Bible Study on 1John 5, verses 14 to 17, a sin not unto death

 

1John 5:14 ¶  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 16  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. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17  All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Here is a key to answered prayer, asking according to His will. It seems to me that God, who is all knowing, sees every event of past and future as having already happened, in keeping with our assumption of His knowledge. Therefore, all events and outcomes are known and, yes, before time began He would have known your circumstance and your prayer and what His answer to your prayer will be has already been determined. This does not deny your free will but just underscores His omniscience.

Matthew 7:7 ¶  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

But it often doesn’t go as we would like. God’s will for our lives can be painful.

2Corinthians 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

This part of John’s letter agrees with;

 

John 14:12 ¶  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 

John 16:23 ¶  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

 

I have waded through many commentaries on this passage and seen many disagreements on what it means. So here is my conclusion from prayer, reflection, and study. This part of 1John 5, in context as part of John’s conclusion to his letter, is a reference to praying for the living, not the dead. Your prayer for a brother or sister in Christ or an unbeliever who has the chance to repent and turn from their sins and in the latter case turn and receive Christ is honored by God but it is pointless to pray for someone whose sin has killed them. Our fates are sealed at our death and the believer who has fallen into sin and died will face Christ at His judgment seat and the unbeliever will face God’s wrath at the Great White Throne judgment.

Romans 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

2Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Revelation 20:11 ¶  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 

 

We pray for others who are physically alive and can repent of their wrongs against God, not for the dead who are facing one kind of judgment or another. I suspect from reading the Bible that the Christian will cry when he faces his sin before Christ and Christ will wipe away those tears and that the person who has refused Christ will have to shout, “Amen!” as he or she falls into a burning eternity of agony. A Bible believer does not pray for the dead although Paul references a group of Christians who are baptized for the dead in an obscure reference in 1Corinthians 15:29 which may refer to Gnostic cults already at work. Some references say that the Marcionites will practice this from the middle of the second century.

In the context of John’s letter I believe that this is part of our love for the brethren, praying that they be delivered from their sins and given a heart to repent and turn fully to God. God’s acknowledgement of our prayers of intercession can keep a brother or sister from death. I have often prayed for someone I knew was suffering emotionally that they not only be delivered of their suffering but that they not commit suicide.  We all sin but we are blessed by God to not die as a result of a sin. There are many other interpretations of this passage, as I have read.