Deeper Reflection
FAITH IN JESUS THE MESSIAH IS EVERYTHING. THE WORD “believe” from the Greek verb pisteuo occurs six times in this final chapter (vv.1, 5, 10, 13).⁵⁸ Believing in Jesus produces a new birth spiritually. Therefore, a believer is described as “born of God” (vv.1, 4, 18).⁵⁹ Not only does the believer have physical life, he also has spiritual life, having been reconciled to God. Christians have a relationship with God and therefore “eternal life” (vv.11-13, 20), which is knowing God and His Son Jesus Christ (Jn 17:3). This relational knowing of the true God gives us a quality of life that none else can give. God will enable everyone who believes in Jesus to overcome the world (v.4). God will hear and answer all their prayers according to His will (vv.14-15). And Jesus will protect God’s children from the power of the evil one, i.e. the devil, Satan (vv.18-19; cf. 1 Jn 3:8, 12). No idol or false god can give people life. Only Jesus can give us life and only through Him can we have life abundantly in the present and for all eternity.⁶⁰ Hence, John exhorts Christians to keep themselves from trusting in idols (v.21). People must turn to believe in the Son of God for eternal life. If Jesus is not in their lives, if they do not trust in Him alone for victory over sin and death, they do not have eternal life (vv.11-12)! Therefore we must proclaim the Gospel to all generations – from the young to the old – in ways that they can understand, so that by faith in Jesus they can truly live!

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⁵⁸ The Greek verb for “believe” occurs a total of nine times in 1 John, six of which in chapter 5 alone. The word “faith”,which is the noun form (Greek pistis), occurs once (v.4). Believing in Jesus Christ is a key theme here, and even more so in the Gospel according to John (the verb occurs there 96 times in 21 chapters). ⁵⁹ Or “born again” (Jn 3:3, 7). ⁶⁰ John 10:10, 27-28.