I John 5:14 · Bible study
1 John 5:14 Commentary: Boldness in Prayer According to His Will
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine the meaning of parrēsia (boldness) in prayer, the condition of God's will, and how this verse assures believers that God hears.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Believers can approach God with bold confidence, assured that He hears prayers aligned with His revealed and sovereign will.
- Key words: παρρησία (parrēsia), boldness/free speech; αἰτέω (aiteō), ask (middle voice); ἀκούω (akouō), hear (present tense, ongoing); θέλημα (thelēma), will (God’s purpose and command).
- Main debate: Whether “according to his will” refers strictly to revealed Scripture promises (Clarke, Barnes) or also includes submission to God’s hidden sovereign will (Calvin, Gill), and how this condition affects the believer’s certainty in prayer.
- Theological theme: The relationship between assurance of salvation (v. 13) and confidence in prayer; prayer as alignment with God’s character and purposes rather than a mechanism for getting what we want.
- Best use: Teaching on prayer, assurance, and the will of God; pastoral counselling for those struggling with unanswered prayer.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
WEB World English Bible 2000
This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
KJV King James Version 1769
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And this is the boldness that we have toward Him, that if anything we may ask according to his will, He doth hear us,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And this is the boldness which we have towards him, that if we ask him anything according to his will he hears us.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And this is the confidence which we have towards him: That, whatsoever we shall ask according to his will, he heareth us.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y esta es la confianza que tenemos en él, que si demandáremos alguna cosa conforme á su voluntad, él nos oye.
E esta é a confiança que diante dele: que se pedirmos alguma coisa conforme a sua vontade, ele nos ouve.
Nous avons auprès de lui cette assurance, que si nous demandons quelque chose selon sa volonté, il nous écoute.
Und das ist die Freudigkeit, die wir haben zu ihm, daß, so wir etwas bitten nach seinem Willen, so hört er uns.
En dit is de vrijmoedigheid, die wij tot Hem hebben, dat zo wij iets bidden naar Zijn wil, Hij ons verhoort.
E questa è la confidanza che abbiamo in lui: che se domandiamo qualcosa secondo la sua volontà, Egli ci esaudisce;
A toć jest ufanie, które mamy do niego, iż jeźlibyśmy o co prosili według woli jego, słyszy nas.
И вот какое дерзновение мы имеем к Нему, что, когда просим чего по воле Его, Он слушает нас.
我們若 照 他的 旨意 求 甚麼，他就聽 我們， 這 是 我們向 他 所存 坦然無懼的心。
And we are certain that if we make any request to him which is right in his eyes, he will give ear to us:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I John 5:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse offers a profound assurance: believers who align their requests with God’s will can have confidence that He hears them. The key term παρρησία (parrēsia), translated “boldness” or “confidence,” carries the sense of free, unfettered speech, the same word used in 1 John 3:21 and 4:17 for the believer’s approach to God. Vincent’s Word Studies notes the present indicative ἀκούει (“He hears”) indicates an ongoing reality: God is continuously attentive to such prayers. The middle voice of αἰτώμεθα (“we ask”) may suggest asking for ourselves, though the context expands to intercession for others (v. 16). Barnes and Clarke stress that “according to his will” refers primarily to God’s revealed will in Scripture, what He has promised, we may plead. Calvin and Gill broaden it to include God’s sovereign purposes, which believers submit to. Yet all agree: the condition is not a barrier but a guarantee. When we pray within God’s will, we have not merely a hope but a certainty that our petitions are heard and will be answered in God’s perfect time and way.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Revealed will focus: Emphasizes that God promises only what is in Scripture (Clarke, Barnes); the believer must search the Word to know what to pray for with confidence.
- Sovereign will focus: Stresses submission to God’s hidden purposes (Calvin, Gill); the condition protects against presumption and aligns prayer with God’s ultimate plan.
- Subjective alignment: When the believer’s heart fully aligns with God’s will, any request will be granted (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Alford); this reflects an ideal state of sanctification.
What is clear: That God hears and answers prayers that are in harmony with His purposes, and that believers can approach Him with bold confidence because of their relationship with Christ.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of παρρησία (boldness/confidence) | It denotes free, confident speech before God, rooted in the assurance of eternal life through Christ. | Some emphasize its political roots (freedom of speech in assembly) as background for bold access; others focus on its use in the epistle as relational confidence without fear of rejection. |
| Scope of 'according to his will' | Prayers must align with God’s will for the promise to hold; God does not grant requests contrary to His good purposes. | Clarke and Barnes limit it to God’s revealed will (Scripture promises). Calvin and Gill include submission to God’s sovereign, sometimes hidden, will. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown add that when the believer’s will perfectly aligns with God’s, no request would be denied. |
| The nature of God’s hearing (ἀκούει) | God actively listens to prayers asked according to His will; the verb is present, indicating continual attention. | Some see this as assurance of a positive answer (Barnes, Wesley); others stress that ‘hearing’ includes God’s wisdom in choosing the best response, which may not match our expectations (Calvin). |
| Relation to vv. 16-17 (sin unto death) | Prayer for a sinning brother is valid and can bring life, unless the sin is ‘unto death’, a limit to intercessory prayer. | What constitutes ‘sin unto death’ is debated: some see it as apostasy (Calvin, Gill), others as a specific grave sin (e.g., murder, rejection of Christ). This affects how we understand the boundaries of prayer according to God's will. |
Historical & Cultural Context
First John was written to a Christian community facing internal division and the seduction of false teaching, early forms of docetism and Gnosticism that denied the full humanity of Jesus (1 John 4:2-3). The letter repeatedly calls readers back to the core truths: Jesus is the Christ, God is light, love for the brethren is essential. Chapter 5 serves as a climactic conclusion, with verse 13 stating the letter’s purpose: “that you may know that you have eternal life.” Verse 14 then moves from assurance of life to assurance of prayer.
In the Greco-Roman world, παρρησία was a political term for the right to speak freely in the assembly. To apply it to prayer was striking: believers, many of them slaves or low-status, could approach the Creator with the same frank speech as a citizen addressing the city council. This confidence rests entirely on the work of Christ, through whom we have access to the Father (Ephesians 3:12).
The phrase “according to his will” (κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ) echoes the Jewish prayer tradition shaped by the Psalms and the prophets. The Psalms repeatedly affirm that God hears the cry of the righteous (Psalm 34:17, Proverbs 15:29). Jeremiah 29:12-13 ties prayer to seeking God with the whole heart. Early Christian prayers, such as the Lord’s Prayer (“Your will be done”), embedded this same pattern. The immediate context in 1 John 5:16-17 applies the principle to intercessory prayer for a sinning brother, showing that prayer is not only personal but communal.
This verse thus arises from a pastoral situation: some believers may have doubted whether their prayers mattered. John assures them that prayer is not impotent or uncertain. It is grounded in the revealed will of God, the promises He has made, and in the relationship believers enjoy through His Son.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Cambridge Bible cites early testimony: Tertullian (De Pudicitia xix) quotes 1 John 5:16-18, and Clement of Alexandria (Stromata II.xv) cites 5:16-17, both attributing them to John. This confirms that the concluding verses were an integral part of the epistle from the earliest period. No manuscript tradition suggests an alternative reading that would change the meaning.
Reception History
Throughout church history, 1 John 5:14 has been a touchstone for teaching on prayer and the will of God. In the early church, Augustine used it to caution against praying for things contrary to God’s will, while also encouraging boldness because of Christ’s intercession. Medieval writers like Bernard of Clairvaux wove the verse into reflections on the Lord’s Prayer, emphasizing the need for submission. During the Reformation, both Luther and Calvin appealed to this text to argue that true faith produces confident prayer, contra the uncertainty they saw in late medieval piety. Calvin in particular stressed that the condition “according to his will” frees believers from anxiety: we can be sure God will grant what He has promised, and we can trust His wisdom when He withholds what He has not. In the modern period, the verse has been central to discussions of “praying in faith” within evangelical and Pentecostal traditions, sometimes sparking debates about whether one can claim specific promises with absolute certainty. Across all eras, the dominant reading has been one of comfort: God is approachable, and prayer is not a gamble but a dialogue grounded in God’s revealed character.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The foundation of boldness, The confidence (parrēsia) we have in prayer does not come from our own merit but from our relationship with God through Christ. Verse 13 establishes that we know we have eternal life; from that assurance flows liberty to speak freely to our Father.
- The condition of answered prayer, “If we ask anything according to his will.” This is not a loophole but a life-giving boundary. When we pray within God’s revealed will (His commands, promises, and purposes), we are not guessing, we are aligning ourselves with the One who knows what is best.
- The certainty of hearing, “He hears us.” The present tense implies continuous, reliable attention. God is not a reluctant judge but a listening Father. Knowing He hears means we can trust Him to act in the way that matches His will, even when we cannot see the full picture.
Five-point outline
- Boldness defined, The Greek parrēsia originally meant freedom of speech in public life. Here it describes the believer’s frank, unashamed access to God, a privilege secured by Christ’s work.
- The source of boldness, It rests on knowing we have eternal life in the Son (v. 13). Without that foundation, prayer drifts into uncertainty. With it, we come as children to a father.
- The will of God as both revealed and sovereign, Revealed: what God has promised in Scripture (Clarke). Sovereign: God’s higher purposes that may exceed our understanding (Calvin). Both aspects protect prayer from becoming a mere wish list.
- The promise of hearing, The verb akouei (he hears) is present indicative, not a one-time event but an ongoing posture. God is listening even before we finish speaking.
- The outcome: confident petition, Verse 15 follows: if we know He hears, we know we have the petitions we asked. This is not presumption but the settled trust that God will act according to His will.
Illustration hooks
- A child who knows her father’s character and his rules can ask for anything, trusting that a good father will give what is best, even if the answer is “wait” or “no.”
- A sailor uses a compass set to a fixed bearing; prayers “according to his will” are prayers set to the bearing of God’s revealed truth, not the shifting winds of personal desire.
- A patient whose doctor prescribes a treatment follows that prescription precisely, confident it will bring healing. Praying according to God’s will means we bring our requests in line with the Great Physician’s diagnosis and cure.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does “according to his will” mean God only answers a few special prayers, and the rest are ignored?
- How do I actually know what God’s will is when I’m praying about a specific decision or need?
- If I pray for something I think is good and it doesn’t happen, does that mean I didn’t have enough faith or I wasn’t praying correctly?
Leading a Discussion
This passage sits at a pivot in John’s letter. After telling readers they can know they have eternal life (v. 13), John immediately ties that certainty to prayer. The connection is not accidental: confidence in our standing with God is the basis for confidence in prayer. The phrase “according to his will” has sometimes troubled readers, as if it narrowed the scope of prayer. Yet the commentators show it is precisely this condition that makes the promise sure. The questions below help a group explore both the meaning and the pastoral implications.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 John 5:13-15. How does knowing we have eternal life shape the way we approach prayer? What difference would it make if we were unsure of our salvation?
- The word parrēsia (confidence/boldness) originally meant free speech in public. Why is that an appropriate image for prayer? What might keep us from speaking freely to God?
- John says God hears us “if we ask anything according to his will.” What do you think “God’s will” means in this context? How do we discover it?
- Barnes and Clarke focus on revealed will (Scripture promises). Calvin emphasizes submission to God’s sovereign will. How do both perspectives protect prayer from becoming self-centred?
- How does the principle in verse 14 apply when we pray for a brother or sister who is sinning (vv. 16-17)? Does that challenge or expand your understanding of “according to his will”?
- What is one area of your life where you struggle to know God’s will in prayer? How might this verse encourage you to keep asking while trusting God’s wisdom?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 34:28 | so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him. He heard the cry of the afflicted. |
| Psalms 31:22 | As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.” Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you. |
| Psalms 34:17 | The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. |
| Psalms 69:33 | For Yahweh hears the needy, and doesn’t despise his captive people. |
| Proverbs 15:29 | Yahweh is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. |
| Jeremiah 29:12 | You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. |
| Jeremiah 29:13 | You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. |
| Jeremiah 33:3 | ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you don’t know.’ |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke focuses on the Greek word parrhesia, meaning freedom of speech and access, not bold presumption. True confidence in prayer comes from asking only what God has promised in his word, and believers may plead those specific promises. Prayer is the dependent language of God's children, not a platform for unauthorized claims.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that confidence in prayer must be limited by God's will, not our own wishes. He outlines four necessary constraints: what God has promised, what He knows is best for us, what is consistent with His ordained laws, and what serves the good of the whole.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists that genuine faith shows itself in bold, confident prayer. He argues that wavering or doubt contradicts faith entirely, because calling on God with full assurance that He hears is the chief test of belief. At the same time, this confidence must be paired with submitting our own desires to God's will.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary defends the final verses of 1 John as authentic, citing manuscript evidence and quotations from second-century writers. It then highlights verse 19 as the second of three certainties believers possess: Christians know they belong to God, while the whole world remains under the power of the evil one, a personal adversary. This creates a total separation between the church and the world.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And this is that assurance, that we haue in him, that if we aske any thing according to his will, he heareth vs.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill insists that true confidence in prayer rests on asking according to God's revealed will, not His secret decrees. He warns that praying against what God has declared He will do is wrong, yet believers can be assured when their requests match what God has promised in Christ.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB's point is that the confidence in prayer described here flows from a believer whose will has become one with God's will. In that ideal state, asking according to God's will is no restraint but a guarantee, because the Spirit teaches us inwardly and prays in us.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes a careful distinction between sins that lead to death and those that do not. For a believer who sees a brother commit the latter, prayer can restore life. But for the sin unto death, he notes Scripture gives no instruction to pray, leaving that case to God's judgment alone.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to the Greek word for confidence which carries a sense of boldness rather than mere assurance. He notes that the middle voice of "ask" may imply praying for oneself, and that John uses "he hears" as a distinctive way of saying God answers prayer.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the confidence believers have in God's hearing is not general but specific: God favourably regards prayers offered in faith and according to his revealed will. The word 'heareth' here means God's favourable attention, not mere awareness. This distinction assures believers that their petitions, when aligned with God's will, are truly received.