First John 5:15

Before we read First John 5:15 we want to make note of a word that is used in verse 15 and is also used in several other verses in chapter five. The word is “know.” The word is used twenty-six times in the book of First John, and eight times here in chapter five. It will make a great study to look at each time the word “know” is used in the book of First John. There is no doubt a reason that the Holy Spirit had the Apostle John use this word so many times. The reason is the false teachers. The false teachers claim to “know” certain things, and they claim that you need to learn what they “know.” But John is countering all of that by emphasizing the things that we “know” already who are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Beware of false teachers, and find out the things that God wants you to know.

The Bible says in First John 5:15, “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” We know that Jesus hears us. Of course, we do. He heard us on the day of our salvation when we fell at His feet for mercy. We have experienced Jesus hearing us and listening to us, so we know that our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. Because we know that He hears us, we know another thing: “we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” Another way of saying this is: “we know that we have the requests that we asked of Him.” I think John is saying that his confidence in the Lord was such that as soon as he prayed about something, John knew that the request was already answered, and that John already possessed what he asked Jesus for. Jesus Himself taught something similar. Jesus said, “Your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.”

This is what we know out of First John 5:15. We know that God hears us when we speak to Him, and we know that once we have spoken to Him about something that He is going to take care of it. Those are wonderful things to know. Not many people in this world know just those two things. Too bad. That means that instead of turning to God, they will turn elsewhere, and the result will not be good. It is always best for God’s creatures to turn to God who made them. It is always best for God’s children to turn to Christ who saved them.

First John 5:16 is an interesting verse because it combines several of the things that John has been writing about in this epistle. The subjects of sin, brotherly love, and prayer are all combined in this verse. It says, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them which sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” In the previous two verses we were on the subject of prayer, and now we are on the subject of what are we going to pray about. We are going to pray for other believers because we love them. We love them because we are true believers in Christ, and we remember what the Bible says such as in First John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.”

Certainly when we see one of the brethren sin, we will pray for them. One response would be to condemn them when they sin, but we will not do that because Jesus said, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” Why is there so much condemning of other Christians and so little praying for them when we know they have failed? Maybe there is not enough Christian love, maybe there is not enough true belief in Jesus Christ, and maybe there is not enough knowledge of Bible verses such as First John 5:16.

If God is going to give us the things that we ask for, there may be nothing more important than praying for other Christians, especially for one who has sinned. God wants Christians to learn to constantly confess their sins so they can walk in fellowship with Jesus Christ. That is what life is all about: knowing Christ as Savior and then walking in fellowship with Him every day. Remember that John started this epistle with that theme. I am so thankful that very early in my Christian life (at the Christian Servicemen’s Center in Pensacola, Florida in 1969) someone showed me First John 1:9 and encouraged me to memorize it. It may have been Rosanne Petersmeyer or it may have been Bob Walden or it may have been Dave Ward, but whoever it was, I thank them and I thank the Lord for taking me their way. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

But some Christians have not learned to apply that verse in an honest and true way each day, or many times each day, whatever is needed. Such Christians can fall into sin and a tangled web of sin seeming to be trapped by the very cords of their sins. What a sad thing to see. It happens. It even happened in the first century during the days of the Apostles. What can be done for such individuals who have gone so far off from the way of righteousness and the way of faith in Christ? Prayer is the answer. God answers prayer. We can take to the Lord the names of our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ who have fallen into error and pray for them.

These prayers may be just the thing that brings them back. They need to come back to the Lord. The Lord answers prayer. Notice that there is one condition for these types of prayers for believers who have fallen. Not every prayer gets a “yes” answer from God. Are there some believers who have gone too far, and the prayers will not bring them back? That is exactly what this verse indicates. It says, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death.” The implication is that some sins are “unto death.” In other words some sins result in death. Some Christians go too far in their self-will and disobedience, and God decides to take them off the earth.

Some Christians cross a spiritual line for which they will pay with their life. We are talking now about the consequences of sin. Any sin can have terrible consequences, and the ultimate consequence is death. “The wages of sin is death.” Paul wrote that some Christians had died because they did not have the proper honor and respect for the death of Christ when they should have been remembering His death for them. Paul wrote in First Corinthians 11:29-30, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” In this context “sleep” speaks of death. When I have prayed for a believer who has fallen into sin and do not see accomplished what I prayed for, one reason is that this believer may have crossed the line, and God has decided to take them on a path that will result in them leaving this earth before their time.

Normally it is a good thing for a believer to leave this earth because then he gets to go to heaven because of Christ. Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But you do not want to leave this earth until you have accomplished the work that God would give you to do for His glory. What a shame and what a loss to leave this earth without having done that work. It will be a difficult day when Christians are judged. Many will lose rewards that they could have gained from the hand of the Savior. How ashamed we will be when we look into His eyes and know that we failed Him. The Bible speaks of that day in First Corinthians 3:14-15. It says, “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” It will be a fiery trial to stand before Christ and give an account of our Christian lives. We will be saved because of the blood of Christ, but we will not be allowed into heaven without going through the trial of our works.

The Bible says in First John 5:17, “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” Christians should fear sin. There can be terrible consequences to any sin. Just one lie or one piece of gossip can ruin someone’s reputation and change everything in regards to the direction that they go in life. There is going to be a lot to answer for. How much we have distorted the word and made it much less than it would have been just by our own sins and the consequences of them. “All unrighteousness is sin.” Notice that John writes, “there is a sin not unto death.” It is as though he is saying that most sins are unto death. There is a sin not unto death, but most sins are so bad that they will lead to death.

But let us not lose faith because of our sins. We do have a Savior who has saved us from our sins and who has saved us from the evil devices of the tempter. First John 5:18 says, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” Imputed righteousness is a wonderful thing. Yes, I am a sinner. But because I came to Jesus, God has credited to my account the righteousness of Christ. Even though I do not deserve it, my judicial standing before God is that of a righteous person. From that standpoint I “know” that I am not sinning. How do you come into such a great standing before God? You become “born of God.” That is why Jesus said, “You must be born again.” When you are born again, you are given a spiritual birth by faith in Christ. This spiritual birth is the start of a spiritual life: a life that is eternal.

God wants to save every person, but only those who choose to surrender to Christ are born again. By making such a choice these individuals have decided that the eternal destiny of their own soul is more important than anything else. They have made a wise choice, and whoever has made that choice “keepeth himself.” It is a good thing to be born again. Once you are born again you are no longer regarded as a sinner, you are kept, and “that wicked one” cannot touch you.

The wicked one is the devil. He is the liar who holds men in darkness by his lies. Since his victory over the human race in the Garden of Eden, the wicked one has been very effective. He has conquered the whole world. First John 5:19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” They lie in wickedness because the wicked one has deceived them and kept them from being born again.

On the one hand there is the wicked one and the whole world lieth in wickedness. But on the other hand there is Christ who can save anyone in the world who turns to Him. First John 5:20 says, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” Because Jesus came, the power of the devil is brought to nothing. Yes, there is still sin and sorrow and death, but we have the resurrection of the dead through Christ and eternal life. Because of Jesus, even death shall die. Thank you, O God our Father, for sending your Son.

The Apostle John ended this book the way that he started it: speaking of Jesus. That is the way it should be. In First John 1:1 the Apostle John wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.” Here in First John 5:20 he writes, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding.” What can God give you that is of great value? Understanding: if you have understanding of that which is true, then you have been blessed indeed. Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” The poor man could be a leader of men and rise through the ranks of the Roman Empire, but he could not understand truth. “We know him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.”

Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus is the one true God. That is what the Apostle John said, and John was writing the words given to him by the Holy Spirit. John wrote by the Holy Spirit, “This is the true God.” Who is the God? Jesus is. Whenever you have a pronoun in a sentence like the word “This,” you go back to the previous noun to find out exactly to whom the pronoun was referring. The last words of the previous sentence are: “Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ is the true God. That is what the Bible says.

The apostle John speaks of the one, true God whose name is Jesus Christ. And then the Apostle concludes his epistle by speaking of the first of the Ten Commandments. The first commandment that was given by God to Moses is found in Exodus 20:3. It says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” John wrote in First John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” An idol is anything that takes away from Jesus Christ being first in my life. Idols can easily come into our lives because of all the entertainments and distractions in the world. Idols can easily come into our lives because of our own selfish natures. It will take an effort on our part to keep away from idols and to keep Jesus Christ, the one true God, first in our hearts. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

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