1 John 5:20 (NKJV)
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.
Bible Commentary
1 John 5:20 is a Bible verse from the New Testament that explains how we can know what is true and what is false.
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time for a reason. It is supernatural with the Words of God, our Creator. God provided it for us so that we would know how to live our lives successfully.
The first part of 1 John 5:20 says that is why God sent His Son, who is the Truth, so that we would know what is true.
The word “understanding” in the Greek means: deep thought, the faculty (mind or its disposition); mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling or will).
Jesus Christ came to bestow upon us the gift of salvation, which includes everything that He is, including His mind (1 Corinthians 2:16). He gave us an understanding through His divine nature (His mind—thought, feeling and will).
God offers us the best and most extraordinary gifts through His Son Jesus Christ. Within Christ are eternal riches that we can only begin to get a glimpse of here on earth. But by using the mind of Christ in our daily walk with Him, we know Him.
That again, is what God wants for us, that we would know Him who is true. What better way to know Him than to share His mind and intellect, His will and emotions?!
Unlocking the Truth – Relation of Rest
The next part of 1 John 5:20 says, “and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.” As Christians, we yielded our will to His when we accepted Him as our Savior and Lord. Therefore, we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.
In the Greek, the word “in” means: fixed position (in place, time or state), a relation of rest. Think about that for a moment. In Jesus Christ, we are in a fixed position, a relation of rest.
Christ is the relation between us and God, the fixed position that gives us rest. He is the bridge which filled in the gap created by sin. There is no rest like the rest of God, and we have that in His Son. This is the peace that passes all understanding!
Praise God!
The last part of 1 John 5:20 says, “This is the true God and eternal life.”
How Do You View God?
The world paints a very skewed picture of God. It blames Him for the evil and destruction that we see and hear all around us. Just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they disobeyed God, they blamed someone else instead of taking responsibility for what they did.
Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed Eve and God, because God gave Eve to him! We think it’s easier and less painful to blame someone else rather than owning up to our own faults and weaknesses.
But God requires truth in order to reach into the depth of our heart with His mercy. We must stop the blame game and own up or acknowledge the truth of our sin. Jesus is the door. Jesus is the Truth.
And God sent His Son to be that door of truth we so desperately needed to receive our Father’s forgiveness.
This is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:20 says it so well.
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.
May the words of life and truth give you hope, health and happiness, now and forever. Study the Bible verse of 1 John 5:20 and rejoice in knowing Him who is true.
