I write these things to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this
is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to
his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we
know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. If anyone sees his
brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give
him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that
leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is
sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who
has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God
protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from
God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the
true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:13–21 ESV).
It has been my experience that many Christians
at one time or another have asked themselves questions, such as: “Do I have
true faith?” and “Am I really saved?” All professing believers want to be sure
that they do indeed belong to Christ and will live with Him forever. John saw
that same rising doubt in his beloved people at Ephesus. He writes a defining
principle in the last part of his letter to them. The truth of it applies to us
as well.
Like the original audience of 2 Peter,
the original audience of 1 John found itself troubled by the ascendancy of
false teachers. In the case of John’s audience, these teachers denied essential
Christian truths including the incarnation, the reality of sin, and the need
for believers to love one another. Though John’s audience had been successful
in resisting these heresies (cf. 1 John 4:4), causing these false teachers to
leave the community (cf. 1 John 2:19), they were still troubled by their
teachings. It seems that some in John’s audience were questioning the
authenticity of their own salvation because of these events and needed to be
assured that they had true faith.
Therefore, near the end of his life,
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, wrote the epistle now known as 1 John to
establish this audience in the truth and to show them how they might be assured
of their salvation. John writes explicitly so that those who believe in the Son
of God can know—not just hope or guess—that they possess eternal life right
now. A part of that assurance is our confidence in prayer (vv. 14-17). Believers
have the boldness to approach God, knowing that He hears requests made
according to His will. This section also addresses praying for believers who
stumble into sin. We also have the absolute assurance of protection from the
Evil One (vv. 18–19). Those born of God do not make a lifestyle of deliberate
sin because Christ keeps them safe, separating them from a world lying under
the power of the evil one. And, Jesus Christ has given believers spiritual
understanding so they can personally know the true God and live in eternal
fellowship with Him (v, 2O).
We have eternal life! Now we GET
to love like it through Him! Believe in the name of Jesus!
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