Sermons
God Has Given Us Eternal Life
Series: Studies in First John8Studies In First John
God Has Given Us Eternal Life
1 Jn. 5:5-12, 13
Introduction:
1. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son,” John says.
2. In the verses immediately preceding these (1-4) John brought together three main characteristics of those born of God: 1) they believe that Jesus is the Christ; 2) they love the Father and one another; 3) they keep God’s commandments.
3. These who are born of God overcome the world.
4. It is our faith that ensures the victory (v. 4).
5. The power to overcome the world comes through believing that Jesus is the Son of God (v. 5).
Discussion:
I. Only by believing that Jesus is the Son of God can we be victorious over the world (5).
A. Jesus said he would build His church on the confession of His being the Son of
God (Matt. 16:18ff).
1. This involves more than a mere verbal acknowledgement of His identity.
2. It involves making Him the Lord of one’s life because of WHO He is.
3. Everyone in the church is called out of the world and into this special
relationship with Jesus, the Son of God.
B. We are victorious over the world because He is the propitiation (satisfaction) for
our sins (1 Jn. 1:2).
C. It is WHO He is that makes the difference. It is by the authority of His name that
we can be forgiven (Acts 2:38).
II. WHO He is is confirmed by the testimony of God (5:6-11).
A. In Matt. 16:18ff Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood did not reveal His identity,
but His Father in heaven. So, who Jesus is is not founded on mere human
testimony. It is founded upon the testimony of God.
B. The language of 5:6ff is obscure to us modern readers. What does John mean
by Jesus coming by water and blood? Evidently, this was something his first
century readers understood.
1. Probably he is referring to the water of Jesus’ baptism and the blood of His
death.
2. His point seems to be that Jesus came by water AND blood, not by water
only.
3. There is evidence that some of John’s opponents (cf. 2 Jn. 7) held that Christ
descended on Jesus at His baptism and then withdrew before His death, so
that it was only an earthly Jesus who died and not the heavenly Christ.
(Such views were held by Cerinthus and other Gnostic teachers whose views
are combatted by early church fathers, Ignatius and Irenaeus.)
4. There are two elements of testimony at Jesus’ baptism.
a. The descent of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:32-34).
b. The voice from heaven (Mk. 1:11).
5. At least three at His death (not counting prophecies).
a. Darkness from noon until 3 pm. (Matt. 27:45).
b. Veil of the temple torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51).
c. Earthquake (Matt. 27:54). The centurion and the guards concluded, “Truly
this was the Son of God!”
6. Matthew mentions another element of proof. “The tombs were opened, and
many bodies of the saints who have fallen asleep were raised; and coming
out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the city and appeared to
many” (27:52-53). This is, of course, not mentioned in 1 John.
7. For Paul, Jesus’ own resurrection declared Jesus the Son of God (Rom. 1:4).
8. Resurrection establishes power to give eternal life. But John does not use
this argument.
III. Jesus Christ being the Son of God is the foundation of our assurance of eternal life (5:11-12). Cf. Matt. 16:18.
A. For John, if the one who died was NOT the Son of God then the significance of
God’s love for us disappears. If He died as a mere human the powerfulness of
His death evaporates.
1. John brings God’s love and the benefits of Christ’s death together
maximizing the incarnation.
2. Our assurance of salvation diminishes unless Jesus is indeed God in the
flesh, the propitiation for our sins.
B. John says, “the Spirit testifies.” He is the third witness. The water and the
blood the first two.
1. It is unclear exactly what John means.
2. Perhaps he is referring to the anointing (2:20), the truth revealed by the Spirit
in the message communicated through the apostles.
3. Indeed, in all these witnesses God has testified to who Jesus is (5:9-10).
IV. Because of who Jesus is we know that we have eternal life (5:13).
A. It is not a matter of mere academic significance that John sees believing that
Jesus is the Son of God.
B. For John, it is a matter of critical importance.
C. If Jesus is the Son of God, we know that God loves us. If Jesus is the Son of
God, we know that God has provided for our forgiveness by giving Himself for
our sins.
Conclusion:
1. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?
2. It is upon this confession that Jesus builds His church. Even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.
3. Jesus the Son of God is our assurance of eternal life.
4. “The righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: Do not say in your heart,
‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will descend
into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’—that is, the word of faith
which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with
the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he
confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him
will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for
the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for
whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:6-13).
5. Are you calling on His name? If not, would you do so?
