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1 Juan 5:1
Quien cree que Jesús es el Cristo, nace de Dios, y quien ama al Padre, ama al hijo que nace de Él.
(a) Quien crea que Jesús es el Cristo. John has already spoken about believing in Jesus (1 John 3:23), but now, as he nears the end of his letter, he encourages his readers to believe again and again (1 John 5:5, 10, 13). John is preaching for a verdict: he wants you to believe!
(b) Nacido de Dios. Believers are born of God or born again (1 Pet. 1:23) in the sense that they have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection. You are not merely a good person or a forgiven person, but a brand new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). One with the Lord, you are a partaker of his divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4) and his Spirit dwells in you (1 Cor. 3:16).
(C) El padre; ver entrada for 1 John 3:1.
(d) Whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. The word “child” is in italics because it is not in the original text. It has been added by translators giving the impression that John is talking about the Son of God. If so, his point is that you cannot have a relationship with the Father apart from the Son (1 John 2:23). The religious Jews had faith in God, but their faith was dead and useless because it was unaccompanied by the work of believing in the Son he sent (John 6:29, Jas. 2:17).
Alternatively, the omitted word refers to the children born of God. In this case John is saying you cannot have a relationship with the Father if you hate your Christian brothers and sisters (see 1 John 4:20). Both interpretations are fair, but the context leans towards the second one (see next verse).
1 Juan 5:2
En esto sabemos que amamos a los hijos de Dios, cuando amamos a Dios y observamos sus mandamientos.
(a) Por esto sabemos; ver entrada for 1 John 2:3.
(b) Amamos a los hijos de Dios.. It is inconceivable that someone could love God and not love his family or his Son (1 John 5:1).
(C) los hijos de dios. Although God is the Father of all (Mal. 2:10, Acts 17:29, 1 Cor. 8:6, Eph. 3:15), the phrase “children of God” usually refers to those who know their heavenly Father (1 John 2:13) and carry his spiritual DNA or seed (1 John 3:9). Believers, in other words (John 1:12, Rom. 8:16-17, 21, Eph. 5:1, Php. 2:15, 1 John 2:12, 13, 18, 28, 3:1–2, 7, 9–10, 18, 4:4, 5:2, 18–19, 21, 2 John 1:1, 4, 13, 3 John 1:4). See entrada para los Hijos de Dios.
(d) Observa sus mandamientos; ver el verso siguiente.
1 Juan 5:3
Porque este es el amor de Dios, que guardemos sus mandamientos; y sus mandamientos no son gravosos.
(a) This is the love of God. This is how we know God’s love has done its perfect work in us. John does not say, “This is how we love God, we keep his commandments.” It is God’s love for us that empowers us to trust and obey him.
(b) Que guardemos sus mandamientos to believe Jesus and love one another (1 John 3:23). These are the Lord’s commandments—“his commandments”—as opposed to the 613 laws and regulations of the old covenant. Paul refers to these as the commandments of God (1 Cor. 7:19), and so does John (Rev. 12:17, 14:12).
(C) Sus mandamientos no son gravosos. The yoke of Moses is heavy (Act 15:10), but Jesus’ yoke is light (Matt. 11:30).
Cuando sabes cuán bueno es Dios y cuán profundamente te ama, es fácil confiar en él y obedecerlo. Cuando tu Padre te pide que hagas algo, obedeces felizmente porque sabes que sólo tiene cosas buenas reservadas para ti. Bajo el antiguo pacto, la obediencia era un deber y una tarea ardua. Pero en el nuevo pacto, la obediencia es un trampolín hacia la vida abundante.
1 Juan 5:4
Porque todo lo que es nacido de Dios vence al mundo; y esta es la victoria que ha vencido al mundo: nuestra fe.
(a) Nacido de Dios, creyentes; ver entrada for 1 John 5:1.
(b) vence al mundo; ver el verso siguiente.
(C) Esta es la victoria que ha vencido al mundo: nuestra fe.. Spiritual warfare for the Christian is less about shouting at the devil and more about believing that Jesus is Lord over whatever situation we face. Unbelief says we must engage the enemy and fight for the victory, but faith declares that Jesus has already won. Unbelief cowers before the name of the adversary, whether it’s disease, debt, or depression. But faith exalts the Name that is above all names.
(d) Our faith. Faith is like a servant we send to God for aid in our time of need. It’s not our faith that manufactures the victory, but faith is the means by which that victory comes. Faith is the conduit down which grace flows.
1 Juan 5:5
¿Quién es el que vence al mundo, sino el que cree que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios?
(a) Who is the one? The believer overcomes the world. You are not an overcomer because of what you do but because Christ the Overcomer lives in you (John 16:33).
(b) vence al mundo. Por la gracia de Dios puedes ganar tus batallas.
Life may crush you under the weight of debt and circumstance, but you are far from helpless (Heb. 13:6). You can speak to storms and sickness and appropriate by faith the victory that Christ has won. In Christ you are more than an overcomer and more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37).
(C) He who believes. God does not need your promises and sacrifices. Faith is the only requirement for receiving from the abundant provision of his grace.
(d) Jesus is the Son of God. John and the other apostles recognized that Christ’s identity was defined by his relationship to God the Father. “Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father” (2 John 1:3). In contrast, the unbelieving Jews doubted Christ’s sonship (Matt. 27:40, John 19:7), and the devil tried to get Jesus to question it. “If you are the Son of God” (Matt. 4:3).
John refers to the Son of God more than 20 times in his epistles (1 John 1:3, 7, 2:22–24, 3:8, 23, 4:9–10, 14–15, 5:5, 9–13, 20, 2 John 1:3, 9). He does this so that we might come to believe in the name of the Son of God (1 John 3:23).
1 Juan 5:6
Este es Aquel que vino por agua y sangre, Jesucristo; no sólo con el agua, sino con el agua y con la sangre. Es el Espíritu quien da testimonio, porque el Espíritu es la verdad.
(a) Water and blood may allude to Christ’s baptism (the water) and death (the blood), two events which mark the beginning and end of his earthly ministry. The supernatural activity that accompanied these events highlights their significance. At his baptism, a voice spoke from heaven, and at his death, the sky darkened, the temple curtain was torn, the earth shook, and the graves of the righteous dead were opened.
(b) No solo con el agua. Some of the great prophets of old were associated with water. Moses came by way of the river and caused water to come from the rock. John baptized with water. Yet Jesus excels these great ministries because he came with the water and the blood. No prophet died for the sins of the world like Jesus did (1 John 2:2). It is not the blood of Moses and John that cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
(C) Es el Espíritu quien testifica. When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended from heaven and came to rest on him (Matt. 3:16). The Holy Spirit continues to testify about Jesus (John 16:8–9).
(d) El Espíritu es la verdad.. Jesus is the truth (John 1:8) which means the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of truth. The Spirit of wisdom and revelation seeks to convince you about Jesus. If you know that Jesus is Lord, it was the Holy Spirit who showed you (1 Cor. 12:3).
1 Juan 5:7–8
Porque tres son los que dan testimonio: el Espíritu, el agua y la sangre; y los tres están de acuerdo.
(a) Tres que testimonian... tres están de acuerdo. Under the Law of Moses, the consistent testimony of two witnesses was enough to establish the truth (John 8:17), but when it comes to Jesus there are three agreeing witnesses. The water and blood, which represent the supernatural ministry and death of Jesus, are consistent with what the Spirit said and continues to say about Jesus.
(b) Espíritu, agua, sangre.; ver entrada for 1 John 5:6.
1 Juan 5:9
Si recibimos el testimonio de los hombres, el testimonio de Dios es mayor; porque el testimonio de Dios es este: que ha testificado acerca de su Hijo.
(a) Testimonio means evidence or report. John’s testimony was reliable because he was with Jesus from the beginning (1 John 1:1). He witnessed Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension.
(b) El testimonio de los hombres includes the eye-witness accounts of the 500 or so people who, like John, personally witnessed the Risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:6), along with the many thousands of people who saw Jesus minister and perform miracles. The testimony of men also encompasses those who experienced the power of God after Jesus ascended to heaven, including the millions of Spirit-filled believers alive today (1 John 5:10).
(C) El testimonio de Dios is greater than the testimony of men, because God is the ultimate Authority and the supreme Judge who cannot lie (Heb. 6:18). The Father knows his Son.
(d) el ha testificado. Dios habló desde el cielo acerca de su Hijo en numerosas ocasiones, tanto en el Antiguo Testamento (principalmente a través de los profetas) como en el Nuevo.
Put it altogether and John is saying something like this: “We have overwhelming and consistent evidence from a variety of sources including God himself that God has given us eternal life in his Son Jesus” (1 John 5:11).
1 Juan 5:10
El que cree en el Hijo de Dios tiene el testimonio en sí mismo; el que no cree en Dios, le ha hecho mentiroso, porque no ha creído en el testimonio que Dios ha dado acerca de su Hijo.
(a) El hijo de Dios; ver entrada for 1 John 3:8.
(b) El que cree en el Hijo de Dios tiene el testimonio en sí mismo. Every believer has a Jesus-story to tell, and every believer has the Holy Spirit bearing witness with their spirits that they are children of God (Rom. 8:16).
(C) El que no cree a Dios lo ha hecho mentiroso. To reject the testimony of God is tantamount to calling him a false witness (1 John 1:10). This is what it means to blaspheme or slander the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:31). This sort of blasphemy is unforgivable because it causes the unbeliever to reject the very truth that might otherwise save him. Further reading: “¿Cuál es el pecado imperdonable?"
(d) El testimonio… acerca de su Hijo; ver el verso siguiente.
1 Juan 5:11
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
(a) El testimonio es este.. This is the report. This is what it’s all about.
(b) God has given us eternal life. Eternal life is not a reward earned by those who perform, but a gift given to all who trust in Jesus.
(C) Esta vida está en su Hijo.. Eternal life is not just more of the same old life; it is life lived in union or fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3). In contrast with the lonely existence of Adamic life, it is the adventure of sharing life with your Maker and his very large family. See entrada for John 3:15.
1 Juan 5:12
He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life
(a) El que tiene al Hijo tiene la vida. Uno con el Señor, su vida es tu vida. Al permanecer en Jesús, sus pensamientos se convierten en tus pensamientos, sus palabras y hechos se convierten en tus palabras y hechos, y cuando eso sucede, su fruto se convierte en tu fruto.
In his Gospel, John says the Spirit gives life (John 6:63) while here in his epistle he says he who has the Son has the life.There is no difference. If you have the Son you have the Spirit and if you have the Spirit you have the Son. Jesus is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45).
(b) He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. There is no lasting life outside of Christ. “He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).
No nacemos inmortales (ver entrada for Rom. 2:6–8) but those who come to Christ receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:15, 5:24).
(C) La vida. En la Biblia se describen dos tipos de vida; la psique o vida del alma que heredamos de Adán y del zoe– or spirit life that comes from God (John 5:26). It’s the second kind of life that is described here. The zoé-life is the eternal life of Christ (see previous verse).
1 Juan 5:13
Estas cosas os he escrito a vosotros que creéis en el nombre del Hijo de Dios, para que sepáis que tenéis vida eterna.
(a) Estas cosas que he escrito se refiere al testimonio que Juan acaba de brindar acerca de Jesús: quién es él (el Hijo de Dios), por qué vino (para salvar al mundo) y qué significa para usted (creer en él).
(b) A ti que crees. John wrote for two audiences and he has a different takeaway for each. Those who don’t believe in the name of Jesus need to believe (1 John 3:23), while those who do believe need to know they have eternal life.
(C) Cree en el nombre del Hijo de Dios; ver entrada for 1 John 3:23.
(d) Para que puedas saber. If you believe in Jesus, you should have no doubts about your salvation. Your salvation is as secure as God’s promises and as solid as his word.
(mi) Vida eterna; ver entrada for 1 John 1:2.
(F) tienes vida eterna. Eternal life is not a future gift to look forward to, for you have eternal life now and that life is in the Son (1 John 5:11). This is why Jesus came: so that you might live through him (1 John 4:9). Eternal life is not merely being cleansed from your sins (which is forgiveness). Eternal life is knowing or living in union with Christ (John 17:3), and it begins the moment you say yes to Jesus.
1 Juan 5:14
Esta es la confianza que tenemos delante de Él, que si pedimos algo conforme a Su voluntad, Él nos oye.
(a) Esta es la confianza que tenemos delante de Él.. Los hijos de Dios tienen confianza en la bondad de su Padre y esto se refleja en la forma en que oran.
(b) Si pedimos algo conforme a su voluntad, Él nos escucha.. We can pray amiss (Jas. 4:3) or we can pray according to his will. What is his will? The Bible tells us. It is not God’s will for you to be lost, or in bondage. It is not his will for you to be sick and fearful. His will is for you to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18). His will is for you to know the riches of his glorious inheritance (Eph. 1:18) and the measureless reaches of his love (Eph. 3:18). His will is for you to prosper in all things and be in good health (3 John 1:2).
(C) el nos escucha. When you discover how much your Father loves you, it changes the way you pray. You will pray for the smallest things, because if it matters to you it matters to him. And you will also ask him for big things, because God has promised you the nations. When you have needs, you won’t hold back like a waiter or stand at a distance like a friend—you’ll come running in to Papa knowing that he delights to give good gifts to his children (Jas. 1:17).
1 Juan 5:15
Y si sabemos que Él nos escucha en todo lo que le pedimos, sabemos que tenemos las peticiones que le hemos pedido.
(a) Si sabemos que él nos escucha. You can be sure that your Father hears your prayers.
Since you cannot be sure and unsure at the same time, uncertainty is a form of unbelief. Sadly, this characterizes the way some people pray. “If I don’t pray right, God won’t hear me.” Some even say things like, “God does not hear sinners” (John 9:31). But if that were true, no sinner could call on the name of the Lord and be saved. The good news God hears our prayers, and he is not judging you according to the quality of your prayers.
(b) Whatever we ask. You can talk to your Father about anything.
(C) tenemos las solicitudes. We can be confident about two things when we pray. First, our heavenly Father hears us. Second, he delights to give good gifts to his children (1 John 3:22).
1 Juan 5:16
Si alguno ve a su hermano cometiendo un pecado que no es de muerte, pedirá y Dios le dará vida a los que cometen un pecado que no es de muerte. Hay un pecado que lleva a la muerte; No digo que deba solicitar esto.
(a) A sin not leading to death; ver el verso siguiente.
(b) Ask God. Pray for those who are sinning. Pray that God will lead them to life.
(C) Give life. The wages of sin is death, but God gives life to those call on his name.
(d) Sin leading to death. Don’t pray for the dead. John is not talking about different types of sin. He’s telling us when to pray and when to quit praying. When our brothers and sisters are stumbling in sin, we should not condemn them but pray that God would lead them in the way of life. But if the sinning brother or sister makes choices that bring their life to a premature end, there’s no point praying any further. Our responsibility to pray ends at the grave. What happens after that is God’s concern.
Algunas religiones e incluso algunas denominaciones cristianas oran por los muertos o los “fieles difuntos” aunque no hay nada en las Escrituras que respalde esto. Orar por los muertos es una obra muerta.
Otras lecturas: "¿Cuál es el pecado que lleva a la muerte?"
1 Juan 5:17
Toda injusticia es pecado, y hay un pecado que no lleva a la muerte.
(a) All unrighteousness is sin. If sin is missing the mark, righteousness is hitting the bullseye. It’s being in right standing with God because you have received the free gift of his righteousness. In contrast, unrighteousness is trying to justify yourself apart from grace. It is living in unbelief and without regard for the goodness of God. Earlier John said lawlessness is sin (1 John 3:4). Lawlessness or unrighteousness are the fruit of unbelief.
(b) A sin not leading to death. Sin is destructive, but not always fatal. Sin can end your marriage, destroy your family, split your church, and bankrupt your business, but no matter how far you fall God’s desire will always be to give you life. Sinning is like sowing death into our lives and families (Rom. 6:23). But the good news is that God gives grace when we sin (Rom. 5:20). God does not punish his wayward children; he woos us back to himself with love. It’s his kindness that draws us back to the place of repentance (Rom. 2:4).
1 Juan 5:18
Sabemos que nadie que es nacido de Dios peca; pero el que nació de Dios lo guarda, y el maligno no le toca.
(a) Nacido de Dios; ver entrada for 1 John 5:1.
(b) Nadie que es nacido de Dios peca. o continúa en pecado porque lleva la naturaleza sin pecado de Cristo. Pecar es un comportamiento anormal para el hijo de Dios. Cuando pecamos nos sentimos podridos porque actuamos en contra de nuestra verdadera identidad. Véase también el entrada for 1 John 3:9.
(C) El que nació de Dios lo guarda.. It is Jesus who keeps you from stumbling (Jude 1:24) and confirms you to the end (1 Cor. 1:8). You are saved by his grace and kept by his grace (see entrada for 1 Pet. 5:10).
Note: Some older translations say “he who has been born of God keeps himself.” Who is “born of God”? Is it the believer (as in 1 John 3:9, 4:7, 5:1)? Or is it the Savior, the Begotten of God (1 John 4:9)? It is clear from scripture that we are kept by Jesus, not ourselves (John 6:39, 10:27–28, Heb. 7:25). It is the Lord who keeps us from the evil one (John 17:15, Rom. 8:38–39, 1 Pet. 1:5). “The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one” (2 Th. 3:3).
(d) El maligno no lo toca.. Because you belong to Jesus, he who touches you touches the Lord. Satan doesn’t want that sort of heat so he will leave you alone. He won’t harm you. However, he will try to get you to harm yourself and one of the ways he does that is by trying to deceive and distract you and fill you with fear. If he can get you to agree with his lies, a stronghold may form in your mind giving ground to the enemy. This is why you need to resist his fiery darts with the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16). When someone says you are not good enough or you’re going to die, you need to take those lies captive and make them bow to the Name of Jesus.
1 Juan 5:19
Sabemos que somos de Dios y que el mundo entero está en poder del maligno.
(a) somos de dios. We the little children are of God because we have been born of God (1 John 5:1). As such, we no longer belong to the world. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God (1 Pet. 2:10).
(b) El mundo in this context refers to that part of humanity that is alienated from God or shaded from the light of his love (see 1 John 2:15).
(C) El poder del maligno. Much of the world remains under the influence of the power of darkness (Eph. 6:12). Although Satan was defeated and disarmed at the cross, his influence persists wherever the light of the gospel does not shine. Darkness reigns in any environment characterized by fear and unbelief.
Many Christians seem unaware of the evil one. When they go through hard times, they think God is behind their suffering. “God gave me cancer to teach me character.” “God ended my marriage because I loved my wife too much.” “God took my retirement savings away because he is sovereign and mysterious.” We don’t need to look for a devil under every rock, but it’s foolish to blame God for the evil in the world. God is good all the way through and in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
Otras lecturas: "¿Es Dios soberano?"
1 Juan 5:20
Y sabemos que el Hijo de Dios ha venido, y nos ha dado entendimiento para que conozcamos al que es verdadero; y estamos en Aquel que es verdadero, en Su Hijo Jesucristo. Este es el Dios verdadero y la vida eterna.
(a) Son of God. Some did not believe the Messiah had come but John emphatically declared that Jesus the Christ had come in the flesh from God (1 John 4:2, 9). Any preacher or teacher who said otherwise was in error (1 John 2:22, 4:3, 2 John 1:7).
(b) Nos ha dado comprensión. Jesus came to turn the lights on and lead us out of darkness. He came to show us the way to the Father.
(C) Para que podamos conocerlo. Jesus did not come to lay down the law or smite the wicked, but to draw us to himself so that we might be one with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3).
(d) El que es verdadero. Just as the Son is truth (1 John 1:8) and the Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6), so too the Father is truth. Just as God is love, God is truth. He is the very source and definition of truth and all truth ultimately points to God.
(mi) estamos en el. Fellowship is one of the themes of John’s message. He began his epistle by writing to unbelievers who have no fellowship with Jesus (1 John 1:3). Now he finishes his epistle by addressing believers who are in Christ. Our union or oneness with the Lord is the foundation for our new life.
(F) Vida eterna; ver entrada for 1 John 1:2.
1 Juan 5:21
Hijitos, guardaos de los ídolos.
(a) Niños pequeños; ver entrada for 1 John 5:2.
(b) Guardaos de los ídolos. Almost as a postscript, John concludes by exhorting his readers to guard themselves from idols. John has not mentioned idols before, but he has spoken much about the fallen world, and the world in which he lived was an idol-worshiping one. Christians in the first-century were daily confronted with considerable pressure to participate in pagan rituals, whether in the name of religion, empire, or trade. We know idols were a big deal because they feature heavily in the letters John wrote to the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 2:14, 20). The other apostles also wrote about the dangers of idol worship (Acts 15:29, 2 Cor. 6:16).
In the modern world we may not worship idols of stone and wood. But when we offer ourselves and our families on the altar of ambition and ministry, we are making unholy sacrifices. We are diminishing the only sacrifice that counts, namely the one made by the Son of God. Then as now, idolatry is a path to bondage and death. John would have agreed with Paul who said, “Beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14).
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I wonder about the meaning of 1 John 5:18 “but He who was born of God keeps him”. Other translations, for example KJV, say “but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself”. The greek word “ἑαυτού – heautu” seems to mean “himself” rather than “him”. The same word is used in 1 John 5:21, there it is translated as “yourselves”. So, is it Jesus who keeps us or is it ourselves who keep us?
I have added a few lines to the entry for 1 John 5:18 to make this more clear.