1 John 5:13

11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 ^aHe who has the Son has¹ life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,¹ and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Confidence and Compassion in Prayer

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that ^aif we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and ^aHe will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. ^bThere is sin leading to death. ^cI do not say that he should pray about that.

17 ^aAll unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Knowing the True—Rejecting the False

18 We know that ^awhoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God ^bkeeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

19 We know that we are of God, and ^athe whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

20 And we know that the ^aSon of God has come and ^bhas given us an understanding, ^cthat we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. ^dThis is the true God ^eand eternal life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does 1 John 5:13 Mean?

1 John 5:11-13

Eternal life is more than endless living. It includes fellowship with God and at least beginning to live life as God lives.

When God gave us eternal life, He gave us something unique, a life different from the one we were living before our calling. At that time, we were "dead" in trespasses and sins because we were living a life that produced death. Those still in the world continue to live this kind of life by nature. Do they have fellowship with God? Do they walk with Him as friends because they agree with Him about how to live and to remain at His side endlessly?

Understanding this fellowship aspect is important to understanding eternal life. "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3). God created humanity for fellowship, and by nature, we seek it out on many levels. Many find it through hobbies, the arts, politics, intellectual pursuits, social organizations, and sports. The greatest and highest form of fellowship, though, is with God and others who share the common desire to live like God always and whom He is transforming to that end. This fellowship is reserved for those whom God summons.

This means an independent Christian is a contradiction in terms. The Christian church is a community fellowship comparable to a body of which Christ is the Head (I Corinthians 12:12-31). Hebrews 10:25 commands us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Fellowship is not just friendly conversation and geniality. The Bible's writers show plainly it is a tightly knit relationship marked by self-sacrificial love manifested in mutual service, concern, prayer, labor, and helpfulness.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Elements of Motivation (Part Six): Eternal Life

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