A reflection on 1 John 5:13-21.
In this final section, John sums up what he has been trying to do. He talks about a transition from those who believe to those who know. There are many people who believe things, religious and non-religious. Belief is a good place to start, but knowledge should be our goal. John was one who knew and he expected that his audience (including us) could know about eternal life as well.
In this letter, as well as in his Gospel, John means more than just the afterlife when he speaks of eternal life. Eternal life does not just refer to quantity of life , it is also the quality of life. John has been describing through out this letter what the Christian life should look like. This is eternal life.
A part of eternal life is having confidence in prayer. It is here that many people stumble. We are not told that we will get everything that we ask, rather we will get what we ask according to God’s will. Sometimes what we ask, even if it is from godly motives, is not the right thing for us. There may be something better in the big picture.
John finishes up some of the themes that he has mentioned earlier. Those born of God does not keep sinning. That is not to say that we do not stumble. John is talking about a deliberate decision to continue on the path of sin.
One of the interesting parts of his conclusion is John’s emphasis on truth. The faith that saves is not the one that feels good but rather the one that is true. As already explained in his Gospel, Jesus is the truth. When we embrace truth, we embrace Jesus.
- 1 John
- John
