1 John 5:13-15 says,...

Today's verses are 1 John 5:13-15, which say,

v.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."

John is coming to the conclusion of this letter and we will see a lot of summary in these last verses over the next couple of days.  A favorite word of John in this section to the end of the book is the word "know."

"These things" - all the things that John has written in this letter, were written so that the genuine Christian may "know" some things.  John gives the simple description of that person here as the genuine Christian is one who has been persuaded by the conviction of a truth that Jesus is the Son of God and  he is holding it in confidence.   We see the word "name" here that means "everything related to one" so the genuine Christian believes in all that relates to Jesus, the whole of Him.

John writes this so the genuine Christian will "know" (1st one) of assurance that he has eternal life.  This physical life will end some day but the genuine Christian has eternal life now and continues on with Jesus Christ.  John is saying that you can "know" that.

v.14 - "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

John goes from eternal life and the assurance of it to the area of prayer, our communication with God.  It is so great that we are now praying according to His will.  We are looking and thinking about the world and those who occupy it differently now.  We see people with God's eyes and we look at situations with God's compassion and we respond even with God's words.  "...confidence which we have before Him,..." is another way to say "you can 'know' this."
  
v.15 - "And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."
Context is so important because if we just read verse 15 it is like God will answer whatever we ask but in verse 14 it gave the description of what we are asking - according to His will.  Verse 15 is not a verse on its own to be claimed in whatever situation, many times a sinful situation to compromise God's way or a selfish request to gratify yourself that shows your true allegiance.  Verse 15 is on the tail of verse 14 so let me try to add the knowledge of verse 14 into verse 15.

"And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask (that is according to His will), we know that we have the requests (those things that bring glory to God because it is in according to His will) which we have asked from Him."

John says "know" two more times here, so we are up to 3 and then maybe 4 with the term "confidence."  John, in the p.s. of this letter, wants us to "know" of eternal life and wants us to "know" of our two way communication with God.  As I live in the will of God and obey the will of God and act upon the will of God, I will start to pray the will of God upon the world that God has placed me.  If we think to the Lord's Prayer and the phrase, "...Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."  Whose will?  God's and not my own and just as His testimony is greater than man's so is His will greater than man's will.

"Lord, I pray for Your eyes and ears today.  I want to speak more of You and less of me.  I want to see what You love come into action and so help me to start praying and speaking to you about those things.  May Your will be done.  Amen."
Pastor Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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