Who is the true God in 1 John 5:20?

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Among the Bible verses used by others as a basis to believe in the Trinity is 1 John 5:20. Others have used 1 John 5:20 to teach that Jesus Himself is God. But is that what the Bible teaches? 

[SHOW OPEN]

The Bible: The basis of our faith in the Church Of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly, salvation. That’s in the Bible. 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: I’m Bob Pellien and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible. Today we are looking at the writings of the Apostle John, specifically where some claim he taught that Jesus is God. For example, we received this comment on one of our YouTubes: 

Beware of false prophet…Jesus is God. 1 John 5:20 Jesus is God and man at the same time. 

@HerculasGomez

[1:10] Reading of 1 John 5:20 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: So dear friends, does 1 John 5:20 actually teach that Jesus is God and man at the same time? Let’s take a close look at the verse first. Here’s what is said, it’s recorded in like we said 1 John 5:20: 

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

1 John 5:20 New King James Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN:  So as we can see here dear friends, nowhere in this verse is Jesus said to be the true God nor does this verse teach anything about Jesus being both God and man at the same time. So to help dispel this common misbelief, and the false teaching some have applied to 1 John 5:20, let’s break it down by answering these three questions:

1. Who is the true God referred to in 1 John 5:20? 
2. Does this verse teach that Jesus is both God and man at the same time?
3. Is there another translation of 1 John 5:20 that shows clearly what Apostle John teaches here?

[2:40] The true God mentioned in 1 John 5:20

Well, let’s start with – who is the true God referred to in 1 John 5:20?  As we saw when we read the verse, it says that “the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true.” Did this happen?  Absolutely!  First, who is the son that came and gave us an understanding so that we may know Him who is true? We can all agree that this refers to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Did Jesus give us an understanding regarding the one that is true, the true God? Yes He did! Let’s read the understanding that He gave, and that’s recorded here in John 17: 3,1: 

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 

John 17: 3,1 New King James Version 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Friends, did Jesus come and give to us an understanding about the one who is true? The true God? Yes! While addressing the Father He made it very clear by saying “that they may know You, the only true God.” He also made it clear that He, Jesus Christ, was the one whom the Father sent. And as we all know the sender is different then the one that is sent. So returning to the verse in question, 1 John 5:20 is not teaching that Jesus is the true God, or even part of the true God as others teach, but rather that He came and introduced the Father as the only true God. 

Knowing this and understanding this then, it has direct relevance to the obtaining of eternal life, according to that same verse 1 John 5:20. 

[5:10] God and man at the same time

But the commenter on YouTube not only mentioned incorrectly that Apostle John teaches that Christ is God, he also asserted that Christ is both God and man. Is that true? Does 1 John 5:20 teach that Jesus is both God and man at the same time?

First, is Christ a man? The Bible responds to that this way in John 8:40: 

But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God…

John 8:40 New King James Version 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN:  Dear friends, here our Lord Jesus Christ clearly indicates that He is a man. But would God agree that He Himself is also a man or holding what is sometimes referred to as a dual nature of being God and man at the same time as the YouTube commenter asserted? Well, God responds to that directly, Hosea 11:9 He said: 

I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.

Hosea 11:9 New King James Version 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: We can see here dear friends that God does not accept that He is a man! He clearly stated “I am God, and not man” and Jesus clearly stated that He is a man here to teach us the truth. And, the truth that He taught is that the Father is the only true God. 

[7:17] Other translations of the Bible

Well, you know It may be that those who have been misled into thinking 1 John 5:20 teaches that Jesus claims to be God, it may be that they’ve only read that verse in some or one particular translation. Is there any other Bible version or translation that has a clear translation of 1 John 5:20 that  shows all of this in the simplest terms? Yes, there are several. In fact, here’s one, it’s called the Contemporary English Version and the Bible scholars who translated this version have translated 1 John 5:20 thus: 

We know that Jesus Christ the Son of God has come and has shown us the true God. And because of Jesus, we now belong to the true God who gives eternal life.

1 John 5:20 Contemporary English Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: And we can find you know, even other translations. For example the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures renders 1 John 5:20: 

But we know that the son of God has come, and he has given us intellectual capacity that we may gain the knowledge of the true one. And we are in union with the true one, by means of his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and life everlasting.

1 John 5:20 New World Translation 

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: And you know dear friends, yet in another rendition of the Holy Scriptures this one is the New Life Version of the Holy Bible. The Bible scholars who translated this version have rendered 1 John 5:20 like this, I quote: 

We know God’s Son has come. He has given us the understanding to know Him Who is the true God. We are joined together with the true God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the life that lasts forever.

1 John 5:20  New Life Version

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN:  So we can clearly see here dear friends there is no properly translated Bible that teaches Jesus is God. The Bible is clear in its teaching that Jesus came, He showed us who the true God is. He introduced the Father as the only true God, and now we belong to the true God, the Father, who gives eternal life to His children through His son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

So dear friends, if we want eternal life we must go to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But how? We have studied many times in this program reading John 10:9 which teaches us to enter in Christ, and all those that have followed the teaching of the Saviour, are in His body, the Church, according to Colossians 1:18 which we often read here as well. And therefore we are certain that God’s children are inside the Church Of Christ and that’s why we invite you to enter the Church Of Christ as well and receive the needed guidance from God for the attainment of the eternal life promised by the Father to His children. 

[11:12] Summary and review 

Dear friends, let’s review the questions we began with and see what the Bible has revealed to us, provided to us as answers to our question. We asked:

1. Who is the true God referred to in 1 John 5:20?We learned that Jesus introduced the true God to be the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the son and therefore different from the true God.
2. Does this verse teach that Jesus is both God and man at the same time?We learn from the scriptures that Jesus is a man according to Christ Himself, and that God the Father is not a man, further showing the difference between our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father.
3. Is there another translation of 1 John 5:20 that shows clearly what Apostle John is teaching here?Yes, there are actually many that record the words of the Apostle John in 1 John 5:20 with profound clarity. We hold the truths of the Holy scriptures dear to us as members of the Church Of Christ. And it is important to never allow ourselves to be deceived by anyone who twists the meaning or twists the translation from the original languages to make it say what they want rather than what the Holy Bible actually teaches. 

We’d like you to continue learning about the teachings of the Bible taught inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. To do so, please visit us online and browse the different topics or set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel. If you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us. I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time on That’s in the Bible!