1 John 5:20 Meaning and Explanation
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →John closes his letter with confident knowledge rather than speculation. Jesus has come, understanding has been given, and relationship with the true God is possible. The verse joins revelation, knowledge, abiding, and eternal life before the final warning to keep away from idols.
The Son's coming gives believers understanding to know the true One and live in Him through Jesus Christ, where true knowledge and eternal life are found.
The Context of 1 John 5:20
The chapter has connected faith in Jesus Christ with new birth, love, commandment keeping, victory, and the testimony of the Spirit, water, and blood. God's record declares that eternal life is given in His Son. John writes so believers may know they have eternal life and pray with confidence according to God's will. The final three verses repeat 'we know': those born of God are kept, believers belong to God amid a world lying in wickedness, and the Son of God has come. Verse 20 culminates these certainties; verse 21 follows with the concise command to keep from idols.
What Does 1 John 5:20 Mean?
'We know that the Son of God is come' grounds the verse in a historical divine action. Jesus' arrival has given 'an understanding,' a capacity to recognize and know the One who is true. This knowledge is relational as well as intellectual. John uses 'know' for lived fellowship that changes conduct, love, and allegiance. Understanding remains a gift from the Son, while believers genuinely exercise it by receiving testimony and abiding. Revelation leads into communion: people can know the true One because the Son has come and made Him known. Christian certainty begins with that gift rather than secret insight or self-generated ascent.
John then says, 'we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.' The language of being 'in' expresses abiding relationship and shared life. The pronouns are closely joined, drawing knowledge of the true God and life in His Son together. The final sentence, 'This is the true God, and eternal life,' stands beside the nearest reference to Jesus Christ while gathering the verse's whole confession. John does not pause to resolve every later question about its grammar. His clear emphasis is that the Father made known through the Son, and the eternal life present in the Son, stand in complete opposition to idols and falsehood.
Jesus is both the giver of understanding and the place where eternal life is known. Earlier in the letter John called Him the eternal life who was with the Father and was manifested to the witnesses. The Gospel likewise says the Son came to give understanding of the Father and that eternal life consists in knowing the Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent. Christ does not offer detached information about God. Through His words, works, death, resurrection, and continuing presence, He brings believers into truthful communion. The final call away from idols protects this living relationship from every counterfeit object of trust.
Bible Verses Related to 1 John 5:20
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
- John 17:3
“(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)”
- 1 John 1:2
“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”
- Luke 24:45
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
- John 14:6
Where 1 John 5:20 Echoes in Scripture
John 17:3 records Jesus describing eternal life as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. First John 5:20 echoes each element: the true One, the Son who has come, knowledge given through Him, and eternal life. Together the passages present salvation as enduring relationship made possible through the Father's sending of the Son.
How to Apply 1 John 5:20 Today
We can test spiritual claims by whether they lead into the truthful knowledge revealed through Jesus and the obedient love emphasized throughout the letter. An idol offers life while taking the trust, sacrifice, or allegiance that belongs to God. Career, politics, wealth, relationships, religious personalities, and self-image can each become such a counterfeit. Knowing the true One grows through prayer, Scripture, worship, love for God's children, confession, and reliance on the Son. These practices keep understanding relational and help expose whatever promises life apart from Him.
Reflection & Prayer
What present loyalty competes with the life and truth we have come to know through Jesus Christ? A prayer: True and living God, thank You for sending Your Son and giving understanding. Keep us abiding in Your life, expose every idol, and deepen our faithful knowledge of You through Jesus Christ. Amen.