📖WEB · 1 John 5:14
What does 1 John 5:14 mean?
"This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us."
— 1 John 5:14 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
Explanation
1 John 5:14 says that believers can approach God with confidence, not hesitation or fear, because when they ask for something that aligns with God's will, he hears them. The word "boldness" (sometimes translated "confidence") conveys the idea of freedom of speech—like someone who can speak openly and without shame in the presence of another, rather than cowering or holding back. John is describing the posture Christians can take toward God in prayer: not groveling uncertainty about whether God is listening, but assured access grounded in relationship.
This letter was written by the apostle John, likely toward the end of the first century, to Christian communities facing confusion from false teachers who were distorting the truth about Jesus Christ—denying his full humanity or downplaying the reality of sin and the need for righteous living. Throughout the letter, John writes to reassure genuine believers of the certainty of their faith and salvation (he states this purpose explicitly in 5:13, the verse immediately preceding this one: "I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life"). Verse 14 flows directly out of that assurance—because believers know they have eternal life through Christ, they can also know that their prayers are heard.
Theologically, this verse highlights two important truths held together. First, prayer is not a transaction where results are earned by eloquence or persistence, but a relationship where confidence comes from being in Christ. Second, the qualifier "according to his will" is essential—it is not a blank check for every desire, but a promise tied to requests that align with God's character and purpos
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