And......getting back to the original post's claim that "Jesus is not God" with the supposed evidence of John 1:1 there have been many evidences given that is not the case. Of course the one who made the original post and his supporter will not accept these as proofs. However, I'm surprised we have all fallen for their tactic and lost sight of the forest for the trees.
What is the their reason for trying to prove this? If they manage to be right, does that somehow negate all the other statements where Jesus is said to be God? For very clearly at the end of that same Gospel, John makes the statement that everything he has written is to give evidence for the deity of Jesus and that He is the source of eternal life.
[Jhn 20:31 LSB] ...but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Yes the source of Eternal Life is a great defender of His Deity. I did a study on this here.
Jesus is eternal life, He is life. We see this over and over again in the Apostle Johns writings. In Him was LIFE and that LIFE was the light of man. Life of the world, the Bread of LIFE,My words are spirit and they are LIFE, I AM the way,the truth and the LIFE,The LIFE was manifested and we proclaim to you the ETERNAL Life which was with the Father, and was manifested to us- The Prologue of 1st John. So we see that when John uses the phrase True God and Eternal Life together in 1 John 5:20 that He is referring to Christ as the closest antecedent making Him the True God and Eternal Life.
Also we see that when we search the NT that Eternal Life is never used of the Father without the Son but we see that Eternal Life is used over and over with Jesus where the Father is never mentioned. This makes a solid case for Jesus in 1 John 5:20 as the True God and Eternal Life.
1 John 5:20
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ. He(Jesus) is the true God and eternal life.
On behalf of seeing
χριστος as the antecedent are the following arguments: (1) Although it is true that
αληθινος θεος is not elsewhere referred to Christ,
αληθεια is, and is so in Johannine literature (John 14:6).
29 Winer-Moulton, 195.
Further,
αληθινος θεος is not a "constant.. epithet" as Winer supposes, being found only in John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20! (2)
Christ is also said to be ζωη in John's writings John 11:25; 14:6; 1 John 1:1-2), an epithet nowhere else used of the Father. (3) The demonstrative pronoun,
ουτος, in the Gospel and Epistles of John seems to be used in a theologically rich manner.30 Specifically,
of the approximately seventy instances in which ουτος has a personal referent, as many as forty- four of them (almost two-thirds of the instances) refer to the Son. Of the remainder, most imply some sort of positive connection with the Son.31 What is most significant is that never is the Father the referent.For what it is worth, this datum increases the probability that
ιησου χριστω is the antecedent in 1 John 5:20. 32 The issue cannot be decided on grammar alone. But suffice it to say here that
there are no grammatical reasons for denying that αληθινος θεος is descriptive of Jesus Christ.
1st- Jesus is called God in the writings of John(1:1,20:28,1 John 5:20)
2nd- Jesus is called Eternal Life over and over again in Johns writings
3rd- John opens up his epistle with the Eternal life(Jesus) that was with the Father in the beginning and was manifest to the disciples(1 John 1:1-5)
4th- John ends his epistle with Jesus who is eternal life and only is eternal life found in Him who is the true God.
5th- never is eternal life used of the Father alone. When the Father is included the Son is always mentioned together with the Father making them equal. Equality with the Father was not something Jesus needed to grasp at as He already possessed complete Deity as God.(Phil 2, Col 2:9)
6th- John would not leave his readers with any ambiguity warning them to guard themselves from idols(5:21) So this would be clear his reference was to those who reject Jesus as the true God. They are the idoloters and antichrists John writes of in his epistles.
7th- Jesus is also the True God and the True one in 1 John. Jesus is the true light which brings light to all men (John 1:9) Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1). Jesus is the true witness of God (John 18:37) He who is true (Revelation 3:7) Jesus is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14)Jesus is Lord God Almighty, Just and true are your ways(Revelation 15:3) Jesus is faithful and true(Revelation 19:11).
8th-
[In John's writings] Of the approximately
70 instances in which
ουτος has a personal referent, as many as
44 of them (almost
2/3 . . . ) refer to the Son. Of the remainder, most imply some sort of positive connection with the Son.31
What is most significant is that NEVER is the Father the referent.FWIW, this datum increases the probability that
ιησου χριστω IS the antecedent in 1 John 5:20. Wallace.
So the most logical conclusion is that it refers to Jesus as the true God. Not only is this Wallace's conclusion from Johns usage of outos but He is the closest antecedent (most times in the GNT this principal holds true). Eternal Life is never used of the Father alone in John’s writings and only a couple of times does John include the Father with the Son regarding eternal life. John opens up his epistles describing the "eternal life" who was with the Father in the beginning and then ends his epistle with eternal life identifying Jesus as the true God and eternal life. John then says this in the last verse:
1 John 5:21-Guard yourselves from idols
Now why would he leave any ambiguity in verse 20 as to the identity of the true God and eternal life then turn around commanding them to protect themselves from idolatry ? It make absolutely no sense whatsoever unless John is identifying Jesus as the true God and refuting the Gnostics of his day who denied the Incarnation.
More evidence from Scripture that Jesus is life, the source of that life and eternal life itself. Apart from Him there is no life. This cannot be said of a mere man now can it ?
John 1:4
4
In Him was life, and
the life was the Light of men.
John 5:39-40
39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come
to Me to have life.
John 6:33
For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and
giveth life unto the world.
John 6:35
35 And Jesus said unto them
, I Am the bread of life:
John 6:47
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
Me hath everlasting life.
John 6:51
51 I Am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he
shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which
I will give for the life of the world.
John 6:53
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have
no life in you.
John 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life.
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full.
John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, "I Am the resurrection and
the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and
believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him,
"I Am the way, and the truth, and
the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 20:30-31
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name.
1 John 1:1-2
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning
the Word of Life — 2 and
the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us
1 John 5:12-13
12 He who has the Son has
the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who
believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you
have eternal life.
1 John 5:20
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in Him who is true — even in His Son
Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
And Jesus said no one knows the Father but through the Son. They are One in nature, essence, substance or being. You cannot have One without the Other. This can be said of no man unless that man is also God in the flesh which Jesus is indeed !
John 5:23
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 6:45-51
Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
John 10:14-16
4 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
John 10:25-30
"I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 "I and the Father are one."
John 10:38-39
38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:9
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
John 16:15
"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we 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."
We can see from other passages from the same author the Apostle John that Jesus is called the eternal life. In 1st John 1 Jesus is called "the word of life", "the life" and "the eternal life which was with the Father" (verse 2). Jesus is life itself John 1:4 and He said the following "I am the way, the truth and the life!" He also said whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3:15). So we can see that Jesus by definition in I John 1:2 is "the eternal life", and in 1 John 5:20 is called "The true God and Eternal Life".
Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1)
Jesus is also the true light (John 1:9)
Jesus is faithful and true (Revelation 19:11)
Jesus is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14)
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)
Jesus is the true witness (John 18:37)
Jesus is He who is holy, He who is true(Revelation 3:7)
So I John 5:20 teaches us clearly that we are in the Son, Jesus Christ, and that He is the True One, even "the true God and Eternal Life".