1 John 5:13-21

“13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence which we have before 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 which we have asked from Him. 16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. 18 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that 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. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.[1]” (1 John 5:13–21, NASB 95)

We have reached the end of our 1 John sermon series. The final words found in 1 John 5:13-21 reemphasize the four reasons John wrote the letter: assurance of eternal life based on faith in Christ; understanding the seriousness of sin; combating false teachers; and embracing the intimate fellowship with Jesus that comes through abiding in Him. Russell took time to distinguish between our relationship with Christ (secured through faith) and our experiential fellowship with Him (deepened through spiritual disciplines), challenging listeners to evaluate and strengthen their friendship with Jesus.