First John 5:9

The Bible says in FirstJohn 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.” The Bible says, “If we receive the witness of men…” And we do receive the witness of men. Every court of law in every country receives the witness of men. Great and important decisions are made every day because of the witness of men. The point that is made here is an obvious point one would think: “the witness of God is greater.” Listen to the witness of God. Receive the witness of God. Believe the witness of God. What witness are we speaking of? What witness did God make? “This is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son.”

Those in the world who are claiming to serve God and believe God without receiving the witness of the Son are in trouble. The next verses explain some of the reasons why. First John 5:10 says, “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.” Earlier in this chapter and in the previous verse in First John 5:8, we were told that God has placed three witnesses in the world: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. Once you come to know Christ as Savior, the Spirit is not only a witness in the world, He is also a witness in you. The same Spirit who once called you to Christ now teaches you to reach out to Christ. The reason that you can now say, “Abba, Father,” is because the witness of the Spirit is within you. If you can honestly say, “Jesus is my Savior,” it is only because the Spirit is within you.

You believed the Spirit when He witnessed to you and helped you come to Christ. Those who do not come to Christ do not believe the Spirit. The Spirit is there as a witness to them, but they do not believe. They have heard the same witnesses that you have heard, but they have chosen to not believe. It is a choice, it is a decision, it is an evaluation that you make. The people who ultimately do not believe are people who reject God’s witness that He has personally given to them. In other words they are calling God a liar. That is what First John 5:10 says. It says that they have “made him a liar.” It is a very serious thing to call God a liar. It is so serious that it is directly related to your eternal destiny.

We are talking about the difference between having eternal life and not having it. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John wants to make this message of the gospel very clear so that everyone who reads this or hears it will be able to understand. John writes in First John 5:11-12, “And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” There are at least three major things said in these verses. The first is that eternal life is a gift. The second is that eternal life is in Jesus Christ. The third is that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who have the Son of God and those who do not have Him.

Eternal life is a gift because First John 5:11 says, “God has given to us eternal life.” Romans 6:23 says the same thing. It says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Eternal life cannot be earned or deserved. Eternal life is a gift. The way that you obtain a gift is to receive the gift. Someone might offer you a gift, but that gift does not become yours until you receive it. You can reject the gift or receive it: the choice is yours.

God has given you a free choice, but He offers you a gift, a very precious gift: eternal life. Notice that eternal life is ”in” Jesus Christ. There is a close connection, an inseparable connection between eternal life and Jesus Christ. That is because Jesus purchased eternal life with His blood and because Jesus is the One who gives eternal life to those who ask Him. We can even say that Jesus is eternal life. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” Because eternal life is in Jesus Christ, that means that eternal life can be found nowhere else. Eternal life is not in a religion. It is in a person. Eternal life is not found in baptism or church membership or anything else.

So there are two kinds of people in the world: those who have Jesus Christ because they have received Christ, and those who do not have Jesus Christ because they have not yet received Him. Hopefully they will receive Christ before it is too late. If they do not receive Jesus Christ, they do not have eternal life. An empty and lonely and terrible eternal destiny awaits them. But God does not want them to have that kind of destiny, and so He sent His Son to die. And now the Son stands with open arms, offering His forgiveness to lost souls.

Why did the Apostle John write this epistle of First John? Why did the Holy Spirit give these words to John? The answer is found in First John 5:13. It says, “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.” There are two purposes listed here. The first purpose is so that believers may know that they have eternal life. In other words God wants you to have assurance about your salvation. You are either saved or you are not saved. You either have Christ or you do not have Him. God wants you to have assurance so that you can enjoy your salvation. He does not want you to have doubts. God is not the author of confusion and He is not the author of doubting either.

How can you have this kind of assurance? How can you know that you have eternal life? This verse tells you that. It says, “These things have I written unto you…” You can have assurance based upon the scriptures. Make the scripture and what it says your authority. Substitute what you think with what the scripture says. If you have really been saved through faith in Christ, that is how you get assurance. You read verses like John 3:16 or this verse here in First John 5:11-13, and then you “know that you have eternal life.”

First John 5:13 gives a second purpose for the epistle being written. The first purpose was “that you may know that ye have eternal life.” The second purpose John said was, “that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” To believe in Jesus Christ has a beginning point, and of course that belief should continue each day. It is not God’s will that someone believe for a while and then stop believing. We are using the word “believe” in this sense in reference to the idea of “trust.” To believe in Jesus Christ is to trust in Christ: to rely upon Him. Some people stop trusting in Christ for some reason or another. Sorrows, the cares of life, personal disasters, or selfish lust, or something else can come crashing down on anyone at any time; and the result for some people is that they stop trusting in Christ. Strange is it not that some people stop trusting in Christ right when they need to trust in Him the most. The same fire that melts the wax hardens the clay.

The trials of life harden the hearts of some and tear their faith down, but not others. Why? What makes the difference? How do some people continue to believe and continue to trust? One of the most important things that has been provided by God to help you trust in Christ are the scriptures. Stay in the scriptures and your faith in Christ has a chance to stay strong. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” “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.”

Notice the importance given to the “name” of the Son of God. The phrase “the name of the Son of God” is used twice here in First John 5:13. His name is Jesus. You cannot have true belief in God without believing in Jesus: in other words trusting in Jesus. Jesus has all power. He said, “All power has been given unto me in heaven and in earth.” His name is wonderful. His name is salvation. His name is everything. There is no eternal life without the name of Jesus. There is no forgiveness of sins without the name of Jesus. “There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.” “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

There is one last thing that would be good to mention about First John 5:13. It says, “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.” Looking forward into my future, I know that I have eternal life. Because of Jesus that issue has been settled. That future part of my existence is certain. Concerning my present existence and the rest of my life on this earth, I am told to continually trust and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus. No matter what happens in this life I can still trust in Jesus. Jesus has done everything for me both in the future and in this life. In the future I have eternal life, and now I have Jesus. I have all that I need and all that I will ever need if I keep the faith and if I keep believing and trusting in the name of the Son of God.

There are certain benefits to believing. One benefit is having hope instead of despair. Another benefit is having peace instead of worry. The Bible speaks of another benefit to believing in the next verse. First John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, he heareth us.” We have confidence in Him. That means that we have boldness and freedom to come before His presence with our requests. He cares about us and our needs. He made us creatures with needs. Make sure that you go to the right place to have your needs fulfilled.

We have confidence to pray to Him because of our faith in Him, and He hears us whenever we pray. But there is one condition mentioned in this verse, and it is a very important condition: “according to His will.” “If we ask any thing according to His will, he heareth us.” That is a very big “if.” In my view the problem with Christianity is all of the weak, selfish believers who cannot truly say, “Not my will, but thine be done.” That is what Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before going to His cross on Calvary. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Every Christian has a cross. A cross is a terrible, and a difficult thing. No one would choose a cross if they laid out their lives just for their own enjoyment.

The purpose of life is to die: to die to self. Jesus came into the world to die. It seems that the Christians of the modern world want God’s will just so long as good things are happening to them. But let some terrible disaster come their way, and then let us see if they still are asking for God’s will. Why does God not answer some prayers? Sometimes His answer is “no” because what we ask for is not His will. Remember that God’s will is the way of the cross. Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” A cross is a difficult thing to bear. A cross is suffering. Are you willing to bear the cross: the cross that is God’s will for you? If you pray and ask for God’s will, He will probably give you a cross to bear because that is His will.

Notice the last phrase of First John 5:14: “He heareth us.” When we pray, when we talk to God, of course He hears us. Nothing can stop God from hearing us. He is God. Sometimes you will hear someone say that it seems to them that their prayers do not get beyond the ceiling. That does not matter because God is right next to you. Even if they did not get beyond the ceiling, He would still hear them because He is always right next to us. “He heareth us.” He listens to us. He is attentive to the voice of His children. He loves us. He listens to our cry. But He is still God. Some parents spoil the children by giving in to the will of the children. That is not good for the children. It teaches them the wrong things. God does not make that mistake with us. God gives us a cross to bear. If we have it too easy, we will be soft and then we will be weak. That is what happens to our children when we do too much for them and give in to their will.

God hears us. You can talk to God through Christ and know that they are listening to you. They are never too busy. They never ignore you. They are never preoccupied. We have no friend like Jesus. We can take all of our sorrows and griefs to Him and our requests. We can cry on His shoulder. He is tender and compassionate and merciful Jesus. It is a good thing to believe on the name of the Son of God. Here is one of the benefits and consequences of believing on Him: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, he heareth us.”

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