1 John 5:1
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1 John 5:1
Belief in Jesus as the Christ is presented as the defining criterion of spiritual birth. To “believe that Jesus is the Christ” is to acknowledge His Messiahship and divine mission. John’s language—“born of God”—reflects a spiritual birth language that echoes Jesus’ teaching about being born of the Spirit (John 3:3-7). The sequence is pastoral: faith in Jesus leads to love for God and others, and this love manifests in harmonious relationships with believers—the “begotten.” The term “begat” emphasizes divine parentage and kinship among believers. This passage links belief, belonging, and behavioral outcomes: faith initiates a new life that naturally expresses itself in love for others who are also God’s children. The first-century readers faced Jewish and Gentile identities, as well as competing claims about the Messiah; John invites them to anchor identity in the reality that Jesus is the Messiah, and that this belief has tangible familial implications within God’s family.
Key themes: new birth, divine sonship, and the communal nature of salvation. Belief in Jesus as the Christ places a person into God’s family, redefining identity and loyalties. This passage reinforces the Johannine emphasis on love as the fruit of true faith and as the evidence that one belongs to God. It also sets up a cohesion between faith and relational life—loving God means loving fellow believers who share the same divine origin. The verse guards against a sterile, individualistic spirituality by highlighting the social dimension of salvation.
If you trust Jesus as the Christ, consider how that belief shapes your relationships. Do you treat other believers as siblings with shared identity, or as strangers? Practical steps: engage in regularly praying for and supporting other believers, participate in communal life, and pursue reconciliation when tensions arise. Share resources, encourage one another, and practice hospitality. Remember that faith that remains private and unexpressed in love is incomplete. Let your identity as God’s child drive you to be patient, generous, and relationally committed to the well-being of the church.
Cross-References: John 1:12-13; John 3:3-7; 1 John 3:1-3; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:26-29