Life in this fallen world is filled with uncertainty, with few guarantees and little that can be depended on. Jobs vanish as companies downsize and outsource. The volatility of the stock market, the fluctuations of the economy, and increasing taxes create further uncertainty. Relationships come and go, with people’s faithfulness often lasting only as long as their felt needs are being met—or until they find someone more attractive. On a larger scale, natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods, can sweep away in an instant the accumulated treasures of a lifetime.
But the most profound uncertainty with the most disastrous results exists not in the material realm, but in the spiritual and eternal realm. Because they reject the gospel and are without God, people are also without hope (Eph. 2:12), or protection from divine wrath and eternal hell. Most people put their hope in false religions or personal ideologies to get them into a happy eternal state. And it is popularly believed that all religions lead to heaven and most people are good, thus they are headed there. What is not popular is the reality that only the Bible is the true Word of God, the gospel the only way to heaven, and all who do not believe it go to hell forever.
When the Apostle John closes out his epistle in 1 John 5:13-21, he summaries his main themes and calls on people to Know the Word. In doing so, he calls on people to have certainty. To Know and trust the Word is to know and trust God. When one truly does this they can be assured of: 1) The Confidence that Faith Furnishes (1 John 5:13), 2) The Prayer that Faith Enables (1 John 5:14-17), 3) The Understanding that Faith Grants (1 John 5:18-21)
1) The Confidence that Faith Furnishes (1 John 5:13)
1 John 5:13 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (ESV)
The phrase these things sweeps backward to encompass the entire letter, as is evident from several considerations. First, the shift from the second person in verse 12 (“He who has the Son … he who does not have the Son …”) to the first person (I write these things …) suggests that verse 13 does not merely continue the flow of thought from the previous verse. Second, in 1 John 1:4 John announced his purpose in writing; in verse 13 he looks back on what he had written. Together, the two verses state John’s purpose in writing, since it is assurance of eternal life that produces fullness of joy (cf. Jn. 20:31) John wrote his gospel so that people might believe and be saved; he wrote his first epistle so that those who believe would know they are saved.
As has been clear throughout, the blessings of salvation and assurance are only for those who believe in the name of the Son of God (cf. 1 John 3:23).
Please turn to Galatians 2 (p.973)
To believe in the name of the Son of God — to place one’s trust in God’s truth; one who takes God at His word and trusts in Him for salvation. Mere assent to God’s truth is not saving faith, according to the Bible (John 8:31–46; Acts 8:13–24; James 2:14–26). A belief that saves is one that rests in the finished work of Christ; it trusts God alone for salvation (John 3:16). Believers are those who have trusted God with their will as well as their mind (Rom. 1:16; 3:22; 1 Thess. 1:7) (Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., Thomas Nelson Publishers (Eds.). (1995). In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc)
Paul explained what it means to believe in the name of the Son of God to the Galatians:
Galatians 2:16-20 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (ESV)
• “Justified” means “counted righteous” or “declared righteous” by God. If people were sinless and perfectly obeyed all of God’s perfect moral standards, they could be justified or “declared righteous” on the basis of their own merits. But Paul says that this is impossible for any Gentile or even for any Jew to do (cf. Romans 1–2). Justification occurs through faith, or as Paul says in 1 John 5:13, belief in the name of the Son of God, which is a gift from God Himself (Eph. 2:8-9). No human effort or merit can be added to faith as a basis for justification. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2248). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
John’s uncompromising presentation of the truth in absolute, unqualified terms, the relentless attacks of the false teachers, and the departure of some of the false believers (2:19) had shaken his readers. The apostle assured them that if they passed the doctrinal and practical tests, they could know for certain that they have eternal life. In its most basic sense, eternal life is living forever with God in heaven (Matt. 25:46; Mark 10:30). But as noted in the discussion of 1 John 5:11, the term does not refer primarily to duration of life, but to quality of life. Eternal life is to know Jesus Christ (John 17:3), who Himself is eternal life (1 John 5:20), and to share in His life. It is a present possession, not merely a future hope (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:47, 54; 10:28; 1 John 3:15), though it is not fully manifested in this life. But there will come a day in the future when the eternal life believers already possess will no longer be incarcerated in their sinful, fallen flesh. On that glorious day, they will experience their “adoption as sons, the redemption of [the] body” (Rom. 8:23; cf. Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2). Then the glory of eternal life—the power of the Trinity that works within them (cf. Eph. 3:16–19)—will shine through them unclouded by their mortal bodies.
Illustration: C. H. Spurgeon is quoted as saying that he was so sure of his salvation that he could grab on to a cornstalk and swing out over the fires of hell, look into the face of the devil, and sing, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!” When the storms of life, the winds of trouble, and the sea of discomfort and emotional agony seem to overwhelm, we have to say with the songwriter, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.… We dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” (Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 312). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
2) The Prayer that Faith Enables (1 John 5:14-17)
1 John 5:14-17. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. (ESV)
Although believers have not yet received their full eternal inheritance (cf. 1 Peter 1:4), they have access now to all of God’s resources through prayer. Parrēsia (confidence) literally means “freedom of speech” (cf. 1 John 3:21). It can also be translated “boldness” (Acts 4:31), or “openness” (Acts 28:31). It has appeared in 1 Jn. 2:28 for believers having confidence when Christ appears rather than shrinking away in shame, feeling unfit and downcast. It is the word in 1 Jn.3:21 for “confidence” before God in feeling His acceptance and freedom from a condemning heart. And in 1 Jn.4:17 the word refers to believers’ “confidence” in the future day of judgment, buoyed up by God’s love having been perfected in them (Rosscup, J. E. (2008). An Exposition on Prayer in the Bible: Igniting the Fuel to Flame Our Communication with God (p. 2681). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
The phrase translated toward/before Him has the sense of “in His presence.” Through Jesus Christ believers have “boldness and confident access” (Eph. 3:12) to God that enables them to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that [they] may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
The sure promise of God is that when believers boldly and freely come to Him with their requests, He will hear and answer. If we ask anything according to His will, John wrote, He hears us. And if we know, as verse 15 states, that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from Him. Hearing in this context refers to more than merely God’s being aware of believers’ requests; it also means that He grants the requests which we have asked from Him. The present tense “we have” (echomen), and not the future (“we will have”), indicates that God grants our requests immediately, even though his answer may not be immediately revealed (Dn. 10:12–13). (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, pp. 206–207). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
That is nothing less than a blank check to ask God for anything, but it comes with one important qualifier: the requests must be according to His will. Through prayer we make ourselves instruments of God’s will, and at the same time, in a manner that lies beyond human comprehension, He is able to act powerfully to answer our prayers. When we learn to want what God wants, we have the joy of receiving his answer to our petitions.( Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Epistles of John (p. 245). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Please turn to John 16 (p.903)
The goal of prayer is not to gratify our selfish desires (cf. James 4:3), but to align our wills with God’s purposes. Praying according to God’s will not only brings glory to the Son, but also joy to believers.
John 16:22-24 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (ESV)
• When obedient believers delight themselves in the Lord, He will plant the desires in their hearts for what glorifies Him (Ps. 37:4), and those desires will control their prayers. God’s answers to those prayers will glorify Him, bring believers’ wills into line with His purposes, and fill them with joy.
At first glance, verse 16 appears to introduce an abrupt change of subject. But upon further consideration, the connection of verses 16 and 17 to verses 14 and 15 becomes clear. By giving one important exception, John illustrates in a contrasting manner the extent of God’s promise to answer prayer. When a believer sees a brother a sin not leading to death, the apostle writes, he shall ask, and God will give him life-to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. On the other hand, there is sin that leads to death, and the apostle did not advise Christians to pray/make request for that sin. Not every sinner is granted life as a result of answered prayer. The praying Christian can have confidence if the person’s sin is not of the sort that leads to death. For those whose sin is of this nature John states, “I am not saying that he should pray about that.” John does not strictly forbid prayer for such a person, but it is clear that he is in doubt about its efficacy (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, pp. 207–208). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Evidently John and his readers knew what the sin leading to death was, since no explanation is given, but its exact meaning is difficult for us to determine. In the Old Testament and Judaism there was a well-recognized difference between two kinds of sin, the unconscious or unwitting sins, for which forgiveness was provided by the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, and deliberate or witting sins, for which the sacrificial ritual provided no forgiveness (Leviticus 4:2, 13, 22, 27; 5:15, 17f.; Numbers 15:27–31; Deuteronomy 17:12; Psalm 19:13.). The latter could be atoned for only by the death of the sinner. This distinction between sins which could be forgiven and those which led to the death of the sinner may well be part of the key to the problem (Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Epistles of John (p. 247). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Taking the reference to a brother at face value, the sin leading to death refers to a Christian’s sin that is so serious that God takes the life of the one committing it. He put to death Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to the Holy Spirit in front of the church (Acts 5:1–11). Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning those who were abusing the Lord’s Table, “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep [have died]” (1 Cor. 11:30). The sin is not one particular sin, but any sin that the Lord determines is serious enough to warrant such severe chastisement.
Although God mercifully does not immediately punish every sin with death, every sin is nonetheless a serious matter to Him. That is why John reminds his readers and hearers in verse 17 that All wrongdoing/unrighteousness is sin, even sin that does not lead to death. Every sin is a violation of His law and an affront to God, and is to be confessed (1:9; Ps. 32:5), forsaken (Prov. 28:13), and mortified (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5). Thank God that all sins and all sinning are not unto death, that by confessing and fleeing to the intercession of our Advocate we may have our sins remitted and be cleansed (1:8–2:2) (Lenski, R. C. H. (1966). The interpretation of the epistles of St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude (p. 536). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.)
Illustration: No Forwarding Address
There was a popular television program, entitled: “Real People,” which showed a package that had been sent to a person in prison. The package was “returned to sender” with this dramatic message stamped on it: “Escaped; Left No Forwarding Address.” When we escape from the imprisonment sin creates, we must leave no forwarding address. Paul stated it succinctly: “Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom. 13:14) (Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 317). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
3) The Understanding that Faith Grants (1 John 5:18-21)
1 John 5:18-21 18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (ESV)
As he winds down this letter, John reiterates a vitally important principle he repeated earlier in this epistle: no one who has been transformed by the new birth goes on living in an unbroken pattern of sin. The unconverted can do nothing but sin. They are sinners from birth (Ps. 51:5), slaves to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 6:16), defiant, rebellious haters of God (Pss. 5:10; 68:1; Rom. 1:30; 5:10; 8:7), and under the dominion of Satan (Eph. 2:2; cf. Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). In short, they are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).
Everyone who has been born of God, however, cannot live in an unbroken pattern of sin. Such a person does not keep on sinning. Sin is incompatible with the law of God (1 John 3:4). The redeemed love God’s law (Ps. 119:97, 113, 163, 165) and cannot habitually live in violation of it (cf. 1 John 2:3–4; 3:24; 5:3). Second, sin is incompatible with the work of Christ, who “appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5; cf. v. 8; Matt. 1:21; John 1:29). Finally, sin is incompatible with the work of the Holy Spirit, who in the new birth plants the principle of divine life in the redeemed (1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9). That the redeemed does not keep on sinning, does not mean that believers can reach a point in this life where they never sin. In fact, John said that those who make such claims are liars (1 John 1:8, 10). Further, John’s description of Jesus as believers’ Advocate (1 John 2:1) assumes that they will continue to sin and need His intercession. The point here is the same as earlier, that a pattern of righteousness characterizes the redeemed, whereas a pattern of unrighteousness characterizes the unredeemed. Paul reminded the Romans (Romans 6:17-22) that since sin’s power over them has been broken, it cannot characterize their lives. The unredeemed are “slaves to sin,” but the redeemed are “obedient from the heart” to God’s law, and thus “having been freed from sin, [they are] slaves of righteousness.” While the inevitable outcome for those who live in sin is spiritual death (Rom. 6:23), those who have “been freed from sin and enslaved to God” gain “eternal life.” The use of the perfect participle (“born of God,” gegennēmenos) suggests a permanent relationship begun in the past with continuing results from this new birth. One of these results is the God-given ability not to fall into long-term, habitual sinning (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 212). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
A believer can never fall back into a pattern of unbroken sin because He who was born of God protects/keeps him. This second reference to one born of God is to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14; 3:16, 18; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; 1 John 4:9). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus protects/keeps His flock so that the evil one (Satan) does not so much as touch (lay hold of or fasten his grip on) them. Satan has many devices for leading a believer into sin. He tells lies, as he did to Eve (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:1–3), and when men believe his lies they turn away from and disobey God’s truth. Or, Satan may inflict physical suffering, as he did with Job and Paul (2 Cor. 12:7–9). In David’s case, Satan used pride as his weapon and urged David to number the people and in this way defy God (1 Chron. 21). Satan is like a serpent who deceives (Rev. 12:9) and a lion who devours (1 Peter 5:8–9). He is a formidable enemy (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 530). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).
Please turn to Romans 8 (p.944)
Yet, believers are no longer under his control, having been “rescued … from the domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13; cf. Acts 26:18; 2 Tim. 2:26; Heb. 2:14–15). Therefore, Satan can tempt and harass the saints, as he did Job (Job 1–2) and Peter (Luke 22:31), but he can never reclaim them. Jesus protects/keeps His flock and will not fail to keep the redeemed (John 10:28; 2 Tim. 1:12; Jude 24–25), who have been given to Him by the Father (John 6:37, 39; 17:2, 6, 9, 24; Rom. 8:31-39). The first verb is an AORIST PASSIVE PARTICIPLE, which implies a completed act accomplished by an outside agent (i.e. the Spirit cf. Rom. 8:11). … This refers to Christ’s continual sustaining of the believer (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 243). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
In Romans 8:31–39, Paul eloquently sums up the absolute certainty that God will preserve His own:
Romans 8:31–39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)
• Beginning an argument from the greater to the lesser, Paul states how God gave us the greater gift of His Son. Therefore, He will do the lesser task of sustaining our eternal life. God has almighty power so none can snatch us from his hand (Jn. 10:28–30).. Not even life’s greatest difficulties can rob us of genuine faith. Christ Himself continually intercedes to sustain us.
Despite the existence of countless political, cultural, and social entities in the world, verse 19 contrasts the reality that there are only two realms. It is the comforting privilege of believers, in addition to having eternal life, answered prayer, and victory over sin, to know they belong to God. The Greek present tense denotes not just coming to know, but enjoying continually (Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2640). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
Though they exist in this world, believers are not part of it (John 15:19; 17:14); they are children of God (John 1:12–13), “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11; cf. 1:1, 17; 1 Chron. 29:15; Ps. 119:19; Heb. 11:13), whose true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). On the other hand, the whole world—its politics, economics, education, entertainment, and, above all, its religion—lies in the power of the evil one. The evil world system is hostile to God and believers (John 15:18–19; 1 Jn. 3:13). It takes its cue from its ruler, Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; cf. Eph. 2:2; 6:12), the archenemy of God and His people. Because the world is completely under Satan’s influence, believers must avoid being contaminated by it (2:15–17; cf. James 1:27). There is no middle ground, no third option. Everyone is part of God’s kingdom, or of Satan’s. In the words of Jesus, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters” (Luke 11:23). Or as James scathingly declares, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). No one can escape the devil’s net of temptation, sin, and condemnation without divine help. But neither can people escape their responsibility by trying to blame another agent, even the devil, for their own condition (Gen. 3:12, 13). Paradoxically, enslavement to sin is voluntary (James 1:13–15). Only the Son of God can break this bondage and replace it with a life of forgiveness, gratitude, and obedience (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (1 Jn 5:19). Nashville: T. Nelson.).
Verse 20 finally brings the epistle full circle. John began with the coming of the Word of Life (1 John 1:1–4); now he closes with the certainty that the Son of God has come. The present tense of the verb hēkō (come) indicates that Jesus has come and is still present.
Because no one can know “who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Luke 10:22), Jesus has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true. But beyond mere knowledge, Christians have a personal union with Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Peter 5:14). The Bible teaches that the only way to know the true and living God is through Jesus Christ. No one can be saved who does not believe in Christ, for there is no salvation apart from Him (cf. 1 John 2:1–2; 4:10, 14; 5:1; John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
John’s threefold use of the word alēthinos (true) in this verse stresses the importance of understanding the truth in a world filled with Satan’s lies. The last use of the term points to the most significant truth of all—that Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life. The deity of Jesus Christ is an essential element of the Christian faith, and no one who rejects it can be saved.
John’s concluding warning in verse 21, Little children, keep/guard yourselves from idols, reflects the crucial significance of worshiping the true God exclusively. The danger of idolatry was especially serious in Ephesus (where John likely wrote this epistle), center of the worship of the goddess Artemis (Diana). A few decades earlier, the ministry of the apostle Paul had sparked a riot by her zealous worshipers (Acts 19:23–41). But the danger was not confined to Ephesus, as Paul’s warning to the Corinthians, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21), indicates. Though few in our contemporary culture worship physical idols, idolatry is widespread nonetheless. Anything that people elevate above God is an idol of the heart. Every “lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5) must be smashed, and only Christ exalted. It may appear that John’s final address is somewhat anticlimactic, but in reality it confirms a very important truth he has been establishing in this last section of the epistle and in the entire epistle itself: Reject the false and embrace the real (Akin, D. L. (2001). 1, 2, 3 John (Vol. 38, p. 215). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
In a dark world filled with uncertainty, Christians have the glorious certainty based on divine revelation—“the prophetic word made more sure … a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). While the world stumbles blindly in the darkness (Jer. 13:16), God’s Word is for saints “a lamp to [their] feet and a light to [their] path” (Ps. 119:105), because “the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light” (Prov. 6:23). John’s first epistle was written to give a way of testing true Christianity from false Christianity, and thereby raising the level of assurance in those believers who genuinely belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. The nineteenth-century hymn-writer Daniel Webster Whittle did not know why God’s wondrous grace had come to him, nor how faith and peace had come to him, nor how the Spirit brought about a knowledge of Jesus through his Word, nor what was ahead of the Christian in this life, nor when Christ would come again, or Webster himself would die. That did not matter. So he wrote: “But ‘I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day.’ Having worked through 1 John, can you sing that with conviction? (Barnes, P. (1998). Knowing Where We Stand: The Message of John’s Epistles (p. 127). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.)
(Format Note: Outline from Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2437). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (2007). 1, 2, 3 John (pp. 200–210). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.)
