Daily Bible Nugget #831, 1 John 5:20

The Nugget:

1Jn 5:20  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. (KJV)

1Jn 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. (ESV)

1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us insight to recognize the True One; and we are in union with the True One through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (Williams NT)

1Jn 5:20 And we are certain that the Son of God has come, and has given us a clear vision, so that we may see 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. (Basic English Bible)

1Jn 5:20  We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we know the real God. We are in the one who is real, his Son Jesus Christ. This Jesus Christ is the real God and eternal life. (GW, God’s Word Translation)

1Jn 5:19.  We realize that we come from God, while all the world is under the influence of the Evil One.
1Jn 5:20.  We realize, too, that the Son of God has come among us, and has given us the discernment to know the True God; and we are in union with the True God by our union with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the True God and he is Immortal Life. (Twentieth Century New Testament)

My Comment:

1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

Even in our day, the divinely inspired test of Holy Spirit derived genuine illumination and true understanding of the Bible is that such understanding is only possessed by those who affirm the full deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To gain such understanding, carefully study the Bible by comparing Scripture with Scripture using The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge or The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. You may also use the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as well as Bibles that contain cross references.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

My thanks and appreciation to  Ken Sagely for allowing me to share his post below.

From Ken Sagely’s Facebook Post:

Dig Deeper into God’s Word by studying the notes and cross references given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury for 1 Corinthians 12:3 which I share below:

1 Corinthians 12:3
give you to understand. Paul here gives a test, stated both negatively and positively, for determining the source—demonic or divine—of spiritual gifts. Negatively, the counterfeit source refuses to positively confess the deity of Christ, is self-exalting, and disorderly, and stems from the soulish nature of man; positively, the true source confesses the full deity of Christ, is self-effacing, and orderly, and stems from the spiritual nature in man (Joh 4:24). As many spiritual gifts had been paralleled by demons in the false worship of pagan deities in Corinth, with which these Gentile Christians had been most familiar (1Co 12:2), they needed a test to distinguish false spirituality from the true. Paul’s subsequent discussion affirms the unity of the Body of Christ (1Co 12:13), and the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit who according to His discretion distributes gifts to every believer. Paul gives further admonition and direction for the use of these gifts, that everything in the congregation may be done “decently and in order” (1Co 14:40). 1Co 15:1 g.

no man. *Mar 9:39, Luk 9:50, Joh 16:14, 15, *1Jn 4:2; *1Jn 4:3.

speaking by. Psa 109:20, Mat 23:34, Mar 12:36, +Luk 4:1; Luk 10:21.

the Spirit of. Gr. pneuma, +Rom 8:1 note. Job 26:4, +*Mat 1:20.

calleth Jesus. That is, to say he was a malefactor, one justly condemned to death. This the Jews said who invoked his blood upon their heads (Hodge). This was probably a form of renunciation (CB). 1Jn 2:22.

accursed. or, anathema. 1Co 16:22, Lev 27:28, 29, *Deut 21:23, Luk 21:5 g. +Act 23:14 g. Rom 9:3, Gal 1:8, 9; *Gal 3:13.

no man. 1Co 8:6, *Mat 16:16; *Mat 16:17, *Joh 13:13; Joh 15:26, *2Co 3:5; 2Co 11:4.

can say. FS108B22, +Pro 20:9. Act 8:37.

the Lord. The word kurios, Lord, is that by which the word Jehovah is commonly rendered in the Greek version of the Old Testament. To say Jesus is the Lord, therefore, in the sense of the apostle, is to acknowledge him to be truly God. No one can truly believe and openly confess that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh unless he is enlightened by the Spirit of God (Hodge). Thus only those enlightened by the Holy Spirit can recognize Jesus as Jehovah. Belief in the full deity of the Lord Jesus is the positive test of orthodoxy given by the apostle. **1Co 2:8; **1Co 15:47, +*Neh 9:6, *Mat 7:21, 22, 23, *Luk 6:46, +*Joh 8:24; +**Joh 20:28, +**Act 10:37; Act 11:21 note. **Rom 10:9; **Rom 10:10, 2Co 4:5, Php 2:11, +**1Pe 2:3 note with >Psa 34:8.

but. or, if not. Gr. ei mē. FS184C, Mat 4:9. 1Co 14:5 g.

but by. This means acknowledging Him as Lord and Master (Rom 10:9), not mere lip-service (CB). Mat 16:17, +Luk 4:1, Joh 15:26, **+Rom 10:9.

Ghost. Gr. pneuma, +Mat 1:18 note. +*Mat 3:16, +*Joh 14:26.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: +**1Pe 2:3 note with >Psa 34:8 

1Pe 2:3  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Psa 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

the Lord. The Hebrew text underlying this quotation from the Old Testament reads “Jehovah” (Psa 34:8 h); this is therefore a very clear instance of the Divine Name of Jehovah being applied directly to Jesus Christ by the apostles in the New Testament, for the following verse (1Pe 2:4) shows unmistakably that this reference is to Jesus (Act 11:21 note). The following pairs of references will show that this identification is very frequently made in the New Testament:

(1) Mat 3:3 with Isa 40:3.

(2) Joh 12:41 with Isa 6:1 note.

(3) Eph 4:7, 8 note with Psa 68:18.

(4) 1Pe 3:15 with Isa 8:13.

(5) 1Co 2:8 with Psa 24:7; Psa 24:10.

(6) Jas 2:1 with Psa 24:7; Psa 24:10.

(7) 1Co 1:30 with **Jer 23:5; **Jer 23:6.

(8) Joh 3:31 with Psa 97:9.

(9) Rev 1:17 with Isa 44:6.

(10) Php 2:6 with Zec 13:7.

(11) Heb 13:20 with Isa 40:10, 11.

(12) Col 1:16 with Pro 16:4.

(13) Luk 7:27 with Mal 3:1.

(14) Heb 1:8; Heb 1:10, 11, 12 with Psa 102:24, 25, 26, 27.

(15) Tit 2:13 with Hos 1:7.

(16) 2Ti 4:1 with Ecc 12:14.

(17) Rev 1:5; Rev 17:14 with Dan 2:47.

(18) Joh 1:3 with Isa 40:28.

(19) Col 1:17 with +*Neh 9:6.

When I present the above information to Jehovah’s Witnesses, the reaction I get is the question, “How could Jesus be Jehovah? Is that what you are claiming?” The answer is that in the Bible there is more than one Person in the Triune Godhead who is called Jehovah (**Gen 19:24 note; +*Exo 3:2 note; Isa 6:1 note). For Scripture evidence establishing the divinity or deity of Christ, see Topic Numbers 74-82, the sets of references gathered at Mat 28:19 note, and the following related notes and references: (1) Deity of Christ, Col 1:16 note. (2) Christ received worship, +*Mat 14:33, +*Joh 20:28; +*Joh 20:29 note. +*Act 7:59 note. (3) Christ is not a lesser god, or entitled to a lesser degree of worship, +*Joh 1:1 note. Php 2:6 note. (4) Jesus called God, +**Joh 20:28; Joh 20:29 note. (5) Charged with blasphemy for his claim to deity, Joh 10:32 note. (6) Only a divine Savior possessing full deity could qualify as our substitute in the atonement for sins, Heb 10:4 note. **Jer 23:5; Jer 23:6.