The Certainty of Eternal Life | 1 John 5:13-21 | Walking in the Light
This week closes out the "Walking in the Light" series with 1 John 5:13-21, the final paragraph of John's letter. After chapters of tests and warnings, John shifts to plain declaration. Three times he says "we know," building a case for the kind of certainty that doesn't waver: certainty of eternal life for those who believe, certainty that God hears our prayers, and certainty that we belong to Him and are kept by Him. The letter ends with a short, pointed command: guard yourselves from anything that would take God's place. Confidence in Christ was never meant to make us passive. It's meant to make us watchful, worshiping the true God with everything we have.
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Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon from First Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Each week we dig into God's Word, trusting that the Holy Spirit will continue the good work of sanctification in us. When you're in the hospital after having a child, they take steps to make sure the baby that you deliver is the same one you take home. They don't just hand your child off to the nursery and operate from memory. When it's time to bring the baby back to your room, they don't play ee-dee-mi-dee-mo or something like that. When the baby is born, well, first, when the parents check in, they get a wristband, and then when the baby is born, that baby gets a matching band, usually around the ankle or maybe the wrist. So you can be certain that the child you feed, the child that you bond with and carry out the door is yours. And this isn't taken lightly. Identification gets checked and rechecked, and it's not just about avoiding a lawsuit for the hospital or something like this, or avoiding making people angry. Parents want their children. Somewhere back in that couple's story, it's likely that part of their choosing each other to marry was considering whether or not they'd be a good parent. Then they got married. They planned a family. The moment that mother knew she was pregnant, she started to bond with the child in her womb. And as that father cared for his wife through the pregnancy, he knew he wasn't just caring for his wife anymore. He was caring for his child too. Nobody builds all of that, and then shows up at the hospital ready to just grab a baby at random from the nursery when they go home.
And that idea is present for us as we close up John's first letter this morning. He's talking about confidence and assurance and knowing. He's not writing to people and telling them to just cling to whatever assurance they think is best. He's deliberate about the confidence that they should hold on to. He's writing to people who want to know without a doubt whose child they are. And so as we start out this morning, we're in verse 13. And as we've made our way through 1 John, We've seen tests. We've seen warnings. We've seen comfort. We've also seen persistent admonitions to love one another. And as we come to our passage for today, we see why John has taken the time to write this letter.
He wants us to be certain. We don't finish this first epistle of John and wonder what it's all about or why it was written. John tells us clearly what his purpose is, and it's that we might believe in the name of the Son of God and that we would know we have eternal life. Now, in this passage, we are going to look at three things that John gives us certainty about, and the first one that we're going to look at is certainty about our standing before God.
Now, if you've been with us the last few weeks, you've probably heard this first verse that we have up here today, and you were reminded of something I've been emphasizing as we've been in 1 John. The phrase, Son of God, is more than a title. It's more than, say, the male child of the ultimate deity. Son of God is a Messianic term. And it emphasizes for us that John wants us to know that Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant promises of God. Jesus is the One who was promised all the way back in the garden. He is the Messiah. He has been followed. His ancestry has been followed all the way through the Old Testament, and He is the fulfillment of the promises of God. And like I said, John is writing that his readers might have assurance. But the message in this letter is not just a blanket statement that's saying because Jesus fulfilled God's promises, everyone can be confident that they have life in His name. No, he is clear that the assurance he's talking about is for those who believe.
Those who trust in, cling to, and rely on Christ to save them, and they do so by faith. Those people are the ones who may know that they have eternal life. Eternal life. In a world of distractions, I think we have to some degree lost sight of what a beautiful truth that is.
We have so many options in front of us to distract us from our mortality. We tend to think that having confidence in eternal life is something that we'll need later. I would even suggest that to some degree, we may be even a little indifferent about our need for eternal life altogether. Because we live in an era where medical advances have given us a false sense of security. Yeah, I understand it's preposterous. But I think a little part of us thinks that by the time we get old enough to die, they'll figure out how to avoid death. Well, maybe not avoid death altogether, but they'll at least be able to get me ten more years. You don't have to dig too deep around the internet to find supposed experts on longevity that insists that, well, I might not live forever, but I'll live to be 150, 160. Death is a long way off for me. I may not live forever, but I'll live longer than you. Because we're so distracted from our mortality, I think in some ways, when we come face to face with it, it's a blessing.
It's a blessing when we're forced to deal with the fact of the curse. In recent days, some high-profile celebrities have died. Most of you probably think I'm meaning Dolly Parton, very true. But for me, I was hit harder by the death of the guy who voiced Optimus Prime. Anyway, I show my age there. But high-profile deaths, you think about that, and you would think that the famous and the wealthy would have the means to extend their life to unheard of ages. They're famous. They have access to the best doctors. They have wealth. They can pay for it. But then you hear that they died. You see the year of their birth on the TV screen, and suddenly, your math kicks in. They were born in 19-something and died in 2026. You figure out how old they were. But if you're like me, the math doesn't stop with that. You then compare it to your age, and it reminds you that you're mortal. You're not that far from how old this person was when they died. And if the rich and famous breathe their last, I most certainly will too. And it hits even harder When it's someone you know personally, someone you love, a grandparent who spoiled you rotten, or a parent who is there for you at every crucial point in your life, and then it hits hardest when something tragic happens, and the math that you do about age shows them to be far younger than you. And you're reminded that life is fragile.
And this is why. John put pen to parchment to write all the stuff that he has put in this letter. In the first century, they didn't have as many distractions from their mortality as we do, but they had them. But they did have far more regular reminders of the reality of death than we do. And John doesn't tell these people Be a nicer person to earn points with God. He doesn't tell them to find some sort of secret wisdom to shed the physical and become pure spirit. He tells them to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Messiah. The Son of God. And have faith in what He has done for them. Believe in the name of the Son of God, He says.
And when you do, that is how you have assurance of eternal life. And so we know that this faith gives us assurance of eternal life. Just like the wristband at the hospital nursery gives you assurance that the child that you're taking home is your flesh and blood. But that wristband does more than just assure you that you have the right kid. When you're wearing that wristband, it also gives you access. It's what lets that hospital staff in the nursery let you in and hand you your child without hesitation. Right now, you and I can't walk to the nearest hospital maternity ward and just walk in and hold a baby in the nursery because they're warm and cuddly. They won't let us do that. We'd be stopped at the door. We'd be quickly ushered out of the building. And if we tried to force our way in, the authorities would be notified. That wristband gives you access.
And that idea is similar to the shift that John makes moving to verse 14 here. Once you know whose you are, and you have assurance of that truth, it fundamentally changes how you approach God. Look at what he tells us in verses 14 and 15 here. Our relationship to Jesus does more than get us into heaven, it gives us access to God. We started out with the certainty of our standing before God, but that isn't the only thing we have certainty of. We don't just dwell on the idea that we can go to heaven when we die and that's it. Because Jesus is our Savior and our Mediator, we are able to go right into the throne room of God. The word confidence used here, by John, has been used before in his letter. It's the same word he uses to describe how we know that we will stand before the Lord Jesus that is coming. So, what he's talking about here isn't like a nervous hope that maybe we can approach God in prayer. The image instead is a child who knows their Father. And knows that their Father wants what's best for His children and He loves us.
And notice here that John isn't telling us that we have some sort of a blank check as we approach the Father. And bring Him our requests. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. God provides all things. But He just doesn't give us what our selfish hearts desire. He gives according to His will. And you understand this. Your child comes to you and sees that you have more than enough money in your bank account to buy them the flashy, must-have item of the moment. Just because they ask and you have the money, doesn't mean you're going to give it to them. A parent knows that the fancy thing to have isn't going to last. Or they know their child, and know they'll ruin it immediately. If we as human parents, with limited understanding, are deliberate in how we bless children when they ask for something, how much more does an almighty, all-knowing, sovereign God properly discern what we need?
John repeats this idea in verse 15, like he has repeated so many ideas in his letter. He uses repetition quite often to emphasize stuff for us, and here he emphasizes that because he hears us, we have certainty that he gives us what we ask according to his will. God loves us. And He cares for us. And He provides according to His will. Not according to our impulses or our selfish desires. According to His will. And as this idea of certainty continues, we get into some heavy ideas here as verses 16 and 17 show up for us.
This is not just a heavy and tough passage for us. People have struggled with the meaning of these words throughout the ages. What is the sin that leads to death? Some have suggested that maybe John is alluding to the unforgivable sin mentioned by Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But I want us, as we look at what this means, I want us to consider the context of John's letter here. And we need to consider what he has been concerned about over and over throughout the letter. people leaving the faith, and following the teaching of those who are anti-Christ. John says all wrongdoing is sin, but John is emphasizing that some sin leads to death, and he also talks about sin that does not lead to death.
A brother or sister who is in sin can receive the forgiveness of sin because they trust in Jesus as the Messiah. The One who came to turn aside the wrath of God. The One who is an atoning sacrifice for us. But if we reject the message of the Gospel, we are rejecting the one hope of salvation that we have. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. If we reject Him, Our sin is not forgiven. Our rejection of Christ is the ultimate sin.
And I believe this is the best way to understand these two verses here, because clearly John isn't ultimately telling us that God has two sin lists, and you better make sure that you only check boxes on the forgivable sin list and not the unforgivable sin list. Or you're in big trouble here. That clearly isn't the vibe of the book of 1 John. John has been clear that the grace of God abounds to sinners. And when we receive that grace, we're forgiven. But if we commit the sin of rejecting the One who can save us from our sin, then it's easy to see that we have a problem. And before we move on, I want to emphasize how we faithfully live as those who have confidence that we can go to the throne of grace. How do we do this?
What John says in verses 15. About having confidence towards Him and asking. How do we do this? Pray. And pray hard. Pray boldly. Pray that God would conform your will to His. Pray that you would remain faithful to the call of the Gospel. Pray that your sisters and brothers in Christ would do the same. And as I said, pray boldly and believe that God will answer. Because through the Word, and through prayer, and through the work of the Holy Spirit in you, He is conforming you to be content with His will. And not to desire what you selfishly want. He is doing that work in you. So pray boldly. This is what confident access to the Father actually looks like in your week. Not a formality that you might check off, but a habit of bringing everything before God.
Bringing it straight to the One who hears you, and believing that because He has saved you, He does hear you and He is working in you. And as we transition to our final point and to the end of John's letter, I'm going to go back again to the maternity ward wristband. That piece of plastic does an important job for a few days, but nobody wears it home. But the reason it existed in the first place doesn't stop mattering once you rip it off in the car. Somebody confirmed whose child that was. And now that confirming is done. But that's when the protection starts. The hospital isn't caring for your child anymore. You are. That's your job as parent going forward.
And there's a shift here in what John says as the letter closes out that is similar here. Our passage today has been about confidence. It's been about certainty. It confirms that you have eternal life. And that you can go to the Father in prayer. And He will hear you.
And as we close up, He is letting us know what that certainty does for us and in us. It's not just facts we hold on to until we need them. It helps us to live a life that is kept by God, and it moves to holiness. Throughout the letter, John has been saying that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning.
He says this at least twice in this letter. And that's a hard statement to hear. Is John suggesting that because you were unreasonably mad at your child this morning when they weren't ready for church when they were supposed to be, that you might not be born of God? Even though it might sound like that as we look at it on its face, it goes against the heartbeat of this letter, right? John knows that the only perfect one is the one who turned aside the wrath of God for your sins. Like I said, we've seen John say something similar to this back in chapter 3. And the idea here isn't that you sinned, and so you must not be born of God. His point is that if you are born of God, you are going to acknowledge that your sin is sin.
You won't just ignore it and think it's acceptable to live like you are without moving toward repentance. in this instance of talking about impenitent sin, he does an interesting turn with the words here. It's interesting when you slow down and you look at it. Those who have been brought to faith in Christ are born of God. So, anyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning. And then he says that the one who was born of God protects him and the evil one does not touch him. So, you and I have been born of God, and then He talks about Christ. He is the one who is born of God. And He protects Him, and the evil one does not touch Him. Notice that turn here. Those who have been brought to faith in Christ are protected by Jesus. The one who was born of God. The one who saved us from our sin. The one who loves us and cares for us. And the evil one does not touch Him. Those who have faith and trust in the Lord Jesus are protected by the One who saved us.
And so John gives us another statement to create confidence in us. He says that we know we are from God. Well, how do we know this? How do we know we are from God? Well, we've been given the gift of faith. We trust in Christ. And because of this, He protects us. The world lies in the power of the evil one. But the evil one can't touch Christ. And we have been united to Christ by faith. We have protection in Jesus. And he continues to spell this out for us as the book concludes.
We know that God has given us understanding to know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. We know Him. We are in Him through our being united to Him by faith. He is the true God, and He is eternal life. This is our eternal protection, and we are to have confidence in it, because the One who made all things by His power is also the One who sent His Son to rescue us from sin, death, hell, and the devil. He is the one from the beginning who has kept His promises in the person and work of Jesus. So He is telling us to trust these truths. And then verse 21 seems like a rather abrupt ending.
Little children, keep yourself from idols. That's kind of an abrupt ending. Is there another verse? Did something get cut off in the process of copying the New Testament?
But actually, it makes total sense. This whole letter, he's been telling us about walking in the light. He has been insisting that this comes through faith and trust in the One sent by God who is revealed in human flesh. The One that he saw and heard and touched. And this One that he saw, heard, and touched actually accomplished victory for us. So to believe the false teachers, who are insisting on spiritually ascending away from the physical, is to follow after a false God. Because that's not who God is. To put your trust in anything other than God, who is the true God and eternal life, is embracing a lie that has no hope.
So his final plea here, is that in light of everything that he has testified to, Believe in the one true God who has revealed Himself in Jesus, because if you don't, you are chasing after an idol. You are chasing after a false god. And notice that John doesn't close up with more doctrine, but a command that aligns with what he's been teaching in the whole book. Look at verse 21 again.
Little children. Remember that phrase. It isn't meant to just call you a child. He uses that phrase as a term of endearment and love for you.
Little children, keep yourself from idols. So one more time, let's go back to that hospital wristband illustration that I started with. You take them off. Dad's goes in the trash in the garage as he's walking into the house. Mom's ends up in her Bible as a bookmark. The baby's goes in a bin that hopefully eventually will end up in a baby book. But nobody checks it again. The ruling elders aren't going to ask to see it before we baptize your baby. The school doesn't check them. The pastor at your daughter's wedding doesn't check them before he lets the father present his daughter to be married.
You know who your child is. And you protect them. And you nurture them. You watch after them. You teach them the gospel. You teach them God's Word. You do everything you can for them, because you know who they are. They are your child. John hasn't spent five chapters building up our faith and confidence so that we would sit back and do nothing about it. He's making you confident about the truth of who Jesus is so you'll fight for it.
So you'll be careful that you worship the God who saved you alone. He has told you all this stuff so that you would guard your heart against anything that would turn your affection from the One who has saved you. The confidence and confirmation we have of our faith isn't the end goal. It's what pushes us to live walking in the light.
That was the message when we started out at the beginning of the summer. In the first chapter of this letter, John told us that fellowship with God means walking in the light as He is in the light. And what we've seen since then has been John showing us what this looks like in the Christian life. We are to love one another. We are to be obedient to the commands of God. We are to hold to the truth and not believe the lie. This is what we do when we walk in the light. And now in this last passage, he makes sure we understand that all this leads to worshiping the one true God.
The book of 1 John is extremely practical. John has shown us that we know, we know, we are confident that we have eternal life. We know God hears us when we pray. We know we're protected because we belong to Him. We know He is the true God and eternal life. That's not a maybe that you take on into the world. It's confirmed. And because you know it's true, the call in our lives is to keep ourselves. Worship God. Walk in the light. Amen. Let us pray.
Great and merciful God, we praise You and give You thanks for the gift of Your Word. That it comes to us and gives us confidence. That it tells us of eternal life. That it tells us whose we are. It tells us that we have access to you. It tells us that we are to keep strong in the faith. Lord, bless us as we depart from here. Give us a confidence in your word and a confidence in the salvation that we have because Jesus has won it for us.
It's in the name of Jesus that we pray, amen. Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon. For more information about First Reformed Church, head to our Facebook page or website, edgertonfrc.org.
“The Certainty of Eternal Life” is the final message in our series through 1 John, Walking in the Light. Explore the full series or browse our complete sermon archive to keep digging into God's Word.
