The Trinity - 1 John 5:20

The Trinity

Common
Trinity
Personality
   of the Spirit
Christ
   Preliminary
  Strategy
  Genesis 1:26
  Genesis 3:22
  Isaiah 9:6
  Matthew 1:23
  Matthew 28:19
  John 1:1-3
  John 3:13
  John 5:23
  John 6:33,38,51
  John 6:62
  John 8:23
  John 8:58
  John 10:17,18
  John 10:30
  John 14:9
  John 17:5
  John 20:28
  Romans 9:5
  Philippians 2:6
  Col. 1:15,16
  Eph. 4:8-10
  Hebrews 1:2
  Hebrews 1:8
  Hebrews 1:10-12
  Hebrews 7:3
  Hebrews 10:5
  1 John 4:3
  1 John 5:20
  Revelation 3:14
Soul
Heaven
Hell
Satan/Demons
"Saved"
Baptism
Resurrection
Antichrist

Unique
Catholic
Mormon
SDA
JW
British Israel
Church
of Christ
Pentecostal
Islam

Science
Miracles
Evolution
Creation
Carbon Dating

Inspiration
Partial
Contradictions
& Inaccuracies

1 John 5:20: "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."
Problem:: It is argued that Jesus Christ is the true God because the statement "This is the true God" follows after the mention of Jesus Christ.
Solution:: It has been said that you can prove just about any doctrine under the sun from the Bible by just taking a verse out of its context. Such is case when Trinitarians use 1 John 5:20 to support the doctrine of the Trinity. However, if we expand the context, the careful reader will see that it is not Jesus Christ who is being referred to as "the true God."

Starting in verse 1 John 5:2, we read...

For this is the love of God....

Then in verse 4...

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world...

Verse 9...

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater...

Verse 10...

...he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar...

Verse 11...

...God hath given to us eternal life,

Verse 15...

...we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him (referring to God).

Verse 18...

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not...

Verse 19...

And we know that we are of God,...

Although admittedly the Son of God is mentioned a few times in 1 John 5, it is God that is mentioned more often. God and His attributes, and our relationship to God, is the interweaving thread throughout 1 John 5. All these truths concerning God when put together causes John to summarize, "This is the true God, and eternal life."

The reader should also step back and notice that Jesus is referred to as "the Son of God" in verses 10, 12 and 13. To say the least, it would be a total surprise for John, out of the blue, to declare that Jesus is God in verse 20 in light of the fact that Jesus is repeatedly referred to as the SON of God, and never as God in John's epistle.; 1 John 5:20 reminds us of Jesus' prayer according to John 17:3: 'This is eternal life: to know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent...'