1 John 5
Faith in the Son of God
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6This 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. 7For there are three that testify: 8the[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10Anyone 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. 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Concluding Remarks
13I 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. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
16If 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. 17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
18We 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. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We 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.
21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Footnotes:
a. 1 John 5:8 Late manuscripts of the Vulgate testify in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 8 And there are three that testify on earth: the (not found in any Greek manuscript before the sixteenth century)
4 comments:
1 John 5
This always blows my mind. He hears us and loves us enough to respond.
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
I fell as though John lighten up a bit on the lack of sins for Christians here. Sounds as though he recognizes that we are going to sin, but need to strive not to. It also very clear that the only way through this world is with Christ. Satan is everywhere and only Christ can help us ultimately.
I like the NLT's version of this verse.
18We know that those who have become part of God's family do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot get his hands on them.
and, this is my prayer for today and everyday.
Father, protect us from our on evil desires. Give us the strength, through You, to resist the world. Help us be there for our brothers and encourage them when they are struggling with sin. Hold us securely.
In Christ,
cas
this really hit me...if you dont believe, you are calling God a LIAR. Can you imagine looking at God and saying "you are a LIAR". this was a different perspective. to say you are a non believer is to say that God is a liar. There is something VERY disturbing when i think about that.
On a slightly unrelated note...over the weekend i was thinking about my extended family and where they stood with God...what i determined was that i really didnt know if they were belivers or not...some i know are, some i know or not, but most i simply wasnt sure. And then that lead me to ask myself, why is it that i dont talk to them about God? Is it because they live halfway around the country and it is an odd conversation to have? is it because i dont want to meddle in their lives? and so on. and i think for me, that it was a combination of things but that there is a feeling that i dont want to interfere in there lives...that they may not like me interfering in their lives on this subject...that they may think "who does Tim think he is talking to me about God...". anyway, i've just been struggling with this and the idea of souls being lost forever.
Father God, give us the courage and wisdom to go boldly into this world...to talk to others about you...God, i admit, i dont know how to start up conversations about you. I dont know how i can convince someone to know you. i am trying to know your Word, but i dont know it like i should. So God, somehow, in your way, equip me with knowledge and communication and boldness to spread your Love to others, especially family members. God, i pray this not just for me, but for each one of these guys. Amen.
This chapter is pretty clear about how we must live to survive in this world as christians with all the sin around us. We must live through Jesus, our Lord.
From an intellectual standpoint, I found versus 16 and 17 interesting.
(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.
What is the sin that leads to death? I won't to make sure that I do not commit it since you do not have a chance to ask for forgiveness.
Lord, I come to morning giving you thanks for allowing me to see this beautiful earth that you have created. Lord, I pray for the strength and courage to live my life in reflection of you and through you. I ask that you continually watch over my christian brothers and their family as we go about with our daily tasks.
All the glory be to you, Amen.
LT
1 John 5
3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
These three verses hit me, especially after my last post. "Who is it that over comes the world? Only he who believes Jesus is the Son of God"
It truly is only by faith that we get a chance to overcome all of the madness going on in our lives. It is those times when I am distant from God that these things seem overwhelming.
I enjoyed your comments, and was struggling with some of the same stuff timmcd6, as my brother just graduated from college, and the whole extended family was around, and its always an awkward situation with divorced parents, but it was already on the forefront of my mind, and I came in and read your post, and it sure made me want to figure out how to begin the process of doing it without completely pushing them away.
Father, I pray for each of these men, that they may begin to find ways to introduce You to those who are important in our lives, help us to overcome ourselves and share the most important thing in our lives with others. Let us to continue to put You at the forefront of our minds and grant us the strength to avoid those evil desires and hangups we have. We ask these things in Jesus' name,
Amen
crb
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