Peter SmytheDecidedly Unprofessional

And this is the boldness (parresia) which we have toward him, that, if we ask (aitometha) anything according to his will, he heareth (akouei) us: and if we know (oidamen) that he heareth (akouei) us whatsoever we ask (aitometha), we know (oidamen) that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. (1 John 5:14, 15, RV with Greek phonetic)

1 John 5:14, 15 is usually spoken of in the same breath as Mark 11:24, but these verses haven’t been as bloodied as much as Mark 11:24 in modern theology because of the qualifier “according to His will.” Preachers have used those words to render the verses completely ineffectual for today’s believer (“These verses only apply to God’s will, and His ways are above our ways so we can’t know His will, yada, yada, yada.). Since the grammar is so straightforward, I’ll use the same approach that I did with Mark 11:24, a smattering of vocabulary, quotes, and examples.

Vocabulary

The Greek for “boldness” is parresia which presents a public nuance that is arguably absent in Mark 11:24. The lexicons give us the following renderings:

Thayer - free and fearless confidence the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity

Louw - a state of boldness and confidence, sometimes implying intimidating consequences

BDAG - use of speech that conceals nothing and passes over nothing; “ outspokenness, frankness; a state of boldness and confidence and fearlessness in the presence of persons of high rank

Moulton/Milligan - boldness in speech

With those definitions in mind, we can see the public gloss in the following verses:

“And he spake the saying openly (parresia). And Peter took him, and he began to rebuke him.” Mark 8:32 (RV) (boldness in public)

“Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace.” Hebrews 4:16 (RV) (boldness with God)

Ask is aitometha which is more of a demand than a request:

Thayer - the idea of demanding is prominent

BDAG - to ask for, with a claim on receipt for an answer

By using aitometha, we understand that John is writing about specific requests or demands upon God’s Word that contemplate a receipt for an answer. He is not speaking of the vague, speculative prayers that we are accustomed to hearing.

The Greek for “know” is oidamen which is in the present tense, and it means:

BDAG - to grasp the meaning of something, understand, recognize

Louw - to comprehend the meaning of something with focus on resulting knowledge; to believe something and respond to it on the basis of having heard

Oidamen connotes a soul consciousness, the single most important element missing from modern Christianity. (See 1 John 5:19 (“we know (oidamen) that we are the children of God”) The fascinating fact in these verses is that it is God, not us, who “hears.” That is, it is God who hears the demands and gives heed unto those demands. It usually provokes a lot of outrage among theologians to say that, but you can see that it is black-letter Bible.

Examples

So then Yahweh said unto Moses, - Now therefore, let me alone, that mine anger may kindle upon them, and that I may consume them, and may make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the face of Yahweh his God, - and said, “Wherefore, O Yahweh, should thine anger kindle upon thy people, whom thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great might and with a firm hand? Turn thou from the kindling of thine anger, and be grieved over the calamity to thy people. Have remembrance of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, thy servants, to whom thou didst swear to thyself, and didst speak unto them [saying], I will multiply your seed, as the stars of the heavens, - and all this land which I have spoken will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it to times age-abiding.” So then Yahweh was grieved, - over the calamity, which he had spoken of inflicting on his people. Exodus 32:9-14 (Rotherham)

This scenario deals with God’s intolerance of Israel’s sin. He threatens to destroy Israel and start again with Moses, but also invites Moses to intercede (Rotherham’s note to “let me alone” demonstrates a call for intercession). Moses, standing as one in 1 John 5, puts God in remembrance of His Word and promises (“have remembrance”) and demands (“turn thou from the kindling of thine anger) that it be honored. We see that God honored Moses’s request. (We all wouldn’t be here today if He didn’t).

And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness (parresia - same word) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (Acts 4:29, RV)

And with great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33, RV)

And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people.” (Acts 5:12, RV)

In this account, we see very much the same thing. The disciples had been persecuted for the Name’s sake and they came together to pray. They prayed with an audacity that is seldom seen in today’s church. They lifted up their voices to God and requested (with an expectation of receipt) that God would grant them boldness to speak in public and that He would confirm their words with healings, signs, and wonders. We see that God not only “hear” them, but also gave heed to their request by performing signs and wonders through the hands of the apostles.

[Note: For the non-Greeksters, BDAG and Louw are the most popular Greek lexicons (dictionaries) used today. Originally this essay contained the N.T. Greek words. Due to a WordPress upgrade that couldn’t read the Greek, we have substituted the phonetic spelling.]