I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. 14 And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
18 We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
John’s epistle on faith, love, and obedience (these things) was written to assure believers of their possession of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Believers can be assured that prayers are heard when they align with God’s will. If our prayers are answered we know they are effective and aligned with God’s will.
John distinguishes between sins that lead to spiritual death and those that do not. Deadly sin breaks our relationship with God and requires repentance and reconciliation, while lesser sins damage the relationship but can be healed through prayer and conversion. All sin is offensive to God, but some sins have more serious consequences for our spiritual life.
Those born of God through baptism and grace are empowered by the Spirit not to persist in habitual sin, as their new life in Christ calls them to holiness. Christ, "the one begotten by God," guards believers, strengthening them through grace and the sacraments, thereby limiting the influence Satan has over them (cf. 1 Peter 5:8-9). Believers belong to God, but those who reject God’s truth are under the influence of Satan, who blinds their minds to the gospel (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Jesus, who was fully human and fully divine, became incarnate to reveal God and redeem humanity (cf. John 1:14). He has granted us the spiritual understanding to discern truth from falsehood through the guidance of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 16:13). Believers are brought into union with God through Jesus Christ, the true God, and this union is initiated in baptism, deepened by faith, and nourished through the Eucharist. Through this union with Christ, believers partake in the divine life, starting in this world and reaching its fullness in the next.
Almighty God, You have given us the gift of eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ, the true God and our Savior. Strengthen our faith to abide in Your truth, guard us from sin and the evil one, and grant us the grace to pray always according to Your will. Fill us with the light of discernment, that we may walk in union with You and partake in Your divine life, now and forever. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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