1 John 5:16-17

1 John 5:16-17

If anyone should see his brother while sinning in a sin not into death, he will ask and he will give life to him – to the ones who commit sin not into death.  There is sin into death, I do not speak regarding that one in order that he should ask.  Every unrighteousness is sin; there is a sin not into death.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

This is an incredibly difficult passage to understand in the original language.  Much of it is unclear – translators make the best of it as we can.  I say this as a bit of a precaution, because I would hesitate to allow this passage to be the foundation of any particular piece of theology.  It can support other theological matters, but with as difficult as this passage is to translate it should not be placed in a position upon which some theological teaching stands alone upon these verses.

That being said, let’s get what we can out of these verses.  First, let’s remember John’s context.  John is finishing up his letter in the context of prayer.  He has just reminded us that prayer is our opportunity to align our will with God’s will.  Prayer is our opportunity to seek the will of God.  It is in this context that John reminds us to lift up others in our prayers – especially those who are in sin.  Prayer is a great opportunity to lift up others without judgment and to seek God’s will regarding them and their choices.

Who in your life fits this category?  Is it easy for you to pray over someone caught in sin without judging them but instead seeking God’s will for them?

Second Thought:

Let’s go a little deeper – carefully.  John appears to be talking about sin that does not end in death.  Here is where we have to be careful.  John isn’t talking about venial and mortal sins here – or at least it’s my understanding that this is not John’s point.  All sin leads us away from God; there is no demarcation between understandable sin and non-understandable sin.  All sin is wrong.  What I believe John is talking about is literally sin that does not end with the physical death of the person.  In other words, what John is saying is that if we see someone caught in sin and they are still alive, we should pray that God will show them the error of their ways before it is too late!  If we see a person who is denying God by their lifestyle and they still have an opportunity to repent, we should pray for them that they will listen to God’s conviction before it is too late.  I believe this is what John is talking about.  We have a limited window of time to find forgiveness and relationship with God.  We should be about this.  We should be in prayer for those who still have time to find God and repent of their sinfulness.

Who fits in this category for you?  Do you find it easy to pray for those who are in active rebellion against God or is this a difficult task for you?

Third Thought:

In this light, I believe John also tells us to not worry about praying for those who have died in their sin.  In other words, if a person dies before they can reconcile their sin to God, then our prayers can do nothing for them.  They are fully in the hands of God at that point.  We should be about praying for those who still have time.

Do you ever find yourself praying about a friend or relative that may have died and their relationship with God is uncertain to you?  How might this be seen as wasted energy?  Do you agree with John in that we should focus on the living instead?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 John 5:18-21