1 John 5:20

[Behold]

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1 John 5:20

This verse is loaded with light and knowledge.

I want to open it for you who love the word and love to study and receive more revelation.

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""And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."""


1.) "And we may know that the Son of God is Come"..

How?
Because the Apostles knew Him. Walked with Him. Talked with Him. Lived with Him, and saw Jesus a lot after He rose from the Dead.
This is why the original 12, except for John and Judas , were willingly Martyred.
(Unclear about John...perhaps he was at the very end of his life)
The 12 had the truth, because the TRUTH Himself gave it to them, and some of them wrote it down for us, as the New Testament.

2.) "and hath given us an understanding"..

What is it?
Its the knowledge of the Truth.
Its the certainty that Jesus came from Heaven, sent from His Father, virgin born, and died for the sin of the world. John 3:16
Jesus caused the Apostles to have the revelation knowledge that He IS THE Messiah , The Only Begotten of HIS Father..
= God Almighty.

3.) "that we may KNOW Him, that is TRUE.

Now Notice.
"know Him"....this is a deeply spiritual reference regarding being "IN Christ". As to "know" Jesus, is to become "one with God", born again.
That is how Jesus KNOWS you.
And if He does not, then you are not born again.
Look at this verse : Jesus says...>"depart from me, i never KNEW you".
(never born again).
See that "Knew you"?
That is : "that we may KNOW Him" = born again.
And John also says..>"Him that IS True".
That is a direct reference to Jesus's literal statement about Himself... John 14:6

4.) "we are IN HIM".

See that?
That is the same as to "know". As to be IN HIM, is to be born again INTO the Spirit of God, by the Spirit of God. As you then become a "new creation" "IN Christ". That is how you become "IN Him" who is The Truth.
That is how Jesus "KNOWS" you.

5.) "This is the TRUE GOD, and ETERNAL LIFE.

Notice carefully...
That is proof of the Deity of Christ from the pen of John.
John is confirming that "God was manifested in the Flesh. 1 Timothy 3:16
1.) THE TRUE GOD. (There is that TRUE again). "I am THE Truth"...
And notice that "I AM", is God's reference to Himself when talking to Moses from the Burning Bush in the OT, that Jesus also used to verify His own Deity status when He said to the Religious Fakirs...>"Before Abraham was...I AM".

6.) "And eternal Life".

This is John again confirming the Deity of Christ.
He just told you that Jesus "is Eternal Life"., and Only God is: Eternal Life.
John also says "that you may KNOW that you have eternal Life".
There is that "know" again...and if you are born again, then you KNOW you have Eternal life.
Why?
Because God, who is Christ THE Truth and THE Eternal Life is= "Christ IN YOU the Hope of Heaven", and all the born again are become "IN Christ". 'One with God". .. ="As Jesus IS.... so are the born again.... IN THIS World". and we are "Seated in Heavenly places IN Christ".

 

[Matthias]

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

(Luke 6:40)

John is in agreement with Jesus (John 17:3) concerning the identity of the one true God.

 

[tigger 2]

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1 John 5:20

This verse is loaded with light and knowledge.

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Who is the “True God”?

John 4:24 tells us we must worship God in truth (aletheia in the Greek text). There can be no doubt what “truth” means here. It can be properly contrasted here with “falsity.” If we are not worshiping God correctly (in truth), then we are worshiping him falsely. There are only two choices here. This is confirmed by John 17:3 and 2 Thess. 1:8, 9 where we are told that it means eternal life to us to know the true God and Jesus Christ, and, conversely, it means eternal destruction to not know God and obey Jesus. Obviously, if we “know” God and Christ falsely, we cannot worship them in truth. We must know them accurately!

But what about the word “true” [alethinos (contrasted with aletheia, ‘truth’)] in NT Greek? If something is true, does that mean all other things in that same category are necessarily false? Some trinitarians insist that this is so when the term “the true God” is used in Scripture. In other words they are insisting that if he is the true God, anyone else called ‘a god’ would necessarily be a false god! (And, therefore, Jesus cannot be called “a god” in scripture as JWs have translated.)

Well, alethinos
“is unquestionably used sometimes in the Gospel and First Epistle [of John] to signify that a thing truly corresponds to the idea of the name given to it” - p. 819, Vol. 4, A Dictionary of the Bible, Hastings, Hendrickson Publishers, 1988 printing.

And respected NT Greek expert W. E. Vine tells us that alethinos
“denotes true in the sense of real, ideal, genuine; it is used (a) of God, John 7:28 ...; 17:3; I Thess. 1:9;....” - p. 1170, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Nelson Publ., 1983 printing.

Therefore, if we should see, for example, someone being called the ‘true prophet,’ that should mean that the person so described is truly a prophet. In either case this certainly does not have to mean that all other prophets must be false! Even if it was said that this one was the “only true Prophet,” we would probably consider him the only prophet in the highest sense of the word, but that still would not make all other prophets of God false prophets!

Or, since the Proverb quoted at 2 Peter 2:22 is “the true (alethous) Proverb,” does that really mean that all other Proverbs must be false?

And at Heb. 8:2 we see Jesus as “a minister in the sanctuary [in heaven], and in the true (alethinos - Young’s; Vine) tabernacle” - NASB. Here again, although the heavenly “tabernacle” is the “true tabernacle,” that does not mean that the earthly tabernacle was a false tabernacle. As W. E. Vine puts it when discussing Heb. 8:2,
“not that the wilderness Tabernacle was false, but that it was a weak and earthly copy of the Heavenly [cf. Heb. 9:24].” - p. 1171, An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984.

Therefore, the heavenly tabernacle was the only true Tabernacle. There could be other, earthly, tabernacles which were still not false tabernacles. Or as Heb. 9:24 puts it:

“For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands [the earthly tabernacle], a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself” - NASB.

No, just because the heavenly tabernacle is the true one, does not make holy tabernacles on earth false tabernacles. They were merely tabernacles in a lesser sense of the word - “in the image of” the only true Tabernacle (in heaven)!

Perhaps the best illustration of this would be the use of the term “Christ” (or ‘Messiah’ in Hebrew) [“cristoV, cristou, cristw, and criston in the Greek]. As far as Christians are concerned there is only one “true Christ,” our Savior, Jesus! We know that the Bible has also warned us about “false christs.”

However, less well-known is the fact that God himself appointed King Saul (1 Sam. 24:7, cristoV) and King David (2 Sam. 23:1, criston), among many others, as His christ. “Christ” (or “Messiah” in Hebrew) simply means “anointed” or “anointed one,” and those who properly bear that title are those who have been chosen by God for a special assignment. This included the high priests, prophets, and righteous kings of Israel. They all had the title “Christ” or “Christ of God” in the ancient Greek of the Septuagint Bible. Why, even the foreign king, Cyrus, was called the christ (cristw) of God (Is. 45:1, Septuagint) because God chose him for a special assignment!

So, even though we would say that Jesus is the only true Christ and that there have been many false Christs who have arisen, it still would not be proper to insist that any person other than Jesus who is called “christ” or “a christ” must be a false christ! We would then be saying that King David, Moses, and innumerable others chosen by God to do his will were false christs!

What we are saying, then, is that Jesus is the only true Christ in that he is the only person who is God’s anointed in the highest sense of the word! And all others called “christ” are either false christs or faithful servants of God in a lesser sense of the word (as compared to Jesus himself)!

So, for God to say that he is the true (alethinos) God does not demand that all others called ‘god’ or ‘gods’ are false gods as a few trinitarian apologists imply. The inspired scriptures when speaking of faithful angels, prophets, God-appointed judges, kings, and magistrates clearly calls them “gods” on occasion (see the BOWGOD and DEF studies). These are called “gods” in the sense of faithful servants of God, representing the true God.

Of course “God” [theos] (the “Most High God” - Luke 8:28; Ps. 82:6; Luke 6:35[2] - and the “God of gods” - Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:2) was distinguished from “a god” [theos] by the use of the definite article (“the”) in the original languages - see the DEF and THEOS studies. (Also remember that capital letters were not used to distinguish things in the original manuscripts of the Bible as they are in modern English Bibles: God, Christ, etc.)

But let’s examine the scriptural uses of the “true God” more closely.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible shows only 5 places where this is used in the entire Bible: (1) 2 Chron. 15:3; (2) Jer. 10:10; (3) 1 Thess. 1:9; (4) 1 John 5:20; and (5) John 17:3. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jehovah the God of the Bible is one person only (as his singular, masculine, personal name, “Jehovah” clearly shows): the Father in heaven. So does the term “the only true God” ever refer to the Son or the Holy Spirit or a ‘multiple-person’ God? Or do the JW’s teach the truth about the knowledge of God that means our very eternal lives (Jn 17:3; 2 Thess. 1:8, 9)?

(To be continued)

 

[tigger 2]

True God (continued)

Here, then are all the uses of “the true God” to be found in the entire Holy Scriptures (according to Strong’s; Young’s; and the New American Standard Concordances):
(1) 2 Chron. 15:3, 4 says:
“Now for a long season Israel was without the true (alethinos - Sept.) God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: but when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.” - American Standard Version (ASV).
(2) Jeremiah 10:10 says:
“But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting king...” - ASV. (This passage is not in the Septuagint.)
These two scriptures (the only two in the OT to use ‘the true God’ according to Young’s; the New American Standard; and Strong’s concordances) clearly identify the true God as Jehovah. And the only person to be identified as Jehovah in the entire OT is the Father alone! (Is. 63:16; 64:8, ASV; Deut. 32:6, ASV; Ps. 2:7 and 89:26, 27 {compare Heb. 1:5}.)

And, in fact, it is also clearly shown that the Messiah is not Jehovah! (Psalm 110:1, ASV {compare Acts 2:33-36 and Eph. 1:17, 20}; Micah 5:4, ASV; Psalm 2:1, 2, ASV {compare Acts 4:25-27}; Psalm 2:7, ASV {compare Acts 13:33; Heb. 5:5}; Is. 53:6, 10, ASV {most Christian churches recognize that all of Is. 53 refers to the Messiah}.)

But what about the New Testament? Is “the true [real] God” ever clearly identified here (in contradiction to the OT) as the Son? As the Holy Spirit? As a “multiple-person” God?

(3) 1 Thess. 1:9, 10 -
“They tell how you [the Thessalonian congregation] turned to God from idols to serve the living and true [alethinos] God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus...” - NIV.
Well, here again the true God is clearly the Father alone as context demands (and who has been identified as Jehovah alone above). And the Son, Jesus, is clearly differentiated from that ‘true God”!
So what about the only two remaining references in the NT: 1 John 5:20 and John 17:3?
The only hope for the trinitarian argument that the “true God is Jesus” is found at 1 John 5:20.

(4) 1 Jn 5:20 -
“We are in him that is true [alethinos], even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This [outos] is the true [alethinos] God, and eternal life.” - KJV.
Some trinitarians actually insist that the word “this” (outos) here refers to Jesus. In other words, “[Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life.”

It is obvious that grammatically the word “this” (outos) could be referring to either the Father or Jesus in this particular scripture (see the footnote for 1 John 5:20 in the very trinitarian NIV Study Bible). But the fact that the true God (or “the true One”) has just been identified as the Father of Jesus (1 Jn 5:20, TEV; GNB; and the footnote in the NIV Study Bible) makes it highly probable that “this is the true God” refers to the Father, not Jesus. The respected trinitarian NT scholar Murray J. Harris sums up his 13-page analysis of this scripture as follows:

“Although it is certainly possible that outos [‘this’] refers back to Jesus Christ, several converging lines of evidence point to ‘the true one,’ God the Father, as the probable antecedent. This position, outos = God [Father], is held by many commentators, authors of general studies, and significantly, by those grammarians who express an opinion on the matter.” - p. 253, Jesus as God, Baker Book House, 1992.

Notice how this trinitarian scholar actually admits that the probability is that the Father (not Jesus) is being called the true God here. He even tells us (and cites examples in his footnotes) that New Testament grammarians and commentators (most of them trinitarian, of course) agree!

So this single “proof” that the “true God” is a title for anyone other than the Father alone is not proof at all. The grammar alone merely makes it a possibility. The immediate context makes it highly improbable since (as in all other uses of the term) the true God (or the true one) was just identified as the Father.

“We are in the one who is true as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and this is eternal life.” - NJB.

“We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we know the true God. We live in union with the true God - in union with his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and this is eternal life.” - TEV.

“And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.” - New Living Translation.

So the immediate context alone makes it probable that the true God is the Father in this scripture also. As we have seen, if we include the context of all the uses of the ‘true God,’ it is certain that He is the Father alone (whose personal name is Jehovah - Ps. 83:18, Ex. 3:15).

To clinch John’s intended meaning at 1 John 5:20, let’s look at his only other use of the term: John 17:1, 3, where, again (as in 1 Jn 5:20), he mentions Father, Son, and eternal life.

(5) At John 17:1, 3 Jesus prays to the Father: “Father, .... this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” - New International Version (NIV). Here the Father alone is not only very clearly identified as the only true [alethinos] God, but Jesus Christ is again pointedly and specifically excluded from that identification (“AND Jesus Christ whom you [the only true God] have sent”)!

Notice how this respected trinitarian Bible has rendered John 17:1, 3 - “Father,....This is eternal life: to know thee who alone art truly God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” - New English Bible (NEB).
So, the title “the true God” does not have to mean that there are no others who may be called “gods” or “a god” in a subordinate but righteous sense. It is, however, an exclusive title for God, the Most High, only true God, Jehovah. And clearly it refers exclusively to the Father! No one else is the God or the True God! (Compare Ps. 86:10; 2 Kings 19:19; Is. 37:16.)

Therefore, the argument by certain trinitarian “guides” that the term ‘true God’ must mean that all others called ‘gods’ in the Scriptures are false gods is clearly false itself. Those who use it have not examined it with anything that could be called proper scholarship. They are either terribly misinformed (the fault of their spiritual “guides”) or, in the case of the trinitarian authors, lecturers, and ministers who are aware of methods of proper research, Bible language grammar, etc., terribly dishonest (“deliberately-blind guides”)! How does this fit with the command that we must worship God in truth (aletheia)- Jn 4:24? Or the warning that when the knowingly blind (false religious leaders) lead the blind (the ones following those leaders with blind faith) both will fall into the pit?

 

[Behold]

So, the title “the true God” does not have to mean that there are no others who may be called “gods” or “a god”?

IF you read a bible instead of spending all your time with commentaries, and "cutting and pasting" other people's work.....then go here.

GENESIS.

"Let us make man in OUR IMAGE"

"OUR" =God and the Pre-incarnate WORD, who is THE CHRIST The Word of God...= who was later virgin born as "GOD MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH".

1 Timothy 3:16

 

[tigger 2]

IF you read a bible instead of spending all your time with commentaries, and "cutting and pasting" other people's work.....then go here.

GENESIS.

"Let us make man in OUR IMAGE"

"OUR" =God and the Pre-incarnate WORD, who is THE CHRIST The Word of God...= who was later virgin born as "GOD MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH".

1 Timothy 3:16

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1 Tim. 3:16 (“God was manifest in the flesh”)

As this is translated in the KJV it makes Paul say that Jesus is God “manifest in the flesh.”

Although the KJV translates 1 Tim. 3:16 with “God” as above, nearly all other translations today use a word which refers, not to God, but to Jesus: “he” (NIV; RSV; NRSV; JB; NJB; REB; NAB [‘70]; AT; GNB; CBW; and Beck’s translation), “he who” (ASV; NASB; NEB; MLB; BBE; Phillips; and Moffatt), “who,” or “which.” Even the equally old Douay version has “which was manifested in the flesh.” All the very best modern NT texts by trinitarian scholars (including Westcott and Hort, Nestle, and the text by the United Bible Societies) have the NT Greek word ὃς (“who”) here instead of θεὸς (“God”). Why do the very best trinitarian scholars support this NON-trinitarian translation of 1 Tim. 3:16?

Noted Bible scholar Dr. Frederick C. Grant writes:

“A capital example [of NT manuscript changes] is found in 1 Timothy 3:16, where ‘OS’ (OC or ὃς, ‘who’) was later taken for theta sigma with a bar above, which stood for theos (θεὸς, ‘god’). Since the new reading suited …. the orthodox doctrine of the church [trinitarian, at this later date], it got into many of the later manuscripts ….” – p. 656, Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 3, 1957 ed. (This same statement by Dr. Grant was still to be found in the latest Encyclopedia Americana that I examined – the 1990 ed., pp. 696-698, vol. 3.)

A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament by the United Bible Societies (1971 ed.) tells why the trinitarian UBS Committee chose ὃς [‘who’ or ‘he who’] as the original reading in their NT text for this verse:

“it is supported by the earliest and best uncials.” And, “Thus, no uncial (in the first hand [by the ORIGINAL writer]) earlier than the eighth or ninth century supports θεὸς [“God”]; all ancient versions presuppose ὃς [or OC, “who” - masc.] or ὅ [“which” - neut.]; and no patristic writer prior to the last third of the fourth century [ca. 370 A.D.] testifies to the reading θεὸς. The reading θεὸς arose either (a) accidentally, through the misreading of OC as ΘC, or (b) deliberately....” - p. 641.

In actuality it appears to be a combination of both (with the emphasis on the latter). You see, the word ὃς was written in the most ancient manuscripts as OC (“C” being a common form for the ancient Greek letter “S” at that time). Most often at this time the word for God (θεὸς) was written in abbreviated form as ΘC. However, to show that it was an abbreviated form, a straight line, or bar, was always drawn above ΘC. So no copyist should have mistaken ὃς (or OC) for ΘC, in spite of their similarities, simply because of the prominent bar which appeared over the one and not over the other.

What may have happened was discovered by John J. Wetstein in 1714. As he was carefully examining one of the oldest NT manuscripts then known (the Alexandrine Manuscript in London) he noticed at 1 Tim. 3:16 that the word originally written there was OC but that a horizontal stroke from one of the words written on the other side of the manuscript showed through very faintly in the middle of the O. This still would not qualify as an abbreviation for θεὸς, of course, but Wetstein discovered that some person at a much later date and in a different style from the original writer had deliberately added a bar above the original word! Anyone copying from this manuscript after it had been deliberately changed would be likely to incorporate the counterfeit ΘC [with bar above it] into his new copy (especially since it reflected his own trinitarian views)!

Of course, since Wetstein’s day many more ancient NT manuscripts have been discovered and none of them before the eighth century A.D. have been found with ΘC (“God”) at this verse!

Trinitarian scholar Murray J. Harris also concludes:

“The strength of the external evidence favoring OC [‘who’], along with considerations of transcriptional and intrinsic probability, have prompted textual critics virtually unanimously to regard OC as the original text, a judgment reflected in NA(26) [Nestle-Aland text] and UBS (1,2,3) [United Bible Societies text] (with a ‘B’ rating) [also the Westcott & Hort text]. Accordingly, 1 Tim 3:16 is not an instance of the Christological [‘Jesus is God’] use of θεὸς.” - Jesus as God, p. 268, Baker Book House, 1992.

And trinitarian (Southern Baptist) NT Greek scholar A. T. Robertson wrote about this scripture:

“He who (hos [or OC in the original text]). The correct text, not theos (God) the reading of the Textus Receptus ... nor ho (neuter relative [pronoun]), agreeing with [the neuter] musterion [‘mystery’] the reading of Western documents.” - p. 577, Vol. 4, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Broadman Press.

And even trinitarian NT Greek scholar, Daniel B. Wallace uses the relative pronoun ὃς (‘who’) in this scripture and tells us:

“The textual variant θεὸς [‘god’] in the place of ὃς [‘who’ or ‘he who’] has been adamantly defended by some scholars, particularly those of the ‘majority text’ school. Not only is such a reading poorly attested, but the syntactical argument that ‘mystery’ (μυστήριον) being a neuter noun, cannot be followed by the masculine pronoun (ὃς) is entirely without weight. As attractive theologically [for trinitarians, of course] as the reading θεὸς may be, it is spurious. To reject it is not to deny the deity of Christ, of course; it is just to deny any explicit reference in this text.” [italicized emphasis is by Wallace]. - pp. 341-342, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, Zondervan, 1996.

The correct rendering of 1 Tim. 3:16, then, is: “He who was revealed in the flesh ….” - NASB. Cf. ASV; RSV; NRSV; NAB; JB; NJB; NIV; NEB; REB; ESV; Douay-Rheims; TEV; CEV; BBE; NLV; God’s Word; New Century Version; Holman NT; ISV NT; Lexham English Bible; The Message; Weymouth; Moffatt; etc.

Even if we were to insist that those later manuscripts that used theos were, somehow, correct, we would have to recognize that it is the anarthrous (without the definite article) theos which we find. This is rarely, if ever, the form used for the only true God (when the known exceptions are taken into account - see MARTIN study). Instead, it either points to the probability that it is a corrupted OC (which of course would not have the article in the first place), or, less probable, but still possible, that Christ is being called “a god” - see the BOWGOD and DEF studies.

 

[stephen64]

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..
And notice that "I AM", is God's reference to Himself when talking to Moses from the Burning Bush in the OT, that Jesus also used to verify His own Deity status when He said to the Religious Fakirs...>"Before Abraham was...I AM".

On the basis Christ is God because Christ uttered the words ''I Am'' and these were the words spoken from the burning bush.

I wouldn't be comfortable myself referring to God as an angel. For it was through an angel God spoke in the burning bush:

This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush
Acts7:35

 

[Behold]

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1 Tim. 3:16 (“God was manifest in the flesh”)

As this is translated in the KJV it makes Paul say that Jesus is God “manifest in the flesh.”

Although the KJV translates 1 Tim. 3:16 with “God” as above, nearly all other translations today

And that is how you know these other "translations" work best in the bottom of a dumpster.
See, a Bible that wants to HIDE the Deity of Christ is not a bible.
Believe it.

 

[ChristisGod]

When we look at the overwhelming evidence from Johns writings which I will show below we can see a much different picture from the Apostle John regarding Christs identity as the true God and Eternal Life. Also we see Christs own words which are in complete agreement with Johns conclusion in 1 John 5:20 identifying Jesus as the true God and Eternal Life. So here we go!

Jesus is eternal life, He is life. We see this over and over again in the Apostle Johns writings. In Him was LIFE and that LIFE was the light of man. Life of the world, the Bread of LIFE,My words are spirit and they are LIFE, I AM the way,the truth and the LIFE,The LIFE was manifested and we proclaim to you the ETERNAL Life which was with the Father, and was manifested to us- The Prologue of 1st John. So we see that when John uses the phrase True God and Eternal Life together in 1 John 5:20 that He is referring to Christ as the closest antecedent making Him the True God and Eternal Life.

Also we see that when we search the GNT that Eternal Life is never used of the Father without the Son but we see that Eternal Life is used over and over with Jesus where the Father is never mentioned. This makes a solid case for Jesus in 1 John 5:20 as the True God and Eternal Life.

1 John 5:20
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ. He(Jesus) is the true God and eternal life.

On behalf of seeing χριστος as the antecedent are the following arguments: (1) Although it is true that αληθινος θεος is not elsewhere referred to Christ, αληθεια is, and is so in Johannine literature (John 14:6).

29 Winer-Moulton, 195.
Further, αληθινος θεος is not a "constant.. epithet" as Winer supposes, being found only in John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20! (2) Christ is also said to be ζωη in John's writings John 11:25; 14:6; 1 John 1:1-2), an epithet nowhere else used of the Father. (3) The demonstrative pronoun, ουτος, in the Gospel and Epistles of John seems to be used in a theologically rich manner.30 Specifically, of the approximately seventy instances in which ουτος has a personal referent, as many as forty- four of them (almost two-thirds of the instances) refer to the Son. Of the remainder, most imply some sort of positive connection with the Son.31 What is most significant is that never is the Father the referent.For what it is worth, this datum increases the probability that ιησου χριστω is the antecedent in 1 John 5:20. 32 The issue cannot be decided on grammar alone. But suffice it to say here that there are no grammatical reasons for denying that αληθινος θεος is descriptive of Jesus Christ.


1st- Jesus is called God in the writings of John(1:1,20:28,1 John 5:20)

2nd- Jesus is called Eternal Life over and over again in Johns writings

3rd- John opens up his epistle with the Eternal life(Jesus) that was with the Father in the beginning and was manifest to the disciples(1 John 1:1-5)

4th- John ends his epistle with Jesus who is eternal life and only is eternal life found in Him who is the true God.

5th- never is eternal life used of the Father alone. When the Father is included the Son is always mentioned together with the Father making them equal. Equality with the Father was not something Jesus needed to grasp at as He already possessed complete Deity as God.(Phil 2, Col 2:9)

6th- John would not leave his readers with any ambiguity warning them to guard themselves from idols(5:21) So this would be clear his reference was to those who reject Jesus as the true God. They are the idoloters and antichrists John writes of in his epistles.

7th- [In John's writings] Of the approximately 70 instances in which ουτος has a personal referent, as many as 44 of them (almost 2/3 . . . ) refer to the Son. Of the remainder, most imply some sort of positive connection with the Son.31 What is most significant is that NEVER is the Father the referent.FWIW, this datum increases the probability that ιησου χριστω IS the antecedent in 1 John 5:20. Wallace.


So the most logical conclusion is that it refers to Jesus as the true God. Not only is this Wallace's conclusion from Johns usage of outos but He is the closest antecedent (most times in the GNT this principal holds true). Eternal Life is never used of the Father alone in John’s writings and only a couple of times does John include the Father with the Son regarding eternal life. John opens up his epistles describing the "eternal life" who was with the Father in the beginning and then ends his epistle with eternal life identifying Jesus as the true God and eternal life. John then says this in the last verse:

1 John 5:21-Guard yourselves from idols

Now why would he leave any ambiguity in verse 20 as to the identity of the true God and eternal life then turn around commanding them to protect themselves from idolatry ? It make absolutely no sense whatsoever unless John is identifying Jesus as the true God and refuting the Gnostics of his day who denied the Incarnation.

More evidence from Scripture that Jesus is life, the source of that life and eternal life itself. Apart from Him there is no life. This cannot be said of a mere man now can it ?

John 1:4
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

John 5:39-40
39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.

John 6:33
For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

John 6:35
35 And Jesus said unto them, I Am the bread of life:

John 6:47
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.

John 6:51
51 I Am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:53
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, "I Am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, "I Am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 20:30-31
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

1 John 1:1-2
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life — 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us

1 John 5:12-13
12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:20
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in Him who is true — even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

 

[ChristisGod]

continued :

And Jesus said no one knows the Father but through the Son. They are One in nature,essence or being. You cannot have One without the Other. This can be said of no man unless that man is also God in the flesh which Jesus is indeed !

John 5:23
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

John 6:45-51
Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."

John 10:14-16
4 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:25-30
"I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 "I and the Father are one."

John 10:38-39
38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:9
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

John 16:15
"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

We can see from other passages from the same author the Apostle John that Jesus is called the eternal life. In 1st John 1 Jesus is called "the word of life", "the life" and "the eternal life which was with the Father" (verse 2). Jesus is life itself John 1:4 and He said the following "I am the way, the truth and the life!" He also said whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3:15). So we can see that Jesus by definition in I John 1:2 is "the eternal life", and in 1 John 5:20 is called "The true God and Eternal Life".

Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1)
Jesus is also the true light (John 1:9)
Jesus is faithful and true (Revelation 19:11)
Jesus is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14)
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)
Jesus is the true witness (John 18:37)
Jesus is He who is holy, He who is true(Revelation 3:7)

So I John 5:20 teaches us clearly that we are in the Son, Jesus Christ, and that He is the True One, even "the true God and Eternal Life".

It's time for those of who deny Christ is God that you repent and confess Jesus is the true God and Eternal life, for without such confession one is left in their sin(John 8:24) You must believe Jesus is the great I Am(YHWH).

hope this helps !!!