1 John 5:16-18

Introduction

As this is arguably the most difficult chapter to interpret in 1 John, these verses are possibly the most difficult in the chapter. Much attention is given to "the sin to death" and its ambiguity, while other words/phrases can cause equal confusion.

Again, it is critical for us to remember the problem is not in the Scriptures, nor was John's text less inspired than other texts. The problem is our sin nature, which taints our submission to what the text says.

Keeping in mind that the previous passage (13-15) directly speaks to the believers' ministry in prayer (We can know we are His. By being His child, we know He hears our prayers. Because He hears our prayers, He will fulfill His will...conforming us to the image of His Son.), John now speaks to the specific prayer ministry from believer to believer.

Commentary

v 16
Sees--John is not saying you have to directly witness your brother's sin. While the word here can (and often does) mean to "see with the eyes," the word can also mean "to know or perceive." Therefore, just as witnesses in the church discipline process (Matthew 18:15-20) are not necessarily observers of the particular sin offense, but there to oversee the interaction and the brother's attitude, John is not requiring that only eyewitness observations of sin may be prayed for.

However, it should be equally stated that John did not choose to use the word "hear." John is not encouraging the believer to participate in rumor or gossip, assuming their brother has sinned simply because of an alleged tale. John is encouraging the person who has perceived that a brother has sinned to make a request.

his brother--While John regularly uses the term "brother" to refer to fellow believers, this does not have to be the case. In fact, as John has been trying to help the church see the distinction between genuine brothers and those who merely profess to be their brother, he often simply uses the term "brother" for each. Evidence of this can be seen in 2:11, 3:10, 3:15, 3:17, and 4:20. Therefore, it is not necessary for us to deal with the "sin to death" as something a believer must be capable of committing.

a sin not to death--This is the literal rendering, though "a sin leading to death" can accurately convey John's intent, I believe the word "leading" can cause people to think this is speaking of physical death. I do not believe that is John's intent, but a discussion on what "a sin not to death" means will be explained when we look at "a sin to death" below.

he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not to death.--Even in the Greek, this is a bit awkward and clunky. Literally, it should read: "he shall ask and he will for him give life, those who commit sin not to death." For sake of interpretation, many translations change the underlined pronoun to "God" for they believe this is what John intended. However, this is not an syntactical (based upon language) decision, but a doctrinal one. It seems inconsistent to with Scripture to credit a believer with giving life, instead of directing that gift to God. However, the Scriptures have before made such a suggestion:

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.--James 5:19-20

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.--Jude 17-23

Therefore, I do not believe it is necessary to change the pronoun to a reference to God (which is grammatically difficult to justify). John can speak here as a brother's prayer being a secondary agent without neglecting that it is clearly God's work to give life. Simply the action of asking/requesting shows the brother does not consider himself personally capable of effecting this change. He is calling upon God to give life to his brother, understanding God is the primary agent.

a sin to death--What is the "sin to death." There are differing opinions:

1. Physical death. Clearly, there are sins that can lead to physical death. Not only can some ravage our bodies and cause us to physically break down, Paul even tells us that some believers are killed by God due to their sinful attitude (1 Corinthians 11:30). However, John's emphasis does not appear to be on the physical. He states that "he will to him give life" and every time 1 John uses life the author is speaking toward eternal life. (The same argument could be made toward 1 John's usage of death.)

2. Loss of salvation. Not only is this problematic with other passages in Scripture (Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:31-39, and John 10...just to name three texts), it is also problematic for this passage. In verse 18, John clearly says that the one who is born of God cannot be touched by the evil one. Therefore, John affirms the eternal security of the beleiver in this very passage.

3. Apostasy. Understanding that "brother" does not have to mean a believer (see above), John appears to be speaking of the person who turns from God, though at one time professed to be a part of the community. This would be consistent with the unpardonable sin as blasphemy of the Spirit. This would be the person which 1 John 2:18-19 calls the antichrist. This person has professed to be a believer (for they professed to be of us), but showed they were not by leaving. Hebrews 6:1-8 also seems to shed light upon this.

Since we cannot see the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), members of a church are left to assess confessions and fruit. A person may claim to be a believer, may participate in ordinances, may show and obedience that appears to be fruit and may even instruct others accurately in the faith, but this does not mean for sure that they are a believer. John has already explained to us (2:19) that if the person were to depart either in faith or in practice, that would be the sign that they were not truly of us.

So why wouldn't John simply say this? Well, apostasy, by definition, is difficult to classify. A bold non-believer (either antagonistic or simply apathetic toward the message) is not an apostate, they are simply just an unbeliever. Even one who claims to be a Christian but clearly rejects (either in ignorance or rebellion) the gospel is not an apostate, they too are simply a non-believer. To "qualify" as an apostate...the person once looked like a believer (including professing Christ) but later abandons. It can often look confusing in Scripture, because it almost looks like a person lost their salvation, for similar to John calling them "brother" (see above) it could cause some to read the text and think the person really was saved.

It appears that A rebellion against Christ and His gospel, from a person who once professed Him, is the sin to death.

So is it wrong to pray for an apostate? Some people wonder if it wrong to pray for an apostate person. Without committing too much time to that issue right now, I do think it is important to notice that is not the direct point of John's statement. He is not writing to dissuade a person from praying for an apostate person, he is writing to encourage the person to pray for their brother committing the sin not leading to death.

v 17
All unrighteousness is sin. This may seem like "well duh" redundancy until we look at it closer. What we translate as "unrighteousness" is actually the word for righteousness with an "a" preceding it. Just like atheism means one who is not a theist and atypical means not typical. Similarly, John is saying "all that is not righteous is sin." John is reminding us that all sin causes us to fall short of the glory of God. We may be tempted to think that since all sin does not lead to death, sin is not a problem. However, any act, thought or word which is not righteous is sin.

v 18
Is Born of God. In the 6 verses using "born" from 1 John, John clearly refers to believers. This language clearly points a person back to John 3:1-21...that the Spirit does the work of causing a person to be born again, trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. The person here is clearly one who is in a right relationship with God through the work of Jesus Christ.

No one who is born of God sins. John has already clearly spoken against "sinless perfection" (1 John 1:5-10). Similar to the language in 3:7-10, John is speaking against perpetual, unrepentant sin. A genuine believer will not spiral into the sin leading to death, for he is protected by...

He who was born of God. In 5:1, John has already spoken of the believer and of Jesus being born of God. The contrast between "is" and "was" helps us see the shift in his focus. A believer does not need to fear the evil one because he is protected by Jesus Christ Himself. He (a believer) will not commit the sin to death because He (the Savior) will not allow it!

the evil one does not touch him. Satan may rule this world right now, but it is not a sovereign rule. He is not free to act and will however he pleases. Even his rebellion is submitted to the permission of the Father. Therefore, with Christ guarding the life of the believer, He does not need to worry about the attack of Satan, for Christ is protecting him. (Conversely, this also means the Christian practice of blaming our sin upon Satan is not good theology. If he cannot touch us, then we cannot blame our actions on him. See James 1:12-18 for a better explanation regarding sin.)

Exposition

As said earlier, the Scriptures teach that a believer cannot lose their salvation. The classic fear generated which resists this view claims that all motivation to serve God is gone. If a person is saved, and they cannot lose their salvation, what is the purpose of pursuing Christ...does it really matter? However, this passage encourages us to pray for our brother (or sister) who is sinning. While John concludes the message reminding us that Satan cannot touch us, he begins the passage by sharing one way God protects the believer.

The church is a necessary component of the process. God will use the prayers of fellow believers to help call a child from their sin. Your prayers can be instrumental in calling a brother away from their sin. Of course, to do so, you must be involved closely in one another's lives.

God saves His children and causes them to be born again. He also keeps them and prevents them from falling away. He guards them so that the evil one cannot even touch them. However, He does not do this in completely inexplicable ways. In His great grace, He has given us one another, to hold each other accountable, to know each other, to pray for one another and even confront one another. He is the One who makes His bride spotless and will present her to Himself, but He even uses members of the bride to help one other become more radiant.

Conclusion

This kind of love for one another, and these kind of prayers for one another's lives surely cannot come from isolated contact. The church cannot be the kind of place where a person sneaks in the back, sits and slips out the door when it is over. A person causes the body to suffer (and their own walk) when they neglect the public assembly (Hebrews 10:19-25. It is foolish for a person to say that they do not need the church for they know they are a believer and God will keep them from swaying. They are turning from one of the very means God has provided to keep them from perpetual sin.

If people do not know you well enough to know how to pray for you when you sin, then you need to get involved with others so that they can. If you are not getting involved in others lives, so that you can pray for them when they sin, you are neglecting your responsibility to others. If your walk is aloof and detached from others, you are not living God's righteous desire.

And as John has just reminded us, if it isn't righteous, it is sin.

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Small groups questions and sermon audio for this passage can be found in the Greenville Grace resources section.