John like to use the word “whosoever.” Here are some examples:

1 John 2:23 (NKJV)
²³  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

To be without God is to be in a hopeless and spiritually lost state. It is to be in a state of darkness, separated from all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3; 2:11, 12). When one dies, separated from God, he is destined for an eternity of torment in hell. Who does not have God? John says they are those who deny the Son. But who is that? Let me make a few suggestions:

1. Those who deny the deity of Christ. Some say that Jesus divested Himself of His deity when He took on flesh. But how could God stop being God? Christ is clearly referred to as God in the scriptures. Paul said, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Who is going to descend from heaven at the appointed time? It is Christ. However, Paul said we are waiting for the glorious appearing of the great God. That is a clear affirmation of the deity of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that the child who would be born of a virgin would be called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and Matthew tells us that Emmanuel means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Indeed, Christ was God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), and those who deny this, deny the Son. John said, “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” (I John 5:20).

2. Those who deny the humanity of Christ. One denominational preacher said that Jesus was not a man like others because he did not have the same kind of blood cells that we have. I do not know the source from which he got that information, but I know he was wrong. Jesus was a man. Paul said, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The Hebrew writer affirmed the humanity of Christ as well. He wrote, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil…Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren…” (Hebrew 2:14, 17). Yes, Jesus was God when He walked upon this earth, but He was also man. Do I have to understand everything about that? No! I must accept it, though, because it is what the Bible says. And if I deny it, I deny the Son.

3. Those who are ashamed of Christ. If we are afraid to tell our friends about Jesus, or even our enemies for that matter, we are ashamed of Christ. And to be ashamed of Christ is to deny Him. Jesus said, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). There is nothing about Jesus that we should not be willing to tell others. We should not be ashamed of His death on the cross. We should not be ashamed of His gospel, or of the moral standard that it sets forth. We should not be ashamed of His church. As Paul once indicated, we should not be ashamed of anything associated with Christ (Philippians 1:20). If we are, we deny the Son. Well, let’s look at another “whosoever” passage.

1 John 3:9 (NKJV)
⁹  Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

One is born into the family of God when he obeys the gospel of Christ. Jesus said, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). A person is born of the Spirit when he follows the instructions of the Spirit and is baptized in water. Thus, when a person is born again, he is born, not only of water and of the Spirit, but also of the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23). Now, John says that if we have been born of God, and, if His seed remains in us, we do not sin (1 John 3:9). What does John mean by that? The words “commit sin” are in the present tense and indicate a continual action. John is not saying that, as Christians, we never fall short or stumble, or that we cannot commit a single sin. That would contradict what he said in 1 John 1:8-10. John is simply saying that the Christian in whom the Word dwells will not live in sin. Sin does not take up residence in the heart of a true Christian. A Christian may be overtaken with a fault (Galatians 6:1), but when that happens, he repents of it and prays to God for forgiveness. If he does not repent, but rather keeps on sinning, he becomes a child of the devil. John continued to say, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God…” (I John 3:10).

Let’s look at a third verse where John uses the word “whosoever.”

1 John 3:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

John is sometimes referred to as the apostle of love because he spent so much time teaching on the importance of it. He teaches us that if we hate our brother, we are walking in darkness (1 John 2:11). He teaches us that if we do not love our brother, we abide in death (1 John 3:14). He teaches us that we must love one another, not just in word, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). He teaches us that if we do not love, we do not know God because God is love (1 John 4:8). Finally, in the passage before us, John says that if we hate our brother, we are murderers. We may not be viewed as such in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of a God, who is concerned with the heart, we are murderers. Obviously, John was well acquainted with the teaching of his Master. Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). Jesus knew that where there is hatred, the only thing that stands in the way of murder is opportunity or a selfish concern about consequences. However, the heart condemns the person filled with hatred whether he commits the physical act or not. John knew this too. Thus, whosoever hates his brother is a murderer.