1 John 5:15. And when we know that He hears us in all things, whatever we ask, we know also that we receive what we have requested from Him.
Here a kind of conclusion is drawn. I have written this to you, he says, as heirs of eternal life. For to those who do not live according to the hope of eternal life, this could not have been written, because to give what is holy to dogs and to cast pearls before swine is not praiseworthy (Matt. 7:6). Recalling what has been said, he repeats, first, that one must believe without doubt in the name of the Son of God, that is, in the worship of God handed down to us from Him, for this is what the name of the Son of God means, as we have said.
Then he says that the sign of this undoubted faith is none other than the boldness which we find before Him through blameless faith, as we also said above, and that in turn the sign of such boldness is the obtaining of everything we ask. But since not all receive everything they ask, and not all requests are heard, he adds: "according to His will," that is, whoever asks for something contrary to the will of the Teacher will not be heard either. In this case he speaks similarly to holy James: "you ask, and do not receive," he says, "because you ask amiss" (James 4:3). Turning this sign into a most clear indication, he says: and if we know that He hears us in everything, whatever we may ask, then we also know that we receive from Him everything we ask of Him. He speaks as if to say: if we ask of God what is in accordance with His will, then He hears us; and if He hears us in our requests, then we know that we bring requests in agreement with His will, and what we ask we already have in ourselves. Such things are the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, which He Himself also commanded us to seek in the Gospel (Matt. 6:33).
1 John 5:16. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not unto death, let him ask, and God will give him life, that is, to him who sins a sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I am not saying that he should pray about that.
1 John 5:17. All unrighteousness is sin; but there is a sin not unto death.
Having said that God fulfills our requests that are in accordance with His will, the apostle now clearly expresses his desire concerning what we should ask for according to God's will. And since he spoke much, almost throughout the entire epistle, about love for one's brother and about the fact that God desires that we maintain love for our brother without hypocrisy, he now names as one of His desires, and the very best one, that when someone sees his brother sinning a sin that is not mortal, let him ask, and He will give him. What will He give? Eternal life. To whom? To those sinning not unto death. In general, he divides sin thus: all unrighteousness is sin, and one sin is unto death, another is not unto death. But concerning the sin unto death he says: let him not ask, that is, let him not pray, for he will not be heard, because he asks not for what is good. He means the one who shows no sign of repentance. For the sin unto death is precisely that in which no repentance is offered. Judas was afflicted with this sin, and was subjected to eternal death. Those who bear grudges also sin unto death, for Solomon says: "the ways of those who remember evil lead to death" (Prov. 12:28). For those who remember evil and do not cease their anger against their neighbor do not turn to repentance, but sin unforgivably.
1 John 5:18. We know that everyone born of God does not sin; but he who is born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him.
1 John 5:19. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in wickedness.
1 John 5:20. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us light and understanding, that we may know the true God and that we may be in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Having taught us which sin is unto death and which is not unto death, he then indicates who can sin unto death, and says: one adopted by God can never be afflicted by sin, whether unto death or not unto death. For having once surrendered himself to Christ, who dwells in him through adoption, he remains untouchable by sin. However, lest anyone think that his nature is transformed and becomes already beyond the reach of sin, he adds: "keeps himself," that is, if he does not keep and guard himself from the evil one, then without doubt he will sin. Thus, he attains sinlessness not by nature, but by the great gift of God. God, having adopted us, deemed us worthy of such grace that we, preserving and observing the gift given to us from Him, are able even not to sin. Otherwise, since the world (by "world" he means those who have not placed themselves in the position of sons in relation to God through righteous deeds) lies in evil, nothing would have prevented us from joining the perishing, because the imagination of man's heart is diligently inclined to evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21), as God showed at the flood. But since the Son of God came and gave us understanding to know Him, the true God, and to abide in Him, His true Son, Jesus Christ, through this great gift we have come to know that He is the true God and eternal life, and having known this, we remain untested by the evil one and his temptations.
1 John 5:21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Since the apostle wrote this epistle to mature believers, some asked why he commands them to keep themselves from idols. We answer: the apostle wrote this to the entire Church, which was not entirely filled with chosen people, but among them some were also of wrong disposition. To such people he gives this commandment, fearing for their weakness.
End of the catholic epistle of the Apostle John. Written from Ephesus.