Jesus stated that they were of their father the devil. Jesus was not being mean. He was not being rude. He was not trying to offend anyone. He was helping them to see who they really were. Unless a lost person knows who he really is, he will not be interested in changing.
We have already noted throughout this epistle, that there are very clear instructions given regarding what true salvation is and what it causes in the person who is saved. There is no need for the great confusion that the devil has caused and that people have been willing to adopt.
As we note in verse 13 of our text, those who know they have eternal life, they will believe on the name of the Son of God. God’s gift of eternal life opens the understanding of the person. The lost person must understand that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who alone can save the repentant sinner through His shed blood. However, if Jesus Christ were dead in a tomb somewhere right now, His blood could not save us. His blood is essential to salvation and so is His eternal life. He is in Heaven right now. He is alive and seated on the right hand of His Father.
Verse 14 tells us that we can have confidence in our salvation and in our faith if we believe that which John wrote under the inspiration of God. Notice that if we believe what John wrote, we can come to God in prayer and we can ask anything according to God’s will. We can know that He will hear us. This is critical. God hears the prayer of His child.
Every born again Christian needs to understand that we are dependent upon God for all things. We have come away from this for a number of years. Most North Americans have become so prosperous that they have forgotten that they need God in all things. We are beginning to see just how true this is. The inflation rate is out of control and interest rates are going up and the freedoms we once took for granted are being removed.
Those who are saved are going to need to become much more Biblical in our thinking. We have access to the God of Creation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 15 we are reminded “if we know that he hear us”. There is the key again. Do you believe that God hears the true child of God? Are you a true child of God? Notice that John wrote that “whatsoever we ask”. Those who are truly saved need to know what God’s will is. It is important to be in a good church where you can be taught the truth. That is what Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:20 and elsewhere. Saints need to be taught the truth. There is a constant need for teaching. As we are taught the truth, we will know how to pray for the right things.
Paul prayed three times to have a thorn removed, and God said no. Paul came to understand that God had a purpose for that thorn in his flesh. When he understood that, he rejoiced in God’s providence in his life. He did not grumble and complain. He did not try to find some other way to deal with it. He accepted God’s authority and God’s will and he was an effective servant of God because he trusted in God.
Notice further in verse 15 that when our faith is in the right place, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. We have them. We do not need to wait and plead for them. We ask in faith and we have them. This is not the “name it and claim it” garbage. This is again praying according to God’s will. God’s will is for us to know His peace and to serve Him with humility and with boldness. We can do this if we are saved and walking obediently with God. There are many things that we may not have if we are saved. We may even go hungry at times. However, the spiritual needs that we have will be met by faith in the true God and in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to know that. God wrote this so that His children would be encouraged in Him.
Pastor Bartel