1 John 5:11 11And this is the witness, that God has given eternal life to us, and this life is in his Son.
As he often does in this letter, John repeats his key point to make it clear to readers in case anyone is confused about what the witness of God is. God’s purpose for humanity is for us to come to know his Son and the way of salvation offered through him. God gives this witness in many ways, some of which John has mentioned in this chapter. The New Testament had not been fully written, circulated, and canonized when John wrote this letter, so the readers had only the testimony of eyewitnesses like John as the human source for the story of Jesus. However, as John made clear in verse 6, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that the gospel is true and that we have been born again into a new life.
An important word in this life is eternal (aiōnion). We may tend to think of two spheres of existence: here on earth and what happens after we die. The tense of the verb has given (edōken) is aorist, implying that this gift has already been given to those who believe. Eternal life is a gift we receive now (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:47, 54; 17:3). The tense of the verb in the last clause (is, estin) is present, indicating that we have life now in the Son. We do not need to wait until death. We are part of God’s family now. We are citizens of his kingdom. We begin to experience the power of eternity and God’s presence now, and this relationship sustains us through the ups and downs of life.
The Spirit witnesses to the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, particularly the “water and the blood,” symbolizing the baptism and the cross. The Spirit gives us the choice: will we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and will we accept the story about him? If we believe, we will receive eternal life. If we do not, there is no life outside of Jesus. The darkness of the devil and this world deceives us and blinds us to the offer of eternal life that God offers. The devil makes the life of this world look satisfying, especially with the empty promise of materialism. It does not matter how much or how little we have—we always want more. People give their entire lives to the pursuit of “more.” True life is found only in the Son. The Holy Spirit confirms this within us if we will only listen.