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Q: Can you please
explain 1John 5:16. This
verse confuses me. I have heard several explanations, but they don't
quite make sense. examples-do not pray for those unreceptive to the
Gospel, but the wording of the last sentence implies that you don't have
to, not don't. What do you think about it?
A:
1John
5:16-17 has always caused problems for Bible commentators. What is
the sin unto death? How do we know when someone has sinned this sin? How
do we know when to stop praying for someone?
The answer I have heard most often is this. Yes, there is a sin unto
death. For instance, those who “sleep” in
1Corinthians 11:30 are those who died because they partook of the
Lord’s Supper unworthily (v.29). However,
we cannot know when someone crosses this line. Therefore, as I was
always told, we should simply pray for everyone and let God sort things
out.
Yet, this answer does not satisfy. It does not tell us why John gave us
a command that we can not knowingly obey. In short, this interpretation
must be wrong. We need to look deeper into the passage in order to
understand what is going on. Let us see if we can approach the passage
in a way that will answer the problem.
What Kind of Prayer is in Question?
John had been teaching the effectiveness of our petitions to God. Any
prayer asked according to His will is heard (1John
5:14), and the God who hears our prayers will also grant our
petitions (v.15). Then, when we get to
verse 16, John referred to a specific kind of petition. “If any man see
his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he
shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.” Consider the
situation:
1. A man sees his brother sin a sin
2. The sin is not unto death
3. The man prays concerning the sin
4. The prayer brings life to the sinning brother
This promise deals specifically with the kind of prayer that is called
intercessory prayer. The observing brother prays in behalf of the
sinning brother and brings life to the sinning brother. He prays in the
place of another. That is, he intercedes for him.
What Exactly is Being Prayed For?
Although most people assume that the sinning brother is being prayed for
in this passage, that is not the case. The praying brother is praying in
behalf of the sinning brother, but he is praying for the sin—that is
might be forgiven and that thereby the sinning brother might be led in
the paths of life (Psalm 16:11;
Proverbs 2:18-19). Remember, when he prays
for his brother, “he shall give him life.”
Notice carefully the last part of verse 16: “There is a sin unto death:
I do not say that he shall pray for it.” John mentions the sin unto
death and counsels the praying brother not to pray for it. The pronoun,
it, would refer to the sin—not the sinner. There is no need to pray for
a sin that is unto death. Intercession is not needed in such a case.
Therefore, the prayer of this passage is not a prayer for the sinner to
get right with God or convert. It is a prayer that the sin might be
forgiven by the Lord. This may seem a minor distinction but it is
important to our understanding. This key point will help us to interpret
the passage as a whole.
What then is the Sin unto Death?
We need to consider other Bible passages at this point. Are there sins
in the Bible that are turned over to their just deserts in a way that
removes prayer for them? Yes, there are. We will look at a couple of
them.
1. In 1Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul referred to
a man who had taken his father’s wife. He declared that this level of
perversion was not even known among the Gentiles. Something had to be
done. Paul counseled the church at Corinth to “deliver such an one unto
Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in
the day of the Lord Jesus.”
2. In 1Timothy 1:19-20, Paul spoke of
Hymenaeus and Alexander. These two men had made shipwreck concerning the
faith and Paul had delivered them “unto Satan, that they may learn not
to blaspheme.”
In both cases, the men in question had gone into perversion: the first
into physical perversion; the second into doctrinal perversion. These
were not minor things, but matters of immorality or infidelity. They
involved a total and blatant rejection of the truth of God. In both
cases, Paul delivered them unto Satan.
However, this was not a condemnation to hell. In the first example, the
man repented of his sins and got right with God. The act of turning the
men over to Satan was a last act of outreach to them. Paul was removing
all the protections that prayer often provides and allowing them to
suffer for their own sins while still on earth.
These are clearly the sins unto death spoken of in
1John 5:16-17. They are outright and rebellious rejections of God and
His word. The best way for these sinners to get right with God is to remove
the hedge between them and the devil (Job 1:10).
The resulting sufferings will make them face the consequences of their sins.
We would be foolish to seek the forgiveness of these sins when the best hope
of the sinners getting right with God would be to face the consequences of
those sins.
Conclusion:
The prayer of this passage is intercessory prayer in which the praying
brother seeks forgiveness for a sin that he sees another commit. However, if
this sin is one of such proportion that scripture has taught us to turn the
person over to Satan, then a prayer for that sin should not be made. Now,
let us look at some applications.
1John dealt with those who denied that Jesus is the Christ (1John
2:22-23; 4:2, 15;
5:1). Very likely, this is one of the sins unto
death that John has in mind. In 2John 1:9, John
declared, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God.” Why should we ask God to forgive someone for the sin
of denying the person of Jesus Christ?
However, 1John 5:16-17 does not deny us the
right or responsibility of praying for the sinner. What is in question is
prayer for the sin. In fact, we should pray that the consequences of sin
should lead the sinner to God. But we should not pray that God should
forgive them of their sins on behalf of the praying brother’s prayer.
There may still be cases where it is difficult to draw the line. However,
the principle is clear. We are encouraged to pray for the forgiveness of the
sins of fellow believers when we see them do something that is in
disobedience to God. In fact, God promises to answer these prayers in their
behalf.
However, when the sins we observe are sins of high immorality or doctrinal
infidelity, the rule changes. We may pray for the sinner, but we should not
seek to intercede between the sinner and God for the sin. Their only hope to
get right with God may be to face the full consequences for their
disobedience in this life.
Till He Comes,
Pastor David Reagan