Five Things You Can Know for Certain
1 John 5:13-21
In a world drowning in uncertainty, where truth is considered relative and claiming to know anything for certain is labeled as arrogance, there's something profoundly comforting about the biblical promise that we can actually know some things with absolute certainty.
The apostle John, writing his first epistle to early believers facing false teachings and spiritual confusion, repeatedly uses one powerful four-letter word: know. Seven times in the closing verses of his letter, John emphasizes what believers can know with confidence. These aren't wishful thoughts or hopeful maybes—these are rock-solid certainties that anchor our faith.
1. We Can Know That We Have Eternal Life
1 John 5:13-14
Imagine asking random people on the street if they believe in God and heaven. Statistics suggest that 96% of Americans would say yes. But here's the critical question: Do they know they're going there?
There's a vast difference between believing heaven exists and knowing you'll spend eternity there. Many people operate under a vague assumption that everyone goes to heaven by default unless they're really terrible people. But that's not how it works.
The Scripture is clear: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have eternal life." This isn't about intellectual agreement with facts about Jesus. It's about a wholehearted commitment of faith to Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross.
This is the most important thing you can know. Death is coming for all of us—it's the one appointment we can't cancel. You can't afford to be flippant about this. You need absolute certainty that you belong to God and that heaven is your destination.
The question isn't whether you call yourself a Christian. The question is whether your life bears the authentic marks of genuine faith: Do you confess your sins with a new sensitivity to wrongdoing? Do you desire to obey Jesus? Do you love God's people? Do you pursue holiness? These aren't things you do to earn salvation—they're evidences that you've already been saved.
2. We Can Know That God Answers Prayer
1 John 5:15-17
Once you know you're a child of God, something remarkable happens: you gain confidence in prayer. If you know you have eternal life, then you know God will listen to you because He is your Father.
What father doesn't listen to his child in time of need? Jesus Himself pointed out that if earthly fathers, with all their imperfections, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father give to those who ask Him?
This is one of the incredible privileges of being God's child—you have access. Think about it: if you showed up at Buckingham Palace demanding to see the king, or knocked on the White House door insisting on a meeting with the president, you'd be turned away. But you have 24/7 access to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power.
However, there's an important qualification: we must pray according to His will. This isn't a limitation—it's liberation. Praying according to God's will doesn't restrict your prayers; it frees them up. God's will for you is best. It's what you would desire if you had enough sense to desire it.
As George Mueller, that great man of prayer, once said: "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of God's willingness."
One specific example of praying according to God's will? Praying for the restoration of a brother or sister who has strayed into sin. When you intercede for someone who's wandered from the path, you know with certainty you're praying in alignment with God's heart. He wants His children restored, their joy renewed, their faithfulness rekindled.
3. We Can Know Victory Over Sin
1 John 5:18
A genuine child of God doesn't live in continuous, unrepentant sin. That doesn't mean Christians are perfect—far from it. But the pattern of a believer's life is obedience, not rebellion.
When a true believer sins, God doesn't ignore it. He speaks through His Word, through other believers, through the Holy Spirit's conviction. If we ignore that gentle correction, He moves to discipline—providential circumstances that get our attention. And if we continue headlong into sin, ignoring all correction, the consequences become more severe.
But here's the beautiful truth: we are kept by Jesus Christ. "He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one touches him not." Christ holds us firmly. No one can pluck us from His hand—not even ourselves.
This doesn't mean we passively sit back and do nothing. While Christ keeps us, we also work to keep ourselves. We actively guard against the idols of this world—anything that would distract us from Jesus and steal our passion for Him.
It's both divine keeping and human responsibility working together in beautiful harmony.
4. We Can Know That We Belong to God
1 John 5:19
There's a stark contrast in Scripture between believers and the world. While the world "lies in the lap of the wicked one," we belong to God. We're no longer under the control of Satan and the world system.
When God brought us into His kingdom, everything changed. The things that once pulled us in no longer have that power. We overcome the world through our faith.
This isn't arrogance—it's identity. We know whose we are.
5. We Can Know What Is True
1 John 5:20-21
In an age of deception and relativism, believers have been given something precious: understanding. Not just factual knowledge about Jesus, but deep, spiritual comprehension of who He truly is.
God has opened our eyes to see the beauty of Jesus Christ. We know He came in the flesh—not as a phantom or hologram, but as a real person. We know He is true, genuine, the Son of God. And more than that, we know Him intimately, experientially, heart to heart.
This is the difference between a believer and someone who merely knows facts about Jesus. God has revealed to us the mysteries of the kingdom. We have Christ and His Word—all the knowledge we need as children of God.
The Certainty That Changes Everything
We don't know these things because we're clever or spiritually elite. We know because God has spoken, and we believe. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes.
One elderly man once expressed his struggle with assurance to a pastor, saying he wanted something definite, something real. The pastor asked if he would believe an angel from heaven who told him he was saved. The man said yes. Then the pastor asked what would happen if, on his deathbed, that angel returned and revealed himself to be Satan in disguise, admitting the whole thing was a lie.
We have something better than an angelic visitation. We have the recorded Word of God that tells us we can know.
These things are written so that we might know we have eternal life. Not hope. Not wish. Not maybe. Know.
In a world of uncertainty, that's the most comforting truth of all.
In a world drowning in uncertainty, where truth is considered relative and claiming to know anything for certain is labeled as arrogance, there's something profoundly comforting about the biblical promise that we can actually know some things with absolute certainty.
The apostle John, writing his first epistle to early believers facing false teachings and spiritual confusion, repeatedly uses one powerful four-letter word: know. Seven times in the closing verses of his letter, John emphasizes what believers can know with confidence. These aren't wishful thoughts or hopeful maybes—these are rock-solid certainties that anchor our faith.
1. We Can Know That We Have Eternal Life
1 John 5:13-14
Imagine asking random people on the street if they believe in God and heaven. Statistics suggest that 96% of Americans would say yes. But here's the critical question: Do they know they're going there?
There's a vast difference between believing heaven exists and knowing you'll spend eternity there. Many people operate under a vague assumption that everyone goes to heaven by default unless they're really terrible people. But that's not how it works.
The Scripture is clear: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have eternal life." This isn't about intellectual agreement with facts about Jesus. It's about a wholehearted commitment of faith to Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross.
This is the most important thing you can know. Death is coming for all of us—it's the one appointment we can't cancel. You can't afford to be flippant about this. You need absolute certainty that you belong to God and that heaven is your destination.
The question isn't whether you call yourself a Christian. The question is whether your life bears the authentic marks of genuine faith: Do you confess your sins with a new sensitivity to wrongdoing? Do you desire to obey Jesus? Do you love God's people? Do you pursue holiness? These aren't things you do to earn salvation—they're evidences that you've already been saved.
2. We Can Know That God Answers Prayer
1 John 5:15-17
Once you know you're a child of God, something remarkable happens: you gain confidence in prayer. If you know you have eternal life, then you know God will listen to you because He is your Father.
What father doesn't listen to his child in time of need? Jesus Himself pointed out that if earthly fathers, with all their imperfections, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father give to those who ask Him?
This is one of the incredible privileges of being God's child—you have access. Think about it: if you showed up at Buckingham Palace demanding to see the king, or knocked on the White House door insisting on a meeting with the president, you'd be turned away. But you have 24/7 access to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power.
However, there's an important qualification: we must pray according to His will. This isn't a limitation—it's liberation. Praying according to God's will doesn't restrict your prayers; it frees them up. God's will for you is best. It's what you would desire if you had enough sense to desire it.
As George Mueller, that great man of prayer, once said: "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of God's willingness."
One specific example of praying according to God's will? Praying for the restoration of a brother or sister who has strayed into sin. When you intercede for someone who's wandered from the path, you know with certainty you're praying in alignment with God's heart. He wants His children restored, their joy renewed, their faithfulness rekindled.
3. We Can Know Victory Over Sin
1 John 5:18
A genuine child of God doesn't live in continuous, unrepentant sin. That doesn't mean Christians are perfect—far from it. But the pattern of a believer's life is obedience, not rebellion.
When a true believer sins, God doesn't ignore it. He speaks through His Word, through other believers, through the Holy Spirit's conviction. If we ignore that gentle correction, He moves to discipline—providential circumstances that get our attention. And if we continue headlong into sin, ignoring all correction, the consequences become more severe.
But here's the beautiful truth: we are kept by Jesus Christ. "He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one touches him not." Christ holds us firmly. No one can pluck us from His hand—not even ourselves.
This doesn't mean we passively sit back and do nothing. While Christ keeps us, we also work to keep ourselves. We actively guard against the idols of this world—anything that would distract us from Jesus and steal our passion for Him.
It's both divine keeping and human responsibility working together in beautiful harmony.
4. We Can Know That We Belong to God
1 John 5:19
There's a stark contrast in Scripture between believers and the world. While the world "lies in the lap of the wicked one," we belong to God. We're no longer under the control of Satan and the world system.
When God brought us into His kingdom, everything changed. The things that once pulled us in no longer have that power. We overcome the world through our faith.
This isn't arrogance—it's identity. We know whose we are.
5. We Can Know What Is True
1 John 5:20-21
In an age of deception and relativism, believers have been given something precious: understanding. Not just factual knowledge about Jesus, but deep, spiritual comprehension of who He truly is.
God has opened our eyes to see the beauty of Jesus Christ. We know He came in the flesh—not as a phantom or hologram, but as a real person. We know He is true, genuine, the Son of God. And more than that, we know Him intimately, experientially, heart to heart.
This is the difference between a believer and someone who merely knows facts about Jesus. God has revealed to us the mysteries of the kingdom. We have Christ and His Word—all the knowledge we need as children of God.
The Certainty That Changes Everything
We don't know these things because we're clever or spiritually elite. We know because God has spoken, and we believe. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes.
One elderly man once expressed his struggle with assurance to a pastor, saying he wanted something definite, something real. The pastor asked if he would believe an angel from heaven who told him he was saved. The man said yes. Then the pastor asked what would happen if, on his deathbed, that angel returned and revealed himself to be Satan in disguise, admitting the whole thing was a lie.
We have something better than an angelic visitation. We have the recorded Word of God that tells us we can know.
These things are written so that we might know we have eternal life. Not hope. Not wish. Not maybe. Know.
In a world of uncertainty, that's the most comforting truth of all.
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