THE LETTERS OF JOHN
That You May Know · Dr. Neil Epler · February 9, 2025
1 John 5:1-15, 21
Have You Been Born Again?
There is a physical birth and there is a spiritual birth.
(1 John 5:1) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
(John 3:3) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
(John 3:5-6) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Evidence of the new birth.
1) You are a child of God.
(John 1:12-13) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
(Romans 8:15b-16) …but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
2) You love His other children.
(1 John 5:2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
3) You keep His commandments, and they are not a burden.
(1 John 5:3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
4) You overcome the world.
(1 John 5:4-5) For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
(Romans 8:37) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
God’s Testimony About the Son.
1) There are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
(1 John 5:6-8) This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
2) God’s testimony is greater than man’s.
(1 John 5:9) If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.
3) God’s testimony is that we have eternal life through the son.
(1 John 5:11) And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
You Can Have Assurance.
1) Know that you have eternal life.
(1 John 5:13) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (Romans 10:9) …because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
2) Know that your prayers are heard and answered.
(1 John 5:14-15) And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Jesus Needs to be First and Foremost in our Life.
(1 John 5:21) Little children, keep yourselves from idols.