1 John 5:10

He that believeth on the Son of God For the first time in this Epistle we have the full phrase -to believe on", of which S. John is so fond in his Gospel, where it occurs nearly 40 times. Elsewhere in N.T. it occurs only about 10 times. It expresses the strongest confidence and trust; faith moves towards and reposes on its object. Whereas -to believe a person" (πιστεύειν τινί) need mean no more than to believe what he says (1 John 4:1), -to believe onor ina person" (πιστεύειν εἴς τινα) means to have full trust in his character.

hath the witness Some authorities add -of God," which is right as an interpretation, though not as part of the text. He has it as an abiding possession (John 5:38; Hebrews 10:34): -hath" does not mean merely -he accepts it". Comp. -The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16); -God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).

in himself According to the revised reading, in him. Wiclif has -in him", Luther, bei ihm: Tyndale added the -self", and most English Versions have followed him. But -in him" in this context cannot mean anything but -in himself". The external witness faithfully accepted becomes internal certitude. Our faith in the Divinity of Christ attests its own Divine origin, for we could not have obtained it otherwise than from God. "The human mind is made for truth, and so rests in truth, as it cannot rest in falsehood. When then it once becomes possessed of a truth, what is to dispossess it? but this is to be certain; therefore once certitude, always certitude. If certitude in any matter be the termination of all doubt or fear about its truth, and an unconditional conscious adherence to it, it carries with it an inward assurance, strong though implicit, that it shall never fail" (J. H. Newman).

he that believeth not God He that has not even enough faith to induce him to believe what God says (see first note on this verse). There are great diversities of reading here; -God", -the Son", -the Son of God", -His Son", -Jesus Christ": of these -God" (א BKLP) is certainly to be preferred. The others have arisen from a wish to make -he that believeth not" more exactly balance -he that believeth". But, as we have repeatedly seen, S. John's antitheses seldom balance exactly. Yet it is by no means impossible that all five are wrong, and that we ought simply to read - He that believeth nothath made Him a liar": comp. John 3:18, of which this verse seems to be an echo. In -he that believeth not", the case is stated quite generally and indefinitely (ὁ μὴ πιστεύων): the Apostle is not pointing at some one person who was known as not believing (ὁ οὐ πιστεύων); comp. 1 John 3:10; 1Jn 3:14, 1 John 4:8; 1Jn 4:20, 1 John 5:12.

hath made him a liar See on 1 John 1:10.

believeth not the record that God gave Better, as R.V., hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne: see on 1 John 1:2. The perfect in both cases indicates a permanent result: he has been and remains an unbeliever in the witness which God has given and continually supplies concerning His Son. -To believe in (on) the witness" occurs nowhere else. See on 1 John 3:23.