Have you ever wondered how the
apostles John and Peter could so confidently say to the lame beggar "get
up and walk" in Acts 3:6?
Furthermore, have you ever wrestled with Jesus' promise in John 15:7 and
16:23 that if we abide in Him and ask anything in His name He will do it? I personally have always had trouble
reconciling these clear promises of Jesus to answer prayer with the reality of
Him not always doing so. Maybe I'm not
abiding enough? Maybe I'm not asking
correctly or believing enough?
Such confusion and
self-condemnation inherently comes when we interpret Jesus' promises in John
15:7 and 16:23 to mean that He is talking to us today. This is the way I've always heard these
verses taught -- usually they are pulled out of context and used to support the
larger notion that Jesus obliges Himself to answer our prayers if they are in
the right form. Recently, though, I
discovered that this is a wrong interpretation of these verses. They do
not apply to us today. While that
may sound disappointing at first, it is actually liberating and has actually strengthened
my faith in the Scriptures.
Let me start by stating the
difference between Scriptural interpretation and application. Interpretation is the meaning that the
passage of Scripture is trying to convey.
It is a function of the historical and Biblical context, the original
audience, the literary form (hyperbole, poetry, parable, narrative, etc.), and
of course the words used. Application is
simply how we apply the passage's meaning to our every day experiences.
What then is the proper
interpretation of Jesus' promises in John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you," as well as similar promises in John 14:14, 15:16, and
16:23? We must first examine the context -- who is Jesus speaking to? He is speaking to the eleven disciples who
would soon become His apostles, Christ's officially sanctioned witnesses who
would spread the Gospel after His ascension.
It was to these men, and these men
only, to whom Jesus obliged Himself to answer every prayer offered in His
name.
This was critical since these men
would later use miracles as a confirmation of their apostolic authority (2 Cor
12:12). Let's use the previous example
of Peter and John -- they weren't "led" by some intuition, or
"received a word" to go heal the beggar. They saw an opportunity to glorify Christ and
they confidently took it, knowing their prayer would be answered because Jesus
promised it would be. These men claimed
to carry God's message and their miracles affirmed their authority.
The fact that this promise is for
the apostles and not for me does not dwindle my faith; rather, it increases
it. No, I can't claim that Jesus is
obliged to answer my prayers if I do everything correctly. But I do have more confidence in the
authority of the New Testament and the apostles who originally proclaimed it,
based on the historical accounts of their miraculous signs in Jesus' name. My faith is strengthened in their Gospel
message.
Now, although Christ's promises in
John 14-16 do not apply to us today, the
principles and application contained therein still do.
We are commanded to abide in Christ (15:4-6), keep His commandments
(14:21), pray in Jesus' name (16:24), etc.
We also learn a lot about the role of the Holy Spirit (14:16-17, 26;
15:26; 16:7-13), God's love for His followers (14:23), God's promise of
eternity for believers (14:1-3, 16:22), the tribulation we will face as believers (16:33), etc.
Knowing that Jesus' promises in John 14-16 are not for me is a relief -- I am no longer confused and disappointed in God when my prayers go unanswered, even when I try my hardest to abide and pray. John 14-16 still has a lot of valuable instruction for me that I hope to grow in. And I'm at peace knowing that Christ entrusted the founders of my faith with His promises and affirmed their authority with signs and wonders.
