‘You may know that you have eternal life.” (7) (1 John 5:13-21)

 ‘You may know that you have eternal life.” (7)

[1 John 5:13-21]

        The Apostle John clearly shows an illustration of praying according to the will of God in 1 John 5:16-17: “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” In this example, the Apostle John exhorts that if anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray to God (‘ask God for forgiveness’). Here, what is the sin that does not lead to death? (vv. 16, 17) I believe that one of the sins that does not lead to death is the sin of not loving one's brother. My thought is based on 1 John 3:14 – “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” In other words, one of the sins that does not lead to death is to ‘hate his brother.’ Look at 1 John 3:15 – “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” When we see a brother who continues to commit this sin of hating his brother, the Bible tells us to ask God for forgiveness (5:16). Then God will give him life to him whose sis does not lead to death (v. 16). This is prayer that we should ask God according to His will and that we could have assurance that God hears our prayer (v. 14). This is because Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34). In Acts chapter 7, when those who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears (v. 51) stoned Stephen, Stephen fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” “When he had said this, he fell asleep” (v. 60).

        But in today's text, 1 John 5:16, the Apostle John says, "There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.” What does that mean? What is the sin that leads to death that the Apostle John said not to pray about? I think that the sin that leads to death refers to denying that Jesus is the Christ and denying the Father and the Son (2:22), which is lie (v. 21) by the liar (v. 22), the antichrist and many antichrists (v. 18) and those who are trying to lead us astray (v. 26). Perhaps among the recipients of this letter of 1 John from the Apostle John, there were those in the community who, deceived by the lies of the false teachers, deny that Jesus is the Christ and deny God the Father and the Son of God Jesus Christ (KJV Bible Commentary). These people ‘went out from us, but they did not really belong to us” (v. 19) and I think they refer to unbelievers who were influenced by the antichrists who followed the antichrist in this last hour (v. 18). Because they reject the truth of God, death in unbelief eventually leads to sin that leads to death, I think the Apostle John said, I am not saying that he should pray about that” (5:16).

        Among the five assurances I learned during my disciple training in college, I still remember the Bible verse for assurance of answering prayer. That Bible verse is John 16:24 – “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” After learning this word, I remember that I was in charge of the early Morning Prayer meeting at the Christian club I served as a staff. We had a prayer meeting in a rented classroom at 7 am. At that time, I was probably in my 4th or 5th year of university, and the juniors who attended were first and second year members. Then, after graduating from college, I went to seminary. But for the first two years, I did not attend the early Morning Prayer meeting held by the Korean student club. My excuse was that I was too busy studying. Then, as I became the president of the Korean student club in my 3rd year, I started to attend the early Morning Prayer meeting to set an example. I think I finished the seminary to the end thanks to the grace God gave through the early Morning Prayer meeting. Then, after graduating from that seminary, when I moved to my church in the Beverly building, I slept in the room on the second floor and did not attend the Morning Prayer meeting led by the senior pastor in the main sanctuary on the third floor, even though I was an evangelist. So my prayer life was a mess. I had no sincerity and reluctantly participated in the early Morning Prayer meeting, but God gave me grace. Then, about 18 years ago, the Lord gave me the word of promise, Matthew 16:18, and made me come back to the Victory Presbyterian Church in the United States from Korea. And as the senior pastor, I was able to enjoy a lot of God's grace while leading the Morning Prayer meeting. In the meantime, I think the indwelling Holy Spirit provided me with no choice but to hold on to the Lord's promises while I have been pastoring. The reason is that, while gradually realizing and acknowledging that I cannot build the Victory Presbyterian Church, the Lord has been giving me assurance that only the Lord can build His church according to His promise of Matthew 16:18. In the meantime, the Holy Spirit started to make me realize a little bit that the basis for the assurance of answering prayers is not in myself, but in the fact that the Son Jesus Christ is interceding for me at the right hand of God (Rom. 8:34), and that the Holy Spirit himself interceding for me with groans that words cannot express accordance with God’s will (vv. 26-27). My responsibility is to pray, with faith in these words of Romans 8:26-27, 34, according to the will of God according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In particular, I should pray like Jesus on the Mount of Olives, saying, ‘Do not let my will be done, but Your will be done’ (Lk. 22:42). Then, I can have confidence that if I ask anything according to God’s will, He hears my prayer (1 Jn. 5:14).