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1 John 5:18–21, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
1 John 5:18–21
The Letter Closes with Guarded Life in the True God
Those born of God are kept; guard yourselves from idols.
The letter closes with three 'we know' statements. The one born of God does not make sin a home, and a keeper—read as God, Christ, or the believer depending on a difficult text—guards so that the evil one does not seize him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. We know that the Son of God has come and given understanding to know the true God; we are in the true one, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Divine keeping is real protection, not immunity from abuse, illness, temptation, persecution, or ordinary safety measures. The world lying in the evil one's power describes a present resistant order; it is not a map for labeling modern groups, nations, or neighbors as owned by the devil. Idols may be cult images or false pictures of God and Jesus; the line is too brief to pin one practice with certainty. The closing Amen of the KJV is absent from early witnesses. The last word is vigilant worship of the true God given in the Son, not speculation about opponents.
How this should shape us
Rest in being kept, and still lock doors, get medical care, and tell the truth about harm. Refuse rival pictures of God that baptize desire, status, or control. Stay with the Son who has come, and treat idolatry as a live danger to worship, not as a slur against a people.
Teach it back
Explain 1 John 5:18–21 in your own words. Include its place in 1 John's movement, one exact textual observation, one material uncertainty, and one use the complete unit rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Verse 18's text and subjects, verse 20's pronoun referent, the meaning of idols, and the final Amen are disputed. The stable close is guarded relation to God through the Son, truthful understanding, and resistance to rival worship.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
1 John 5:18–21, pinned eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and variation markers used for original-language analysis.
Official SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/1John.txt, 5:18–21
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and major interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible official 1 John PDF, 5:18–21 and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Independent morphology, form, and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT morphology and Greek lexical records for 1 John 5:18–21
Supports: Historical-critical orientation, anonymous authorship, Johannine relationship, community setting, opponents, structure, and theological themes.
Padgett and Johnson, Enter the Bible 1 John course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to 1 John 5:18–21
Supports: A complete confessional evangelical check on literary flow, Greek details, theology, assurance, sin, love, atonement, opponents, and application.
Ray Van Neste, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, “1 John,” complete introduction and commentary on 1 John 5:18–21
Supports: The plural and present antichrist language, Christological denial, secession, later reception, nonpolitical conflict, and safeguards against modern enemy mapping.
Craig R. Koester, ‘The Antichrist Theme in the Johannine Epistles and Its Role in Christian Tradition,’ in Communities in Dispute (SBL Press, 2024), printed pp. 187–196
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 John 5:18–21, pinned eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and variation markers used for original-language analysis.
Exact location: Official SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/1John.txt, 5:18–21
Open the 1 John Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — 1 John with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and major interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible official 1 John PDF, 5:18–21 and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 John PDF ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology, form, and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT morphology and Greek lexical records for 1 John 5:18–21
Open source ↗modern scholarly book introduction
1 John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, and theological themes
Alan G. Padgett; revised by Elisabeth Johnson
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision
Supports: Historical-critical orientation, anonymous authorship, Johannine relationship, community setting, opponents, structure, and theological themes.
Exact location: Padgett and Johnson, Enter the Bible 1 John course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to 1 John 5:18–21
Open the Enter the Bible 1 John course ↗modern open commentary
1 John
Ray Van Neste
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition
Supports: A complete confessional evangelical check on literary flow, Greek details, theology, assurance, sin, love, atonement, opponents, and application.
Exact location: Ray Van Neste, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, “1 John,” complete introduction and commentary on 1 John 5:18–21
Open the TGC 1 John commentary ↗peer reviewed open access book chapter
The Antichrist Theme in the Johannine Epistles and Its Role in Christian Tradition
Craig R. Koester
SBL Press, in Communities in Dispute: Current Scholarship on the Johannine Epistles, 2024
Supports: The plural and present antichrist language, Christological denial, secession, later reception, nonpolitical conflict, and safeguards against modern enemy mapping.
Exact location: Craig R. Koester, ‘The Antichrist Theme in the Johannine Epistles and Its Role in Christian Tradition,’ in Communities in Dispute (SBL Press, 2024), printed pp. 187–196
Open Koester's chapter in the SBL volume ↗