18

Christian Certainties
(1 John 5:13-21)

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. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 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. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 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. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (5:13-21)

Life in this fallen world is filled with uncertainty, with few guarantees and little that can be depended on. “Man, who is born of woman,” Job lamented, “is short-lived and full of turmoil” (Job 14:1), being “born for trouble, as sparks fly upward” (5:7). Illness, an accident, violence, or old age catches up with everyone in the end, because all people “are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14; cf. Pss. 39:5; 90:10). In the meantime, life’s journey is fraught with doubts, questions, and uncertainties. Jobs vanish as companies downsize and outsource. The volatility of the stock market, the fluctuations of the economy, and increasing taxes create further uncertainty. Relationships come and go, with people’s faithfulness often lasting only as long as their felt needs are being met—or until they find someone more attractive. The uncertainty of relationships has made prenuptial agreements commonplace, as people attempt to protect themselves against being exploited by their erstwhile partners. On a larger scale, natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods, can sweep away in an instant the accumulated treasures of a lifetime.

Uncertainty over what the future holds drives people to spend a significant percentage of their income on insurance, as they attempt to safeguard against all of the potential negative contingencies. Car insurance provides a measure of security in the event of an accident. Uncertainty about fire, theft, and natural disasters leads people to buy coverage to protect their homes. Health insurance helps guard against financial ruin in case of serious illness; life insurance provides money should the breadwinner in a family die.

But the most profound uncertainty with the most disastrous results exists not in the material realm, but in the spiritual and eternal realm. Because they reject the gospel and are without God, people are also without hope (Eph. 2:12), or protection from divine wrath and eternal hell. Most people put their hope in false religions or personal ideologies to get them into a happy eternal state. And it is popularly believed that all religions lead to heaven and most people are good, thus they are headed there. What is not popular is the reality that only the Bible is the true Word of God, the gospel the only way to heaven, and all who do not believe it go to hell forever.

In a world of uncertainty, relativism, and deception, the Bible proclaims absolute truth. Five words, based on biblical absolutes, frame the paradigm.

The first word is objectivity. Truth is objective, not subjective. It exists independently outside of the human mind, having its origin in God, and coming to us by revelation in Scripture (John 17:17; cf. Ps. 119:151, 160; 2 Tim. 2:15).

The second word is rationality. The revelation of God is intelligible; it is not mystical, nor does it contain hidden meanings accessible only to the religious elite. Scripture yields its meaning to the mind that approaches it reasonably.

A third word is veracity. The Bible, properly interpreted in a normal, rational fashion, yields divine truth.

The fourth term is authority. The divinely revealed truth of Scripture bears God’s authority, and hence it is binding in all that it affirms.

A final word is incompatibility. Because the Bible contains divine truth, anything that contradicts it is wrong. Biblical Christianity’s commitment to absolute truth makes it exclusive in an inclusive world.

The Bible reveals the truth about how the universe began, and how it will end; about why people behave the way they do; about what is right and what is wrong; about heaven and hell, and how people get to those places; about what makes for good human relationships; about God’s promises; and, most significant, about the Lord Jesus Christ, including His virgin birth, sinless life, unparalleled teaching, substitutionary death, literal resurrection, bodily ascension, and second coming.

Scripture is filled with absolute certainties, including the reality that sin has consequences (Num. 32:23); that the Bible is true (Ps. 19:7; 111:7; Luke 1:4; 2 Peter 1:19); that righteousness brings a reward (Prov 11:18); that God alone is God (Deut. 4:39; Isa. 43:10; 45:6), can do all things (Job 42:2), will not act wickedly (Job 34:12), judges according to truth (Rev. 16:7; 19:2; cf. Ps. 119:75), is faithful (Deut. 7:9), punishes sin (Rom. 2:2), created everything (Isa. 48:13)—including humans (Ps. 100:3), and is good and merciful (Ps. 23:6); that Jesus Christ bore our griefs and sorrows (Isa. 53:4), is the Messiah, the Holy One of God (John 6:69; cf. Matt. 14:33; Acts 2:36), knows all things (John 16:30; 21:17), was sent by the Father (John 17:8; cf. v. 25; 16:27, 30), has authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6), will not reject those who come to Him (John 6:37), knows those who are His (John 10:14; cf. 2 Tim. 2:19), has entered into God’s presence on believers’ behalf (Heb. 6:19-20), and will return (Rev. 22:20); that God’s promise of salvation is guaranteed (Rom. 4:16); that there will be a resurrection (Job 19:25-27); that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28); that sinners do not inherit the kingdom of God (Eph. 5:5); that the Day of the Lord will come (1 Thess. 5:2); and that God will help and support His people (Isa. 41:10; cf. 2 Tim. 1:12).

John wrote this epistle to provide his readers with certainty about all that God has revealed concerning salvation. The formal argument of the letter ended in 5:12, and verses 13-21 are its postscript. John’s concluding remarks are not a collection of random thoughts, however, but form a powerful climax to all he has written. Throughout the letter, John has recycled tests to identify who is a true Christian. Those tests serve a polemic purpose; they expose the phony believers and the false teachers—the deceiving antichrists. But they also serve a pastoral purpose, giving increasingly stronger confidence and assurance to the genuine believers.

As the epistle builds to a great, if familiar, crescendo, John focuses on five things that genuine Christians can be certain of: eternal life, answered prayer, victory over sin, that they belong to God, and Christ’s deity.

ETERNAL LIFE

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. (5:13)

The phrase these things sweeps backward to encompass the entire letter, as is evident from several considerations. First, the shift from the second person in verse 12 (“He who has the Son … he who does not have the Son …”) to the first person (These things I have written …) suggests that verse 13 does not merely continue the flow of thought from the previous verse. Second, in 1:4 John announced his purpose in writing; in verse 13 he looks back on what he had written. Together, the two verses state John’s purpose in writing, since it is assurance of eternal life that produces fullness of joy. Finally, there is a strong parallel between verse 13 and John 20:31 (“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”). Since that verse unquestionably refers back to the entire gospel of John, the parallel expression in verse 13 most likely refers back to the entire epistle. John wrote his gospel so that people might believe and be saved; he wrote his first epistle so that those who believe would know they are saved.

As has been clear throughout, the blessings of salvation and assurance are only for those who believe in the name of the Son of God (cf. the discussion of 3:23 in chapter 13 of this volume). God has guaranteed these blessings to Christians by giving them the Holy Spirit as a pledge (Eph. 1:14). John’s uncompromising presentation of the truth in absolute, unqualified terms, the relentless attacks of the false teachers, and the departure of some of the false believers (2:19) had shaken his readers. The apostle assured them that if they passed the doctrinal and practical tests, they could know for certain that they had eternal life.

In its most basic sense, eternal life is living forever with God in heaven (Matt. 25:46; Mark 10:30). But as noted in the discussion of 5:11 in the previous chapter of this volume, the term does not refer primarily to duration of life, but to quality of life. Eternal life is to know Jesus Christ (John 17:3), who Himself is eternal life (1 John 5:20), and to share in His life. It is a present possession, not merely a future hope (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:47, 54; 10:28; 1 John 3:15), though it is not fully manifested in this life. But there will come a day in the future when the eternal life believers already possess will no longer be incarcerated in their sinful, fallen flesh. On that glorious day, they will experience their “adoption as sons, the redemption of [the] body” (Rom. 8:23; cf. Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2). Then the glory of eternal life—the power of the Trinity that works within them (cf. Eph. 3:16-19)—will shine through them unclouded by their mortal bodies.

ANSWERED PRAYER

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 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. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. (5:14-17)

As noted above, the full experience of eternal life awaits Christians in heaven. But though they have not yet entered into their eternal inheritance (cf. 1 Peter 1:4), they have access to all of God’s resources through prayer. Parrēsia (confidence) literally means “freedom of speech” (cf. the discussion of 3:21 in chapter 13 of this volume). It can also be translated “boldness” (Acts 4:31), or “openness” (Acts 28:31). The phrase translated before Him has the sense of “in His presence.” Through Jesus Christ believers have “boldness and confident access” (Eph. 3:12) to God that enables them to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that [they] may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

The sure promise of God is that when believers boldly and freely come to Him with their requests, He will hear and answer. If we ask anything according to His will, John wrote, He hears us. 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. Hearing in this context refers to more than merely God’s being aware of believers’ requests; it also means that He grants the requests which we have asked from

Him. That is nothing less than a blank check to ask God for anything, but it comes with one important qualifier: the requests must be according to His will.

To pray according to God’s will assumes first of all being saved. God is not obligated to answer the prayers of unbelievers. He may choose to do so when it suits His sovereign purposes, but God does not obligate Himself to any unbeliever. John illustrated this principle when he wrote earlier in this epistle, “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” (3:21-22). The Lord Jesus Christ made a similar statement, recorded in John 15:7: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you [the definition of a genuine believer], ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (cf. v. 16). Only believers, those who obey God’s commandments, can have the certainty that He will answer their prayers.

Praying according to God’s will also means confessing sin. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 66:18, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (cf. 1 Peter 3:7).

Again, the Lord’s promise in John 14:13-14 affirms the requirement of praying according to God’s will: “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray consistent with who He is, with the goal of bringing Him glory. It is to follow the pattern of His model prayer: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10), and His example of humble submission to the Father’s will when He prayed in Gethsemane, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The goal of prayer is not to gratify our selfish desires (cf. James 4:3), but to align our wills with God’s purposes.

Praying according to God’s will not only brings glory to the Son, but also joy to believers. “Truly, truly, I say to you,” Jesus said, “if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:23-24). When obedient believers delight themselves in the Lord, He will plant the desires in their hearts for what glorifies Him (Ps. 37:4), and those desires will control their prayers. God’s answers to those prayers will glorify Him, bring believers’ wills into line with His purposes, and fill them with joy.

At first glance, verse 16 appears to introduce an abrupt change of subject. But upon further consideration, the connection of verses 16 and 17 to verses 14 and 15 becomes clear. By giving one important exception, John illustrates in a contrasting manner the extent of God’s promise to answer prayer. When a believer sees a brother (a real or professing believer) committing a sin not leading to death, the apostle writes, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. On the other hand, there is a sin leading to death, and the apostle did not advise Christians to make request for this sin.

Evidently John and his readers knew what the sin leading to death was, since no explanation is given, but its exact meaning is difficult for us to determine. Two possibilities present themselves.

First, the sin in question may be that of a non-Christian leading to eternal death. In that case it would be a final rejection of Jesus Christ, such as that committed by those who attributed His miracles to the power of Satan (Matt. 12:31-32). Such ultimate apostasy is unforgivable, as Jesus declared:

Praying for the restoration of such people to the fellowship from which they have departed (1 John 2:19) is futile, because “it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame” (Heb. 6:6). John did not forbid prayer for such people, since it is impossible to know who they are. The apostle merely stated that prayer for them will not be answered; God has already made the final decision about their future. Supporting the view that John is referring to unbelievers is the present tense of the participle hamartanonta (“sinning”; the Greek text literally reads “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin …”); John elsewhere in this epistle uses the present tense to describe the habitual sins that characterize unbelievers (e.g., 3:4, 6, 8; 5:18).

Another possibility is that John is not referring to an unbeliever, but to a believer. According to this view, the sin leading to death refers to a Christian’s sin that is so serious that God takes the life of the one committing it. He put to death Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to the Holy Spirit in front of the church (Acts 5:1-11). Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning those who were abusing the Lord’s Table, “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep [have died]” (1 Cor. 11:30). The sin is not one particular sin, but any sin that the Lord determines is serious enough to warrant such severe chastisement.

Both of the above views reflect biblical truth, and it is hard to be dogmatic as to which one John had in mind. In either case, John’s point is that prayer for those committing a sin leading to death will not result in the outcome that might otherwise be expected.

Although God mercifully does not immediately punish every sin with death, every sin is nonetheless a serious matter to Him. All unrighteousness is sin, John reminded his readers, even sin not leading to death. Every sin is a violation of His law and an affront to God, and is to be confessed (1:9; Ps. 32:5), forsaken (Prov. 28:13), and mortified (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5).

VICTORY OVER SIN

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. (5:18)

As he winds down this letter, John reiterates a vitally important principle he repeated earlier in this epistle: no one who has been transformed by the new birth goes on living in an unbroken pattern of sin.

The unconverted can do nothing but sin. They are sinners from birth (Ps. 51:5), slaves to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 6:16), defiant, rebellious haters of God (Pss. 5:10; 68:1; Rom. 1:30; 5:10; 8:7), and under the dominion of Satan (Eph. 2:2; cf. Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). In short, they are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

The one who is born of God, however, cannot live in an unbroken pattern of sin, for several reasons. First, sin is incompatible with the law of God (1 John 3:4). The redeemed love God’s law (Ps. 119:97, 113, 163, 165) and cannot habitually live in violation of it (cf. 1 John 2:3-4; 3:24; 5:3). Second, sin is incompatible with the work of Christ, who “appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5; cf. v. 8; Matt. 1:21; John 1:29). Finally, sin is incompatible with the work of the Holy Spirit, who in the new birth plants the principle of divine life in the redeemed (1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9). (For a complete discussion of believers’ incompatibility with sin, see chapter 11 of this volume.)

That they do not continually live in sin does not mean that believers can reach a point in this life where they never sin. In fact, John said that those who make such claims are liars (1:8, 10). Further, his description of Jesus as believers’ Advocate (2:1) assumes that they will continue to sin and need His intercession. The point here is the same as earlier, that a pattern of righteousness characterizes the redeemed, whereas a pattern of unrighteousness characterizes the unredeemed.

Paul reminded the Romans that since sin’s power over them has been broken, it cannot characterize their lives:

The unredeemed are “slaves to sin,” but the redeemed are “obedient from the heart” to God’s law, and thus “having been freed from sin, [they are] slaves of righteousness.” While the inevitable outcome for those who live in sin is spiritual death (Rom. 6:23), those who have “been freed from sin and enslaved to God” gain “eternal life.”

A believer can never fall back into a pattern of unbroken sin because He who was born of God keeps him. This second reference to one born of God is to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14; 3:16, 18; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; 1 John 4:9). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus protects His flock so that the evil one (Satan) does not so much as touch (lay hold of or fasten his grip on) them. They are no longer under his control, having been “rescued … from the domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13; cf. Acts 26:18; 2 Tim. 2:26; Heb. 2:14-15). Satan can tempt and harass the saints, as he did Job (Job 1-2) and Peter (Luke 22:31), but he can never reclaim them. Jesus will not fail to keep the redeemed (John 10:28; 2 Tim. 1:12; Jude 24-25), who have been given to Him by the Father (John 6:37, 39; 17:2, 6, 9, 24). Christ is the “anchor of the soul” for believers, providing them with “a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:19-20).

The Bible does speak of Christians keeping themselves. They are to keep themselves pure (1 Tim. 5:22), keep the commandments of God (1 John 3:22), keep the faith (2 Tim. 4:7), keep themselves unstained by the world (James 1:27), keep themselves from idols (1 John 5:21), keep God’s Word (1 John 2:5), and keep themselves in the love of God (Jude 21).

But John sees here God’s work of supernaturally preserving His people, which is as guaranteed as His justifying of them. The promises of God constitute the first guarantee. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” To the Thessalonians he wrote, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:23-24). Nearing the end of his life, with martyrdom looming, Paul still confidently affirmed, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:18).

Second, the power of God guarantees believers’ security; what He promised, He can deliver. In Romans 5:10, Paul points out that since God has the power to do the greater work of redemption, He is certainly powerful enough to do the lesser work of preservation: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Third, God’s eternal, unchangeable purpose to save the elect (Matt. 25:34; Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9; Rev. 13:8; 17:8) guarantees their preservation.

Fourth, the prayer of Christ, “Holy Father, keep them in Your name” (John 17:11), prompts the Father to preserve the elect.

Fifth, believers’ inseparable union with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5; cf. 1 Cor. 6:17) guarantees their preservation.

Sixth, the high price that God paid to redeem the elect—the blood of His Son (Acts 20:28; Heb. 9:12)—guarantees that He will not lose them.

In Romans 8:31-39, Paul eloquently sums up the absolute certainty that God will preserve His own:

THAT WE BELONG TO GOD

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (5:19)

Despite the existence of countless political, cultural, and social entities in the world, there are in reality only two realms. It is the comforting privilege of believers, in addition to having eternal life, answered prayer, and victory over sin, to know they belong to God. Though they exist in this world, they are not part of it (John 15:19; 17:14); they are children of God (John 1:12-13), “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11; cf. 1:1, 17; 1 Chron. 29:15; Ps. 119:19; Heb. 11:13), whose true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).

On the other hand, the whole world—its politics, economics, education, entertainment, and, above all, its religion—lies in the power of the evil one. The evil world system is hostile to God and believers (John 15:18-19), as John noted earlier in this epistle (see the discussion of 3:13 in chapter 12 of this volume). It takes its cue from its ruler, Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; cf. Eph. 2:2; 6:12), the archenemy of God and His people. Because the world is completely under Satan’s influence, believers must avoid being contaminated by it (2:15-17; cf. James 1:27).

There is no middle ground, no third option. Everyone is part of God’s kingdom, or of Satan’s. In the words of Jesus, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters” (Luke 11:23). Or as James scathingly declares, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

THAT CHRIST IS THE TRUE GOD

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. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (5:20-21)

These closing verses finally bring the epistle full circle. John began with the coming of the Word of Life (1:1-4); now he closes with the certainty that the Son of God has come. The present tense of the verb hēkō (come) indicates that Jesus has come and is still present. The Christian faith is not theoretical or abstract; it is rooted in the practical truth that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ.

Because no one can know “who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Luke 10:22), Jesus has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true. But beyond mere knowledge, Christians have a personal union with Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Peter 5:14). The Bible teaches that the only way to know the true and living God is through Jesus Christ. No one can be saved who does not believe in Christ, for there is no salvation apart from Him (cf. 2:1-2; 4:10, 14; 5:1; John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

John’s threefold use of the word alēthinos (true) in this verse stresses the importance of understanding the truth in a world filled with Satan’s lies. The last use of the term points to the most significant truth of all—that Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life. The deity of Jesus Christ is an essential element of the Christian faith, and no one who rejects it can be saved. (For a detailed biblical defense of Christ’s deity, see John 7-77, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2006], chapter 1).

John’s concluding warning, Little children, guard yourselves from idols, reflects the crucial significance of worshiping the true God exclusively. The danger of idolatry was especially serious in Ephesus (where John likely wrote this epistle), center of the worship of the goddess Artemis (Diana). A few decades earlier, the ministry of the apostle Paul had sparked a riot by her zealous worshipers (Acts 19:23-41). But the danger was not confined to Ephesus, as Paul’s warning to the Corinthians, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21), indicates. Though few in our contemporary culture worship physical idols, idolatry is widespread nonetheless. Anything that people elevate above God is an idol of the heart. Every “lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5) must be smashed, and only Christ exalted.

In a dark world filled with uncertainty, Christians have the glorious certainty based on divine revelation—”the prophetic word made more sure … a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). While the world stumbles blindly in the darkness (Jer. 13:16), God’s Word is for saints “a lamp to [their] feet and a light to [their] path” (Ps. 119:105), because “the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light” (Prov. 6:23).