Did 1 John 5:20 Really Call Jesus "the true God and eternal life"?
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The deity of Christ is an essential but controversial doctrine. Just as every square foot in a battlefield is fought for, so also every verse that deals with the subject is hotly debated and defended.
One of these verses is 1 John 5:20. “And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”[1]
The major problematic interpretation regarding this verse is whether John actually called the Lord Jesus as “the true God and eternal life”. If so, then 1 John 5:20 is one of the clearest passages on His deity. Yet there are also those who disagree, saying that the apostle really referred to God the Father instead.
The apostle John wrote this first epistle to explain what it means to believe in the Lord Jesus as Savior. He clearly stated the purposes why he wrote this letter (Note the pattern: “I am writing these things” or “I write these things…”). First, he wrote the letter so that the early believers would enjoy the joy of their salvation (1:4). Also, he wrote to them so that, in response to their salvation, they may live a life of obedience (2:1), of love for others (2:7) and of assurance (2:12-14; 5:13). Then, he wrote them to warn of false teachings about Christ (2:26). He reserved the strongest words ever against those who are spreading wrong doctrines about the Lord. He called them “liars” (2:18a), “antichrists” (2:18b, 22; 4:3b) and “false prophets” (4:1).
The immediate context of our chosen passage is about the assurance of salvation of those who believe in the Lord Jesus (5:11-13). It gives us confidence to pray (5:14-15), guards us from living a sinful lifestyle (5:16-19) and guarantees that in Christ we will have understanding (5:20). It is interesting to note that John ended with a parting shot: “keep yourselves from idols.” (5:21) Thus to enjoy this blessed assurance, we must make sure that we believe in the right Christ. If we have the wrong Christ, we end up with an idol. An idol is a wrong belief about who Jesus is. John specifically warned against those denying that Jesus is the Christ (2:22) and those confessing that He did not come in the flesh (4:2-3). Throughout the letter, the apostle called Jesus as the “Son” (1:3), “advocate with the Father”, “the righteous” (2:1), “the propitiation for our sins” (2:2), “the Christ” (2:22), “the Son of God” (3:8) and “the Savior of the world” (4:14). That is why it appears to be fitting that, in the end, John would call Him “the true God and eternal life” (5:20).
The crucial part of our passage is whether or not Jesus Christ is the antecedent of or the one being referred to by the demonstrative pronoun “He is the true God and eternal life” (emphasis added).[2] If Christ is the “He”, then this verse clearly ascribed deity to Him. It seems to be so because the demonstrative pronoun (“He”) immediately followed the phrase “Jesus Christ”. So, as far as grammar goes, the Lord is the antecedent.
Also, John wrote that, when Jesus came, He gave us understanding “so that we may know him who is true”. Then, he affirmed that we are in union or we are “in him who is true” (emphasis added). The question is, “Who is he ‘who is true’?” The answer is in the subordinate clause: “in his Son Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the One “who is true”. That is why John called Him “the true God”. Jesus would cause people to understand Him as the embodiment of the truth, “the true God” as opposed to idols or wrong concepts of Christ. John also affirmed that eternal life “is in his Son”, that is, Jesus (5:11). That if we believe in Him, we will have eternal life. The reason why He could give eternal life is because He Himself is “eternal life.” He is the source of life.
So, simply based on context, Jesus is the one John called as “the true God and eternal life”, making 1 John 5:20 as one of the crystal clear passages on the deity of Christ.
In the Gospel that he wrote, the apostle John consistently affirmed the deity of Christ (John 1:1, 18; 5:18; 8:58; 10:30; 20:28). So, him calling Jesus as “the true God” is just being true to his belief. In fact, based on earliest manuscripts, John 1:18 called Jesus “the only God”.[3] The Lord also declared that He is “the truth” and “the life” (14:6), which parallels or corresponds with “the true God and eternal life” of 1 John 5:20. In Revelation 3:7, Jesus is called “the true one”. The apostles Paul and Peter also ascribed deity to the Lord Jesus or directly called Him “God” (Titus 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:1).
The Bible Knowledge Commentary called 1 John 5:20 a “grand affirmation of the deity of Christ”.[4] But not all scholars share that enthusiasm. According to Vincent, the demonstrative pronoun refers to “God the Father.”[5] But it also admits that, “Many, however, refer it to the Son.”[6] This is the reason why Wallace wrote that “suffice it to say here that there are no grammatical reasons for denying that [true God] is descriptive of Jesus Christ.”[7]
It is pointed out by those who disagree that Christ is the antecedent in 1 John 5:20 that He Himself said that God the Father is “the only true God” (John 17:3). John used the phrase “true God” twice (John 17:3; 1 John 5:20). That is why there is a debate whether both refers to the Father or that John 17:3 referred to the Father and 1 John 5:20 to the Son. But, as I also pointed out, Jesus is also called “the only God” in John 1:18. It is not that we have two “only” Gods. Only the doctrine of Trinity can resolve this apparent contradiction. There is only one “only God”. For Jesus is equal with the Father (John 10:30).
Also, cults that deny the deity of Christ disagree that John called Jesus “the true God.” For example, according to the Iglesia ni Cristo, “To claim that Jesus is the true God in the last sentence while admitting that the Father is the true God in the first sentence of I John 5:20 is short of saying that in this verse alone, there are two true Gods, the Father and the Son.”[8] As I wrote above, the Trinity best explains this and that Christ is the one referred to as the “one who is true”. This cult group made much of the fact that Wallace admitted that “many scholars see [God] rather than [Christ] as the antecedent, even though [Christ] is closer.”[9] Plus, they also put undue weight to what Wallace said, “The issue cannot be decided on grammar alone.”[10] But it appears that the Iglesia ni Cristo misquoted Wallace. The issue of who is the antecedent is one thing. The issue of misquotation is another. We admit that equally competent and godly scholars disagree on the antecedent. However, to misquote or to quote someone out of context is something that reeks of dishonesty. In his personal email to me, Wallace lamented the misquotation, “Why didn't he cite all the data that support the argument [that Christ is the antecedent]?”[11] He said that the Iglesia ni Cristo distorted everything he wrote on 1 John 5:20.
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A screenshot of Daniel Wallace's entire explanation on 1 John 5:20
in his "Greek Grammar Beyond the Basic" (Pradis Bible Software)
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Among the data that supported the argument of Wallace (which the Iglesia ni Cristo did not quote) is the fact that “life” is “an epithet nowhere else used of the Father.”[12] It is a label used only of Christ. Also, Wallace pointed out that the demonstrative pronoun “He” whenever John used it “in the Gospel and the Epistles of John seems to be used in a theologically rich manner.”[13] He added that in about 70 times that that demonstrative pronoun refers to somebody, “as many as forty-four of them (almost two-thirds of the instances) refer to the Son.”[14] Those are the direct personal referents. Most of the remaining one-third usages indirectly point to Christ. As far as Wallace is concerned, the “He” in 1 John 5:20 directly refers to Christ. He added that, “What is most significant is that never is the Father the referent [of the demonstrative pronoun used in 1 John 5:20].” (Emphasis his)[15]
Thus, there is an overwhelming support in the evidences that point towards Christ as the antecedent of “He is the true God and eternal life.” (Emphasis added) The deity of Christ is important not only as a doctrine to be defended but as a truth to be fleshed out in my daily life.
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[1]All Bible verses are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.
[2]In the NKJV and in the NASB, οὗτος is translated “This”. In the NIV, “He”.
[3]In the NIV, “God the One and Only”.
[4]John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:903-904.
[5]Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2002), 2:374.
[6]Ibid.
[7]Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 327.
[8]Jose Ventilacion, “Who Is the True God According to 1 John 5:20? The Father or the Son?” Pasugo, Aug. 2004, Vol. 56, No. 8, (Quezon City, Manila: Iglesia ni Cristo, 2004).
[9]Ibid.
[10]Ibid.
[11]Daniel Wallace, Dallas, Texas, USA, December 23, 2005, email to the author, Quezon Cty, Phil, 1. Re: Your work used by a cult.
[12]Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 327.
[13]Ibid.
[14]Ibid.
[15]Ibid.
posted by Bible Exposé at 8:59 AM
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