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.

                                                                                                                   1 John 5:13-15 

As we draw to a close, we discover the purpose behind John’s letter…that we may know. I see two magnificent promises made here for everyone who believes. First, as Christians, we are to know that we have eternal life. This is not that we will someday have this life or that we certainly hope that we do (although we cannot be entirely sure). No, these things John has written so that we will know (be certain of the fact) that we have eternal life. Jesus defines eternal life like this:

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

                                                                                                            John 17:3 

Personal knowledge of God and Jesus are the hallmarks of the Christian life. We are not just a religious people with our ceremonies and rituals. We are a spiritual people who possess the very Spirit of God within us. The power that comes from knowing God and being reconciled to Him gives us the ability to face this ever-changing world with confidence and victory. There is tremendous strength in knowing that we are saved and that God approves of us (on the basis of faith). The same cannot be said for those who doubt or are fearful of what eternity might bring. John writes to us so that we may know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we already have eternal life.

Secondly, there is a powerful promise that believers can be confident in their asking God for things in prayer. When we pray according to His will, we know that God hears us and that He will provide everything that we need in this life and the next. Consider Jesus’ explanation of God the Father as the Supreme Giver:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! 

                                                                                                            Matthew 7:7-8,11 

These “good” things are things that are joyful, pleasant, and useful. The good things that come from God are favorable to and promote health. This is because is good and the things He offers are always in our best interest. But as we ask, we must believe in our asking. Consider Jesus’ words on prayer:

Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.                                                                                                           

                                                                                                            Mark 11:22b-24 

We see similar wording from James regarding asking:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

                                                                                                                 James 1:5-8 

As believers, we know that we have eternal life. We also trust that God knows exactly what we need, even before we ask. We trust in His wisdom, protection, and provision. We know that we can converse with Him about anything…even our failure. God has given us His own Son in order to redeem back everything that was lost in the garden. Jesus has fulfilled the Law and its demands so that we don’t have to. Our salvation, acceptance, righteousness, reconciliation with God, and blessings all come as a result of placing our faith in Jesus.

Do you know the Savior? Are you living in the power that comes from knowing that you already have eternal life? Are you experiencing the fellowship and provision that comes from trusting God in prayer? As Christians, we are to be a confident people. We are to live everyday in the victory that has already been won on the cross. Let’s move from John’s letter with a renewed sense of knowing that we are loved, accepted, and blessed by God!