Faith, Testimony, Assurance the victory that overcomes the world · the witness of God · that you may know
The letter closes by gathering its threads into faith and assurance. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and this faith is the victory that overcomes the world. God himself has testified to his Son — by the Spirit, the water, and the blood — and whoever has the Son has life. All of it is written, John says, that you may know that you have eternal life.
Overview of 1 John 5
Three units complete the epistle. 5:1–5 binds together the new birth, faith, and obedient love, and names faith as the world-overcoming victory. 5:6–12 sets out the threefold testimony of God to his Son — the Spirit, the water, and the blood — and, in a dedicated note, addresses the later textual addition known as the Comma Johanneum. 5:13–21 states the letter's purpose — assurance of eternal life — and adds confidence in prayer, the difficult words about sin leading to death, the closing affirmations of what “we know,” and the final charge to keep oneself from idols.
Passage Units
All 3 passages of 1 John 5 are available below.