Why Pray His Way (1 John 5:13-21)
Summary
Given the task of 1 John's letter, to give guidance about genuine faith to a wavering church, we may expect that the conclusion of the letter would summarize his main points that true belief begins with the incarnate Son, or that a true believer can be recognized through obedience to Christ or love for a brother and sister. Instead, John gives two unexpected applications: prayer and the avoidance of idols.
Outline
- The Cause of the Letter
- False Teachers
- Confrontation Gone Wrong
- Shaken Faith in the Church
- The Purpose of the Letter
- To Define True Faith: Jesus the Christ, Son of God, in the Flesh
- “So That You may Know”
- The Implications of the Letter
- Prayer
- Why Prayer? The Mediator
- What sort of Prayer? According to His Will
- For What? “Sin that is not mortal” (???)
- Keep From Idols
- Prayer