Sin Not Leading To Death

 John’s first letter contains a fascinating section on praying for others in 5.16-17. “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. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.”

What is the difference between sins that “lead to death” and those that don’t? John does not have a list of really bad transgressions in mind, like the man-made distinction of “seven deadly sins.” John clearly states that “all wrongdoing is sin” in vs. 17. Also, no one is unforgivable because they’ve committed a certain kind of evil. For example, Jesus told the condemned criminal on the cross that he would be with him in paradise that day (Luke 23.43). Indeed, the gospel was first preached in Acts to the original murderers of Jesus himself – “You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2.23, 36).

Sins that “lead to death” are sins that are not cleansed by Jesus. If a Christian intentionally “keeps on sinning” (1.18) and knowingly “walks in darkness” (1.6), their sins remain. Therefore, it is pointless for Christians to ask Jesus to forgive other brothers who are not interested in forgiveness. This is similar to God’s blunt instruction to Jeremiah the prophet to not pray for the Israelite people to which he prophesied because of their stubborn pursuit of idolatrous sin (Jeremiah 7.16, 11.14, 14.11).

On the contrary, sins that “do not lead to death,” are sins in the life of one who is committed to “walking in the light” with Jesus (1.5-10). For one who is openly confessing sin, acknowledging to God and others that they are in need of Jesus’ blood, forgiveness is continually given to that brother. John’s words fall right into line with James 5.16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.” It is entirely appropriate to offer intercessory prayers on the behalf of sincere Christians. In doing so, we imitate the actions of our Lord. For example, he prayed on behalf of Peter when he knew Satan would attack him the night Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22.32). Jesus calls for this kind of love in the lives of his disciples. Instead of passively watching the weaknesses of others in pride and cynicism, the Lord desires us to watch our brothers for the purpose of actively helping them take their transgressions to him.                            ~Nathan Combs