What Is Real Love? A Guide to 1 JohnНамуна

1 John 5:5-12

5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7 So we have these three witnesses— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. 9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 1 John 5:5-12 NLT

Pray: Jesus, thank you for achieving victory over the forces of darkness, death, and the devil through your sacrifice on the cross. I’m so grateful that you took my place. And I’m so grateful you brought me into your family. I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you are the Holy One of God. And I commit my whole life to you. Teach me to live as your disciple. In Jesus’ name, amen.

In the last passage, John expressed His complete confidence in the claims of Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. What led him to be so convinced that this is who Jesus is? John invites us to look at the evidence he experienced firsthand. Let’s check it out.

5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 1 John 5:5-6 NLT

There’s a lot happening in just two verses! In verse 6, John highlights three things that revealed Jesus as the Son of God—1. Jesus’ baptism, 2. Jesus’ crucifixion, and 3. The Spirit’s confirmation. Let’s take these one at a time. How did Jesus’ baptism show us that He is the Son of God?

Check out Matthew’s description of what happened at Jesus’ baptism: “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.’” Matthew 3:16-17 NLT

God Himself announced the truth about Jesus plainly. He said, “This is my dearly loved Son…” Before He healed anyone or preached anything, God declared Jesus’ identity as a dearly loved Son who brings His Father great joy. That’s important to note for us too. Our identity doesn’t come from what we do, but from the God who made us, chose us, and loves us. Jesus shows us what it looks like to live from our true identity as dearly beloved children, instead of someone desperately attempting to earn or achieve the love of the Father. That’s the first thing John wants us to make note of—Jesus’ identity revealed by God at His baptism.

The second event John asks us to consider is Jesus’ crucifixion. How did His death reveal His identity? The answer is more plain than you may think, because Jesus’ crowning moment as the King of Creation was His crucifixion on a Roman cross.

In the events surrounding Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and burial, countless Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah—who He was and what He would be like—came to pass. Take Isaiah 53 as just one example:

3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. Isaiah 53:3-9 NLT

In this one passage, written by the prophet Isaiah centuries before Jesus’ birth, we are told that the Messiah would be abandoned on the night of His arrest, He would carry the weight of His own cross, He would be pierced and beaten, He would not try to defend Himself when falsely accused in His trial, His life would be cut short before He became an old man, He would die like a criminal, and He would be buried in a rich man’s grave.

Isaiah wrote this prophecy so that God’s people would be able to recognize their Messiah—the Son of God and Savior of the world—even though He wouldn’t be anything like they’d expect.

Jesus’ crucifixion filled this prophecy and many, many more, showing clearly that He was exactly who He said He was—the long foretold rescuer who came to free us from our slavery to sin and repair our relationship with the Father. The events surrounding Jesus’ death were such a powerful testimony that even Roman soldiers, the guys carrying out His grizzly murder, said this:

The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54 NLT

Those who witnessed His death, knew that Jesus was no ordinary man. Because of the way He fulfilled prophecy and forgave His enemies, Jesus’ identity as the Son of God was revealed through His death on the cross.

The final thing John brings to the table is the witness of the Holy Spirit. This is where John spends a lot of his time, so let’s clue into what he’s saying. To do that, we are going to go back to the words of Jesus that John recorded in John 15: “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. John 15:26 NLT

John is saying again what his teacher, Jesus, already said. Part of the Holy Spirit’s job is to testify, to give evidence to our hearts and the world, about who Jesus is and what it is that He accomplished on our behalf. Paul says it like this, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16 NIV

It’s this idea that John has been driving home in this passage and throughout his letter. We are God’s children. We have been invited and adopted into the family of God, and that changes everything about our identity. Because of who Jesus is and the confidence we have in Him, we can know who we are and how to live.

7 So we have these three witnesses—8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree.1 John 5:7-8 NLT

The weight of evidence we have to place our trust in Jesus is powerful and speaks for itself. This would have been incredibly comforting to the people John was writing to—people who were struggling to match up the seeming “wisdom” of Greek culture with the message they had heard about their Savior. John wrote to a community that was shaken and confused, unsure about what was even true anymore. John is reminding them that their faith is not blind or without reason, but their trust in Jesus is based on evidence and is meant to produce obedience in their lives.

9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son. 1 John 5:9-10 NLT

John wants us to think deeply about where we place our trust. Are we putting our trust in what people say or what God says? To be clear, He’s not saying we shouldn’t listen to people at all. But the greater testimony, the fuller, deeper, and most accurate picture of reality, comes from God and what He has said about His Son. What is that?

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5:11 NLT

This is real and true. It’s the testimony of God, the Creator of the universe and the Author of life. The gift that He has given us is eternal life, and it’s not a gift wrapped up in a package, it’s wrapped up in a person—Jesus Christ Himself. That’s why John says simply,

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. 1 John 5:12 NLT

When we have Jesus, we have life. Apart from Him, we cannot and will not find the gift of life that God intended for us to have.

Application: Consider the evidence and trust Jesus. Then, live as a child of God. This is the life you were created for. It is found only in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you throughout the day of your identity in Christ, and in that confidence, live as a child of God.