This is the final post in the series on 1 John. Much of chapter 5 has been covered in previous posts. We will just focus on 1 John 5:16-17 in this post. However, the words in these two verses can be confusing, so we will attempt to uncover what John is writing to us.
First and foremost, there is a call to intercessory prayer. “…he shall ask and God will for him give life…” We are here called to intercessory prayer, especially for those brothers and sisters whom we believe have engaged in sin. Intercessory prayer for others is vitally important, and it is an important means by which we appropriate the Holy Spirit, conviction and grace upon others. We should be giving ourselves to the practice of intercessory prayer.
Second, we must keep a primary ground rule in focus when reading verses 16 and 17. This rule is that the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23 In verse 17, John says, “All unrighteousness is sin…” Sin causes separation from God, which is spiritual death. Genesis 2:17, Ezekiel 18:4, Proverbs 11:19, Hebrews 2:2-3, James 1:15 Sin causes death, and unrighteousness is sin.
By a sin leading to death and a sin not leading to death, the older commentaries (e.g., John Wesley, Matthew Poole, John Gill and others believe death here refers to apostasy. In other words, some sin by believers does not result in apostasy (or falling away) while other sin does lead to apostasy.
Matthew Poole wrote that John “intimates they should be cautious of all sin, especially more deliberate, but would not have them account that every sin would make their case so hopeless, as such sin, which he called sinning unto death, would do.” In other words, there is a distinction in the gravity or consequences of sin.
Jesus discusses the most grievous sin, that being blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31 Jesus calls it the unpardonable sin. We also see sin resulting in serious consequences, but not apostasy, such as with Moses in Numbers 20:8-12. The sin caused Moses’ life to be shortened, so that he would not enter the promised land. However, he retained his place as the mouthpiece of God.
A sin not unto death would be those committed by believers which do not lead to falling away, but when once convicted by the Holy Spirit, they repent. We can here recall the post on 1 John 3:9, where we saw that sin will not be the practice of the righteous person who is committed to God. Verses 16 and 17 in 1 John 5 help us square the words of 1 John 3:9. In chapter 3, John is not writing that it is impossible for a believer to commit sin. If he was, then chapter 5 would result in a contradiction. Indeed, it is possible for a believer, or anyone for that matter, to sin, but the person who is committed to Christ does not make sin a practice. Further, it is possible, with God’s help, to avoid sin.
Thus, through intercessory prayer, the Holy Spirit can reveal to the person the sin which was committed, and with a tender heart toward God, lead the person to repent. 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 1:18, Heb 12:6, John 13:38, Matthew 14:26-31
A sin unto death, on the other hand, is a presumptuous sin or a willful denial of the gospel. This would be, for example, Numbers 18:22, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 1 Chronicles 2:3, 1 Kings 13, Acts 5:1-11, Hebrews 10:28, 1 Timothy 1:19-20, 1 John 2:19, 1 Timothy 4:1-4, Hebrews 3:12-19, 2 Peter 3:17, Hebrews 6:4-8.
Some would make the claim that apostasy is only possible in those who make a false profession in the first place or were never really true believers. Unfortunately, the Bible does not support this claim. In Timothy and Hebrews, for example, it is plainly and unambiguously taught that a believer may turn away from God. Vic Reasoner said it best in discussing John 12:32, “We will be drawn into perfection with Christ unless we abort the process,” or words to that effect. Israel was elected and chosen by God in the Old Testament, but in Malachi and Matthew, we see an apostate Israel receiving God’s judgment. For example, in Matthew 8:10-12, Jesus condemns chosen Israel and says that “the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness.” The root of Israel’s apostasy was unbelief and disobedience.
Sin unconfessed is, I believe, one of the surest routes to apostasy. It is like untreated cancer in the body or rust on metal. Left unchecked, it will eventually destroy and eat away everything.
1 Samuel 15 may be one of the best passages of Scripture on this point. There, Saul was given a command by God, and he partially obeyed. When Samuel called Saul out, Saul blamed the sin on the soldiers. It seemed for a moment that Saul understood the gravity of his sin. However, Samuel eventually records how Saul fell further away from God, until he eventually died a humiliating death, lost and separated from God. Samuel calls sin witchcraft and rebellion, and this sort of sin, left unchecked, leads to apostasy.
It is in those moments when we hesitate about whether to do what is right or what is wrong when we will get on the wrong path. Then, sin left unconfessed begins to crumble the structure of our souls. Let us always be praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ; let us mind the checks of the Holy Spirit; and let us be quick to obey God and to confess when we are wrong.
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