13 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. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 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.
16 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. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 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.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 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. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When John says he writes “these things” he is probably not referring to the whole letter but what he has just written about the testimony of God. No matter what false teachers may say, we can be sure that we are saved. Our assurance of salvation is always based exclusively in the promise of God. Because of this assurance we can have confidence that if we ask God anything according to His will He will hear us. Knowing that He hears us we can also have the confidence that we have what we ask for. While this holds true for any prayer we may pray according to God’s will, it most likely refers more specifically to asking for help in keeping God’s commands.
John moves from praying for our own needs to bringing in the brotherly love he has spent so much time talking about. As we love our fellow believers we should pray for them and their spiritual needs. One of our greatest needs is help in areas of sin, that we might repent and return to abiding with God. There is some sin that leads to death. John is talking about brothers who are believers and they have all received the promise of life (John 11:26) so the death John speaks here is not eternal death, but physical death. We see an example of this kind of sin in Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) and the Corinthians who were partaking in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner (1 Cor 11:27-32). There is some sin that God deems severe enough that the punishment is immediate physical death. It is not stated what this sin is but it is not one single sin. For all other sins we are encouraged to pray for our brothers that they may turn from them and be granted an extended life (see. Eph 6:2; Deu 5:16). Don’t get caught up on what sin might be sin that leads to death. Instead be encouraged to pray for your fellow believer that they may live in the cycle of abiding in the light, recognising their sin, repenting and returning to abiding as we all should (1 John 1:8-10).
John reminds us that everyone who is born of God has a renewed nature that is inherently sinless (This is not about habitual sin but about the new nature given us by God that is sinless. Our sin is unnatural to who we now are at the core). Our sinless nature enables us to resist the temptations of Satan and he is unable to touch us. We know that we are from God and are not part of the world system that lives under the power of Satan. We do not have to listen to or follow the ideas and practices of the world. We are set apart! Instead, we have been given the understanding that makes knowing God a reality. We are able to abide in the one who is true and in whom is eternal life.
John’s final warning was very relevant to his readers who were exposed to idols as a very prominent part of pagan life. We may not feel any temptation to get involved with idols but we are all in very real danger of getting entangled in the pervasive cultural sinfulness that is considered acceptable behaviour in the world around us.
In what ways are you entangled in the ways of this world that are unnatural to your sinless, born-of-God, nature? What will you do to move away from that towards a more abiding life with God?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Moses is Born: Exodus 2