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The Letters of John

Prayer And Assurance

1 John 5:13-17, ESV
Dr. Ed Pilapil Jr.
November 23, 2025
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Sermon Notes

Introduction

The apostle highlighted the power of the testimony of the Spirit, the blood, and the water. The blood and the water may refer to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 19:34-35). Moreover, it is the Father who testifies about His Son. John emphasized that if they believed in the testimony of men, why wouldn’t they believe the testimony of God? In other words, if you truly believe in God, there is no other way but to believe in the Son of God. The author would then assure believers that they have eternal life in what they believed, namely, what they had heard from the beginning (1 Jn 2:24). One may safely assume that what they believed from the beginning is John’s testimony about Jesus, as recorded in the gospel account (The Gospel According to John).

1. Assurance

John assures genuine believers that they have eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The author mentioned the evidence in the letter, such as knowing and obeying His commandments, not hating the brothers, not loving the world, not practicing sin as a habit, and not believing in false teaching.

1 John 5:13: 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.

2. Prayer

The apostle assures the genuine believers that if they pray according to God’s will, God hears them. Moreover, God will not only hear, but He will also grant the requests. Therefore, believers must pray according to His will, which is revealed in His word.

1 John 5:14-15: And this is the confidence that we have toward 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 that we have asked of him.

John 15:7: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

3. Prayer for Others

It is God’s will for believers to pray for those sinning, not leading to death. The promise is that God will give such a person life. However, John also mentioned that there is sin leading to death. This would probably be apostasy based on the context of the letter, referring to those who believed in false teachings about Christ.

1 John 5:16-17: 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. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

Application

  1. Let us believe in the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. By believing we have eternal life in Him. The assurance comes from His word and the Holy Spirit. It does not come from good works nor from the assurance of people.
  2. We must pray according to His will and believe that He will grant it. Such is made possible if we know His word and pray according to His word. Believers may pray according to His word if they remain in His word.
  3. Our prayers must be focused on brothers and sisters who need restoration. Through prayer, they can be brought to a life of faith and obedience within His community. This may be considered an application of loving one another.

Study Guide

  1. What are "these things" that John says he has written, and how do they help believers know they have eternal life?
  2. What does it mean to pray according to God’s will, and how does that shape our confidence that He hears and answers our prayers?
  3. What is the difference between sin that leads to death and sin that does not, and how should this shape the way we pray for others who are caught in sin?