Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ— The apostle had been shewingthe inseparable union between the love of their Christian brother and the love of God: here he shews who was their Christian brother;—every one who believed that Jesus is the Christ, that is, with the heart unto righteousness. This the unbelieving Jews and Heathens openly denied; this the false prophets also, and their disciples, did, in effect deny, and did not therefore love the Christian brethren. St. John has in this epistle given three marks of their being born again: First, Their believing this fundamental article of Christianity, that Jesus is the Messiah, or their acknowledging or receiving him as such: Secondly, Their experiencing and practising holiness or righteousness, and being saved from the dominion of sin. Thirdly, That one particular virtue of loving the Christian brethren, is mentioned, ch. 1 John 4:7 and in the latter part of this verse, as another mark of a man's being born of God: from all which it appears, that if a man acknowledges Jesus to be the Christ, enjoys his pardoning love, and makes conscience of living accordingly, he is, in scripture language, born of God, or a child of God. It is true, that he who loveth God, will love his eternal Son Jesus Christ; but by him that is begotten of him, is not here meant Jesus Christ, but everytrue Christian; for, though it is in the singular number, the connection shews that it was intended to signify Christians, as they are the children of God by faith, and imitators of the divine holiness, see 1 John 5:2.Whoever professes to love God, the Father of Christians, is obliged to love Christians, who are his children, and who resemble their heavenly Father. He who loves holiness, loves God; and he who loves God, loves the image of God wherever it appears.
Related Commentaries of 1 John 5:1
1 John 5:1
1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is borna of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.