Rev. Jacob Heine, Pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Topeka, KS, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 1 John 5:13-21.
John ends his letter with a purpose statement, “That you may know that you have eternal life.” We live in a world that is obsessed with confidence. Confidence in our strengths, finances, personality, and station in life can easily lead to narcissism or depression. Confidence in Christ is faith that He hears you, He forgives you, and His Word is true! The call of the Christian is to repent. Repent for your lack of faith and know that “Christ is enough!” “O Holy Spirit, open our eyes, ears, and hearts to know and have confidence in the truth and new life in Christ. Help to realize that we will never be enough, but Christ is enough. Lord have mercy. Amen”
Thy Strong Word reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.
Thy Strong Word is hosted by Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, MN, and graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
1 John 5:13-21
That You May Know
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.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God[a] will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Footnotes
- 1 John 5:16 Greek he
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. esv.org
