Do you have Eternal Life?

Do you believe the teachings of the Epistle of 1 John?

These Things - The reason for the writing of the epistle

Reminder of the developing heresies concerning Jesus

Docetism - Not really a man, only had the appearance of man

Arianism - Not really God, deny the trinity and the equality of the Father and the Son

God is Light

You know you have eternal life if you have Obedience to the New Commandment through believing and confessing Jesus Christ leading to eternal life

God is Love

You know you have eternal life if you have the Love of the Saints through believing and confessing Jesus Christ leading to eternal life

The Gospel of John was written for a similar reason

John 20:31 NASB95

but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

1 John 3:23 NASB95

This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.

Eternal Life

1 John 1:2 NASB95

and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

1 John 2:25 NASB95

This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

1 John 4:9 NASB95

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

1 John 5:11 NASB95

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

1 John 5:20 NASB95

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. This is the true God and eternal life.

Howard Marshall states:

1, 2, 3 John (1) Know You Have Eternal Life (5:13)

“John was therefore writing not to persuade unbelievers of the truth of the Christian faith but rather to strengthen Christian believers who might be tempted to doubt the reality of their Christian experience and to give up their faith in Jesus.”

Do you have Confidence that if you ask anything, He Hears You?

We have Confidence

Danny Akin writes

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

Not only can a believer have assurance of salvation, but he also can have assurance that God will hear his prayers and answer them. Moreover, it is the gift of eternal life that allows the believer to come directly before God with boldness or confidence.

Related to the Second Coming

1 John 2:28 NASB95

Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

1 John 4:17 NASB95

By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

Related to Prayer

1 John 3:21–22 NASB95

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Ask Anything

Matthew 7:7 NASB95

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

John 14:13 NASB95

“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:7 NASB95

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:10 NASB95

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

1 John 3:22 NASB95

and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

According to His will

Stephen Smalley Said,

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

The fundamental characteristic of all truly Christian intercession is that the will of the person who offers prayer should coincide with God’s will

Danny Akin States,

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

Many pray believing that God will answer their prayers simply because they trust that he will answer them.

James warns

James 4:3 NASB95

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Even Jesus Taught Us

Luke 22:42 NASB95

saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

Does God Hear your Prayer?

We Know God Hears the Believer

He Hears Us

John Stott said

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or for bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his. It is by prayer that we seek God’s will, embrace it and align ourselves with it. Every true prayer is a variation of the theme “your will be done.”

John 9:31 NASB95

“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

Further C. H. Spurgeon states

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

Brethren, if there be a God, and if this Book be his Word, if God be true, prayer must be answered; and let us on our knees go to the sacred engagement as to a work of real efficacy.

We Know We have the Requests

Sin blocking prayers

Isaiah 1:15 NASB95

“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.

Proverbs 28:9 NASB95

He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

God cares for us

Luke 11:11–13 NASB95

“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Mark 11:24 NASB95

“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

Danny Akin wrote,

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

The present tense “we have”, and not the future (“we will have”), indicates that God grants our requests immediately, even though his answer may not be immediately revealed.

Robert Plummer said,

1, 2, 3 John (2) Be Confident in Prayer (5:14–17)

Our petitions are granted at once: the results of the granting are perceived in the future.

Romans 8:28 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.