QUICK FACTS
1 John 5:20 — Who Is "The True God"?
One of the most debated verses in the New Testament is 1 John 5:20.
Many Christians are told that the final words of the verse—
"He is the true God and eternal life."
prove that Jesus is Almighty God.
But is that really what John was teaching?
Let's examine the biblical facts.
The Biblical Facts
John begins the verse by saying:
"The Son of God has come..."
John explains why the Son came:
"...so that we may know Him who is true."
The Son comes to reveal Someone else—the One who is true.
John had already recorded Jesus praying to the Father:
"This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Notice that John uses the same expression:
"the true God"
"eternal life"
in both John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20.
Compare Scripture with Scripture
John's Gospel teaches:
The Father is the only true God.
Jesus is the One whom the Father sent.
John does not present these as contradictory ideas. Instead, the same themes appear again in 1 John 5:20.
A Simple Question
If John intended to teach that Jesus is the only true God, why had he already recorded Jesus praying to the Father:
"You are the only true God."
Why would John use the same expression again if he meant something completely different?
What This Article Examines
In this study we will examine:
Who is "Him who is true"?
Who is "the true God" in 1 John 5:20?
How does John 17:3 help explain this verse?
What does the Greek grammar and the immediate context indicate?
Rather than relying on assumptions, we will carefully compare Scripture with Scripture and examine John's words in their historical, grammatical, and contextual setting.
FULL NEW ARTICLE HERE:
Could this be true what most believe, and Trinitarians teach, that St John was teaching in 1 John 5:20, that GOD’s Son Jesus is BOTH the same one true GOD, and also the Son of His GOD? Who was St John referring to by saying: He is the true God and eternal life?
1 John 5:20 — Who Is "The True God"?
One of the verses most frequently quoted to support the doctrine of the Trinity is 1 John 5:20. Many Christians believe that John's concluding words—
"He is the true God and eternal life."
refer directly to Jesus Christ.
But before accepting that conclusion, we should ask a very important question:
Is that what John actually intended to say, or does the context point us elsewhere?
As with every passage of Scripture, the immediate context, the wider context of John's writings, and the rest of the Bible should be allowed to explain the verse.
The opening words of 1 John 5:20 tell us that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding. But understanding of whom?
John immediately answers:
"...so that we may know Him who is true."
The obvious question now becomes:
Who is "Him who is true"?
Fortunately, John had already answered this question many years earlier in his Gospel.
Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father:
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)
Notice how closely this parallels the language of 1 John 5:20. In both passages John connects the true God with eternal life. Rather than introducing a new doctrine, John appears to be reaffirming the same truth that he had already recorded from the lips of Jesus.
The question, therefore, is not simply who is nearest in the sentence, but who has John consistently identified throughout his Gospel and his letters as "the true God"?
Let us now examine the verse carefully, one phrase at a time, comparing Scripture with Scripture, to discover what John was actually teaching.
