Our series on 1 John ends with another text that has strong ties to the Gospel of John through the theme of testimony. In a debate with the authorities in the Gospel of John, Jesus makes the case that he has on his side human testimony (John the Baptist), divine testimony (God the Father), the self-evident testimony of his own works and the testimony of Scripture (John 5:30-39). Jesus employs a legal metaphor here, making the point that all of these witnesses would be accepted as trustworthy in adjudicating a religious dispute. 1 John picks up on this theme, arguing that since his readers accept human testimony in court, they should even more readily accept the testimony of God regarding his Son.
Having dealt with the problem of sin and exhorted the community to love one another, the author brings his letter to a close by emphasizing the gift of eternal life that Jesus brings (5:11, 13). He ends with the confidence that those who receive his letter are believers in the Son of God and he reminds them that this belief, in spite of their sin and their love, is what leads to eternal life.
Week 6 (7/28/2024): 1 John 5:9-13
Our series on 1 John ends with another text that has strong ties to the Gospel of John through the theme of testimony. In a debate with the authorities in the Gospel of John, Jesus makes the case that he has on his side human testimony (John the Baptist), divine testimony (God the Father), the self-evident testimony of his own works and the testimony of Scripture (John 5:30-39). Jesus employs a legal metaphor here, making the point that all of these witnesses would be accepted as trustworthy in adjudicating a religious dispute. 1 John picks up on this theme, arguing that since his readers accept human testimony in court, they should even more readily accept the testimony of God regarding his Son.
Having dealt with the problem of sin and exhorted the community to love one another, the author brings his letter to a close by emphasizing the gift of eternal life that Jesus brings (5:11, 13). He ends with the confidence that those who receive his letter are believers in the Son of God and he reminds them that this belief, in spite of their sin and their love, is what leads to eternal life.