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. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 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 (1 John 5:13-15).
John has taught his readers about many things, like sin and righteousness and light and darkness and truth and lies, the dangers of loving the world and the threat of antichrists. He has also assured them of the the joy they can have as believers, the assurance that Christ is their advocate, and that they are God’s children. He has called them to love one another, following Christ’s example. He warned them that they must discern between good and evil spirits. And he has encouraged them that Christ has overcome the world, its threats and temptations.
John offers powerful encouragements and dire warnings. But as he begins to conclude his letter, he wants to make clear to his readers why he has written them. The promises and the dangers are real, but he also wants to give a big picture perspective. So he says directly that he is writing to Christians, so that they may know that they have eternal life (v. 13).
John similarly who wrote at the end of his gospel that he has
. . . written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31).
So, whether John is writing a gospel telling the good news of who Jesus is, hoping his readers might believe and come to have life, or if he is writing to those who are already believers, his emphasis is on eternal life.
Here, though, eternal life is just possibility, but they may know that it is theirs. John is offering his readers a great encouragement: this life is not all there is, and their place is assured in the world to come. They have eternal life, and they can know that.
The assurance of eternal life actually gives power to all of John’s exhortations to love, to obey and to discern. If our place is assured, we do not work frantically, hoping our efforts are sufficient. We serve joyfully, gratefully, knowing that our place is assured by Christ’s accomplished work.
Knowing we have eternal life also encourages us in the here and now. God is not just our Father in name or title. He fully intends to take us home to be with Him. Ours is an intimate relationship, which has implications now, too. As John says, “this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” Our Heavenly Father is a God who hears and cares about our concerns. And He not only hears, but responds. “If we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him (v. 15).” If we have asked “according to His will,” it must come to pass. God’s will cannot be resisted; it couldn’t turn out any other way. So assurance of eternal life in Christ Jesus gives us the encouragement of a God who hears us today and hope for all eternity!