not burdensome.  They are a natural response to His grace for us. 

Vs. 4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith."  What is in the world that we have overcome?  1 John 2:16...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  When we are born of God, the Word say that we have already overcome these things.  We must learn to walk in love and make this a reality in our lives.  The Word says that it is already done when we are born of Him.

Vs. 5 "Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  God has come to live within us when we believe in His Son.  We walk  in His love, and we will not walk in lust or selfishness. 

Vs. 6-8  Read these verses.  These verses are referring to the idea discussed in earlier lessons that Jesus had a physical body.  John is refuting the Gnostic idea that Jesus appeared only in spirit form, and did not have a physical body.  Look at John 3:4-6  Being born of water is referring to the water of the womb.  Look at John 19:34  The water and the blood that poured out of His body when the soldier pierced Him with a spear showed that He had a physical body.  John 1:32  John the Baptist saw the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus like a dove.  I believe this also refers to the miracles that were performed by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, proving that He was here in the flesh.

Vs. 9-11 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.  He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.  And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in the Son."  As we have seen, eternal life begins with believing that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of our entire lifetime, past, present and even future sins.  This is what brings us peace with God.  When we receive this life and love from God and share it with others, we are walking in eternal life here on the earth. 

Vs. 12 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." When we are born of God through what the Son did for us, we have the life of God within us.

Vs. 13 "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (those who are born of God), that you may know that you have eternal life (we are born of God and walking in love), and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

Vs. 14-15 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."  His will is that all people be born of Him through trusting that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of our entire lifetime.  This brings peace.  Then we learn to walk in love and offer this grace to others.  When we ask for things in line with this, we know that He hears us and gives us the petitions we ask of Him.  We may have to stand in faith against our enemy, Satan.  But God is not holding anything back from us that is in line with His will.

Keith Oliver