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1 John 5

KJV · Chapter 5/5

1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

16If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

17All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

18We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

19And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

20And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

21Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

📖 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 5:14Links this confidence to prayer: believers can approach God with assurance, knowing that He hears requests made according to His will.
  15. 1 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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 John 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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