Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXXVII) 03/13/23

^5:13 I write this letter to you who believe in God’s Son. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.

King Solomon said, “God gratifies the desires of the diligent,” and “The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.”[1] So the Apostle Paul and others preached, “For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, not to pour out His anger on us. The Anointed One died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever.” Therefore, those taught by God’s Word have great peace and, like the Ethiopian Eunuch,[2] go on their way rejoicing like the Philippian jailer,[3] as do all those who look for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus the Anointed One.[4] Therefore, do not fear bad news[5] while eagerly awaiting by faith the righteousness for which we hope.[6]

Such perseverance fulfills John’s desire, so he cries, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,”[7] for they know that until then, they are in enemy territory, subject to temptation, hardships, and persecution. Still, even at their future departure, they will see Him. Nevertheless, you love Him even though you have never seen Him. Although you do not see Him now, you trust Him, rejoicing with excited, inexpressible joy.[8] ^[9]

In a letter written to a man named George Ticknor dated Tuesday, November 25, 1817,[10] Thomas Jefferson writes concerning the establishment of a general system of education in his native state and hopes that “if the system should be adopted at all by our legislature who meet within a week from this time, my hopes, however, are kept in check by the ordinary character of our state legislatures, the members of which do not generally possess information enough to percieve [sic] the important truths, that knolege [sic][11] is power, that knolege [sic] is safety, and that knoledge [sic] is happiness.” Some might dismiss Jefferson’s conclusion. Still, ample evidence exists to examine it further. The Apostle John certainly thought knowledge was essential. He was extremely concerned that his “little children” get to know several things to be true because they now believe in Jesus as the Anointed One, God’s Son.

With an inquiring spiritual mind, Johannes H. A. Ebrard (1819-1893) reports that some scholars maintain that this verse is against the argument that there is no formal beginning of a final section of the Apostle John’s epistle but that the chain of thought goes on continuously. This, however, does not follow from the fact that in verse thirteen, the idea of “eternal life” is resumed. On the contrary, this idea is so profound, complete, and comprehensive as to justify us in thinking that the John, in verses four through twenty-four, had been gradually introducing it in all its fulness, to declare in his final section that this was the end of all his writing, to show them that we have eternal life through faith in God’s Son. This verse represents the end John lays down as the final and consummate goal of his Gospel.[12]

For Ebrard, nothing speaks more forcefully against the assumption that verse thirteen is the commencement of a final section in the ordinary sense is that the fundamental idea of “the world-overcoming power of faith” continues to stamp its emphasis upon the whole strain of the thought. On the other hand, however, there is a sense in which verses thirteen to twenty-one form a concluding section. Not that the development of the idea ends in verse twelve, but the growth of thought has now attained its all-comprehending crown or climax. It is the last strain of the previous section while at the same time concluding John’s whole message.^[13]

After contemplating John’s train of thought, William Kelly (1822-1888) says, let us now consider the Apostle’s concluding remarks. “The things I just wrote to you were designed so that you may be certain of your eternal life by believing in the name [Yeshua, meaning “Savior”] of God’s Son.” This belief was only possible because grace found us drowning in sin and gave us the best God could bestow by faith in the Lord Jesus, His Son. And what is more fitting than eternal life, a divine nature that loves God all that is good and holy; that hates sin and loves righteousness according to the perfect law of liberty, obeying God, not as a Jew under restraint but as our Lord did by making us part of His family? And how careless are those who abandon their old convictions for novel and wild ideas who say not only that you cannot know that you have eternal life but that it cannot be now! Life eternal is the excellent ground indispensable for what the Apostle Paul calls “doing good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”[14]

So, far from leaving the doubters or disbelievers any excuse, John says that all should remain established in the Anointed One against any who might mislead them. In the beginning, he showed the supreme excellence and usefulness of that life in the Anointed One as the object of faith and love for souls; now, in the last chapter, he insists on the believer’s conscious possession. Is not this as it should be? It is due to God’s Son; it is the delight of the Father, and it enhances the benefit even more to the believer. How immense the loss, how costly the mistake of all who drink the poison of misguided teachers and who make light of the true Gospel to try to excuse their leaving the straight and narrow way![15] ^[16]

Familiar with John’s writing style, William B. Pope (1822-1903) sees the Apostle John returning to his grand design, fulfilling the joy of those who believe. That’s why he said, “These things I have written to you that you may know you have eternal life because you believed in the name [Yeshua, meaning “Savior”] of God’s Son.” His purpose was not to try and establish their assurance and challenge their faith to reach higher; assurance is the final point and all the blessedness that assurance brings. “That you may know:” this is one of the watchwords introduced in such a way as to show that, while it is the gift of God’s Spirit, it is the duty and privilege of every Christian to live and rejoice in it.^[17]

Holiness doctrine expertise Daniel Steele (1824-1914) points out that John wrote his Gospel “that you may have life,”[18] but this Epistle was written “that you may know that you have eternal life.” The one leads to obtaining the benefits of a reborn spiritual life. The other is to the joy of knowing that it is not only acquired but also eternal. Thus, from the Gospel to the Epistle, there is progress. True faith always leads to knowledge.[19] ^[20]

After sufficient examination of the Greek text, Brooke Wescott (1825-1901) points out that in reviewing the Apostle John’s epistle, John indicates the fulfillment of his purpose.[21] The consciousness of eternal life brings divine fellowship and complete joy.[22] The Apostle looks back upon his work and records his aim, “that you may know with a knowledge final and certain.” Eternal life may be present and yet not realized in its inherent power. Furthermore, the source of the spiritual fruit may not yet be identified or delayed. But there is a knowledge of life independent of external signs, and this John seeks to quicken. The phrase “life eternal” is not found elsewhere in this epistle:[23] the label comes as an afterthought: “that you have life[24] – yes, eternal life” to you who believe.^[25]

Prolific commentary writer, Benjamin Charles Caffin (1826-1894), notes that the Apostle John writes about believers knowing they have eternal life, who has eternal life and who doesn’t. Such assertions may exist for everyone to see and read repeatedly yet be ignored by those who read them. It is not enough to know about eternal life and the imprint of its existence. It is all-important for the individual to possess “the life” and indicate it by its appropriate signs. And it is also important ‒ though it cannot be said to be equally so ‒ that if a person has this life, they should know that they have it. Hence, the apostle declares that the object of his writing is that those who believe in the Name [Yeshua, meaning “Savior”] of God’s Son should clearly and decisively know that they have life and that their life is eternal.[26]

As a commentator and translator of many German religious works, Jacob Isidor Mombert (1829-1913) also notices that verse thirteen is quite similar to the closing verse of the Apostle John’s Gospel.[27] The purpose of the writing “that you might know you have eternal life” corresponds with  “Joy” at the beginning of the Epistle,[28] which was to be filled by the testimony of the eye and ear-witnesses of the “reason of life;” hence the phrase “these things I wrote” here in verse thirteen answers to “these we write” in chapter one, verse four, the certainty of the possession of eternal life being the ground and strength of the joy, which John has, and to which he alludes “to you that believe on the name [Yeshua, meaning “Savior”] of God’s Son.” Primarily they refer back to chapter three, verse twenty-three, but find their last resting place having fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus the Anointed One.[29] ^[30]

Like a spiritual farmer planting the seed of God’s Word, Henry A. Sawtelle (1832-1913) mentions that “these things” are in the preceding section, relating to the illuminating life and divine Sonship of the Anointed One, which are wonderfully adapted to deepen the faith and increase the confidence of Christians. Imagine it as a pause, or interruption, between the preceding section and the present one. To his Christian circle, John wrote “these things” to those who believe in the name [Yeshua, meaning “Savior”] of God’s Son, to know (the certainty of the fact) that they have (as a present abiding possession) eternal life. The things the Apostle John wrote concerning this life, and its testimony through the water, the blood, and the Spirit, were calculated to deepen and certify this knowledge because Christians are privileged to “know” that they have eternal life – converted and saved.

For many, their consciousness is as assured as the actual physical possession of eternal life. This epistle attaches much importance to such knowledge. Verse twelve indicates a way to this full assurance. We gain spiritual life by believing in the Anointed One, but we know that we are in this life by enlarging our view of the Anointed One as the great and only fountain of our spiritual life. To the faithful Christian, the fuller picture of the doctrine of life is a means of knowing that they have “the life.” By defining “to you” in the early part of the verse, John shows that believers are the persons whose privilege he describes. As awkward as this delay in the defining clause may seem, the critical text compels its approval.[31] ^[32]

Called the “Prince of Preachers,” Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) is sure that while years are short for the happy and healthy, thirty-eight years of disease must have dragged a feeble, helpless man through agony.[33] He knew that healing was coming when Jesus healed him by a word while he lay at Jerusalem’s Bethesda pool. In like manner, a sinner who has for weeks and months been paralyzed with despair, and sighed for salvation, is very conscious of the change when the Lord Jesus speaks the Word of Power and gives joy and peace in believing. The evil removed is too great to be removed without our discerning it; the life instilled is too remarkable to be possessed and remain inoperative, and the change wrought is too marvelous not to be perceived. Yet the poor man was ignorant of the author of his cure; he didn’t know the sacredness of His person, the offices He sustained ‒ the errand which brought Him among mankind. So much ignorance of Jesus may remain in hearts that feel His blood’s redeeming power; nevertheless, they are born again.

Therefore, we must not quickly condemn people for lack of knowledge but believe that salvation is near when we see soul-saving faith at work. The Holy Spirit makes people repentant long before He makes them holy, and those who believe what they know will soon understand more clearly what they think. Ignorance is an evil, for the Pharisees tantalized this poor man who could not cope with them. It is good to be able to answer deniers, but we cannot do so if we don’t fully know the Lord Jesus with understanding. However, the cure of his ignorance soon followed the treatment of his infirmity, for the Lord visited him in the temple. After that gracious manifestation, people spotted him testifying that “Jesus made him whole.”[34]^[35]

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[1] Proverbs 13:4b; Isaiah 32:4 (NIV)

[2] Acts of the Apostles 8:39b

[3] Ibid. 16:34

[4] Titus 2:13

[5] Psalm 112:7

[6] Galatians 5:5

[7] Revelation 22:20

[8] 1 Peter 1:8

[9] Stock, John: An Exposition of the First Epistle General of St. John, op. cit., pp. 442, 443-444

[10] From Poplar Forest near Lynchburg, Virginia, Tuesday, November 25, 1817

[11] The Latin adverb “sic” (meaning “so, thus, in this manner”) is used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original, 

[12] John 20:31

[13] Ebrard, Johannes H. A., Biblical Commentary on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., pp. 334-335

[14] Ephesians 2:10

[15] Matthew 7:14

[16] Kelly, William: An Exposition of the Epistles of John the Apostle, op. cit., p. 383

[17] Pope, William B., The International Illustrated Commentary on the N.T., Vol. IV, op. cit., p. 319

[18] John 20:31

[19] Ephesians 4:13

[20] Steele, Daniel: Half-Hours with St. John’s Epistles, op. cit., p. 141

[21] See 1 John 1:3-4

[22] Cf. John 20:30

[23] Cf. Matthew 25:46; John 4:36; 12:25; 17:3

[24] John 10:10

[25] Westcott, Brooke F., The Epistles of St. John: Greek Text with Notes, op. cit., pp. 188-189

[26] Caffin, Benjamin Charles, The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., 1 John 5:13, p. 150

[27] John 20:31

[28] 1 John 1:4

[29] Ibid. 1:3

[30] Mombert, Jacob Isidor: Lange’s Commentary on the New Testament, op. cit., Vol. IX, pp. 169-170

[31] John 20:31

[32] Sawtelle, Henry A., Commentary on the Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 59

[33] John 5:1-15

[34] Cf. Micah 6:8

[35] Spurgeon, Charles H., Morning and Evening Daily Readings, May 8:00 AM, p. 259

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXXV) 03/10/23

^5:13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.

Called a great and rare spiritual thinker, Frederick Denison Maurice (1807-1873) writes that we’ve reached the conclusion of John’s epistle. The words, “These things have I written,” indicate that the Apostle John is about to explain its general purpose, if not a summary of its contents. Thus, much is evident in the first reading. His object was not to make proselytes of those outside the Christian Church. Instead, he addressed himself as “those who believed on the name of the Son of God,” baptized in that Name, publicly confessed that Name, the Name that opened them to the charge of blasphemy from Jewish rulers and scribes; it was the Name when associated with the person of Jesus the Crucified, which excited the contempt or hostility of the worshippers of the Greek idols. All acts of united worship among the disciples, all their sufferings, recalled this Name.

But if they did not need to be convinced of its worth or power, what good was an Apostolical Epistle? John answers: “That you may know that you have eternal life and believe on the name of the Son of God.” You will wonder at the last clause. It sounds like he proposed converting them to a faith they already possessed. Consider the first clause before determining that it is meaningless. It is not commonplace: “You have eternal life.” Not “you may have it; sometime later, this unspeakable blessing may be bestowed on you, or on such of you as deserve it.” But, “it is yours now. The gift has been sent to you.” Many Christians of John’s era and ours today are startled by the complexity rather than the simplicity of this assertion because it differs so much from their formal faith.[1]

Without overlooking crucial points, Johann Eduard Huther (1807-1880) notes that many commentators conclude this verse as a concluding section, incorrectly referring “these” to the whole Epistle. That this verse belongs to the segment starting at verse twenty-three in chapter three is shown by the idea of “life eternal,” which refers to what immediately precedes, and also by the concept of “believing in the name of the Son,” refers back verse twenty-three in chapter three. Besides, we must observe that verses fourteen and fifteen correspond to the thought with which the preceding section ended.[2]  Accordingly, “these” is not referred to the whole Epistle but to verses six to twelve, which reaches its climax in the thought, “The one who has the Son has life.”[3]

The words “that you may know that you have eternal life” reveal John’s goal in the preceding narrative. The certainty of eternal life is more necessary to the Christian’s mind since, like a hidden treasure, it is sometimes hidden from them as they struggle with Christian living. The possession of this life is conditioned by faith. John brings this out through an additional clause, which runs differently in various ancient manuscripts, but expresses the same thought. According to the probable reading, it connects with “I have written this to you . . . that you may know you have eternal life.”[4]

With an inquiring mind, Daniel D. Whedon (1808-1885) suggested that instead of “that you may know” in verse thirteen, it could read, “To awaken your belief and show you how to believe may solidify into knowing.” After all, eternal life is already deposited within you, to be unfolded and perpetuated in the infinite future. Thus, to believe and know becomes a permanent and realizing belief. Therefore, intuitive assurance is a ground to believe in the reality of the known thing.^[5]

In line with Apostle John’s conclusion, Henry Alford (1810-1871) denotes that verse thirteen seems like an anticipatory close of the Epistle:[6] and its terms appear to correspond to those used in chapter one, verse four. This view is far more probable than that it should refer only to what has occurred since verse six.[7] It is still less likely that the concluding portion of the Epistle begins with this verse, as Bengel scholars say. Alford says that the text is found only in specific versions and is considered the “fons lectionum”[8] for the argument.^[9]

As a faithful and zealous scholar, William Graham (1810-1883) states that the Church is the depository and guardian of the Christian faith, and to her, all the epistles are directed. For her, the Gospels were written to cheer her on her heavenly journey and brighten her path; the promises are suspended over her like stars in the night. Therefore, this epistle is written for believers and addressed to believers. Such is the Apostle Paul’s custom in all his epistles.

The Apostle James writes to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, and the Apostle Peter to “the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Thus, Paul, John, Peter, and James agree by writing their epistles for the churches and sending them to the churches. From this, we draw the following conclusions, notes Graham: that it is the duty and privilege of those who receive these Apostle’s letters to read and understand them for the Gospels, the Epistles, and, indeed, the entire Word of God, are the property of the whole redeemed church of God, which no one can deprive her of without offending God.^[10]

With the zeal of a scriptural text examiner, William E. Jelf (1811-1875) feels that what the Apostle John is writing in verse thirteen may refer to the contents of the whole Epistle or what immediately precedes. The object is the same, and perhaps, on the whole, occupying the place it does, it is better to take it as being spoken of the whole Epistle. The object of John was to show them the fundamental nature of the Gospel, as giving everlasting life, or, what is better, giving them the grounds of assurance and faith. Either to provide them with the knowledge of, impress upon them that they have eternal life, call to their minds the privileges within their reach, or, more definitely, assure them that the gift is theirs.

If the words “that you may believe on the name of the Son of God” are to be retained in the text, then it would seem as if the object could not be to give them that which they possessed already, and this is more likely to be the accurate interpretation if, instead of “in order to believe.” we are to read “to believe,” since some suppose that this is an interpolation. Why should John try to give them that which they already have?

It would be logical to suggest that John impresses on them the privilege of everlasting life, which is within their reach due to the knowledge of those principles, unless we look at the faith spoken of as the object of the Epistle as a higher degree of confidence following on assurance. But there is nothing in the phrase or the context to make such an interpretation sufficiently necessary to be reasonable. John often referred to the grounds of our understanding that we know God. It would seem as if this would be stated here as one of the particular objects in writing, whether we take it to refer to the whole Epistle or the part immediately preceding it. But, if the other reading is actual, deriving a logical and consistent meaning is complex. John has written to believers that they may have the assurance of life and believe more firmly in the Son of God.^[11]

Cyrus Augustus Bartol (1813-1900), a pastor, author, and hymnist, clarifies that eternal life is not limited in the Scriptures to God as an incommunicable attribute or essence, nor to the angels within the walls of heaven as something conveyed and shared with humanity. Instead, eternal life is a life of spiritual nature, feeling and affection, and moral and religious principles. Indeed, in the Final Covenant, many phrases might be translated as either eternal or spiritual life; for example, “no murderer has eternal life,”[12] that is, has no spiritual, holy, religious, or divine life, “abiding in them.” Moreover, eternal life is not simply endless because we never speak of the devil and his angels as having eternal life. However, our theology suggests they have a life that existed contemporaneously with that of Divinity and Angels. Therefore, the destiny of the wicked does not include enjoying eternal life, although they have the same unbounded prospect of existence as the righteous.

Theirs is a state of eternal or spiritual death. Eternal life in God is the life of absolute goodness, purity, righteousness, and truth. Eternal life in man is the life of justice and love, of fidelity in all his relations. It is a right, holy, and becoming life. When we rise above selfish and trifling cares into noble thought and generous feeling, our life, so far from having the character of an existence that endures or is to endure for a long succession of time, seems no longer concerned with time at all, but to have risen above it. Days and weeks are no longer the terms of our existence. Nevertheless, thoughts, emotions, dictates of conscience, impulses of kindness, and aspirations of worship make eternal life what it is. It’s because we feel there is something fixed and unchangeable in them, which neither time can alter, age wrinkle, the revolutions of the world waste, nor the grave bury, but the eternity of God alone embrace and preserve.

In that life, God’s perfect Spirit is involved as the quality of permanence. The pure, loving, righteous, and devoted heart feels its imperishableness. Believers secretly whispered it as great assurance. The Spirit bears witness with it to its incorruptible nature.[13] Even here, rising above the earth, it will vindicate its superiority to all material as it drops the flesh and takes the celestial body. But the heavenly and indissoluble life begins in this world. Jesus the Anointed One had it here. Who thinks of Him as more immortal after His resurrection and ascension than before?

Jesus the Anointed One, the only perfect possessor on earth, is accordingly the great and incomparable communicator of this eternal life. The theme is perhaps too great for the human mind to comprehend, nor is it even by the light of inspiration so cleared up that we can hope for an entire agreement respecting it among equally wise and good believers. By all means, we should, by motives and sanctions, hopes and fears of the Gospel, try to awaken the moral and spiritual nature in our and others’ hearts than that we should exercise the fancy of predicting the fortunes to arise in the coming ages.[14]

After checking the text closely, Richard Tuck (1817-1868) recalls the explanation the Apostle John gives of his purpose in writing his Gospel. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name.”[15] “Life” is John’s great word, and by it, he means that life as a child of God, in loving and obedient relations with the eternal Father, which is seen in His Anointed Son, and becomes ours as by faith we are linked with that Son to receive His life. When we are made children, we gain possession of three rights or privileges, and we ought to thankfully use them.

• (I) The right to eternal life – The right to live a higher kind of life than can be attained by other humans ‒ a spiritual life, a human-divine life like that which the Lord Jesus lived is precisely described as eternal life.[16]

• (II) The right to expect answers to prayer – These prayers relate to the believer’s life, circumstances, and needs.[17]

• (III) The right to intercede for others – The fact that there is a limit to Christian intercession asserts the right to intervene with those limits.[18] [19]

After observing the Apostle John’s attention to detail, John Stock (1817-1884) reminds us that the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”[20] and “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”[21] so that we, who sat in the shadow of death through sin, might hear the voice of the Son of God and live. It allows us to hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which God has given us, as seen in His Son for His sake only, who lived, and died, and rose again for us, and ever lives and reigns; as all who believe of God in the Anointed One, and so they are one with Him and He with them. Therefore, the more we read the Scriptures, conforming our lives, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to God’s will as expressed therein, and that only to please God and His glory, the more we grow in the assurance of hope.

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[1] Maurice, Frederick Denison: The Epistles of St. John: A Series of Lectures on Christian Ethics, op. cit., pp. 284-285

[2] Cf. 1 John 3:21-22

[3] Cf. ibid. 2:21, 26

[4] Huther, Johann Eduard: Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the General Epistles, Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 471-472

[5] Whedon, Daniel D., Commentary on the New Testament, op. cit., p. 279

[6] See John 20:30ff

[7] Cf. 1 John 2:26 with 5:18

[8] Latin term for “reading source”

[9] Alford, Henry: The Greek Testament, op. cit., Vol. IV, p. 508

[10] Graham, William: The Spirit of Love, op. cit., p 336

[11] Jelf, William E., Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., p. 75

[12] 1 John 3:15

[13] Romans 8:16

[14] Barton, C. A, The Biblical Illustrator, Vol. 22, op. cit., 1 John 5:13, pp.135-136

[15] John 20:31

[16] 1 John 5:13

[17] Ibid. 5:14-15

[18] Ibid. 5:16-17

[19] Tuck, Richard: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary: (on an original plan), op. cit., pp. 338-339

[20] Exodus 34:27

[21] 2 Timothy 3:16

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXXIV) 03/09/23

^5:13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.

After considering everything the Apostle John has said so far, Adam Clarke (1774-1849) notes that in verse thirteen, the Apostle is sharing with us the privileges that lead into the holy of holies of believing in God’s Son and the glorious effects it produces. It is not a blind reliance for, but an actual enjoyment of, salvation; the Anointed One living, working and reigning in our hearts. We must continue to believe the Anointed One dwells in the heart only by FAITH, and faith lives only by LOVE, and love continues only by OBEDIENCE for those who BELIEVE, LOVE, and OBEY love those who love to believe. They believe in the witness of the Anointed One in their heart, the hope of glory, and are people of prayer.^[1]

With unwavering trust in the Apostle John’s teaching, William Lincoln (1788-1844) notices that having spoken of where this life is, the Apostle John closes the statement by saying, “Whoever has [God’s] Son has [eternal] life, but whoever does not have God’s Son does not have [eternal] life.”[2] After the KJV was written, many older manuscripts have been discovered, so now, many of the Final Covenant passages are better understood than fifty years ago. John wrote these words: “I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life.”[3] [4]

In his captivating teaching style, Jewish convert Augustus Neander (1789-1850) finds that the Apostle John repeats fundamental truths to reawaken the reader’s interest and solidify them in their conscience.  It is the object of his epistle. In it is included all which is necessary for the inner person; since this true divine life comprehends itself, all which requires certainty of eternity. It is an exhaustless source of satisfaction to the believer’s spirit. It is formed and constituted to be filled with nothing less than God.

Thus, you can find spiritual life and joy only in fellowship with Him bestowed on us through His Son. Of course, there is much in this, as well as in all the epistles, profitable to the unconverted. But for the present, see it as a message to believers, and the hallmark of what use this epistle is intended to be to them. This then was the Apostle’s object, that believers might know how much has been bestowed upon them in their faith.

True, they must, as believers, have known this from the beginning, but then, in human life, all things slide so easily into the mechanical form of habit! Moreover, the current of life sweeps Christians along; and though one may indeed abide in the faith, others may lose the vivid consciousness of the treasure imparted to them. Hence, they must continue drawing from the divine fountain of life opened through faith. The consciousness they received must be continually revived and invigorated; from their trust must the knowledge of that, first acquired in faith, constantly refresh itself anew.

There can be no halting here. Unless the fountain of faith drys up, a progressive development must proceed from it. Hence, John writes to those who have already believed, as if they were now just learning that by believing in Jesus as God’s Son, they became partakers of eternal life. Their joy in that divine possession was to be continually renewed and increased repeatedly and reminded that no power of earth could bestow upon them anything higher, anything more. So John warns them against the treacherous arts of false teachers, who seek to unsettle their faith, commending to them something else as the truth or as a higher truth; to be thereby established in this faith, under all temptations and conflicts.^[5]

After spiritually analyzing John’s conclusions, Gottfried C. F. Lücke (1791-1855) points out that what the Apostle John says in verse thirteen is sufficiently supported by necessary authorities, such as Spirit, water, and blood. The shared reading has arisen from an endeavor to make the proposition clearer and more acceptable. As believing Christians, John did not find it necessary to instruct them concerning the ground of their faith. Yet, as it might seem, John does not intend to teach his readers, as to provoke and revive in them the feeling of their faith’s high value and character. This is what he meant when he writes in verse thirteen, “That you may thoroughly comprehend, [Greek verb eidō – “to perceive”] that you have eternal life.”^[6]

As a servant of God whose preaching was doctrinal, imaginative, quaint, and earnest, Robert Finlayson (1793-1861) feels that the Apostle John’s aim in this Epistle is connected with assurance ‒ “These things have I written to you, that you may know that you have eternal life, to you that believe on the Name of God’s Son.” At the beginning of the Epistle, John aimed at Divine fellowship and complete joy. Looking back, John feels that he has kept the ending of his Epistle in view. In restating his aim, he goes the length of completed delight. Beyond the reawakening of their spiritual life, he aims at their having the pleasure of knowing that they had eternal life begun in them. He has given them certain marks (usually introduced by “herein”) to clarify their Divine birth or possession of the Divine life as believers. We have comfort when we have the correct elements and diagnose correctly.[7]

Without using complicated language, Albert Barnes (1798-1870) notes that verse thirteen refers to those things the Apostle John wrote respecting the testimony provided for the Lord Jesus so they might believe in the name of God’s Son. To believe in His name is to believe in Him – the word name is often understood to denote the person’s character and reputation. If John was assured that they did believe in God’s Son, he was desirous of presenting to them a spiritual nature that continues to exercise faith in Him. It is often one of the essential duties of ministers of the Gospel to contribute to genuine Christians, such views of the nature, the claims, the evidence, and the hopes of religious conviction, to secure their perseverance in the faith. Even when converted, the human heart is prone to disbelieve. Religious affections so quickly become cold; there are so many cares about the world to distract the mind.

There are so many allurements of sin to draw the affection away from the Savior. There is a need to be constantly reminded of the nature of religion so that the heart may not become estranged from the Savior. Therefore, no small part of preaching must consist of the re-statement of arguments with a fully convinced mind; of motives whose force has been once felt and acknowledged; and of the grounds of hope, peace, and joy which have already spread comfort through the soul. It is not less important to keep the soul than to convert it; to save it from coldness, deadness, and formality, than it was to impart to it the elements of spiritual life at first. It may be just as important to trim a vine if one would have grapes and keep it from being overrun with weeds as it was to plant it.[8] ^[9]

With impressive theological vision, Richard Rothe (1799-1867) notes that where the Apostle John says, “these things,” it refers back to verses six to twelve. Rothe sees verse thirteen as John’s way of excusing himself for writing this epistle as harshly as he did. In fact, John did not pretend to show evidence for the Messiahship and Divine Sonship of Jesus, as if he doubted their faith in Jesus as the Anointed One, but only made those who believed in Jesus as the Anointed One God’s Son fully conscious of what they now possess by faith is eternal life.

We can take it for granted that by confirming that Jesus is the Anointed Son of God, we will see more that the new life in fellowship with Him brings through faith in Him. It is nothing less than eternal life, God’s blessed life. Therefore, even in the case of believing Christians, it is not redundant to remind them that through faith in Jesus, they possess eternal life now. For, seeing that as yet they include it primarily by faith, the direct experience they have of the weakness of their spiritual life may deprive them of that assurance. But we must hold it fast. Without it, it is impossible to have joyous faith in the Gospel. And this assurance depends upon Jesus the Anointed One, God’s Son; for the Redeemer cannot give more than He has. He could not provide eternal life if He were a mere human being. Only His life is the eternal, divine life itself, and He can also communicate it to us. ^[10]

Consistent with the Apostle John’s advice, Heinrich A. W. Meyer (1800-1882) states that in verse thirteen, it is very noticeable that the Apostle John turns to the closing of his Epistle. The reference in “these things” is probably to the entire Epistle. However, certain parts of it, particularly the last section, present the idea of eternal life more distinctly than others. Finally, the purpose of the Gospel is that the readers may believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God, and that by faith in His name, they have eternal life.

To produce faith was the object of the Apostle’s record of the life of Jesus. To give the knowledge of their actual and present possession of eternal life to those with faith was his desire and design in writing this letter to Christian readers. Therefore, the Epistle follows the Gospel in the progress of Christian living and the development of thought. We may believe that it followed the preaching of the Gospel at that time. Possessing the knowledge that we have eternal life is the fulfillment of God’s intended joy.^[11]

According to Robert Jamieson (1802-1880), Andrew Fausset (1821-1910), and David Brown’s (1803-1897) way of thinking, the Apostle John’s confession of why he wrote this letter[12] to his readers who believe in God’s Son is that they can know they have eternal life now. The oldest Greek manuscripts and versions read, “These things have I written to you [omitting ‘that believe on the name of the Son of God’] that you may know you have eternal life.”[13] The clause “that you may know” should read “continue to believe.”[14] John wrote a similar message toward the end of his Gospel.[15] In 1 John 1:4, John states the object of his writing is “that your joy may be full.” To “know that we have eternal life” is the surest way to “rejoice in God.”[16]

With clear spiritual eyesight, we can see, says Neal M. Flanagan (1908-1986), that the Apostle John’s words look very much like a conclusion and resemble the conclusion of John’s Gospel.[17] John adds his final thoughts to this conclusion in verses fourteen to twenty-one.[18]

With noticeable spiritual comprehension, Henry Cowles (1802-1881) identifies the Apostle John as a writer of definite aims; he knows what results he wishes to secure. He stated his object in his gospel history;[19] he does the same in this epistle. But, unfortunately, most translators omit this from the last clause – “and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God.” Without this, the declared object of this epistle (if the statement refers to it in whole) is – “that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Under this knowing are two supposedly distinct points. (a) Knowing that this salvation through the Anointed One means eternal life, provides for it and secures it; and (b) Knowing each for themselves that he has a personal interest in this salvation. We have seen that this epistle brings out these individual proofs or tests of piety with remarkable fullness. No other portion of God’s word makes this point so prominent. “This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.”[20] Also, “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.”[21] Then, “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”[22] Such is the theme of this epistle.^[23]

With his lifework well-illustrating the biblical and reformation ideal of the pastor-theologian, Robert Smith Candlish (1805-1872) agrees with other scholars that verse thirteen is the end of the main epistle. Whether the “these things” which “I have written unto you” are simply things contained in the immediately preceding context or must be held to reach further back is not material. John is evidently summing up; he is pointing his discourse or argument to its close. And he points it out clearly and convincingly. He strongly asserts the final end he has in view. It is that you may “know” certain things.

John repeatedly uses the word “know;” no less than six or seven times in about as many verses. From a spiritual point of view, knowledge is evidently of a high order, not merely speculative and intellectual but experimental and practical. It is not simply faith but connected with confidence, flowing from it while involved. Still, it is something more than faith. If one may say so, faith realized; faith proved inwardly by being acted upon outwardly; the believer ascertaining, by actual trial and experience, the truth and trustworthiness of their belief. It is not whether we think, is persuaded, or hope, but “we know.”[24]

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[1] Clarke, Adam: Wesleyan Heritage Commentary, op. cit., Hebrews-Revelation, p. 398

[2] 1 John 5:12

[3] Ibid. 5:13

[4] Lincoln, William: Lectures on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 155

[5] Neander, Augustus: The First Epistle of John, Practically Explained, op. cit., pp. 296-298

[6] Lücke, Gottfried C. F., A Commentary on the Epistles of St. John, op. cit., p. 277

[7] Findlayson, Robert: The Pulpit Commentary, First Epistle of John, Vol. 22, op. cit., Homiletics, p. 172

[8] See John 20:31

[9] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, op. cit., p. 4886

[10] Rothe, Richard: Exposition of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., The Expository Times, July 1895, p. 469

[11] Critical Exegetical Handbook New Testament by John Edward Huther, Meyer, Heinrich A. W., Commentary on the New Testament, Epistles of James and John, op. cit., p. 816

[12] The letter begins at 1:1 and ends at 5:1

[13] Cf. 1 John 5:11

[14] Ibid. 5:12

[15] John 20:30-31

[16] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, New Testament Volume, op. cit., p. 730

[17] John 20:31

[18] Flanagan, Neal M., The Johannine Epistles, Collegeville Bible Commentary, op. cit., p. 1026

[19] John 20:30-31

[20] 1 John 4:13

[21] Ibid. 5:2

[22] Ibid. 3:14

[23] Cowles, Henry: The Gospel and Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 357

[24] Candlish, Robert S., The First Epistle of John: Expounded in a Series of Lectures, op. cit., Lecture XLI, pp. 250-251

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXXIII) 03/08/23

^5:13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.

As a nonconformist to the Church of England’s orthodoxy, John Bunyan (1628-1688) wrote I am made right by the righteousness of another, and because I was made righteous, God accepted me as such. Therefore, he bestowed on me His grace, which, at first, I made poor use of and needed assurance that I was righteous and have eternal life.[1] It was not immediately by faith, but by the written word, which is called the word of faith, which declared to me, to whom grace, and the seed of faith were given, that I did have eternal life. So now, with boldness, I believe in the Son of God with peace and joy.[2] [3]

Isaac Barrow (1630-1677) hears the Apostle John saying that we are in union with the God of truth and His Son  Jesus, the Anointed One. He is the God of eternal life; (no false, no metaphorical God, but the supreme, ever-living God from whom, the Apostle Paul says, is traced the human ancestry of the Anointed One, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.)[4] Hence, the Most High, the sovereign God blessed forever (a unique and characteristic attribute or title for God.)[5]

From his strategic viewpoint as a biblical expositor and educational pioneer, William Burkitt (1650-1703) says John wrote these things so his readers would know that they knew, believed, and assured they were Christians. Some were unsure they believed this to be true because they could not point to a fixed time or produce evidence that they became a believer by faith. Faith and assurance in a saint differ as much as reason and learning in a person; everyone has reasoning, but rationale is not learning, which is the improvement of reason.

Therefore, every reasonable person has faith, but everyone who has faith is not assurance, which is the fruit of faith. Faith was the first design and end of the Apostle John’s writing that they might know they did believe; the second follows that those that did believe did so on the name of God’s Son; the meaning is that they might more firmly believe, be more rooted, grounded, settled, and confirmed in the faith, to remain unshaken by all the storms of persecution that might fall upon them. It appears to be John’s aim when he urges the faithful to believe.The strongest believers may be encouraged to strengthen their faith and persevere in the faith by which they are maintained and established.[6]

With a spiritually contemplative mind, Matthew Henry (1662-1714) says that in light of all this evidence, it is only right that we believe on the name of God’s Son. So, let us thankfully receive the record of Scripture. They are always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that their labor is not in vain. The Lord the Anointed One invites us to come to Him in all circumstances, with our supplications and requests, notwithstanding the sin that besets us. Our prayers must always be offered in submission to the will of God. In some things, they are speedily answered; in others, they are granted in the best manner, though not as requested. We ought to pray for others as well as for ourselves.[7]

An Anglican priest opposing the monarchy of Church and State in favor of a constitutional parliamentary system, Thomas Pyle (1674-1756), paraphrases verses thirteen to fifteen, “And accordingly, my design in this Epistle was to satisfy all such true believers of the safety of their future condition; and to encourage them to a firm perseverance in this principle, upon a full assurance that God will deny them nothing that is truly needful for them; but will, in due time and manner, answer all their Christian prayers.”^[8]

As a Lutheran clergyman opposing absolute monarchy and Roman Catholic Emancipation, supporting constitutional imperialism with a parliamentary system, Johann A. Bengel (1687-1752) notes that “these things” mentioned by the Apostle John appear in this Epistle. The verb, I write, is used in the opening verses.[9] In conclusion, it becomes, “I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, (which is the sum of verse five) that you may know that you have eternal life, derived from verse eleven. In other words, as John says in verse twelve, knowing that you have the Son means eternal life. Therefore, “ought” does not become our hope but our faith.[10]

Provider of priceless Christian and Jewish wisdom gems, John Gill (1697-1771) believes that the Apostle John’s claims that the things he had written were contained in the epistle and the context of victory over the world to those who accept that the Anointed One is God’s Son. We find it in God’s record with His witnesses that His Son is eternal life to those that believe in His name.

John’s whole purpose in writing was to assure them that they have eternal life in the Anointed One; they have a right to it and quality for it and will undoubtedly enjoy it. Knowing this is acquired by faith, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit is by grace a gift from God through the Anointed One. It is guaranteed as long as they have the Anointed One, believe in Him, and have that which serves to communicate, cultivate, and increase such knowledge.

John wrote all this so they would be encouraged to continue believing in Him, hold on to their faith in Him, and continue believing in Him to the end. Also, increasing their trust in Him, faith is imperfect and capable of expanding and growing exceedingly by reading and hearing God’s Word explained to them, especially that part which respects the person, office, and grace of the Anointed One.[11]

Philip Doddridge (1702-1751) states that it is apparent that the Apostle John does not try to establish the reader’s faith, produce evidence of Christianity, or argue with them. Nevertheless, the wholesome characteristics, which John’s discourse tends to promote, would undoubtedly have a solid influence to confirm their faith. Such qualities appear to be the ardent zeal of Gospel teachers to establish their confirmation as faithful witnesses to significant facts received upon their credit. Therefore, this solid text proves that Christians are to believe in Jesus the Anointed One.[12]

After skillfully scrutinizing the Apostle John’s central theme, John Brown of Haddington (1722-1787) tells us that these divine testimonies concerning the Anointed One must become a clear and intense light before us who are under struggling in a helpless, guilty, and ruined state. After all, Jesus died so we might heartily receive and rejoice in Him as our Savior. Thus, by God’s Word and His Spirit’s witness, our spirit will have blessed assurance that we anticipate possessing eternal and the Anointed One in our lives. We should be increasingly excited and encouraged to believe in, and depend on, our salvation upon the merits and meditations of God’s only begotten Son.[13]

More concerned with Church than its sacraments, William Jones on Nyland (1726-1800) asks, “What is essential to this life?” The answer is, “A person’s most substantial and deepest love is to be fixed on God.” We have no revelation of God adequate to inspire this affection save that given to us in Jesus the Anointed One. On viewing life as consisting of the union of the soul with God, we affirm that this union can be effected only through the intercession of Jesus the Anointed One. Humanity is estranged from God by sin, “alienated from the life of God,”[14] and under condemnation because of sin. “The Son of man has the authority to forgive sins.”[15] “There is no condemnation to them in the Anointed One, Jesus.”[16]

By the manifestation of God’s love in His life, and especially in His death, the Anointed One destroys the hostility of the sinful heart and reconciles it with God. “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by His Son’s death.”[17] The Anointed One reveals God as a Supreme Being possessing in infinite degrees those attributes necessary to command the soul’s, supreme love. He manifests the perfect righteousness of God.

The cross of Jesus the Anointed One is a declaration of God’s unquenchable hatred of sin and His zeal for maintaining holiness. It is the perfect revelation of religious truth for mankind’s intellect and heart. His Son is “Truth.”[18] Truth is incarnate in Him, and God’s love was perfectly expressed. He showed us the indescribable mystery of God in self-sacrifice. He reveals to our dim vision the transcendent beauty of His Divine character for our admiration and reverence. In a word, taking holiness as expressing the summation of Divine perfections, He reveals God’s infinite righteousness. In Him, we have such a revelation of the Supreme Being as is perfectly fitted to command the reverence of conscience, to quicken and strengthen the intellect, to expel all hate, and birth in the soul the purest, most profound, intense love and excite the reverent devotion of our being. Such a revelation is believed in and brought home to our spirit by the Holy Spirit. Only through the Anointed One can we attain the highest life.[19] [20]

Samuel Eyles Pierce (1746-1829) says that knowing they have eternal life in them was to produce faith and continued progression that they might go on, believing in the name of the Son of God. The actual knowledge of the Anointed One, received through the Gospel into the mind, produces assurance of His Salvation, such as having the same evidence that the Anointed One is theirs and that they are His. The Holy Spirit gave them the knowledge, experience, and enjoyment of believing in the name of God’s Son so they can enjoy the same being kept alive in them. There is no other way to do this than by believing.[21]

Thomas Scott (1747-1821), a man with a heartfelt friendship with hymn writer^[22] John Newton (1726-1807), notes that the first fruit of the Holy Spirit’s virtues, as indicated by many marks laid down in this Epistle, produce confidence. It is not a certainty of hope but confident of hope by faith that we may believe, confirm, continue, and increase to God’s glory and praise.[23]

Joseph Benson (1749-1821), at age fifteen, a potential young theologian preaching and holding cottage prayer meetings, meditated on these words, “These things have I written to you” concerning the fruit of regenerating faith, the water, and the blood, the witnesses in heaven and on earth, and especially about the things which they have witnessed, mentioned in the two last verses; to you that believe on the name of God’s Son. 

Hence, with faith grounded in a saving knowledge of Him and productive of the fruit spoken in verses one through four, you may know, based on the testimony of all the evangelists and apostles and the Anointed One, that you have and are heirs to eternal life, despite your past sins and present infirmities, to include, the imperfection of your knowledge and holiness, and the various defects of your love and obedience; and that you may believe. That is, persevere by believing in the name of the Son of God. may continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel, knowing that the just man shall live by faith, but if he draws back, God’s soul will have no pleasure in him.[24] [25]

Straightforward preacher Charles Simeon (1759-1836) believes that the Scriptures in the Final Covenant were written for the whole world. Yet perhaps we may say that the Gospels were written more immediately for unbelievers to convince them of the Messiahship of Jesus and that the epistles were written instead for believers to bring them to life, becoming their high and holy calling. This idea seems to be sanctioned by the Apostle John: for, at the end of his Gospel, he says, “I write these things that you might believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God; and that, believing, you might have life through His name.”[26]

But, at the end of this epistle, John says, “These things I have written to you that you can believe in the name of the Son of God.” In truth, he had all the different classes of believers‒children, young men, and fathers: “I write unto you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. Fathers, I am writing to you because you have known him from the beginning. I write unto you, young men because ye have overcome the wicked one.”[27] [28]

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[1] Hebrews 5:13

[2] Romans 15:13; 1 John 5:13

[3] Bunyan, John: Practical Works Vo. 5, pp. 250-251

[4] Romans 9:5

[5] Barrow, Isaac, Theological Works, op. cit., p. 176

[6] Burkitt, William, Expository Notes, with Practical Observations, on the New Testament, op. cit., Vol. II, pp. 737-738

[7] Henry, Matthew: Concise Commentary on the Bible, op. cit., p. 2060

[8] Pyle, Thomas: A Paraphrase on the Acts of the Holy Apostles, upon all the Epistles of the New Testament, and upon the Revelations, (1725) op. cit., p. 402

[9] 1 John 1:4

[10] Bengel, Johann Albert: Gnomon of the New Testament, Vol. IV, op. cit., pp.150-151

[11] Gill, John: Exposition of the Entire Bible, op. cit., (Kindle Location 341753)

[12] Doddridge, Philip: The Family Expositor; or, A Paraphrase and Version of the New Testament, op. cit., p. 888

[13] Brown of Haddington, John: The Self-Interpreting New Testament, op. cit., p.1320

[14] Ephesians 4:18

[15] Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:10

[16] Romans 8:1

[17] Ibid. 5:10

[18] John 14:6

[19] Cf. John 3:36; Acts of the Apostles 4:12

[20] Jones, William, The Pulpit Commentary Vol. 22, The First Epistle of John, p. 164

[21] Pierce, Samuel Eyles: An Exposition of the First Epistle General of John, Comprised in Ninety-Three Sermons, Vol. 2, pp. 277–278

[22] Newton, John: Composer of “Amazing Grace,”

[23] Scott, Thomas: Theological Works, op. cit., p. 733

[24] See John 15:6; Romans 11:22

[25] Benson, Joseph: Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, op. cit., pp. 347-348

[26] John 20:31

[27] 1 John 2:12-14

[28] Simeon, Charles: Horae Homileticae, op. cit., Vol. XX, op pp. 543-544

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXXII) 03/07/23

^5:13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.

John points out the importance of knowing that God gave the right to all who believed and accepted Him to become His children.[1] So, it wasn’t only the Anointed One’s words. Many became convinced He was the Anointed One because of the miracles He performed in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration.[2] And so, we should pay attention to the Anointed One’s messages and miracles because people who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged because they have not believed in God’s only Son.[3]

The Apostles took this message with them when they went to the world to preach the Gospel. When Peter and John raised a lame man to his feet, Peter told the onlookers that this crippled man’s healing was because he trusted Jesus. It was Jesus’ power that made him well. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of faith in Jesus. You all saw it happen![4] Therefore, exclaimed the Apostles, when it comes to healing the soul,Jesus is the only one who can save people. His authority is the only supernatural power in the world that can save anyone. Therefore, we must be born again through Him![5] And the Apostle Paul passed on this same doctrine that this is a true statement to accept without question: “The Anointed One, Jesus, came into the world to save sinners.”[6]

Furthermore, this resurrection life we received from God is not a spirit that enslaves us and causes us to fear. On the contrary, the Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit, we cry with Jesus,[7] “Abba,[8] Patēr.”[9] [10] And the Spirit Himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children, we will get God’s blessings for His people. He will give us all that He has shared with the Anointed One.[11] Thus, we must not forget that God called us and chose us to be His. We must do our best to live in a way that shows we are God’s called and chosen people. If we do all this, we will never fall. And we will be given a great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Anointed One, a kingdom that never ends.[12]

Now we can see that the Apostle John’s word, “These things I have written to you,” sums up the Epistle. At the beginning, John said, “These things we write, that our joy [yours as well as mine] may be fulfilled;” Now, as he draws to a close, he says the same thing in other words. Their joy is knowing that they have eternal life through belief in God’s Son. There is a considerable variety of meanings in this verse, but it is a simple message. The interpretation of the last clause has produced various alterations to provide an easier reading. As regards construction and meaning, the verse should be carefully compared with John 1:12. In both, we have the interpretation at the end.

They also have John’s favorite Greek verb, pisteuō (“believe”), expressing the most assertive confidence in the object of belief. In addition, we have the remarkable expression, “believe in His Name.” This expression is no indirect hint for “believe in Him.” Names in Jewish history were often significant, sometimes given by God that they served to distinguish one person from another and indicate their character. So also with the Divine Name: it suggests the Divine attributes. “To believe on the Name of the Son of God” is to give entire devotion to Him as having the qualities of God’s Divine Son.

In verses thirteen to twenty-one, it is clear that the Apostle John summarizes his overall purpose for writing his epistle. He wants to assure believers of their possession of eternal life.[13]  The principle is that belief is the basis for salvation, not our merit. Eternal life is a quality and quantity of life that we cannot earn, deserve, or buy.  We cannot go to some spiritual supermarket and purchase salvation. If we wanted to buy it, we could never afford it.  We would have to pay the same price Jesus did. The only way we can get eternal life is to have it conferred on us freely.  God gives it free of charge.[14]

Thus, the purpose of 1 John is to motivate us from doubt to certainty. God wants us to “know” that we “have eternal life,” not assume or feel that we have it.  “Know” means to know with God-imparted innate knowledge.  It is a settled knowledge that gives peace to the mind and heart. Eternal life is a lifetime of fellowship with God both on earth and in heaven. Eternal life is the same kind of life that God possesses. Therefore, God is willing to share His eternal life with us.

We should note the present tense of “believe” suggests having a belief. This thinking differs from the non-Christian who does not possess ongoing trust in the Anointed One. Non-believers do not have and hold eternal life. Also, the word “in” involves motion towards and rest upon. We repose on the “name of the Son of God.”  “Name” stands for the person’s reputation. Our security is in a divine person for salvation. We trust in the unique person of the Son of God, Jesus the Anointed One, as God. Therefore, the name “Son of God” refers to the unique divinity of Jesus, the Anointed One, that makes eternal life possible. Confidence comes from trust in God’s Word and promises. 

Assurance of eternal life is not a presumption that doubts God’s promises. God makes it plain that we may know that we have eternal life, not that we might have it someday.  Physical life is not eternal life because we can lose it. But eternal life is unlike physical life because we cannot lose it. Eternal life is forever. Our feelings have nothing to do with whether we are truly born again; it is a matter of accepting God’s Word at face value. It is who says it that counts. It makes a tremendous difference who says what. If we receive a letter from a friend, we accept what they say at face value because it comes from a friend. We have no reason to suspect that they would deceive us.

On the other hand, we may receive a business letter from a company with whom we do business. We may wonder whether their proposal is valid. They may overstate, exaggerate, or downright lie to get our business, the economy being what it is in some cases. However, if we receive a communication from the Prime Minister of Canada, you would accept at face value what he said because of who he is.[15] John closes his Gospel by saying that Jesus did many other things. If they were all written in books, I don’t suppose there would be room enough in the whole world for all the books.”[16]

At this juncture, let’s summarize what we’ve learned so far. First, all who believe that Jesus is the Anointed One (v. 1), the Son of God (v.5), are themselves, children of God, to be loved as is their heavenly Father (v.). In fact, this reciprocal love is the Gather’s unburdensome command (v.3), originating from the Christian faith that has conquered the world (vv. 4-5).

Faith is belief in Jesus the Anointed One, who came in incarnated for His human ministry stretching from baptism to death, and testified to by the Spirit (v. 6). Not only does the Spirit give witness, but so do baptism and communion (v. 8). These church sacraments signify the Anointed One’s presence and the eternal life He brings (vv. 11-12). Spirit, Water, and Blood are part of God’s testimony. To deny them is to reject God’s witness and to affirm that He was lying. (v. 10). And, indeed, the purpose of this whole epistle is to help all to realize that they possess eternal life – if, that is, they believe in God’s Son (v. 13)

COMMENTARY AND HOMILETICS

This verse has comments, interpretations, and insights of the Early Church Fathers, Medieval Thinkers, Reformation Theologians, Revivalist Teachers, Reformed Scholars, and Modern Commentators.

Oecumenius (500-600 AD) notes that the Apostle John says that he has written to those who are inheritors of eternal life, for such things would never be written to people who are not. After all, it is not right to give holy things to dogs or to scatter pearls before swine.[17]

With a studious monk’s spiritual insight, Bede the Venerable (672-735 AD) believes that the Apostle John wrote these things so that those who believe in the Anointed One will be reassured about their future blessedness. They will not be led astray by the deception of those who say that Jesus was not the Son of God and therefore has nothing to offer to those who have believed in Him.[18]

William Tyndale (1494-1536) believes that to share the faith the Apostles had of the Anointed One is to know they have eternal life. For the Spirit testifies to their spirits that they are the sons of God[19] and received under grace. Some Doctors of Theology say we cannot know whether we are in a state of grace; therefore, we don’t have the Apostles’ faith. And that they know it is not the cause why they object to it.[20]

John Calvin (1509-1564) states that there ought to be daily progress in faith, so he says that he wrote to those who had already believed so that they might trust more firmly and with greater certainty, and thus enjoy fuller confidence as to eternal life. So then, the use of doctrine is not only to initiate the ignorant in the knowledge of the Anointed One but also to confirm those more and more who have been already taught. It, therefore, must be diligent in learning that our faith may increase throughout our lives. For there are still many remnants of unbelief, and so weak is our belief that what we believe is not yet accepted unless there be a fuller confirmation.

But we ought to observe how to confirm faith, even after having the office and power of the Anointed One explained to us. For the Apostle John says that he wrote these things, that is, that eternal life is to be sought nowhere else but in the Anointed One, so that they who were believers already might mature, that is, make progress in believing. Therefore, godly teachers must confirm disciples in the faith, to praise as much as possible the grace of the Anointed One so that being satisfied with that, we may seek nothing else. The Apostle further teaches in this passage that the Anointed One is the main object of our faith, and our faith in His name has annexed the hope of salvation. In this case, believing is that we become God’s children and heirs.[21]

James Arminius (1560-1609) notes that according to the actions required of believers, we distinguish that faith,[22] adds hope, and relates to morals. Hope is offered as an object to be believed in and morals as the work to be performed.[23] [24]

John Cotton (1585-1652) feels that among the help and benefits the Apostle’s writings afforded the Church were (1) Teaching,[25] (2) Putting them in remembrance,[26] (3) Stirring them up to practice what they knew. [27] (4) To the humble the spirits that were puffed up.[28] (5) That they might be strengthened in their faith.[29] (6) That their hearts were filled with joy.[30] (7) These writings have the foundation of faith that all Christians have accessed the subject matter of all the preaching of the ministers, for, by them, the people of God are fully furnished and made perfect to every good work.[31] [32]

As a firm spiritual disciplinarian, John Owen (1616-1683) argues that testimonies confirming that wherever faith towards our Lord Jesus the Anointed One is necessary, it is still believing “in Him,” or “on His name,” according to our faith in God is everywhere expressed. Nothing more is intended than that belief in any doctrines revealed by His Apostles oblige us to believe in them or their reputation. For instance, we are urged to consider the doctrine of the Apostle Paul, the revelations made by him, and the danger of our eternal welfare by not believing in them, yet we are to believe in Paul. It is something Paul utterly detested.[33] The reader may consult, among others, John,[34] Paul,[35] and Peter.[36]

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[1] John 1:12

[2] Ibid. 2:23

[3] Ibid. 3:18

[4] Acts of the Apostles 3:16

[5] Ibid. 4:12

[6] 1 Timothy 1:15

[7] Mark 14:36

[8] Abba, Aramaic for “papa”

[9] Patēr, Greek for “father”

[10] Cf. Romans 8:15,Galatians 4:6

[11] Romans 8:15-17

[12] Daniel 7:14

[13] See John 1:12; 6:35; 6:47; 9:24; 11:25-26

[14] Cf. Romans 6:23; Acts of the Apostles 13:38-39; 16:30-31; Romans 4:5; Galatians 3:22

[15] John 20:30-31

[16] Ibid. 21:25; cf. 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 1:2; 1 John 1:4

[17] Oecumenius, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Gerald Bray, ed., op cit., Vol. XI, p. 225

[18] Bede the Venerable, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Gerald Bray, ed., op cit., Vol. XI, p. 225

[19] Romans 8:16

[20] Tyndale, William: Expositions of Scripture, 1 John 5, op. cit., p. 211

[21] Calvin, John: Commentary on Catholic Epistles, 1 John, op. cit., loc. cit.

[22] 1 John 5:13

[23] Matthew 9:13; 21:22, 23; Mark 1:15; Luke 24:27

[24] Arminius, James: The Works of James Arminius, Vol. 1, op. cit., p. 374

[25] 2 Thessalonians 2:2

[26] 2 Peter 1:22-23

[27] Ibid. 1:1-4

[28] 2 Corinthians 12:7, 8

[29] 1 John 5:13

[30] Ibid. 1:4

[31] 2 Timothy 4:16-17

[32] Cotton, John: Exposition of First John, op. cit., p. 612

[33] 1 Corinthians 1:13, 15

[34] John 1:12; 3:16, 18, 36; 6:29, 35, 41; 7:38, 39; 1 John 5:10, 13

[35] Acts of the Apostles 14:23; 16:31; 19:4; 24:24; 26”18; Romans 3:26; 9:33; 10:11

[36] 1 Peter 2:6

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXXI) 03/06/23

^5:12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Conversely, those who reject Jesus as God’s Son have already excluded themselves from being the recipients of the life that would testify to His being who He said He is. The division between those who do and those who do not share God’s eternal life is that this divine life does not lie in the future but is established in the present. When seen from the outside, this relentless self-fulfilling logic might offer little opportunity to those approaching from an agnostic or unbelieving perspective and little incentive to believe witnesses. It is the position from which John argues, but for the most part, because he intends to reinforce the allegiance of those to whom he writes and to make clear the stark consequences of withdrawing.[1]

As an international speaker on Puritan theology, Joel Beeke (1952) comments on God’s testimony about His Son, Jesus the Anointed One. The Apostle John has declared Jesus as God’s Son since chapter three.[2] Would not his testimony and those of other apostles be enough? After all, every courtroom has seating for witnesses to testify to what they saw, heard, and felt. While human testimonies are essential, in Jesus’ case, John wanted something higher and more trustworthy. So in verse eight, he tells of choosing three earthly providers of evidence with impeccable credentials ‒ the Spirit, Water, and Blood. However, some early church scribe felt John’s choices needed some help. So, in verse seven, he added three heavenly observers ‒ the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.

It is also noteworthy that John did not call God to the witness stand, for He already gave His testimony.[3] The English word witness translates the Greek verb martyreō, used nine times in this epistle.[4] It means someone who remembers or has knowledge of something through personal experience. The Greek verb martyreō and the noun martyria also describe those who give testimony in legal matters.[5] In this context, the legal issue is one of justification and validating something as being legitimate.

Vincent Cheung (1952) argues that the study of theology is an essential human activity. However, because of their laziness and ungodliness, many prefer to consult sources forbidden by God. An involvement with occult practices is an adequate reason for ex-communication; negligence in church discipline only allows these abominations to foster and spread. The sufficiency of the Anointed One implies His exclusivity. This means that Jesus the Anointed One is the only way to redemption, and Christianity is the only true religion to bring salvation.[6]

Emphasizing the Apostle John’s call to Christian fellowship, Gary M. Burge (1952) notes that the testimony of the Father has to do with life, eternal life. Since life comes to us through the death of the Son, to deny “the blood,” to deny an incarnation that embraces the cross, to deny the salvific, substitutionary work of Jesus on Calvary, puts our own salvation in jeopardy. Thus, disbelieving the right testimonies has severe consequences. Claiming a divine enlightenment that neglects the Son is eternally perilous. [7]

A scholar who truly inspires Christian missionaries, Daniel L. Akin (1957) identifies eternal Life as a God-quality, God-like life with a particular character or essence as well as a never-ending duration. Having Jesus, the Son of God, equals having eternal life. This is God’s testimony. This is God’s gift. This life is in His Son and not found in anyone else.[8] In fact, to have the Son is to have eternal life. To not have the Son of God means you do not have spiritual life. Having the Son of God equals life. Not having the Son of God equals spiritual death. To not have the Son means you are a walking, talking mummy. You are a lifeless, spiritual corpse in a physical body.[9]

With a classical thinking approach to understanding the scriptures, Bruce G. Schuchard (1958) notes that this final saying details again a balance of oppositions that characterizes oral transmission, helping with the dual principle at the beginning of this chapter. There are two references to “the one who” and two to “everyone who,” which is the framework for the passage’s message. First, the one who has the Son has life. Again. John expresses his thinking first positively, then negatively.[10] The finality with which John articulates himself is doubly emphatic as he defines the risks and consequences of abiding in or departing from the fellowship of the Anointed One and His church. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. The third and final reference to Jesus as “the Son of God”[11] affirms the passage’s predominant interest and indicates John’s continuing intention “to reinforce the allegiance of those to whom he writes and to make clear the stark consequences of withdrawing.”[12]

Great expositional teacher David Guzik (1961) identifies the Apostle John’s statement that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son as God’s message to mankind ‒ eternal life is a gift from God, received in Jesus the Anointed One. Therefore, those who have God’s Son have “the Life;” those who don’t have God’s Son do not have “the Life,” which is spiritual and eternal. It is all being in union with Jesus, who is eternal life.[13]

An expert in highlighting the crucial part of a biblical message, Marianne Meye Thompson (1964) summarizes that this passage presents the content of the confession about Jesus the Anointed One that believers have and hold. But it also explicitly and implicitly suggests how we know the truth. In the final analysis, the truth is known by individuals because God’s Spirit guides them into understanding and accepting it.[14] But appeals to inspiration are always dangerous because they are so subjective. If sometimes the Spirit speaks what seems to be a fresh or new word, then the truth of the testimony ought to be measured against the witness guarded by dependable and faithful individuals and assemblies and against the witness of Scripture itself. The Spirit who guided original witnesses of events and inspired their interpretation does not speak a contrary word to the Church today.[15]

As a lover of God’s Word, Peter Pett (1966) makes it plain that this spiritual life is not available to false teachers who deny Jesus’ divine Sonship. They reject God’s full testimony concerning His Son. They make Him a liar. For them, there is no means of conciliation. For them, there is no life, for they are liars who preach lies. They believe the Apostle Paul’s warning about “the lie.”[16] God’s testimony to His Son lies in the fact that He demonstrated His lifegiving power by raising Him from the dead as the Son by the Holy Spirit and enabling Him thereby to give life to those who believed in Him. And those who do believe in Him receive life. This life-giving power is in God’s Son so that those who are in union with the Son have life and those who are not in communion with Him have no life.[17]

In his unorthodox Unitarian way, Duncan Heaster (1967) feels that the Apostle John takes great pain to stress that the gift of life is the life of God’s Son. Hence the Greek reads literally “the life” – the life of Jesus. There can be no legitimate spiritual life or spirituality outside of Him. And John writes this against the background of the Judaist infiltrators arguing that there was spiritual life to be had from legalistic obedience, even if they deny the Lord’s Divine Sonship. The Lord Jesus and His life are intimately connected; “The Son has life in Himself.”[18] To have Him is to have His life. And to “have” the Son is to “have” the Father.[19] [20]

Bright seminarian Karen H. Jobes (1958) says the Apostle John’s statement in verse twelve summarizes what he has been discussing since chapter four, verse one. He points out that not all “truth” is God’s truth, but only that which is of the Spirit in accord with the significance of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The expression in verse twelve, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” is similar to John’s earlier statement, “Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”[21] This phrase is another way of saying that Jesus the Anointed One is the only way to God,[22] a thought that was just as upsetting to ancient society as it is to many people today.[23]

As a skilled sermonizer, David Legge (1969) reminds us that in the Apostle John’s epistles, we discovered that the Gospel’s goal was not to present a generalized understanding of Jesus the Anointed One’s incarnation. It was also to have a personal embodiment of the Anointed One’s spiritual and eternal life in every believer.

Therefore, rather than our knowledge of the Scriptures and our study of it enhancing everything in our lives as a witness of Jesus, the Anointed One, it is worth more than a thousand powerful rhetorical practical, godly arguments! A good example is a language, and a view everybody understands, from the youngest innocent child to the oldest and wisest adult. Someone put it like this: “Well done” is always better than “Well-intentioned.” We say a lot of things, don’t we? But precept may lead a person, instruct a person, command a person, order a person ‒ but only example draws a person.[24]

Douglas Sean O’Donnell (1972) believes that the Apostle John feels Jesus is a theological exclusivist ‒ by thinking Jesus is the only way to God.[25] Here and elsewhere,[26] John joins Jesus in his superiority. Based on the Trinity’s testimony, he believes that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Thus, he states quite emphatically that if you do not accept God’s testimony about Jesus, then not only do you make him out to be “a liar.”[27] but you also do “not have life ‒ both now and forevermore. Right thinking about Jesus is a matter of life and death. Our faith in faith, or our faith in our homemade personal Jesus, will not save us from our sin and the wrath to come. Only faith in the water and the blood will. We can “grumble that God didn’t provide an assortment of salvation options.” We can construct “a god figure toward whom all religions are striving by their various means ‒ and who regard all religious beliefs as equally valid,” or we can humble ourselves before the true and living God and, in gratitude, accept the one sure way of salvation. We can get a life! We can believe and receive God’s gift. We can know that we are saved.[28]

^5:13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.

EXPOSITION

Here the Apostle John repeats what he said in his Gospel, “These are in writing so that you may continue to believe.”[29] Even the Apostle Peter added, “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. So stand firm in this grace.”[30] So when we read, “All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. So, using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and have everything they need to do every good work,”[31] it should encourage us to read what they wrote, especially if they added their names to it.

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[1] Lieu, Judith: A New Testament Library, I, II, & III John, op. cit., pp. 219-220

[2] 1 John 3:8; cf. 4:15; 5:5, 10, 12, 13, 20

[3] Ibid. 5:9

[4] Ibid. 5:6, 7, 8, 9^x3, 10^x2 (martyria), 11 (martyria)

[5] Beeke Joel, The Epistles of John, Ch. 20, op. cit., pp. 191-201

[6] Cheung, Vincent. Systematic Theology, 1 John 5:12, Kindle Edition

[7] Burge, Gary M., The Letters of John (The NIV Application Commentary), op. cit., p 205

[8] John 14:6

[9] Akin, Dr. Daniel L., Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (the Anointed One-Centered Exposition Commentary), op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Edition

[10] 1 John 5:12b

[11] Ibid. 5:5, 10a

[12] Schuchard, Bruce G., Concordia Commentary, 1-3 John, op. cit., pp. 543

[13] Guzik, David: Enduring Word, 1,2, & 3 John & Jude, op. cit., pp. 96

[14] Cf. John 14:26; 16:13

[15] Thompson, Marianne Meye, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, 1-3 John, op. cit., p. 138

[16] 2 Thessalonians 2:11

[17] Pett, Peter: Commentary on the Bible, 1 John, op. cit., loc. cit.

[18] John 5:26

[19] 2 John 1:9

[20] Heaster, Duncan. New European Christadelphian Commentary: op. cit., The Letters of John, p. 77

[21] 1 John 2:23

[22] Cf. John 14:6

[23] Jobes, Karen H., 1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament Series Book 18), op. cit., p. 225

[24] Legge, David: Preach the Word, 1 John, Sermon 23

[25] John 5:39-40; 6:40; 14:6

[26] Ibid. 3:36

[27] 1 John 5:10

[28] O’Donnell, Douglas Sean. 1–3 John (Reformed Expository Commentaries), op. cit., op. cit., Kindle Edition

[29] John 20:31; cf. 21:24

[30] 1 Peter 5:12

[31] 2 Timothy 3:16-17

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXX 03/03/23

^5:12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

As a persuasive preacher and teacher, Wendall C. Hawley (1930) points out that humans do not have eternal life in themselves; they receive it from God’s Son. The Anointed One did not receive eternal life from any external source. He is “the life,” a uniquely divine characteristic unshared by any other creature. Those who have the Son of God living in them have eternal life, not life someday, not life later, not conditional life, but now.[1]

Brilliant New Testament Bible professor Simon J. Kistemaker (1930-2017) observes that we meet numerous people who advise us on what we should know, do, or need. Much of this informative advice we take for granted and even ignore. Intellectually we may accept advice, but it does not become part of us until fully convinced of its validity. We generally heed guidance concerning our physical well-being because it concerns the quality of our life. For example, someone informs us that the weather outside is cold and windy. However, we will not know how chilly it is until we have stepped outdoors to feel the temperature and experience the chill factor. We know then if our clothing is adequate to keep us physically comfortable.

When John says that we believe God’s testimony about His Son, we know this in our hearts. That testimony becomes part of us because of our relationship with Jesus. We experience His nearness, help, and love because we fellowship with Him and the Father. Accordingly, we can testify that God’s testimony is in our hearts.[2]

A firm believer in God’s grace, Zane Clark Hodges (1932-2008), says that before specifying the content of God’s testimony,[3] John paused parenthetically to remark that accepting this testimony internalizes it for the one who believes. Each believer has God’s truth in their heart. By contrast, anyone who disbelieves God makes Him out to be a liar.[4] For John, there was no middle ground, no suspension of opinion. One either believes or doubts God’s truthfulness.

Having said this, John returned to the content of the testimony, which is that God has given us eternal life[5] , and this life is in His Son. In light of John’s statement, God’s testimony seems directed against a claim by some antichrists that John’s readers did not have eternal life through God’s Son. But God has directly affirmed that eternal life is what He has given in His Son. To deny this is to call Him a liar.[6]

Inspired by Jesus’ words, “go into all the world,” Edward J. Malatesta (1932-1998) contemplates the fullness of life in Jesus, the eternal Son of God the Father, to better understand the Father’s witness provided for us in Jesus about the life that He has given to us in and through His Son. The criterion of our accepting the Father’s witness is our belief in God’s Son. If we receive Jesus, we welcome the Father; we say “Yes” to the Father’s work in Jesus, the Father’s revelation of Himself, and the Father’s gift of eternal life to us in Jesus.^[7]

As a seasoned essayist on the Apostle John’s writings, John Painter (1935) emphasizes that saying God revealed eternal life in His Son is to say that He reveals the nature of the divine life. It also includes the means of transmission from God to believers. That supports John’s claim the one who has the Father possesses His Son. Therefore, having God’s Son means believing in Him as the revealer and giver of “the life” made known to us by His Father.[8]

A dominating theme of 1 John is the characterization of our God-given life in terms of love. This truth was the great theme[9] that spills over into much of John’s first epistle. Because the eternal life that was with the Father is in His Son, to have the Son is to have life. The description of “the one who has the Son” is an alternative to “the one who believes.” It also serves as the Christological confession in verses one, five, and six, which is an alternative to other statements by John.[10] These are the things that separate the Johannine believers from their Gnostic opponents.

The lines of division between them are deeply etched. The line that separates the two groups is the confession of the true faith, the proper Christological confession. On these hang eternal life because the very nature of eternal life in the self-giving love of God is inseparably bound to that confession. Break the tie between God’s life and the human self-giving of Jesus, and eternal life has vanished.[11]

Expositor and systematic theologist Michael Eaton (1942-2017) John wants to put this as sharply as possible. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. It is a simple either/or matter. The experience of eternal life is a question of having God’s Son or not. At this point, the entire human race divides into two groups. Eternal life is in Jesus alone. If you do not have Jesus, you do not have any spiritual liveliness toward God. Without Jesus, there is no hope of heaven or glory beyond the grave. But we do not have to wait until after the burial to get it! Anyone who has Jesus has this eternal life already. It is a foretaste of heaven. The energy of heaven, the praise of heaven, and the joy of God’s presence characterize heaven. We have it now if we have Jesus. Therefore, the way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until high noon.[12] [13]

After scrutinizing the Apostle John’s subject theme, William Loader (1944) shares an alternative translation that reads: “And this is the witness that God has given us eternal life” and “I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now.” But this is not the only evidence of whether we have eternal life, but also that there is a witness in us. The witness in us is the quality of eternal life, which is the life found alone in the Anointed One.

What John says here conforms with the emphasis of Jesus being “the life” throughout the epistle. When we have the life which the Anointed One brings, that is the evidence we can rest upon that we have genuinely understood Him and grasped what He offers to those who possess “the life” in God’s Son. Thus, John ends this section[14] and the primary body of the epistle with a solid affirmative and an equally strong negative: he who does not possess the Son does not have eternal life. We should not miss, however, the overwhelmingly positive nature of John’s attitude toward the Gospel. It is not primarily about escape from evil or even forgiveness of sins. It is about life.[15]

Great Commission practitioner David Jackman (1945) sees Christians on one side recognizing the Anointed One’s authority and submission to His will. On the other side, the Lord Jesus lovingly accepts the sinner, calling them His and binding Himself to His people through unbreakable covenant promises. It is the quality of commitment a bride and groom affirm to one another as they give and receive rings in their marriage service, saying, “All that 1 am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you.” The Lord will never break covenant vows. He draws us to trust Him before we ever confess faith in Him. As He brings us into this living union through faith, we receive the life of the Eternal One here and now. If the Son has this life, then whoever has God’s Son has life. And those who have Him know Him to be God’s Son. Our relationship with Him depends on the future destiny of every one of us.[16]

After studying the context surrounding this verse, John W. (Jack) Carter (1947) observes the Apostle John standing against worldly heretics and critics, making the case from his experience, from the shared experience of the Apostles and disciples, and their collective experience in a relationship with God.  His position agrees with the words of Jesus the Anointed One, with the testimonies of the saints, and with the entire content and context of the Word of God:  salvation is found only through Jesus the Anointed One, God’s Son. The life to which John refers is a proclamation of eternal life in heaven with the LORD that begins now. They are overcomers because the One they trust has already overcome the world, bringing the richness of His blessings in this world and the kingdom to come.[17]

A man who loves sharing God’s Word, Robert W. Yarbrough (1948) notes that verse twelve aptly concludes this section by explaining why John has been focused so intently on the Anointed One since verse six. In a word, to “have the Son” ‒ or in the words of verse ten, “to believe in Him” ‒ is to have the benefit of the eternal life mentioned in verse eleven. On the other hand, not having Him, or not giving Him a hearing and thereby coming to faith in Him,[18] is to forfeit that same life. And then, John sets before his readers the factors of eternal blessedness on the one hand and eternal damnation and punishment[19] on the other. Life or death: the reader can choose.[20]

After a microscopic examination of the text, Philip W. Comfort (1950) concludes that those who do not believe that Jesus is God’s Son should realize that by rejecting what God has so plainly told us, they are calling God a liar.[21] This has two aspects: refusing to believe what God has said about His Son and, consequently, refusing to accept the Anointed One who, because He is God’s Son, is the only one who can save people. What better reason can we have for believing something than that God says it is true! Those who believe receive the greatest gift from God: eternal life. This is not something we have to wait to get. We have eternal life now; we possess a new nature and enjoy fellowship with God. Therefore, a believer need not be uncertain about whether he or she has eternal life. Those who have eternal life now (as a present reality and experience) are assured of everlasting life in the future. [22]

Skilled in Dead Sea Scroll interpretation and New Testament writings, Colin G. Kruse (1950) allows that because God’s gift of eternal life is given “in His Son,” it follows that those who have the Son have everlasting life. What it means to “have the Son” is closely related to believing in the Son, as verse thirteen indicates. Faith in God’s Son is closely connected with accepting God’s proclamation. But the question remains: Is the expression “having the Son” a synonym for “believing in the Son?” Or does “having” the Son involve something more than this? We get some help from the “abiding” language of John’s Gospel.[23] Because it relates to believers abiding in the Anointed One, it denotes continuing loyalty and obedience to the Anointed One, but it is not exhausted by this. There is a spiritual dimension to it as well. So, when it comes to the Anointed One abiding in believers, it has supernatural significance.[24]

Believing that Christians can fall away from the faith, Ben Witherington III (1951) observes the Apostle John’s dualistic contrast, which, as we have noted, is typical of this author: those who have the Son have life, those who do not, do not-or as C. H. Dodd, known best for promoting “realized eschatology,”^[25] starkly puts it, those who do not have the Son are spiritually dead. This fact is a little different from what we find in John’s Gospel,[26] which clarifies that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father of all life except through the Spirit. We should not miss, however, the overwhelmingly positive nature of John’s attitude toward the Gospel. It is not primarily about escape from evil or even forgiveness of sins. It is about life. This is the life of which Jesus spoke of.[27]

Speaking before his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius of Antioch later would say that Jesus is “without prejudice our life”[28] and “the true life of ours.”[29] So then, in verse twenty, the Apostle John goes on to say in fact that Jesus is eternal life. With our author, as is characteristic of ceremonial rhetoric, we are constantly dealing with opposites: the opposite of truth is the lie; the opposite of light is darkness; the opposite of love is not indifference, difference, but rather hate; the opposite of life is, indeed, death.[30] With her crafted spiritual insight, Judith Lieu (1951) explains that there is a circle: life (in its true God-given sense as eternal life) made available through God’s Son and what He achieved. Therefore, experienced only by those who acknowledge God’s Son in the specific story told about Him ‒ the story of Jesus. God’s Son can be noted with confidence because He has given Him the ultimate testimony. Yet, testimony embodied in the reception and experience of eternal life is a last resort.

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[1] Hawley, Wendall C., Tyndale Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, 1-3 John, op. cit., p. 369

[2] Kistemaker, Simon J., New Testament Commentary, James and I-III John op. cit., pp. 358-359

[3] See 1 John 5:11-12

[4] Cf. Ibid. 1:19

[5] Cf. 5:13, 20

[6] Hodges, Zane C. John F. Walvoord, and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, op. cit., vol. 2, pp. 901-902

[7] Malatesta, Edward J., Interiority and the Faith, which is in the Root of Love, 1 John 5, op. cit., p. 315

[8] 1 John 1:2

[9] Ibid. 4:7-12

[10] Ibid. 2:22-23; 4:2-3,15

[11] Painter, John. Sacra Pagina: 1, 2, and 3 John: Volume 18, op. cit., Kindle Edition

[12] Cf. Proverbs 4:18 – New Living Translation

[13] Eaton, Michael: Focus on the Bible, 1,2,3 John, op. cit., pp. 188-189

[14] 1 John 4:1-5:12

[15] Loader, William: The First Epistle of John, The Witness of the Spirit, op. cit., pp. 70-71

[16] Jackman, David: The Message of John’s Letters, op. cit., p. 156

[17] Carter, Dr. John W. (Jack). 1,2,3, John & Jude: (The Disciple’s Bible Commentary Book 48), op. cit. pp. 126-127

[18] Cf. 1 John 5:10

[19] Cf. John 3:36

[20] Yarbrough, Robert W., 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), op. cit., p. 291

[21] 1 John 5:10

[22] Comfort, Philip W., Tyndale Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, 1-3 John, op. cit., p. 371

[23] John 6:56; 14:23; 15:4-7

[24] Kruse, Colin G., The Letters of John (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC), op. cit., loc. cit., Kindle Edition.

[25] “Realized Eschatology” holds that the eschatological passages in the New Testament do not refer to the future but to the ministry of Jesus and His lasting legacy.

[26] John 14:6

[27] Ibid. 20:10

[28] Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians, Chapter 3:13

[29] Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Verse 4

[30] Witherington III, Ben: Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Titus, 1-2 Timothy and 1-3 John, Letters, and Homilies for Hellenized Christians Series, Kindle Locations 7412-7419

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXIX) 03/02/23

^5:12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

We may also say that eternal life, the divine existence, is the “energy core” of our Christian faith. This eternal life is God’s Son, who embodies the Triune God moving and working within us as an anointing. This anointing is from the energy of eternal life. Eternal life is not a thing; it is a Person. Now, this person abides in us to anoint us with Himself, with eternal life and the essence of this life. Therefore, when eternal life unites us, it joins us with the Triune God. This gives us the basis and the means to live a life that practices the divine righteousness, divine love, and overcomes the world, death, sin, the Devil, and idols.

Chinese philosopher Confucius taught that the highest learning was cultivating and developing the “illustrious virtue.”[1] However, through continuous anointing, we will progressively develop the nature and attitude of the Triune God through His abiding Spirit, making us think and act the same as He. Then we will live a life full of righteousness and love that spontaneously overcomes worldliness, death, sin, the devil, and idols. We do not need to try to live such a life alone. As long as we dwell in the gift of eternal life, we will spontaneously practice righteousness and love and simultaneously overcome all negative things.[2]

With his finely tuned spiritual mind, Ronald Ralph Williams (1906-1970) explains that although there are nine verses yet to examine, verse twelve is the end of the letter. True life is found only in God’s Son through faith and fellowship with Jesus the Anointed One. As God’s only begotten Son, He opens the way to fellowship with the Father. Thus, verses six to eight, with their vague reference to “water” and “blood,” may seem to move in a sphere more extensive than ours. But in the end, the message is expressed in simple, timeless language. It is as valid today as it ever was that “the life,” true life, eternal life, is to be found from one source alone, from Jesus according to God’s Word. That Word must be preached and heard even where the name of Jesus is unknown or rejected. They should be able to listen to the Gospel fully, clearly, and decisively of Jesus the Anointed One, of the historical Jesus, His words, and deeds, and in the living the Anointed One, active in and through His Church throughout the world.[3]

As a liberal evangelical specialist, William Barclay (1907-1978) agrees with the Apostle John’s assessment that such a life comes through Jesus the Anointed One and from no other source. Why should that be? If “the life” is God’s life, it means that we can possess that life only when we know God and are enabled to approach Him and operate in Him. We can do these two things only by having Jesus the Anointed One in us. The Son alone thoroughly knows the Father; therefore, only He can fully reveal to us what God is like.

John said in his Gospel, “No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is divine Himself and is very close to the Father.”[4] And Jesus Christ alone can bring us to God; It is in Him that the new and living way into the presence of God becomes open to us.[5] Again, we may take a simple analogy. If we wish to meet someone we do not know and who moves in a completely different circle than we do, we can achieve that meeting only by finding someone who knows that person and is willing to introduce us. That is what Jesus does for us regarding God. Eternal life is God’s life, and we can find that life only through Jesus the Anointed One. [6]

A very down-to-earth Bible commentator and writer, William Neal (1909-1979), a retired Baptist minister who served as a campus minister and journalist takes what the Apostle John says here as God’s Word to us. Our experience confirms it, though we may choose to reject it. In short, it comes to this: God has given us the possibility of life in the fullest sense through His Son, Jesus the Anointed One. Without Him, we are nothing and have nothing.[7] [8]

As a significant scriptural expositor, Rudolf Schnackenburg (1914-2002) mentions that in Jesus, the age that is to come and its kingdom, arrives. Therefore, in Jesus “the life” of the age to come is “received and enjoyed now” by all who trust in Him. So, in verse twelve, the first of three consecutive, concluding citations to “life” marks further with those that follow as a fitting end to this final passage of the Epistle’s main body of work.

So, now the Apostle John we have the final doctrine details as a balance of oppositions that characterizes verbal teaching, helping with the dual precept at the beginning of subunit three.[9] Its two references to “the one who” help also with the two references to “everyone who” with which the passage begins,[10] framing the passage.

Thus follows John expressing thinking. First positively in verse twelve (a), then negatively verse twelve (b). Then with the finality with which John speaks makes his message doubly emphatic, as again he defines the stakes, the consequences, of abiding in or departing from the fellowship of the Anointed One and His Church. [11]

A conscientious objector and prisoner of war acquainted with grief, Bible scholar Daniel C. Snaddon (1915-2009) decrees that the evidence of this verse is inevitable. “The person that has God’s Son has life.” “Those who do not have God’s Son, are spiritually lifeless.” The teaching is unmistakable. Eternal life is not found in education, philosophy, science, religion, or church. To have eternal life one must have the Son of God. Eternal life is inseparable from Jesus the Anointed One who is “the Life.”[12]

As a dedicated researcher on the Apostle Paul’s journeys and Bible expositor, Donald W. Burdick (1917-1996) sees the Apostle John’s point in verses ten to twelve that the internal possession of eternal life is a witness of God concerning His Son. It is, in fact, God’s testimony that Jesus is His Son. The apostle’s reasoning seems to be that the person with eternal life can know that they have it. They know this because God’s Spirit “bears witness with their spirit, that they are God’s children.”[13] Put another way, believers know they have eternal life because they are experiencing fellowship with God. Furthermore, Christians also know that they entered this life experience by trusting in Jesus the Anointed One. Thus, the fact that the Anointed One brought eternal life is a testimony that Jesus is, in reality, God’s Son.[14]

As a spiritual mentor, Ronald A. Ward (1920-1986) notices that the Apostle John offers a straightforward formula: “To have the God’s Son is to have eternal life, not to have God’s Son is not to have eternal life.”

Some sixty years ago while Blaise Pascal’s work, I was struck by one paragraph that read:

“What, then, do this avidity and impotence make known to us, if not that there was once in man a true happiness, of which there now remains to him only the mark and the empty mold, which he tries in vain to fill from all that which surrounds him, seeking in absent things the succor which he does not find in present things, which are all incapable of it, because the infinite gulf can be filled only by a being infinite and immutable, that is to say, by God Himself?”[15]

This is very close to what John is saying here about a God-shaped vacuum in our souls that only God’s Son can fill with eternal life. Unfortunately, the world has used this exclusive creed to accuse Christianity of intolerance. Believers affirm this teaching not on the principle of being exclusive but for God’s glory. This statement of faith is a sacred test for all professing Christians and a warning against all claims that “we are the only true church.” Eternal life is more than a person’s future well-being; it is the eternal security of a person’s soul. Not only that but note that it is a present possession.[16] [17]

As a previous doubter but now a defender of personal salvation, John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) notes that the Apostle John passes on from the unbeliever and summarizes the blessing granted to the believer. First, they receive and respond to God’s testimony, which is the same expression as that in the middle of verse nine, which the NIV translates as “it is the testimony [of God].” There it looks back to the water, the blood, and the Spirit. However, here it seems to include also the ‘further’ testimony which, according to verse ten, believers receive ‘in their hearts.’ This truth becomes plainer when we consider how John describes the testimony, namely that it is God-given (RSV, rightly, ‘gave’) us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. To what event does this gift of life refer? Some commentators refer it to the historical career of Jesus,[18] and others to our conversion, at which we appropriated, or received, “the life” of the Anointed One.[19]

Perhaps both are true and part of God’s historical and experimental testimony concerning His Son. Historically, God’s testimony concerning Jesus is not only that He is the divine-human Anointed One but also the life-giver, the world’s Savior.[20] Not only is He God’s Son, but that in Him is “the life.” As such, eternal life is emphatic in the sentence, such as the testimony that it is eternal life which God gave us by giving His Son. But the object of the testimony is not only the Anointed One as the life-giver but subjective in the gift of life itself. Eternal life is a gift that God gives to those who believe in His Son, and the reward of “the life,” the experience of fellowship with God through the Anointed One, which is eternal life,[21] God’s final testimony to His Son.

John previously wrote: “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has this testimony in their heart.”[22] He now puts the same truth in these words: “He who has the Son.”[23] The alternative is clear and uncompromising because of its simple logic. Eternal life is in God’s Son and found nowhere else. It is as impossible to have life without the Anointed One as it is to have the Anointed One without having any spiritual life. It is because the Son is “the life.”[24] [25]

As a warrior against boring Bible preaching, John Phillips (1937-2010) notices the second thing that happens when receiving the biblical record is an internal revolution. The unregenerate person has a body, soul, and human spirit. But all is empty and without God. Consequently, the unregenerate person is spiritually dead, no matter how brilliant, loving, or decisive that person may be. Therefore, they “have no spiritual life.”

By contrast, the human spirit of a regenerated person has the indwelling of God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit of God and the Son of God. Therefore, that person “has life.” A person, then, is either indwelled by Christ‒or not. There is no middle ground, for God does not mince matters. [26]

Historical-critical method researcher, Catholic priest, and prominent Bible scholar Raymond Edward Brown (1928-1995) finds a comparison of the positive line in verses ten and twelve. It shows that believing in the Son is equivalent to being possessed by God’s Son. Similarly, having God’s testimony within oneself is the same as having spiritual and eternal life. A good parallel to the positive line in verse ten, “All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true,” is in John’s Gospel.[27]  As for the negative lines in verse ten, “Those who don’t believe this are calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about His Son,” they leave no room for ignorance or misconception.

It is sad to realize that the opposing line in verse twelve, “Whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life,” brings the main body of John’s epistle to an end. Although John described the rejection of God’s emissary as “one’s own,”[28] the goal was optimistic. You may believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, God’s Son and that you may possess life in His name.”[29]  But a decade has passed, and the Johannine Community that received the Gospel has not lived up to the evangelist’s hope. It has divided, and the majority has gone out into the world, so John ends his message with a dire warning, paradoxically echoing the Gospel of promise. The last line before the conclusion is a condemnation of former members who no longer possess God’s Son in their hearts and do not have faith or eternal life through His name.[30]

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[1] Confucius: The Great Learning, written around 500 BC

[2] Lee, Witness: Life-Study of 1, 2, 3, John, Jude, op. cit., Ch. 36

[3] Williams, R. R., The Letters of John and James, op. cit., p.58

[4] John 1:18

[5] Hebrews 10:19-23

[6] Barclay, William, The New Study Bible, The Letters of John and Jude, op. cit., pp128-129

[7] Read 1 John 5:6-12

[8] Neil, William: Harper’s Bible Commentary, op. cit., p. 530

[9] See 1 John 5:10a, 10b

[10] See 5:1a, 1b

[11] Schnackenburg, Rudolf: The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 543

[12] Snaddon, Daniel C., Plymouth Brethren Writings, 1 John, loc. cit.

[13] Romans 8:16

[14] Burdick, Donald W., Everyman’s Bible Commentary, the Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 90

[15] Pascal, Blaise: Les Pensées, The Peter Pauper Press, Mount Vernon, N.Y., 1901, p. 115

[16] Cf. John 10:28

[17] Ward, Ronald A., The Epistles on John and Jude, op. cit., p. 57

[18] Cf. 1 John 1:2; see John 10:10, 28; 17:2

[19] Cf. 1 John 3:14

[20] Ibid. 1 John 4:14

[21] Cf. John 17:3

[22] See 1 John 5:10

[23] Ibid. 1 John 2:23

[24] 1 John 1:2; John 11:25; 14:6

[25] Stott, John. The Letters of John (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries), op. cit., p. 183

[26] Phillips, John: Exploring the Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 173-174

[27] John 3:16

[28] Ibid. 1:11

[29] Ibid. 20:31

[30] Brown, Raymond E., The Anchor Bible, The Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 601-602

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXVIII) 03/01/23

^5:12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

A man who appreciates Jesus’ embodiment of the divine transforming emotion on how we live in this world, Robert Law (1860-1919) addresses the issue of Christian Belief. Verse eleven tells us that the core of God’s witness to Jesus the Anointed One being His Son is fundamentally this: He is the source of Eternal Life to mankind. In verse twelve, this Life is the present possession of all who spiritually possess Him; to be without Him is to be destitute of it. The end of the paragraph thus answers sublimely to its beginning. That which has eternal life in it must conquer and prevail over worldly living confined to transitory aims and objects.[1]

Thinking like a dispensationalist, Arno Clemens Gaebelein (1861-1941) declares the Apostle John’s words need no further detailed annotations. They are so plain and simple that only one willfully blind can misunderstand them. God’s witness concerns His Son. Believers in God’s Son have the witness in themselves, that is, by the indwelling Spirit by the salvation they possess, a new nature, and eternal life. Anyone who does not believe God’s witness concerning His Son has declared Him a liar. Think of it, the creature of the dust makes God, who cannot lie, a liar! This act is the most scandalous sin of all the world’s religions. Nevertheless, our record is that God has given us eternal life through His Son. Therefore, if we have the Son, we have eternal life; if we don’t have the Son, we don’t have eternal life.[2]

In reviewing what the Apostle John says in this verse, Archibald Thomas Robertson (1863-1934) concludes that the life God gave in verse eleven is our position in Jesus.[3] [4]

With characteristic fundamental thinking, Alan England Brooke (1861-1939) clarifies that this verse thoroughly explains the last clause of the preceding verse. It is probably of the nature of an appeal to the reader’s experience. Those who lived with the Anointed One on earth found that they gained from Him a new power that transformed their lives into a new and higher level of living. And the later generations had a similar experience to judge, though they had not accompanied Him during His life on earth. In this negative statement, two slight changes are significant: (1) The addition of “of God” to “the Son.” God is the source of life. The Son of God alone can give it to the person who cannot gain it from a source they cannot find. (2) The position of “having” placed before “has” thus becomes more emphatic. Whatever else people may have in the way of higher endowments; spiritual life is not within their grasp. In the positive statement, the emphasis is on the actual possession of “having.”  We have here another close parallel in John’s Gospel.[5] [6]

With an eye for detail, David Smith (1866-1932) points out that having the conjunction “not” with the participle “having” in verse twelve does not necessarily make the case hypothetical.[7] It was necessary because the Apostle John had too many instances of doctrinal controversy in those days.[8]

Without using complicated language, Albert Barnes (1798-1870) notes that the Apostle John plans to refer to the passage in verse twelve and state a principle laid down by the Savior. This quote by John is the sense of all the essential testimony that God ever provided on the subject of salvation: “He who believes in the Lord Jesus already has the elements of eternal life in their soul and will certainly obtain salvation.” On the other hand, those who do not have God’s Son will never see eternal life with God.[9] [10]

As a spiritually motivated methodical teacher, Louis Berkhof (1873-1957) affirms there are direct statements of Scripture that point to the universal sinfulness of mankind.[11] Several passages of Scripture teach that sin is the heritage of mankind from the time of birth and is therefore present in human nature so early that it cannot possibly be by imitation.[12] For example, the Apostle Paul says, “All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful tendencies. By nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”[13] The term “by nature” points to something inborn and original, in which all people participate, as distinguished from what is subsequently acquired, making them guilty before God.

Moreover, according to Scripture, death due to Adam’s original sin even visits those who have never exercised a personal and conscious choice to believe the Gospel.[14] This passage implies that sinful tendencies exist in infants before moral consciousness. Finally, Scripture also teaches that all under condemnation due to sin’s death penalty need redemption through the Anointed One Jesus. We do not find that children are made an exception to this rule in the preceding passages.[15] This is not contradicted by those passages which ascribe a certain righteousness to mankind,[16] for this may be either civil righteousness, ceremonial or covenant righteousness, the righteousness of the Law, or the righteousness, which is in the Anointed One, Jesus.[17]

A servant of God whose preaching was doctrinal, imaginative, quaint, and earnest, Robert Finlayson (1793-1861) writes that it is a life that, once begun, is eternal. It is life not promised but given. It is life intended for our appropriation by faith. It is life to be found in the Anointed One, by whom, though free to us, it has been meritoriously acquired and exhibited in the born again. We who have appropriated the Divine gift in the Holder and Dispenser can testify to His being more than man, even God incarnate. Practical inference. “They that have the Son have spiritual life; those who don’t have God’s Son are spiritually lifeless.”

The blessing, which is of unspeakable value, comes with the possession of the Son; therefore, the all-important thing is to possess the Son. Those who have the Son have the gift of spiritual life, enjoy God’s favor, and have their spiritual powers quickened. Those who do not have God’s Son have no spiritual life and seek to hide from God’s disfavor with the numbness of death on them. In today’s language, they are “Dead men walking.” And the two states are poles apart. Let us believe in God’s Son, and we are at the salvation pole of eternal sunshine. Refuse the Divine testimony, and we are at the condemnation pole of endless cold.[18]

As a broadminded biblical theorist, Paul F. Kretzmann (1883-1965) notes that we Christians, having received the message of salvation imparted to us through the Word and the Sacraments, place our trust in Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, our Redeemer. By this token, we have eternal life as an actual possession. Its real enjoyment, the bliss of seeing God face to face, is still a matter of the future, but there can be no question about our being the possessors of the gift of eternal life. The testimony of the Gospel is too sure and definite to admit any doubt. Those who foolishly reject God’s Son, their Savior, forfeit eternal life and deliberately choose everlasting death and damnation. Unbelievers only have themselves to blame if they end up being part of that crowd.[19]

Charles H Dodd (1884-1973), known best for promoting “realized eschatology,”^[20] says that finally, the actual content of the divine testimony can be stated very simply: “God gave us life eternal, and this life is in His Son.” And with these words, John brings us back to the thesis from which he started.[21] Of course, over time, the twisting of that central concept occurred. Still, now we are brought back to it with a more precise and fuller sense of its meaning and reminded of the stark alternatives: with the Anointed One, we have life; without Him, we are spiritually dead.[22]

Commensurate with his spiritually activated analytical thinking, Rudolph Bultmann (1884-1976) states that either/or appears in this epistle which stand in antithetical parallelism. The Apostle John expresses this demand for the decision of faith this way: (A) 1 John 2:23 ‒ “Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (B) 1 John 5:12 ‒ ^“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”

That the two are materially identical is obvious, and one can cite 2 John 1:9 as confirmation. There, “has” describes the relation to both Father and Son. With this call to decision the whole Epistle, which encompasses 1:1-2:27 and the following sections, is effectively concluded. There follows in verse thirteen a postscript which states the purpose of the Epistle. Finally, the ecclesiastical reviser added an appendix in verses fourteen to twenty-one.[23]

With youthful enthusiasm for preaching, Greville Priestly Lewis (1891-1976) stresses that this inner witness of the Spirit to the person of Jesus the Anointed One also assures us that God sent His Son to give us eternal life. If we live in union with the Anointed One, this eternal life is ours, here and now. It is as simple as that. With the Anointed One, we have real life; without Him, we are spiritually dead. It’s as simple as that.[24] [25]

Bible translator extraordinaire Kenneth S. Wuest (1893-1961) notes that since an honest person’s testimony is valid, God’s testimony is still superior. In this case, God stood by His word on record in His written word that Jesus the Anointed One is His only begotten Son. Therefore, the one who believes that Jesus is God’s Son has the Spirit’s testimony in themselves. However, the ones who do not believe God’s Word is calling are calling Him a liar. Thus, they have fallen into the quicksand of unbelief. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life by giving us His Son. Therefore, the one who has God’s Son has spiritual and eternal life. On the other hand, those who do not have our heavenly Father’s Son are forever spiritually dead.[26]

A bold Bible interpreter openly opposed to liberal Christianity, Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) states that to be a Christian is not merely to hold certain Christian philosophies. It is more than that. You can say, I am a new man or woman. I am not what I was, and God is dwelling in me. And John emphasizes this. Why is it essential that I be clear about Jesus the Anointed One? Why should I be convinced He is the Son of God, the Anointed One, the Anointed One? We have God’s testimony at Jesus’ baptism, “A voice came from the cloud and said, ‘This is my Son.’ He is the one I have chosen. Obey Him.”’[27] God put everything He had into His Son.[28]

Thus, spiritual, and eternal life is exclusively in the Son of God, so if we are not clear about these facts ‒ that Jesus is God’s Son and that Jesus is the Anointed One, then we have no spiritual life. Eternal life is only available if I go to Jesus the Anointed One to receive it so we can say, “Yes, the Word was full of grace and truth, and from Him we all received one blessing after another.”[29] In other words, it is not my belief alone that saves me. I have received the gift of life, and I can face death and judgment with this evidence that I am a child of God, because in Jesus the Anointed One I have received eternal life, the life of God in my soul.[30]Taiwanese preacher and hymn writer Witness Lee (1905-1997) observes that God’s testimony is not only that Jesus is His Son, but also that His Son gives us eternal life which is His goal for us. Because “the life” is in God’s Son,[31] and His Son is “the life,”[32] His Son and “the life” are one, inseparable. Therefore, if we have the Son of God, we have eternal life, because eternal life is in the Son. We may say that God’s Son is a container of eternal life. When we receive the Son by believing in Him, we have eternal life.

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[1] Law, Robert: The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John, op. cit., p. 298

[2] Gaebelein, Arno Clement: The Annotated Bible, First Epistle of John, op. cit., p. 159

[3] John 5:23; 14:6

[4] Robertson, Archibald T., Word Pictuares in the New Testament, op. cit., p. 1969

[5] John 3:36

[6] Brooke, Alan E., Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 141

[7] Cf. 1 John 2:4

[8] Smith, David: The Expositor’s Greek Testament, 1 John, op. cit., pp. 196-197

[9] See John 3:36; See Mark 16:16

[10] Barnes, Albert: New Testament Notes, op. cit., pp. 4885-4886

[11] See 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:1-12,19,20,23; Galatians 3:22; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8,10

[12] See Psalm 51:5; Job 14:4; John 3:6

[13] Ephesians 2:3

[14] Romans 5:12-14

[15] Also see John 3:3, 5; 1 John 5:12

[16] See Matthew 9:12,13; Acts of the Apostles 10:35; Romans 2:14; Philippians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 1:30

[17] Berkhof, Louis: Systematic Theology, op. cit., p. 225

[18] Finlayson, Robert: The Pulpit Commentary, First Epistle of John, Vol. 22, op. cit., Homiletics, pp. 171-172

[19] Kretzmann, Paul F., Popular Commentary on 1.2,3 John, op. cit., p. 577

[20] “Realized Eschatology” holds that the eschatological passages in the New Testament do not refer to the future but to the ministry of Jesus and His legacy.

[21] 1 John 1:2

[22] Dodd, Charles H., The Moffatt New Testament Commentary, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., p. 133

[23] Bultmann, Rudolph: Hermeneia, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit. p. 83

[24] Cf. John 3:36

[25] Lewis, Greville Priestly: Epworth Preacher’s Commentaries, The Johannine Epistles, op. cit., pp. 118-119

[26] Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament: An Expanded Translation, op. cit, 1 John 5:9-12

[27] Luke 9:35

[28] Matthew 28:18

[29] John 1:16

[30] Lloyd-Jones, Martyn: Life in Christ, Studies in 1 John, op. cit., p. 636

[31] John 1:4

[32] See John 11:25; 14:6; Colossians 3:4

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

By Dr. Robert R. Seyda

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson LXXVII) 02/28/23

^5:12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

With Spirit-led certainty, William Baxter Godbey (1833-1920) acknowledges that all spiritual life is in the Christhood, as out of the Anointed One God is a “consuming fire.”[1] Unitarianism is worse than heathenism, as the former will be judged by the Bible, revealing their terrible rejection of the Anointed One to be judged according to the laws of nature. So all anti-Holy Spirit religions are more worthy of everlasting punishment than paganism because the Holy Spirit is the Anointed One’s Successor and Revelator. Hence the rejection of the Holy Spirit is identical to the Unitarian heresy of renouncing Jesus the Anointed One as God’s Son.[2]

After noting the Apostle John’s doctrinal implications, John James Lias (1834-1923) emphasizes that to have the Son is to have “the life.” But what is it to “have the Son”? This: to believe in Jesus the Anointed One as God’s Son, and through faith to receive Him into our soul. We are not merely to think of Him and believe in Him as a Deliverer or that His death removes the stain and guilt of our sins but that He purifies and refreshes us with the water that flowed from His side. It was for us to experience His life, to sense His blood streaming through our veins and washing away each impurity as it flows. That way, we can feel ourselves growing daily into closer and more intimate union with Him; to be ever more fully experiencing the truth that His life is our life, and our life His, until at length, we are one with Him.

There are many ways of deceiving ourselves. For example, we may imagine our salvation because we experienced a sense of pardon. Or because we think there is no need of it, or because we assume to have satisfied God’s requirements, or because we have access to God through His ministers and receive daily cleansing, or because we are regular in our use of the means of grace. But there is one only test ‒ Do we have His Son? We can add nothing to this except conforming to His life. It means bringing every thought into obedience to His teachings.

We must abandon all that is contrary to His example and will to set no other purpose before us than He set, to “do the Father’s will, and to finish His work.” It is what tells us that we have the Son. And not to have the Son is to be out of union with God, to be tossed about by every current of temptation, to be carried here and there, the sport of our own and other men’s passions, to have no life beyond the feeble flickering of a lamp in its socket, to be in danger of being banished forever from the true and eternal light, and of being consigned to that eternal darkness “where is wailing and gnashing of teeth.”[3]

With the ability of a linguist’s concentration on nuances, Greek word scholar Marvin Richardson Vincent (1834-1921) notes the Greek phrase, “He has the life.” More strictly, “the life,” namely, the life God gives.[4] Then, “he that has the Son” points to God as the giver of life in His Son. Thus we see that this verse has two clauses: in the former, John does not add God because believers know the Son; in the other it is added that unbelievers may know at length how serious it is not to have Him. Furthermore, note the inversion “Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”[5]

Manifestly and distinctly, Eric Haupt (1841-1910) points out that the Apostle John not only says that through the Anointed One, the source of life has been brought to mankind but especially to us. Therefore, we accept that in verse twelve, God reveals the historical witness through His Son.[6] In other words, we have received our portion in “the life” brought by the Redeemer. The connection between the Son of God and “the life,” declared in verse eleven, is then in verse twelve, evolved under two aspects: where the Son of God is, there is also “the life” life only found where He is. And thus, John returns to the idea he laid down at the outset that His annunciation concerned the Logos.[7] That God’s Son and God’s life are correlative terms is the conclusion of John’s theological development.[8]

With his Spirit-directed calculating mind, Alfred Plummer (1841-1926) notes that some modern writers consider that verse thirteen constitutes the conclusion of the Epistle,[9] being a postscript or appendix, analogous to John’s Gospel[10] and possibly by another hand. Some go so far as to conjecture that the same person added to John’s Gospel and the last nine verses to the Epistle after the Apostle’s death. However, this is needless hairsplitting. In the preceding verses,[11] John wrote: “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Deductive reasoning from these preceding verses shows that those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know they have eternal life. We must compare this to what John said earlier about anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.[12] In both cases, “have” signifies possession in a living union through faith. “Having the life,” not merely “the life just mentioned” or “the life which God gave,” but eternal life, which in the complete sense is embodied. The addition of God is neither accidental nor redundant. Those who possess Him know He is God’s Son; those who do not need to be reminded of whose Son they reject. The verse constitutes another close parallel with the Gospel.[13] [14]

A staunch crusader against immorality, Frederick Brotherton Meyer (1847-1929) points out that the Apostle constantly refers to the “begotten” children of God. The word indicates the relationship of the divine nature in regeneration, of which the first evidence is love. This love is not a weak sentimentality but a robust and vigorous response to the motions of divine love. God’s life in the soul also manifests itself in our faith; it overcomes the fascination and glamour of this brief scene. For your faith to entwine around the risen Lord, and weaned from all else, Jesus must become all-in-all to you, or you will miss the crown. We need the water of repentance and the blood of reconciliation. When we admit these two, the Holy Spirit will bear His secret witness to the soul. So likewise, God bears witness to the Son by the eternal life He gives to and maintains in those who believe. Eternity begins even here for those who have the Son as their indwelling guest.[15]

An eloquent preacher and exemplary writer on theological subjects, including lectures, commentaries, and sermons, Charles James Vaughan (1816-1897) contends that the Apostle John, who has a right to speak, has said that there is a sure thing, the possession of which constitutes “life,” and so establishes it that they who have it “have spiritual life,” and they who do not have it, “have no spiritual life.” The possession of a sure thing, so much worthier than anything else of the name of “life,” that, compared to it, nothing else is “divine life.” Could you, at this moment, say it in a word? Would you immortalize the “life” you are now living? Honest Christians would. To them, the change they wish for is not one of a kind but of degree. They have that which they want to be purified and increased a thousand-fold.

A believer’s “life” is the seed of “the life” for them to live forever and ever. This possession of the Anointed One comprises three things: First, the life the Anointed One lived upon this earth before His Cross was not “the life” He came to communicate to His people. He lived all that “life” so that He might purchase “the life” He would give. Second, the “resurrection life” is “the life” that the Anointed One imparts to believers. It is a “life” springing out of death. Third, it is a “life” without eternal spiritual death. It is a “life” essential to the Godhead of the Anointed One ‒ as “the life” in which that Godhead resides. “Life” is not what we live but how we live it. To live indeed, you must live livingly. If a person is to “live,” their soul must always be, in some way, in union with the Anointed One.[16]

A tried and tested biblical scholar who believes in the up-building of the Christian life, Robert Cameron (1839-1904) has an interesting observation about the spiritual life coming to us from Jesus’ tragic death. The resurrection, coming after the crucifixion, was the witness to this. Moreover, the Apostle John, being a Jew, learned to interpret the language of symbols, which was even more meaningful than words. “Blood and water” came from the pierced side of the Savior.[17] It was not “water and blood,” as in our Lord’s life history, having His entrance by baptism and His exit by the cross. John testified in his Gospel that we might also have faith, for “blood and water” symbolized our Lord’s whole work.

Death is the foundation and life the superstructure; death is the seed, and life is the fruit. Hence, by blood coming first, we can see it as canceling our guilt and water afterward, the promise of life. By the shedding of blood, God sees no sin in us; and in the water, He sets forth the gift of life. God not only forgives sins, but He also births children through the crucified Son. Sin is put away, and life is communicated – life is laid down and then imparted. He took our sin and the death that was connected. He gives His life and the holiness it bears as the fruit of the Spirit.[18] However, the Apostle John did not add this occasion to the testimony of the Spirit, water, and blood in verse six.

As a prolific writer on the New Testament Epistles, Findlay (1849-1919) notices that “Life” appears in the Apostle John’s writings as a gift, not an acquisition. Accordingly, faith is a grace rather than a virtue, yielding to God’s power rather than exerting ours. It is not so much that we lay hold of the Anointed One; He captures us ‒ our souls are laid hold of and possessed by the truth concerning Him. Thus, we are to receive God’s bounty showered upon us in the Anointed One.  We need only to consent to the vital purpose of His love, to allow Him to “work in us to will and to work on behalf of His good pleasure.”[19] As this operation proceeds and the truth concerning the Anointed One takes valuable possession of our nature, the conviction that we have eternal life in Him becomes increasingly settled and firm.

With his stately speaking style, William M. Sinclair (1850-1917) informs us that the emphatic word here is “has.” Since the Apostle John addresses the faithful, there is no need to say “the Son of God.” “Having the Son” is His dwelling in the heart by faith: a conscious difference to human life that transforms its whole character. “Having life” is the birth of the new man within which can never die. Seeing this includes unbelievers, the words “of God” are added, to show them what they have lost.[20]

Beyond any doubt, remarks Alonzo Rice Cocke (1858-1901), “He that has the Son has life; and he that does not have the Son of God has no life.” Hence everyone who has accepted the Son and has him dwelling in the heart has life; in the Son is grounded this eternal life. But, on the other hand, everyone who has not the Son of God in his heart has not the life of God, for all pretense of life apart from fellowship with him is death ‒ unbelief in shutting out the Anointed One, the fountain of everlasting life.[21]

Esteemed ministry veteran James B. Morgan (1859-1942) tells us that the Apostle John not only described the blessedness and the source from which it comes but the same channel through which it is conveyed to us. “This life is in His Son.” The design of this announcement is at once to instruct and encourage us. It seems to contemplate the mind awakened by such blessedness as a desire, inquiring where to find it. To someone like this we would say, “Go unto Jesus.” As to the famine-stricken inhabitants of Egypt, it was ever the direction, “Go unto Joseph,”[22] so to the stricken sinner, the counsel is, “Go unto Jesus.”

Eternal life is in Him for repentant sinners. “God was pleased for all of Himself to be in His Son, and through Him, God was happy to bring all things back in harmony with Himself.”[23] “For in the Anointed One lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So, you also are complete through your union with the Anointed One.”[24] In Him, you will find pardon. “He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.”[25] In Him, you will find favor with God. “God, see our shield [the king]; look at the face of your anointed.”[26] In Him, you will find purity. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.”[27] In Him, you will find eternal life in the highest and sense ‒ “The Anointed One lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory. So, we tell others about the Anointed One, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect^[a] in their relationship to the Anointed One.”[28]

Now, with this view of the blessing proposed to mankind, what must we think of their conduct who refuse to accept it? Is it not as foolish as it is sinful? It is alike unreasonable and unscriptural. And it only remains to observe how inexcusable it is, seeing how simple it is effectually secured.[29]

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[1] Hebrews 12:18

[2] Godbey, William Baxter: Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. II, op. cit., pp. 397-398

[3] Lias, James J., The First Epistle of St. John with Homiletical Treatment, op. cit., pp. 392-394

[4] See 1 John 5:11; John 16:22, cf. Colossians 3:4

[5] Vincent, Marvin R: Word Studies in the New Testament, op. cit. pp. 368-369

[6] Cf. 1 John 5:10

[7] John 1:1

[8] Haupt, Erich: The First Epistle of St. John: Clark’s Foreign Theological Library, Vol. LXIV, op. cit., pp. 319-320

[9] 1 John 5:14-21

[10] John 20:31

[11] 1 John 5:11-12

[12] Ibid. 2:23

[13] Cf. the last words of John the Baptizer in John 3:36

[14] Plummer, Alfred: Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary for Schools and Colleges, op. cit., p. 120

[15] Meyer, Frederick B., Through the Bible Day by Day Devotional Commentary, Vol. VII, op. cit., p. 160

[16] Vaughan, Charles J., The Biblical Illustrator, op. cit., 1 John 5, pp. 127-128

[17] John 19:34

[18] Cameron, Robert: The First Epistle of John, op. cit., Ch. XVI, The Three Witnesses, p. 233

[19] Philippians 2:13

[20] Sinclair, William M., New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Charles J. Ellicott (Ed.), op. cit., Vol. 3, p. 492

[21] Cocke, Alonzo R: Studies in the Epistles of John, Or, The Manifested Life, op. cit., p. 130

[22] Genesis 41:55

[23] Colossians 1:19-20

[24] Ibid. 2:9-10

[25] Ephesians 1:7

[26] Psalm 84:9 – Complete Jewish Version

[27] John 15:5

[28] Colossians 1:27b-28

[29] Morgan, James: An Exposition of the First Epistle of John, op. cit., pp. 463-464