Prayers of a Secure Believer

1 John 5:14–17 ESV

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.

1. Christians secure in their faith pray the Lord’s Will. (13-14)

1 John 5:14 ESV

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

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

Faith will accept that God’s will is best, and it will trust his plan and purpose, even if it does not understand at the time.

James 4:3 ESV

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James 4

Stott

The New American Commentary: 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.”

Theologon

2. Christians secure in their faith know their prayers are answered. (15)

1 John 5:15 ESV

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.

Mark 11:24 ESV

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

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

indicates that God grants our requests immediately, even though his answer may not be immediately revealed. As Plummer notes, “Our petitions are granted at once: the results of the granting are perceived in the future.”

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

The present tense “we have” (echomen), and not the future (“we will have”), indicates that God grants our requests immediately, even though his answer may not be immediately revealed. As Plummer notes, “Our petitions are granted at once: the results of the granting are perceived in the future.”

3. Christians secure in their faith pray for others restoration to Christ. (16)

1 John 5:16 ESV

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.

Sin leading to death

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

From the outset it is safe and contextually appropriate to reject any interpretation that refers to a physical death, since “death” is contrasted with spiritual (or “eternal”) life.