1 John 5:13 - Knowing that you have eternal life?
Does 1 John 5:13 have conditions?
1 John 5:13: "I-wrote these (things to) you, the (ones) BELIEVING into the name (of) the Son (of) God, in-order-that YOU-MAY-KNOW that you-have eternal life, and that you-may-believe into the name (of) the Son (of) God."
(4.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit "and that you-may-believe into the name (of) the Son (of) God" at the end of the verse)
Believing:
It is written: "I-wrote these (things to) you, the (ones) BELIEVING into the name (of) the Son (of) God, in-order-that you-may-know that you-have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
One condition that "you-may-know that you-have eternal life" (1 John 5:13) would be to be among "the (ones) BELIEVING into the name (of) the Son (of) God" (1 John 5:13), as "these (things)" (1 John 5:13) were written to them.
The Greek word for "BELIEVING" is in the Present Active Participle, which refers to a present active event. If one would not be "BELIEVING" in the present tense, they would not be among those to whom it is written: "you-may-know that you-have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
Someone does not BELIEVE automatically.
Does someone automatically believe?:
The Greek word "BELIEVING" is in the Present Active Participle, which refers to a present active event. If one is not "BELIEVING", that one would not meet the required condition anymore.
Is it possible at some point to not meet the condition of "BELIEVING" anymore? Yes, as Jesus also said for example that some people "ARE-BELIEVING for (a) time, and are-departing in (a) time (of) testing" (Luke 8:13).
Luke 8:13 - Believing for a time?:
Someone does not CONTINUE to BELIEVE automatically.
You "may" know:
It is also written: "I-wrote these (things to) you" (1 John 5:13) "in-order-that YOU-MAY-KNOW that you-have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
The Greek word for "YOU-MAY-KNOW" is in the Subjunctive mood, which is the mood of possibility and potentiality, meaning that the action described may or may not occur, depending upon other conditions.
You may "know":
It is also written: "I-wrote these (things to) you" (1 John 5:13) "in-order-that YOU-MAY-KNOW that you-have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
For example, among the things which are written in 1 John, it is written: "Everyone hating his brother is (a) murderer, and YOU-KNOW that every murderer does not have eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15). So one condition for which it is written that "YOU-KNOW" (1 John 3:15) that one "does not have eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15) would be for example if that person is (in the present tense) a "murderer" (1 John 3:15).
Comments
Post a Comment