These things have I written to you that ye may know that ye have eternal life who believe on the name of the Son of God.
Read Full Chapter →Commentary for this Verse
Near the end of his letter, John says why he wrote it — not to give eternal life, but so that believers would know they have it. That raises three questions: can a believer be sure, what is that certainty built on, and what does it do?
Why the Letter Was Written
John names his purpose by first ruling out two others:
VariousThis letter was not written so that believers might have eternal life. They already had it by faith in the name of the Son of God. Nor was it written so that they might doubt that the blessing was theirs. It was written to free their minds from all anxiety about it. Then they could go on without distraction, building up their souls in the love of God.
Knowing, Not Guessing
John does not point to a hopeful guess. One writer sums up what kind of knowing this is:
William KellyIt is God's testimony about His Son, and whoever believes on Him has the testimony in himself, even if all else failed. Very weighty is the sum here: "I write these things to you… that you may know that you have eternal life." It is conscious knowledge.
Where Certainty Comes From
Having the life and knowing you have it are two different things, and only one of them depends on Scripture:
Leslie M. GrantIt may easily be the case that someone has eternal life and yet does not know it. For this very reason John has written… The Father wants none of His children to doubt what is now theirs: the matchless gift of eternal life. Apart from the Word of God we could never have this assurance. It is a divine revelation. It does not come through personal introspection, feelings, or experiences, but through the written Word. This alone gives certainty. If someone truly believes in the name of the Son of God, he has eternal life, whether he realizes it or not.
The One Sure Ground
Earlier in the letter John writes about the fruits of true life. Read on their own, those parts can send a sincere person looking inward:
The Bible TreasuryMuch of what he had written before could be misused. It could lead sincere souls to look at themselves, their experience and their walk, for full assurance that they have eternal life. Certainly the fruits of life are to be theirs, as well as the life itself… But he would not close the letter without saying as clearly as possible that the one sure ground of assurance is faith in God's testimony. He did not make light of the comfort that flows from those other assurances.
The Life Is in the Son
Ask what eternal life actually is, and the answer is a Person:
J. N. DarbyWhat is it to have eternal life? It is to have Christ. "Whoever has the Son has life." "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Notice, it is the gift of God, and it is "in His Son." It is not in our keeping, but is secured for us in Christ.
Written Against False Teachers
John also writes with false teachers in view:
J. N. DarbyI am not writing to you, says John, to bring you the blessings of the testimony of God as though you did not already have them. I am writing to remind you that you have them, so that you are ready in advance for the false teachers when they call your privileges into question.
What Certainty Produces
What comes next in the letter follows from this certainty:
The Christian's FriendThere is boldness in the presence of the God who has given us eternal life in His Son. This follows at once on the statement that the letter was written so that believers might know they had eternal life. This is no mere doctrine. Those who have this life have liberty and confidence in the presence of the God who is love.
Summary
- Written — John did not write to create eternal life in his readers. He wrote to settle those who already had it, so anxiety would stop stealing their attention from God's love.
- Known — the word John uses is conscious knowledge, not a cautious hope. A believer is meant to be aware of what he has.
- Grounded — that awareness rests on the written Word alone, not on introspection, feelings, or experiences. So the letter closes by naming faith in God's testimony as the one sure ground.
- Secured — to have eternal life is to have the Son Himself. The life is a gift held safe in Him, not in our own keeping.
- Bold — certainty is not the finish line. Knowing you have eternal life brings liberty and confidence before the God who is love. It also arms you against anyone who questions your privileges.