1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know the true one, and we are in the true one, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.
οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἥκει καὶ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν διάνοιαν ἵνα γινώσκωμεν τὸν ἀληθινόν, καὶ ἐσμὲν ἐν τῷ ἀληθινῷ, ἐν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ. οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς θεὸς καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος.
This is another statement of assurance and faith. Jesus came and revealed God’s nature of love. We know God through Jesus Christ who fulfilled and confirmed all Old Testament prophecy and revelation. Jesus came so that we might come to know God. Before Jesus, Israel had knowledge of God but this was mediated through priests and scribes. There were some people who had deep, personal knowledge of God, but the problem of sin kept most people away. They could not overcome sin through their own efforts to keep the law, of which they had limited knowledge anyway. When Jesus came, he embodied and fulfilled the heart of the law, which is love. Jesus came so that we might know God. He is the way, truth, and life.
For older posts, click here.