“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.”
My Notes
What Does 1 John 5:20 Mean?
John closes his first epistle with a declaration of knowledge: we know that the Son of God is come. Not we hope, not we think. We know. The certainty is grounded in experience and revelation.
The Son has given us 'an understanding' — the Greek word (dianoia) means the faculty of thought, the ability to comprehend. Christ did not just bring information. He gave the capacity to understand it.
'That we may know him that is true' — the purpose of the understanding is relational knowledge of the true God. Knowing God is the goal, and Christ provides both the knowledge and the ability to receive it.
'This is the true God, and eternal life' — John identifies Jesus as the true God and as eternal life itself. The verse is one of the clearest declarations of Christ's deity in the New Testament.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean that Christ gave you 'an understanding' — a capacity to know God?
- 2.How is knowing God different from knowing about God?
- 3.Why does John emphasize 'we know' rather than 'we believe' or 'we hope'?
- 4.If knowing God is eternal life, how does that change your definition of what life means?
Devotional
We know that the Son of God is come. John writes as an eyewitness — someone who walked with Jesus, touched him, heard him speak. And at the end of his life, after decades of reflection, his conclusion is: we know.
He hath given us an understanding. Not just facts about God. The capacity to understand. Christ opened something in you that was closed before — a faculty for knowing the divine that you could not have developed on your own.
That we may know him that is true. The whole purpose of everything — the incarnation, the teaching, the death, the resurrection, the gift of understanding — is so that you could know God. Really know him. Not know about him. Know him.
This is the true God, and eternal life. John ends where he began: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. The true God walked among us. And knowing him is not just information — it is life itself.
Do you know him? Not his reputation. Not his rules. Him.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture