1 john 5

Read 1 John 5 at Bible Gateway.

1 Joh 5:1-6 reverse parallelism

1a) 1 Joh 5:1, Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God/ he who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him;

1b) 1 Joh 5:2, By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God + keep His commandments;

2b) 1 Joh 5:3, For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments/ His commandments are not burdensome;

2a) 1 Joh 5:4-5, He who believes that Jesus is the Son of God is born of God + overcomes the world;

1a) 1 Joh 5:4a, For whatever is born of God;
1b) 1 Joh 5:4b, Overcomes the world;
central axis) 1 Joh 5:4c, And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith;
2b) 1 Joh 5:5a, Who is he who overcomes the world;
2a) 1 Joh 5:5b, But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Here in the New Testament, the apostle John is teaching us that the way we express our love for God, is by keeping His commandments. If you were told that keeping His commandments means that you are nullifying the grace that has saved you, you were told a doctrine of men that has no support in Scripture. In order to make the Scripture say this, one verse of Paul’s must be lifted from the context of his letter:

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Gal 5:4

And here, Paul even reiterates the context of his letter: how does one become justified before God? It is by grace through faith, not by works of the law. But for the one who is justified by grace through faith, we keep His commandments. Not in order to gain justification, for we have already gained it by grace through faith, but simply because we love God, and keeping His commandments is God’s love language. It is how we show Him we love Him.

“Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.” Deu 11:1

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Mat 7:21-23

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Joh 14:15

If this is the first time you have heard that New Testament believers in Messiah Yeshua express their faith and their love for God by keeping God’s commandments, I encourage you to start here: the righteousness that is of faith, and follow the linked posts at the bottom of each page. ♥