John 14 Footnotes

14:6 Can we really believe that all those who have never even heard of Jesus are lost? This is a question to which orthodox Christians have given several different answers throughout history. However, this verse does not directly answer it. At the very least John affirmed that, if God forgives anyone, it will be because of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. As for whether people have to have heard of Jesus for God to apply the benefits of Christ’s death to them, that will have to be decided on the basis of other texts and themes.

14:14; 15:16; 16:23 These are not “blank checks”—promises to supply everything anyone requests. “In my name” corresponds to “according to my character” and thus is parallel to other texts that require us to leave room for God’s will to overrule ours (e.g., Mt 6:10; Jms 4:15).