The Objective Certainty of Our Salvation Text: 1 John 5:13-15
Introduction: The War on Knowledge
We live in an age that has declared war on the word "know." Our entire culture is awash in a sea of sentimental, subjective goo. Truth is no longer a rock to stand on, but a personal preference, a feeling, a warm fuzzy. "Your truth" is the mantra of the day, which is just a polite way of saying that there is no truth at all. This is the foundational lie of our secular, relativistic moment. It is the acid that dissolves all meaning, all morality, and all sanity. If you cannot know anything for certain, then you cannot know who you are, where you came from, or where you are going. You are adrift, and the high priests of our culture are quite content to have you that way. Anxious, uncertain people are much easier to manage.
Into this deliberate fog, the Apostle John shines a spotlight of glorious, objective certainty. The Christian faith is not a leap in the dark; it is a step into the light. It is not a matter of wishful thinking, but of confident knowledge. The word "know" appears dozens of times in this short letter, and it is the central theme of our passage today. John is not writing to a group of people so that they might hope they have eternal life, or feel like they have eternal life. He is writing so that they may know that they have eternal life.
This is a direct assault on two opposing errors. The first is the error of the Gnostics in John's day, who claimed a secret, mystical knowledge that was detached from the historical, flesh-and-blood reality of Jesus Christ. John counters this by grounding our knowledge in the objective, historical record of the Son of God. The second error, which is rampant in the church today, is the error of a morbid, introspective pietism that makes assurance a matter of our fluctuating feelings instead of God's unshakable promises. This leads to a constant, navel-gazing anxiety where Christians are always taking their spiritual temperature, wondering if they are "really" saved. John wants to deliver us from this bondage. He wants to give us a robust, confident, and objective certainty. This certainty is the fuel for a vibrant Christian life. It is the foundation of bold prayer and courageous obedience. If you do not know that you are saved, you will live like you are not.
The Text
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.
And 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.
(1 John 5:13-15 LSB)
The Purpose of Scripture: Objective Knowledge (v. 13)
John begins by stating the thesis of his entire letter.
"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." (1 John 5:13)
Notice where the assurance comes from. It comes from "these things I have written." It is grounded in the apostolic testimony, the Word of God. Our assurance is not based on hunting for some mystical experience within ourselves. It is based on the objective, external, written Word of God. God does not want His children to live in a state of perpetual doubt. He has given us a record, a testimony, so that we may know. This is not an arrogant presumption; it is a humble reception of what God has plainly said. To doubt your salvation when you are believing in the name of the Son of God is not humility; it is to call God a liar (1 John 5:10).
Who is this letter for? It is for "you who believe in the name of the Son of God." To believe in His name is to trust in everything He is and everything He has done. It is to trust in His person, that He is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. And it is to trust in His work, that He lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death for our sins, and rose again in victory. This belief is not a vague sentiment; it is a clinging to, a reliance upon, a total trust in the finished work of Christ alone. If you are doing that, this promise is for you.
And what is the result? "That you may know that you have eternal life." This is not a future hope, but a present possession. The verb is in the present tense. If you have the Son, you have life. Eternal life is not something that starts when you die. It starts the moment you believe. It is a quality of life, a participation in the very life of God Himself, that begins now and stretches into eternity. John wants you to be as certain of your eternal life as you are of the words you are reading on this page. The foundation is not the strength of your faith, but the strength of the Object of your faith. A man with a weak grip on a strong rope is more secure than a man with a strong grip on a weak rope.
The Fruit of Assurance: Confident Prayer (v. 14)
This objective knowledge of our salvation is not an end in itself. It produces a glorious, practical fruit: confidence before God in prayer.
"And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (1 John 5:14 LSB)
The word for "confidence" here is parrhesia, which means boldness, freedom of speech. Because we know we are His children, we can approach Him not as cowering slaves before a tyrant, but as beloved children before a loving Father. We don't have to tiptoe into His presence, wondering if He will receive us. We can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). This confidence is not rooted in our performance, but in our position in Christ.
But this confidence is not a blank check to demand whatever we want. It operates within a crucial boundary: "if we ask anything according to His will." This is not a frustrating escape clause that God uses to deny our prayers. It is a glorious invitation to align our desires with His. How do we know His will? He has revealed it to us in His Word. The more we saturate our minds with Scripture, the more our prayers will naturally begin to reflect God's priorities. We will start praying for wisdom, for holiness, for the advance of the gospel, for our leaders, for our enemies. We pray for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is what it means to pray in the Spirit.
When we pray this way, John gives us a staggering promise: "He hears us." This is not just to say that the sound waves reach His ears. It means He hears us with favor, with attention, with a Father's loving intent to answer. It is the hearing of acceptance. The prayers of a righteous man, a man made righteous in Christ, are powerful and effective (James 5:16).
The Logic of Faith: Certain Answers (v. 15)
John then takes the argument one step further, moving from the confidence that God hears us to the certainty that we have what we have asked for.
"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." (1 John 5:15 LSB)
This is a beautiful piece of sanctified logic. The reasoning is airtight. Premise one: We know He hears us when we ask according to His will (v. 14). Premise two: He is a good Father who gives good gifts, not a cosmic tease. Conclusion: Therefore, we can know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him. The answer is so certain that we can speak of it as a present possession, even before we see the physical manifestation.
This transforms prayer from a desperate lottery ticket into a confident participation in the sovereign work of God. When we align our prayers with His revealed will, we are not trying to bend His arm; we are joining Him in what He is already doing. We are exercising our delegated authority as sons and daughters of the King. This is why prayer is so central to the Christian life. It is not a passive, pious exercise. It is an active, world-shaping force. When we pray according to God's will, we are pulling the levers of history.
This does not mean we will always get what we want, when we want it, in the package we expect. God's "yes" may look different than we imagined. His timing is perfect, and His wisdom is infinite. But the promise remains firm. When our hearts are aligned with His heart through His Word, we can have an unshakable confidence that our requests are granted in the heavenly court, and their fulfillment on earth is as certain as the rising of the sun.
Conclusion: From Knowledge to Boldness
These three verses build on one another in a powerful progression. The written Word of God (v. 13) gives us objective knowledge of our eternal life. This knowledge of our secure position in Christ (v. 13) gives us bold confidence to approach God in prayer (v. 14). And this confidence that He hears us (v. 14) gives us the certain knowledge that our prayers, offered according to His will, are answered (v. 15).
Do you see the connection? A church that is uncertain about its salvation will be a church that is timid in its prayers. And a church that is timid in its prayers will be a church that is impotent in the world. The world is not changed by anxious people who hope they are saved. The world is changed by Christians who know they are saved, and who therefore approach the throne of God with the boldness of sons and daughters, asking great things of a great God, according to His great and glorious will.
So, do not look inward to your fickle emotions for assurance. Look outward to the unchanging Word of God. Believe what God has written about His Son. Believe that in Him you have eternal life. And on the basis of that solid, objective rock, go boldly to your Father in prayer. Ask for His kingdom to come. Ask for His will to be done. And know, with unshakable certainty, that He hears you, and that you have the requests you have asked of Him.