Bible Study 1John 5 Identity & Overcoming Disucssion

Our discussion on Bible Study 1John Chapter 5 Identity & Overcoming have the additional points to add.

1. The Testimony of water, blood and the Spirit. 1Jn 5:8
• One interpretation is that it refers to the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in Mark 1:10-11. Water is the baptism water. Blood is Jesus in manly form of flesh and blood and the Spirit appearing as the dove.
• The testimony of God is the voice of the Father as in v11 "You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased."
• This incident was a public event witnessed by many people then.
2.  Getting our Prayers Answered. 1Jn 5:14
• God will only answer our request according to His character. God will not give us something that violates His character and His love for us. Hence, the Faith of Word preachers teach us to look for promises in the Bible first and that base our requests on those promises. It is not our faith that works but the faithfulness of God's words.
• We know from the Bible that God will give us good health, wealth for us and for us to bless others but not to become our idol, and good relationships. 
• We must also consider the time and our growth. God's answer is immediate but it takes time to see the full manifestation of the answers and there is a need for our growth in maturity. We must also know that patience can only be seen when we are put in a difficult situation for a long period of time. Peace is best seen in crisis. Love involves sacrificing our interests for others. 
3. Loving and Praying for our Brothers 1Jn 5:16-17
• It tells us that we should be concern and watchful over our brothers' growth and well-being in the Lord. 
• We are to pray for them when he "is committing a sin not leading to death" and not to bother when he "is committing a sin leading to death". This is a difficult verse to understand.
• Firstly, how do we know what sin will lead to physical death or not? I would suggest that we will pray for all who are sick and seek God for wisdom as to what specific words or corrections that need to be given.
• We do have incidences in the Bible like Act 5:1-11 and more specifically in 1Co 5:5  "you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord".
• It shows that sometimes, we cannot be kinder than God! Trust God no matter what.
4. Keeping Sin Away 1 Jn 5:18-19
• Our salvation is sure when we do not keep on sinning. We may sin, but we will be convicted and then we will repent and be forgiven. The righteous may fall but they will get up. Proverbs 24:16 NIV for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again...
• Our assurance is Jesus keeps us safe and the evil one cannot touch us (5:19).
5. Conclusion 1 Jn 5:20-21
• Most are surprised by John's v21 "keep yourselves from idols..." after v20 assurance of our salvation. 
• Maybe the following rephrase will make it clearer. 
• Now that we know for sure that Jesus Christ is the Son of the True God and has given us eternal life then let us not have any other idols (like money, people, other religions & practices) to distract us from our devotion to Him. Let us live out the eternal life in us and waver no more.