1 John 5:13-17

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.

John summarizes, as usual, the main purpose for his writing this book.  He touches on many different themes in this writing, but they are all bound together by the main intent of helping us know that we have eternal life.  This is a fundamental question that should be of utmost importance to all people.  God longs to save us from sin and assure us that we are His.  We should also pray for one another’s repentance from sin and help each other gain assurance that we belong to Him.

GOD ASSURES US OF SALVATION: This book is written to people who believe in Jesus as the Son of God.  All who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus to save them from sin can be assured of eternal life.  The result of saving faith is the indwelling power of the Spirit of God in our lives.  The evidence that this has truly happened in us is seen in our love for one another and obedience to God’s commandments.  As we struggle with sin in our lives, doubt can creep into our minds.  There are two extremes we must avoid.  One is the idea of sinless perfection where believers are expected to be able to stop sinning.  The other is the opposite position of license where a claim to faith is permitted while living in sin without repentance.  Both extremes are false and dangerous.  The Spirit of God is at work in our lives to sanctify us making us more like Christ.  Upon His return, that work will be completed.  

GOD ANSWERES OUR PRAYERS: As believers, we can be assured that we are saved and that God hears our prayers.  Unfortunately, due to our ongoing struggles with sin and our lack of understanding of God’s ways, we can pray for things that are not in accordance with His will.  Fortunately, the Spirit of God is at work to help us pray and to align our prayers with God’s will.  We get to participate in the outworking of His will through prayer.  When we pray according to His will, we can be assured that He hears and answers those prayers.  The requests we make that align with His will, He graciously grants us in His time and His way.  One thing we can always be assured of is that it is God’s will that we turn from sin and help others to turn from sin.

GOD AWAITS REPENTACE OF SIN: This section can be one of the most confusing and sobering portions of Scripture.  Sins that are not unto death and sins that are unto death are not easy for us to interpret.  I believe that repentance is what makes the difference between the two.  Scripture clearly teaches that all sin is unto death.  Sin separates us from a holy God and all of us have sinned, so we stand condemned before Him.  The only means of escape from this death is repentance from sin through faith in Christ.  When we see fellow believers sinning, we know it is God’s will that they repent of that sin, so we pray for them be restored to fellowship with God and others.  A sin that leads to death is a sin where there is unrepentant rebellion.  Rejecting Christ and His forgiveness leaves a person condemned to separation from God so there is no hope of repentance or forgiveness apart from Christ.

APPLICATION: Rest and rejoice in the assurance of salvation we have through Christ.  Seek to align our prayers with God’s will through the study of and meditation on His Word.  Repent of sin when we fail, and pray for others to repent of sin through faith in Christ.