Does 1 John 5:20 say Jesus is the one TRUE God? Updated Post!
The answer is a definite NO! And easily seen unless wearing those Trinitarian blinders. Trinitarians often quote this verse as it can be misread. You will notice that the word “TRUE” all through this verse is referring to the one “TRUE” God, not Jesus.
If you read this verse carefully, you will note it is saying that “the TRUE God” is the one “that is TRUE” that has a “Son Jesus Christ” whom He sent to to “give us an understanding” of this. I will use CAPS for clarity.
1 John 5:20 KJV “And we know that the Son of God is come, and has 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.”
How do we know that the one being called “TRUE” is the Father? Because His Son is Jesus Christ!
“and we are in Him that is TRUE, even in His Son Jesus Christ”
Thus who is it referring to in the final phrase of this verse when it says, “this is the TRUE God”? Many misread it to be Jesus as it follows a mention of the Son of the one who is “TRUE.” But no, it is referring to the Father as the one who is “TRUE.”
So what is this verse actually saying? It says that Jesus came to show us the one who is “TRUE” who is the Father and the one “TRUE” God. Let’s break this verse down to see this even more clearly:
1 John 5:20 KJV “And we know that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding”
Who has come and why? The Son of God has come, and to give us understanding. An understanding of what?
“that we may know Him that is TRUE, and we are in Him that is TRUE,”
And who is the one that is “TRUE”? It is the “HIM” that has a Son called Jesus Christ. “This is the TRUE God” the Father!
“even in His Son Jesus Christ.”
The entire verse refers to the Father and is revealing that Jesus came to reveal the Father.
And so finally, the one that is “TRUE”, and the one that we are in, that this entire verse is describing, finishes by saying who this one that is “TRUE” is. So who is the one that is “TRUE” that has a Son called Jesus Christ that came to reveal Him? The final part of the verse now tells us!
“This is the TRUE God, and eternal life.”
Who do we need to know to have eternal life? The one “TRUE” God and His Son that was sent by the Father to reveal Him!
“And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only TRUE God, AND Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
The (CEV) Contemporary English version leaves no room for error as it translates it very clearly so there can be no mistake!
1 John 5:20 CEV “We know that Jesus Christ the Son of God has come and has shown us the true God. And because of Jesus, we now belong to the true God who gives eternal life.”