Oct. 26, 2025

“WALKING IN THE LIGHT”

“THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S WITNESS”

1 JOHN 5:6-21

1. Jesus Is God- 1 John 5:6-10

1 John 5:6 “This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

But how do we know that Jesus Christ is God?

Some of His contemporaries called Him a liar and a deceiver.

 Matthew 27:63 “Saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.” 

John's epistle refutes this false teaching. It presents three infallible witnesses to prove that Jesus is God:

1 John 5:7-8 “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”

*First Witness-The Water. Jesus came "by water and blood.”vs.8 

Matthew 3:17 “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

Second Witness-The Blood.vs.8 

John 12:28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

Matthew 27:54 “So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

 *The Third Witness-The Spirit vs.8

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” 

John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” 

We can trust the Spirit's witness because "the Spirit is truth."

How does the Spirit witness within the heart of a believer?

Romans 8:15-16 “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

His witness is our inner confidence that we belong to Christ-not a confidence that we “work up" for ourselves, but a confidence that God gives us.

1 John 5:9-10 “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.” 

The Spirit also witnesses to us through the Word.

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The Law required two or three witnesses for a matter to be settled. 

Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.” 

The Spirit, the water, and the blood settle the matter: Jesus is God.

Jesus is God: this is the first Christian certainty, and it is foundational to everything else.

2. Believers Have Eternal Life- 1 John 5:11-13

The key word in 5:6-10 is “witness,” sometimes translated "record" or “testifieth."

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13These 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, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

Eternal life is a gift; it is not something that we earn: 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.” 

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” 

1 John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life…”

1 Timothy 6:19 “storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

This gift is received by faith. God has gone on record in His Word as offering eternal life to those who will believe on Jesus Christ.

 John 20:31 “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

He wrote this epistle so that we may be sure that we are the children of God:

1 John 5:13 “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, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

It would be helpful at this point to review the characteristics of God's children:

• 1 John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
• 1 John 3:9 “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”
• 1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
• 1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
• 1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith.”

If you bear these “birthmarks” you can say with confidence that you are a child of God.

3. God Answers Prayer- 1 John 5:14-15

1 John 5:14-15 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

As we have seen, the word “confidence” means "freedom of speech." We can come to the Father freely and tell Him our needs.

*Of course, there are conditions we must meet:

First, we must have a heart that does not condemn us: 

1 John 3:21-22 “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 

Unconfessed sin is a serious obstacle to answered prayer” 

Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.”

Second, we must pray in God's will. “

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” 

"Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man's will done in heaven, but for getting God's will done on earth," wrote Robert Law.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

God has promised to supply our needs (Phil. 4:19)—not our greeds!

"But if it is God's will for me to have a thing, then why should I pray about it?”

Prayer is really the thermometer of the spiritual life.

John does not write, "We shall have the requests," but, "We know that we have the requests" (1 John 5:15).

4. Christians Do Not Practice Sin- 1 John 5:16-19

1 John 5:16-19 “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. 18We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. 19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one”

“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin…”v. 18 

1 John 3:9 “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”

A Christian faces three enemies, all of which want to lead him into sin: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

“the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” vs.19 

Then how does a believer keep from sinning?

vs. 18 “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

Peter's experience with Satan helps us to understand this truth:

Luke 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

One of the characteristics of "spiritual young men" is their ability to overcome the evil one: 

1 John 2:13-14 “I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you And you have overcome the wicked one.”

Their secret? "The word of God abides in you" vs.14

"All unrighteousness is sin,” vs.17

To whom much is given, much shall be required.

"The prayer of faith" is prayer in the will of God, as described in 1 John 5:14, 15. It is "praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20).

5. The Christian Life Is the Real Life- 1 John 5:20- 21

Jesus Christ is the true God. We know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true. We have "the real thing”!

1 John 5:20-21 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

1 Corinthians 8:4 “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”

As we have seen, the word "real" means "the original as opposed to a copy" and "the authentic as opposed to an imitation.”

All of the great heroes of faith named in Hebrews 11 accomplished what they did because they "saw the invisible" by faith. In other words, they were in contact with reality. 

God is light, love, and truth; and these together make a life that is real.

So John's admonition, "Keep yourselves from idols," can be paraphrased, "Watch out for the imitation and the artificial and BE REAL!”