Many verses in this chapter have been covered under the explanation of previous verses. These will only be briefly reviewed.

• I John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

This is the Tribulation plan of salvation in a nutshell. It is not the same as salvation by grace through faith taught by Paul. Church Age salvation requires heart belief in the scriptural death, burial and resurrection, and the receiving of Christ as one’s personal Saviour from sin. Tribulation salvation also requires the same but adds love of the brethren (defined as sacrificial giving) as a second requirement.

• I John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Obeying those two commandments will give assurance of salvation to the Tribulation saint. He will know that he is a born again child of God.

• I John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Proof that a person loves God is shown by his keeping of the commandments both positive and negative. This includes helping the brethren (positive) and not worshipping idols, or committing adultery, etc. (negative.)

• I John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

• I John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Being born again and overcoming have both been discussed previously. Tribulation saints who are doing right are in Christ. In that position they have overcome because he has overcome. The context of the next verse concerns birth. Jesus "came by" water and blood.

• I John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

The explanation for "coming by" water is found in the third chapter of the gospel of John.

• John 3:3
  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Being "born of water" is not baptism. The Bible explains itself in the very next verse. The water birth is the natural, fleshly birth.

• John 1:14 a
  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...

The Lord Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven to be born of a woman in the likeness of sinful flesh. He had to do this so he could shed sinless blood to atone for the sins of mankind. His flesh came from Mary but his sinless blood was the blood of God.

• Acts 20:28
  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

So here is the second nature of the Lord. He "came by water and blood" with his human, fleshly body from Mary, and his sinless blood from God. He had a dual nature. He was both God and man, and this verse demonstrates that point. When he died the point was made again.

• John 19:34
  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

It was not just a man who died, but the second member of the Godhead died that day, and the Holy Spirit was there every step of the way so that he is able to bear witness to the events. First he could testify to Christ’s divine conception.

• Luke 1:35
  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Just after his birth the Holy Spirit affirmed that he was indeed the Lord’s Christ.

• Luke 2:25
  And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26
  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus...

The Holy Spirit also was present at the beginning of his public ministry.

• Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And of course he was instrumental in Christ’s resurrection.

• I Peter 3:18
  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

There can be no question that the Holy Spirit is qualified to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ’s dual nature. But in case there is still some doubt the whole Godhead confirms it.

• I John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

This unequivocal statement of the Trinity is attacked in all the new Bible versions, but as King James Bible believers we can let them wallow in their unbelief and accept God at his word. An attack on the Trinity at this point also attacks the dual nature of Christ as the Son of God and the Son of man. For it is the Trinity that bears record to the truth stated in verse six. Those who doubt the authenticity of this God inspired verse are deceived by the insidiousness of the devil. In the next verse the water and the blood again refer to Christ’s human and divine nature, but while verse six is a reference to Christ’s birth verse eight is probably a reference to his death (John 19:34).

• I John 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

There can be no doubt. Heaven and earth are in agreement that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of men.

• I John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

There can be no greater witness than God himself, and the testimony he gives is the written word. When this word of God is attacked it is an attack against the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ himself! A believer has the affirmation of these truths is in himself.

• I John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

This is true for a Christian today as well.

• Romans 8:16
  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

I John 5:10 continues by saying that people who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ have made God a liar because they don’t believe his "record." Now a record can be something heard or something written. I listened to phonograph records as a teenager, and a court recorder writes down (records) the proceedings of the court. Either way a sinner has no excuse. The record is there to be believed or not.

• I John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

• I John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

The record of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ has been testified to by the Godhead and by those who have already believed on Christ. In fact John states that he has written this epistle to encourage believers to be confident in their eternal life and to keep on believing on Christ.

• I John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

That second warning to believe is necessary because those Tribulation saints must "endure to the end." They must not give in to an "evil heart of unbelief." The next two verses have been covered previously.

• I John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

• I John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

This next verse concerns a specific prayer for a brother who has sinned.

• I John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not into death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Now praying for a brother is found many places in the Bible. But here is a command not to pray for a brother who has sinned "a sin unto death." The meaning of that phrase is obscure to even most Bible believers. Sin seems to fall into two categories.

• I John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Sins "unto death" are separate and different from all other sins. I say "sins unto death" because the indefinite article "a" is used when talking about them. If "the sin unto death" was used there would only be one, but the use of "a" indicates that there is more than one. Of course, it is also obvious from the text that it only takes one "sin unto death" to doom a person.

In the book of Jeremiah God commands Jeremiah not to pray for some of his people.

• Jeremiah 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

This sounds a great deal like the admonition in I John 5:16. What were these people doing that God would refuse to even listen to Jeremiah’s prayer for them? The answer is found in a previous verse.

• Jeremiah 7:9
  Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

The sins that were being committed by these Israelites were sins for which there was no prescribed blood sacrifice and therefore no means of forgiveness was available under Mosaic Law. These people had damned themselves without recourse by their wicked acts. (See details in the section on Old Testament salvation.) No amount of prayer could avail them. This gives us the answer then to the meaning of "a sin unto death."

During the Tribulation the moral half of the Law of Moses is in effect. One definition of sin during this time is "a transgression of the Law." Under Moses Law there were sins for which there could be no forgiveness. These are the Tribulation sins for which prayer cannot avail a brother. For example, during the Tribulation a brother who commits adultery has committed "a sin unto death." He has damned his soul by his actions. This sheds great light on another passage that is so often misrepresented.

• Hebrews 6:4
  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

These verses describe a Tribulation saint who has lost his salvation, a brother who has sinned "a sin unto death." Many Christians privately interpret these verses saying that they mean something different than what the actual words say. But true Bible believers must leave these verses as they stand and believe what the words say without compromise.

Sins "unto death" are never minor in nature and could not be accidentally committed. (See the part on the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament Salvation Under Mosaic Law section.) There also would never be a question as to whether the sins "unto death" were actually sins. The devil might deceive a Tribulation saint into thinking he can get away with a sin, but he would nevertheless know that his action was sinful.

The definition then of "a sin unto death" is nowhere near as hard as it has been made out. These sins correspond with unforgivable sins in the Old Testament under Mosaic Law. There was no blood sacrifice in the Old Testament that would bring forgiveness and no way a Tribulation saint could regain forgiveness after committing "a sin unto death." This is in remarkable contrast to the eternal security of the believer in the Church Age. There is no sin a born again Christian can commit today that will damn him.

The next verse has already been covered previously. A Tribulation saint who claims to be born again must not sin (break the commandments). He earns his own salvation by doing right and thus the devil cannot claim him.

• I John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Here is another extreme contrast to salvation by grace during the Church Age. Today, works in no way help to save or keep a Church Age saint saved. The method of salvation is pure grace through faith.

Devotionally this next verse is true in any dispensation. God and his saints are juxtaposed with the world and its lost. But specifically during the Tribulation the dividing line will be very definitive. There will be no doubt as to the followers of the Lord. Their words and actions will set them so far apart from the world’s wickedness that they will be easily identified.

• I John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

This next to last verse is testimony to the absolute assurity of the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first phrase states that Jesus is doubtless the Son of God come is the flesh.

• I John 5:20a And we know that the Son of God is come,...

And being the Son of God makes him actually God in the flesh. He is the God to be worshipped, adored, trusted and obeyed.

• I John 5:20b ...and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true,

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ opens the eyes of understanding when reading the scripture. That understanding reinforces the faith and reveals clearly that the only way to the Father is through the Son.

• I John 5:20c and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.

The obedient believer is in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

• I John 5:20d This is the true God, and eternal life.

And of course, eternal life is found only with the one true God. All people want to live forever but few ever find the "narrow way" in any dispensation. And those who do find the way during the Tribulation are still in danger of "losing" their way. That is the reason for the warning in the last verse.

• I John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

The Antichrist, called the "idol shepherd" in Zechariah 11:17 uses idols during the Tribulation to tempt the faithful away from the one true God and keep the lost on the road to hell. Idolaters are damned.

• Revelation 21:8
  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Tribulation salvation is not hard to understand if the Bible believer will believe the actual words of the verses he reads without trying to make them say something they don’t. The last chapter of Revelation summarizes precisely what is expected of a person in the Tribulation who wants to be saved. Something that John has taught again and again in his first epistle.

• Revelation 22:14
  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Tribulation salvation consists of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping the commandments of God. Nothing less will secure eternal life.

• Revelation 22:15
  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

To this author the pronounced blatantness of Tribulation doctrine in this epistle is indisputable. The premillennial arrangement of the books of the Bible, which most King James Bible believers recognize, place this epistle squarely in the middle of the Tribulation books; and yet for some reason, I John is taught primarily as Church Age doctrine. This grievous error has fortified doctrinal heresy in some areas. As most Bible believers realize, doctrinal truth for the Tribulation is not necessarily doctrinal truth for the Church. This first erroneous belief is common among many Christians, even King James Bible believers; and while works do prove Tribulation salvation (as shown in I John) they do not do so in the Church Age.

1.) Works do not prove a Church Age Christian’s salvation.

Teaching "works prove salvation" is the exact opposite of the Spirit of Grace. The lowest sinner is saved by grace through faith and kept by grace through faith, and his works or lack of them have nothing to do with whether or not he is saved. This heresy makes Pharisitical Christians who point their holy fingers and say "He can’t be saved. Look at what he did. Look at how he lives." And if works can determine the reality of someone’s salvation, it must then be determined "which works?" In some circles women who wear slacks have their salvation questioned. This is not Church Age doctrine. This heresy also splashes over into personal assurance. Where "works prove salvation" is taught, a Christian who falls into serious sin may begin to doubt his conversion. This is so akin to "losing" one’s salvation that the whole doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone is slandered. This false doctrine also promotes the belief that many cultists are saved. After all many Mormons "talk the talk and walk the walk." A new Christian or perennial baby Christian could easily be sucked in. A Mormon will say all the right things about the Lord Jesus Christ and most live relatively clean lives compared to the world. Today’s Christian CANNOT judge from "By their fruits ye shall know them." Only a knowledge of the Bible versus the written doctrine of the Mormons or Catholics or Jehovah’s Witnesses or most other cults can determine the validity of a cultist’s professed salvation and subsequent good works. Only the most knowledgeable Bible Believer would doubt the salvation of Mother Theresa. Those doubts don’t come from her profession of faith - she believed in Christ. The doubts don’t stem from her works - she did many good things for the physical needs of thousands. The doubts come from the doctrinal beliefs of her church, and that is NOT what I John or any of a number of similar Tribulation verses say. They say that a Tribulation saint will be able to recognize a believer from his works.

While today most cults are founded on a supposed belief in the Christ of the Bible, during the Tribulation believing that the Lord Jesus Christ who walked the earth 2000 years ago was God in the flesh, and will come again as the Saviour of Israel will be the EXCEPTION, not the rule.

That verbal confession against the powers that be will, will trigger a response to watch the confessor’s actions. Those works will prove his salvation. Today, almost all false cults say they believe in Christ. It is not their works which verify the validity of their professions, but a knowledge of whether or not what they say they believe lines up with what the Bible says. Things different are not the same, and to teach today that "works prove salvation" is a heresy. But that IS what I John teaches again and again. I John is NOT a Church Age epistle. The second heresy that is fortified by teaching that the doctrine of I John is for the Church is that "born again" equals immediate "spiritual circumcision."

2.) Being "born again" in the Church Age is different than being "born again" in the Tribulation.

Personally, for doctrinal purposes, this author dislikes to the extreme the use of the term "born again" for Church Age Christians. But I am fully aware that I cannot change its common usage after years and years of its being synonymous with the salvation of a Church Age saint. Just as an aside, the Paul says three times that today’s Christian has been "adopted" into God’s family, not "born" into it. (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5). John and Peter are the only ones who uses the term. It first shows up in John 3 with which we are all familiar. But once it appears most everyone breaks the basic rules of Bible exegesis.

A.) What is the context?

Specifically, it is an explanation of the new birth.

B.) Who is speaking, and to whom is he speaking?

The Saviour of the nation of Israel is speaking to a ruler of Israel. He is explaining the new birth to him. This is exactly what I said earlier in the main text. Even the Jewish elite did not understand about individual, person, eternal life, and certainly not through Christ.

Nicodemus was pretty good at Bible exegesis because he took Christ’s statement at face value (John 3:4), which is the correct way to begin. Christ went on to explain the doctrinal meaning to this Israelite ruler. WHY is this passage placed on the Church? The salvation of "the world" was to come through the Jews, but "the world" is not the Church. The emphasis of works just a few verses later (19-21) and "he that doeth truth," clearly shows the Tribulation doctrine of this passage. And as was shown in the main text, the nation and the individuals will all be "born" at one time, at "the end," when the Spirit is poured out. At that time the individual will experience a completed and secure spiritual and physical salvation, and most likely spiritual circumcision. (Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 31:33)

If "born again" is only a term for the Church Age believer (and many believe that) than I John must be for the Church regardless of its many difficult verses. Church Age spiritual circumcision ensures eternal security immediately upon belief, a Tribulation saint cannot be born again, because he is not spiritually circumcised and can lose his salvation.

Or "born again" may be a doctrinal Tribulation term which has been appropriated for spiritual use in the Church Age. It certainly is effectual in personal work to tell a lost sinner that Christ said he "must be born again."

Or the definition of "born again" may change between dispensations, doctrinally meaning one thing in the Church Age, but something else in the Tribulation.

How one interprets I John would determine which of the above a person accepts. The point being that an inaccurate understanding of the definition of "born again" (whatever it is) breeds other heresies. Is the term exclusive? Can it be "mixed and matched"? Does its definition change? Does it equal eternal security? Is it correct to try to make its spiritualized meaning a doctrinal absolute? Again, one’s treatment of I John is important in determining the answers to the above questions.

There are other tangental issues concerning I John. It is a common belief that the Holy Spirit "leaves" the earth at the rapture of the Church. Yet, if I John is a doctrinal epistle for the Tribulation it is easily proven that this is false. The Holy Spirit is clearly still maintaining his office, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. He also lives in (but does not seal) believers.

And if I John is a Tribulation epistle it also indicates that believers of that dispensation are IN Christ (and in the Father), although obviously not in Christ’s Body and Bride. Considering God is a Spirit and a Trinity that is not hard to accept. Believers of all dispensations are all his children and members of his family.

This author has never seen or heard of another commentary on I John that treats it as primarily a doctrinal epistle for the Tribulation. Even Bible believers stumble at seemingly difficult verses and occasionally make token references to the Tribulation, while still teaching it as Church Age doctrine. I have no problem with spiritualizing I John to teach Church Age truth, but its primary doctrinal meaning should still be recognized. Doing so clears up so many supposed problems with interpretation. My sincere prayer is that all the readers of this commentary see this and that the Holy Spirit bear witness to the truth concerning this book.