I John 5:6-21

THE TESTIMONY OF GOD

In the opening verses of chapter 5 (vs 1-5), John has again declared the evidences of those born of God…  they have faith in Jesus as their Christ, love one another, and obey God’s commands.  Now John moves into why we can be assured of these truths.  John doesn’t speak his own thoughts or ideas.  He bears witness to the testimony of another…  God Himself!  John knows the Father has given many witnesses to the work of Jesus (John 5:30-47).  He only lists three witnesses here in our text (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Ecclesiastes 4:12; Matthew 18:16).

The Water – This signifies the crowning voice of God coming upon Jesus at His baptism.  Scripture records how God’s voice bellowed from the heavens as He revealed Jesus as the Christ after He came up from the water (Matthew 3:13-17).  This event signified the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.

The Blood – John has already spoken twice in this letter concerning the propitiation of Christ (I John 2:2; 4:10).  Jesus was the lamb slain to take away our sin (John 1:29).  The shed blood of Jesus is why we can be forgiven of sins (Hebrews 9:11-14; 22).

The Spirit – It is only by the third person of our triune God that someone can be born again (John 3:5-8; I Corinthians 12:3).  It is the purpose of the Spirit to make much of Jesus in and through us (Acts 1:8).  John has already told us it is through the Spirit that we believe and obey God (I John 3:23-24).

SIN THAT LEADS TO DEATH

The next several verses are some of the hardest in the New Testament to interpret.  We must acknowledge that these verses fall within the context of intercessory prayer and that no definition is given as to what the sin that leads to death may be.  There are many interpretations concerning these verses, but only two that do no harm to the rest of Scripture.

Option 1:  Apostasy – Apostasy is when a self-proclaimed Christian, and member of the church, denies the faith and “falls away” (Hebrews 6:4-6).  John has already told us there were apostates in Ephesus and the other churches of Asia Minor (I John 2:19).  It is possible that John is telling the church to pray for the brothers who struggle with sin, while giving them no command to pray for those who leave.  This view seems to follow John’s understanding that true Christians will never apostate.  John is the clearest writer of Scripture regarding the eternal security that we have in Christ (John 6:37-44; 10:11-18, 27-30; 17:1-2, 7-12).

Option 2:  Physical Death – This view suggests the person committing the sin is a true believer.  Due to the seriousness or frequency of whatever sin they are committing, God is disciplining them by shortening their life on earth.  The death is not eternal death, only physical death.  The discipline is not punitive either, because Jesus was punished for our sin.  Rather, the physical death is to be seen as God having mercy upon the sinning believer while also showing grace by purifying His church.  Their are examples of this in Scripture.  Paul speaks of people being sick and even dying due to their lack of reverence when participating in the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:29-30).  Also, the physical deaths of Ananias and Sapphira could serve as an example of sin that leads to the death of believers for the purification of the church (Acts 5:1-11).  John doesn’t command the church “not” to pray for those who sin unto death in this text, but emphasizes the need for the church to intercede for those who are not sinning unto death.  It is apparent that John, as an old man, has experienced the need for the merciful discipline of God in purifying His church (I Corinthians 5:5; Hebrews 12:5-8).

WE KNOW

John concludes this letter with the purpose for his writing.  He tells us that he wants us to know that if we believe in Jesus that we have eternal life.  We don’t have to be scared or nervous.  We don’t have to be confused by or sort through all the things false teachers are proclaiming.  We can know we are saved!  In fact, John is so adamant about this truth that he uses the word “know” seven times here at the end of this book.  John understands that knowledge brings confidence.  He wants us to be confident in what we know and believe.  Lets look at the things that John wants us to know…

Vs. 13 – We know that if we believe in Jesus we have eternal life

Vs. 14-17 – We know that God hears and answers prayers that are according to His will

Vs. 18 – We know we have victory over sin

Vs. 19 – We know that we belong to God and are not of this world

Vs. 20 – We know that Jesus is the one true God

Study Questions

Discuss the many ways that God has testified to us concerning Jesus.  Why do so many consider God a liar?

Which option do you best identify with regarding the sin that leads to death?

Walk through the 5 big ideas that John wants us to know.  How will knowing these things bring us the confidence we desperately need?