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1 João 5

BLIVRE · Chapter 5/5

1Todo aquele que crê que Jesus é o Cristo é nascido de Deus; e todo aquele que ama ao que gerou, também ama ao que dele é nascido.

2Nisto sabemos que amamos os filhos de Deus: quando amamos a Deus, e guardamos os seus mandamentos.

3Pois este é o amor de Deus: que guardemos os seus mandamentos. E os seus mandamentos não são pesados.

4Pois todo aquele que é nascido de Deus vence o mundo; e esta é a vitória que vence o mundo: a nossa fé.

5Quem é o que vence o mundo, senão aquele que crê que Jesus é o Filho de Deus?

6Este é aquele que veio por água e sangue: Jesus, o Cristo. Não só pela água, mas pela água e [pelo] sangue. E o Espírito é o que lhe dá testemunho, porque o Espírito é a verdade.

7Pois são três os que dão testemunho no céu: o Pai, a Palavra, e o Espírito Santo; e estes três são um.

8E três são os que testemunham na terra: o Espírito, a água e o sangue; e estes três estão em unidade.

9Se recebemos o testemunho humano, o testemunho de Deus é maior; pois este é o testemunho de Deus, que testificou de seu Filho.

10Quem crê no Filho de Deus tem testemunho em si mesmo; quem não crê em Deus o fez de mentiroso, porque não creu no testemunho que Deus deu acerca do seu Filho.

11E este é o testemunho: que Deus nos deu a vida eterna; e essa vida está no seu Filho.

12Quem tem o Filho tem a vida; quem não tem o Filho de Deus não tem a vida.

13Estas coisas escrevi para vós que credes no nome do Filho de Deus, para que saibais que tendes a vida eterna, e que creiais no nome do Filho de Deus.

14E esta é a confiança que diante dele: que se pedirmos alguma coisa conforme a sua vontade, ele nos ouve.

15E se sabemos que nos ouve em tudo o que pedimos, sabemos que alcançamos as coisas que lhe pedimos.

16Se alguém vê o seu irmão cometer um pecado que não é para a morte, orará, e lhe dará vida, para os que não pecarem para a morte. Há pecado para a morte, pelo qual não digo que ore.

17Toda injustiça é pecado; e há pecado que não é para a morte.

18Sabemos que todo aquele que é nascido de Deus não pratica o pecado; mas o que é gerado de Deus guarda a si mesmo, e o maligno não o toca.

19Sabemos que somos de Deus, e que o mundo todo jaz no maligno.

20E sabemos que o Filho de Deus veio, e nos deu entendimento para conhecermos o Verdadeiro; e no Verdadeiro estamos, em seu Filho Jesus Cristo. Este é o verdadeiro Deus, e a vida eterna.

21Filhinhos, guardai-vos dos ídolos. Amém.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

John concludes by explaining that overcoming the world is the fruit of faith in Jesus as the Son of God, presenting three witnesses—the Spirit, the water, and the blood—that confirm this truth. He closes by affirming the certainty of eternal life for those who believe and warning against idols.

Explanation

The references to 'the water and the blood' likely point to Jesus's baptism and his death on the cross, moments that publicly confirmed his identity and messianic mission, also witnessed to by the Holy Spirit. The letter ends with one of the most direct declarations of assurance of faith in the whole Bible: 'these things have I written unto you... that ye may know that ye have eternal life' (5:13), standing in contrast to religions that leave their followers in permanent doubt about their spiritual standing. The final, abrupt warning, 'keep yourselves from idols,' though it may seem disconnected, reinforces the theme of the entire letter: exclusive faithfulness to the true God revealed in Jesus Christ, against any false substitute. Today's practical application is that the Christian faith offers certainty, not just vague hope, about eternal life for those who trust in Jesus.

Fun facts

  • The so-called Johannine Comma (a Trinitarian phrase found in some older translations of 5:7-8) does not appear in the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts, and is now recognized by practically all scholars as a later addition to the original text.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 João 5:1Links faith and love in a natural way: whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and loving God (the Father) automatically includes loving whoever else is born of Him, that is, other believers.
  2. 1 João 5:2Reverses the logic: one way of knowing that we truly love the other children of God is to observe whether we also love God and keep His commandments.
  3. 1 João 5:3Defines love for God in practical terms: it is not an abstract feeling, it is keeping His commandments — and the text assures that this obedience is not a heavy burden.
  4. 1 João 5:4Calling faith “the victory that overcometh the world” sums up a recurring theme in the letter: resisting the values opposed to God, described in chapter 2 as lust and pride, is not a matter of willpower, but of sustained trust.
  5. 1 João 5:5Repeats, in the form of a rhetorical question, the criterion for victory over the world already mentioned: only whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God can overcome the world’s opposing values.
  6. 1 João 5:6Saying that Jesus “came by water and blood” is generally understood as a reference to His baptism, the water, and His death on the cross, the blood — a way of reinforcing, once again, that Christ had a real physical life and death, against those who tried to separate the spiritual Christ from the human Jesus.
  7. 1 João 5:7The verse about “three” that bear record in heaven — the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost — is one of the most debated points among Bible scholars: this specific wording does not appear in the oldest Greek manuscripts and is considered by most specialists to be an addition made centuries later; more recent Bibles usually include a note explaining this.
  8. 1 João 5:8Complements the previous verse about the witness in heaven, now with a witness “in earth”: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, three proofs that all point to the same truth about Jesus.
  9. 1 João 5:9Argues by comparison: if people already accept the witness of other human beings, the witness of God, which is even greater, about His own Son, deserves to be accepted all the more.
  10. 1 João 5:10Distinguishes between believing and not believing this witness: whoever believes in the Son carries this certainty within; whoever does not believe, in practice, makes God a liar, rejecting His witness.
  11. 1 João 5:11Sums up the content of this witness of God: He gave eternal life, and this life is specifically tied to the Son, Jesus Christ.
  12. 1 João 5:12Makes the logic even more direct: having the Son, through faith, is having life; not having the Son consequently means not having that life.
  13. 1 João 5:13Explains the purpose of the whole letter: to give certainty to those who already believe in the Son of God that they truly have eternal life, reinforcing that faith.
  14. 1 João 5:14Links this confidence to prayer: believers can approach God with assurance, knowing that He hears requests made according to His will.
  15. 1 João 5:15Continues the reasoning about prayer: if there is certainty that God hears, there is also certainty that requests made within His will are, in a sense, already granted.
  16. 1 João 5:16The distinction between “a sin unto death” and sin that is not unto death is not detailed by the text itself, which has led to quite different interpretations throughout Christian history about what exactly this sin unto death would be — the author seems to assume readers already understood what he meant, without needing to explain.
  17. 1 João 5:17Clarifies a distinction made in the previous verse about “a sin unto death”: all unrighteousness is sin, but not all sin falls into this more serious category.
  18. 1 João 5:18Repeats a statement already made in chapter 3: whoever is born of God does not live in a pattern of sin, because this new condition protects him from the wicked one’s actions.
  19. 1 João 5:19Contrasts the identity of Christians — “we are of God” — with the condition of the rest of the world, described as lying under the control of the wicked one.
  20. 1 João 5:20Sums up the spiritual understanding given by the Son of God: recognizing what is true and being united to this true God through Jesus Christ, called here directly “the true God, and eternal life.”
  21. 1 João 5:21The final warning, “keep yourselves from idols,” seems abrupt after all the letter’s content about love and truth, but it reflects a common concern among the early Christian communities, living in cities where the worship of deities and images was part of daily life.

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