1 John 5:13-21
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 [1] 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.
v13 So we know we have eternal life
- if we believe, then we have eternal life
-- not arrogant
-- God wrote/inspired this book
--- to not have confidence is to not trust God's word and to doubt God
- we know we have eternal life because we trust in God's judgment as he has told us
have eternal life now
- in the present!
- can be confident that I have eternal life IF I believe in Christ
-- confident is not frantic, worried, anxious
-- Holy Spirit and loving actions are proof I currently have eternal life
v14 confidence in prayer
- approaching the LORD in confidence
-- not arrogance or flippancy
- whatever we ask in his will will be done
- we're not randomly firing off prayers to whoever wants to listen but direction our prayers to God because we have confidence that he will hear and respond
- when we see someone sin, how do I respond?
-- pray in confidence for that person that God will give them life
Why doesn't some sin lead to death?
- because that person has eternal life
-- sin still affects that person's relationship with other and God
-- but it doesn't lead to death because they already have life
--- can't out sin God's grace
- sin that leads to death is sin by those who don't believe
-- can't pray in confidence that God will show them truth because we don't know that God will give them life
How do I have confidence in this life?
- God is holding us and keeping us from death
- Deuteronomy 33:27 "The eternal God is your dwelling place, / and underneath are the everlasting arms."
-- if we know that God was holding us and believe that God has overcome the world, then we can be confident because we know how the "ride" will end
-- we pray in his will (not ours) so that he hears and answers
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