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   When we become Christians, we become part of God’s family, with fellow believers as our brothers and sisters. It is God who determines who the other family members are, not us. We are simply called to accept and love them. How well do you treat your fellow family members?
   Jesus never promised that obeying him would be easy. But the hard work and self-discipline of serving Christ is no burden to those who love him. And if our load starts to feel heavy, we can always trust Christ to help us to bear it.

2) Who came by water and blood, why does the Spirit testify to this, what are the three that testifies that Jesus Christ came by water and the blood, and who is in agreement?

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   The phrase "came by water and blood" may refer to Jesus’ baptism and his crucifixion. At this time, there was a false teaching in circulation that said Jesus was "the Christ" only between his baptism and his death-that is, he was merely human until he was baptized, at which time "the Christ" then descended upon him but then later left him before his death on the cross. But if Jesus lived only as a man, he could not have taken upon himself the sins of the world, and Christianity would be an empty religion. Only an act of God could take away the punishment that we deserve for our sin.
   The Gospels twice record God’s clear declaration that Jesus was his Son-at Jesus' baptism, and at his transfiguration. 

3) Whose testimony do we accept, why is God's testimony greater than man's, and where does anyone one who believes this testimony, have this testimony?

   The divine witness is not limited to the Spirit but includes the witness of the Father. His witness is greater than the authenticated witness of a human being because of the nature of one who gives it and of its greater trustworthiness (cf. John 5:36-37; 1John 3:20). It was his voice that confirmed that Jesus' "passion" was an act in which God would glorify himself (John 12:28-30). So also it is God's own voice that is being heard again in the threefold witness.
   Here the fact that the incarnate and crucified Jesus is God's own Son is clearly set forth. Those who believe this testimony received the Father's own witness in their hearts that they are right to trust in Christ. Faith itself is God's own gift to the believer to lay hold of the Father. "Believing" becomes a "receiving," and the work of God in Christ results in forgiveness of sins and inward establishment of the love of God. Faith in the Son immediately becomes faith in the Father (cf. 2:23). (taken from The NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers)

4) Why does anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, what is this testimony, what does the one who has the Son of God have, and what does the one who does not have the Son of God, not have?

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   The gravity of receiving this witness is now demonstrated by the corollary: "Anyone who does not believe [the witness borne by] God [about the Son] has made him out to be a liar." To receive the Son is to receive the Father. To deny the Son is to deny the Father. John, then, cannot allow that one can profess belief in God, as did his opponents, and yet reject God's own testimony to his Son. Such rejection cannot be excised on the basis of ignorance. Rather, it is deliberate unbelief, the character of which in the end impugns the very being and character of God. If Jesus is not God's own Son in the flesh, then God is no longer the truth. He is a liar. (Taken from The NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishers)
   Whoever believes in God’s Son has eternal life. He is all you need. You don’t need to wait for eternal life, because it begins the moment you believe. You don’t need to work for it, because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it, because you have been given eternal life by God himself-and it is guaranteed.

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Concluding Remarks

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   Some people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says we can know we have it. Our certainty is based on God’s promise that he has given us eternal life through his Son. This is true whether you feel close to God or far away from him. Eternal life is not based on feelings, but on facts. You can know that you have eternal life if you believe God’s truth. If you aren’t sure that you are a Christian, ask yourself: "Have I honestly committed my life to him as my Savior and Lord?" If so, you know by faith that you are indeed a child of God.
   The emphasis here is on God’s will, not our will. When we communicate with God, we don’t demand what we want; rather we discuss with him what he wants for us. If we align our prayers to his will, he will listen; and we can be certain that if he listens, he will give us a definite answer. Start praying with confidence!

   Commentators differ widely in their thoughts about what this sin that leads to death is, and whether the death it causes is physical or spiritual. Paul wrote that some Christians had died because they took Communion "in an unworthy manner" (1Corinthians 11:27-30), and Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead when they lied to God (Acts 5:1-11). Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit results in spiritual death (Mark 3:29), and the book of Hebrews describes the spiritual death of the person who turns against Christ (Hebrews 6:4-6).
   John was probably referring to the people who had left the Christian fellowship and joined the antichrists. By rejecting the only way of salvation, these people were putting themselves out of reach of prayer. In most cases, however, even if we knew what the terrible sin is, we would have no sure way of knowing whether a certain person had committed it. Therefore we should continue praying for our loved ones and for our Christians brothers and sisters, leaving the judgment up to God. Note that John says, "I am not saying that he should pray about that," rather than "You cannot pray about that." He recognized the lack of certainty.

7) What can anyone who belongs to God not do, who keeps him safe, and who can not harm him?

   Christians commit sins, of course, but they ask God to forgive them, and then they continue serving him. God has freed believers from their slavery to Satan, and he keeps them safe from Satan’s continued attacks. The rest of the world does not have the Christian’s freedom to obey God. Unless they come to Christ in faith, they have no ground; people either belong to God and obey him, or they live under Satan’s control.

8) What did John say we knew, who is in control of the whole world, why has the Son of God given us understanding, who are we in, who did John say Jesus Christ is, and what does John tell them to keep themselves from?

   John presents a clear picture of Christ. What we think about Jesus Christ is central to our teaching, preaching, and living. Jesus is the God-man, fully God and fully human at the same time. He came to earth to die in our place for our sins. Through faith in him, we are given eternal life and the power to do his will. What is your answer to the most important question you could ever ask-who is Jesus Christ?
   An idol is anything that substitutes for the true faith, anything that robs Christ of his full deity and humanity, any human idea that claims to be more authoritative than the Bible, any loyalty that replaces God at the center of our lives.

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Answers to 1John Chapter 5

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1) everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ...his child...by loving God and carrying out his commands...to obey his commands...his commands...only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God
2) Jesus Christ...because the Spirit is truth...the Spirit, the water and the blood...the truth...the Spirit, the water and the blood...the three
3) man's...because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son....in his heart
4) because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son...God has given us eternal life, and this life is his Son...life...life
5) so that you may know that you have eternal life...that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us...what we ask of him
6) pray and God will give him life...to those whose sin does not lead to death...a sin that leads to death...sin
7) Continue to sin...the one born of God...the evil one
8) That we are children of God...the evil one...so that we may know him who is true...him who is true...the true God and eternal life...idols

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