1 John 5:16 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.
Here is "Ancient Christian Commentary Series" on this verse from church ancients... Origen, Augustine, Bede.
5:16 Mortal and Nonmortal Sins SOME SINS ARE UNTO DEATH. ORIGEN: Since there are sins "unto death," it follows that anyone who commits one of them will die as a result. SERMONS ON LEVITICUS
SELF-CONTRADICTORY TO PRAY THAT SOME SIN BE FORGIVEN. AUGUSTINE: Even though the Lord commands us to pray for our very persecutors, this passage clearly shows that there are some brothers for whom we are not commanded to pray. We therefore must acknowledge that there are some sins among the brothers which are worse than persecution by enemies. I think that the sin of a brother is unto death when anyone who has attained a knowledge of God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ opposes the brotherhood and is aroused by the fires of envy against that very grace by which he was reconciled to God. COMMENTARY ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
BEDE:672-735ad These are things which are asked for according to God's will, because they are part of what it means to love our brothers. John is talking here about trivial, everyday sins which are hard to avoid but which are easy to put right. The question of what constitutes a mortal sin is very difficult, and it is hard to accept that there are people whom John tells us not to pray for, when our Lord tells us that we should pray for those who persecute us. The only answer to this is that there must be sins committed within the fellowship of the brothers which are even more serious than persecution from outside enemies. Mortal sin therefore occurs when a brother opposes the fellowship after he has come to acknowledge God by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ given to him and when he starts to fight against that grace, by which he has been reconciled to God, with the weapons of hatred. A nonmortal sin is one which does not infringe on brotherly love but merely fails to show it adequately because of some weakness of the mind. ON 1 JOHN.
the words knowing the judgements of God, implies they have a knowledge of God
Whether they profess to be a Christian or not
the righteous judgements of the Holy, Holy, Holy God will find them out! Hebrews 4:12,13
& will reward them according to their deeds, if not confessed with a godly sorrow unto repentance & forsaken, which is a reward according to their deeds also.
It is my belief that God (the True Author of Scripture) is speaking of our testimony. You see, all sin leads unto death; "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 KJV. So how can there be a sin that leads NOT unto death? The only thing that makes sense is God is speaking of our testimony; you see, Christ's most scathing rebuke is "hypocrite". Keeping this in mind, hypocrisy "kills" our testimony! I can admit I'm a sinner and still Proclaim Christ's Healing in my life! For instance: If I proclaim that God healed me of drug addiction, yet I'm found to still be doing drugs I'm a hypocrite and "kill" my testimony. Yet, if I admit that I'm a sinner AND still suffer a multitude of sinful desires, but I proclaim that God healed my drug addiction fully to the point of destroying ALL desire for drug use, then, if I'm caught in sexual immorality I'm a sinner, yet if I never do another drug again then my sin of sexual immorality takes NOTHING away from my proclamation of God Healing me of drug addiction. Thus, there is a sin unto death and a sin NOT unto death; it's death of our Testimony! Above ALL knowledge of scripture, above ALL theological teachings, and above ALL religions is the testimony of The Lord Jesus Christ's Healing power in our lives. Testimony is actual PROOF that God is real!
It says, If any man see his brother, that is, a Christian, sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.
It's God's will that if I see a brother or sister involved in a sin that is not unto death, and that's the rejection of Christ, but I can pray for every born again believer, and God will minister to them, because God will not allow His people to live in habitual sin, and I can pray according to His will.
But then he goes on to say that there is a sin unto death: And I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1 John 5:17 says that all unrighteousness is sin. That's the non-believer.And there is a sin that's not unto death.
All the sins that Christians commit are not unto death. The only sin in the bible that is unto death is in Matthew 12:31-32.
Jesus said wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
The Holy Spirit is here to convict people of their need of Christ. If you reject His testimony, you have committed the unpardonable sin.
So he says I can't pray for someone who is rejecting Christ. I can't pray for them to get saved because that's between them and God. I just pray for His will to be done.
What is this sin that is unto death?
5:16 Mortal and Nonmortal Sins SOME SINS ARE UNTO DEATH. ORIGEN: Since there are sins "unto death," it follows that anyone who commits one of them will die as a result. SERMONS ON LEVITICUS
SELF-CONTRADICTORY TO PRAY THAT SOME SIN BE FORGIVEN. AUGUSTINE: Even though the Lord commands us to pray for our very persecutors, this passage clearly shows that there are some brothers for whom we are not commanded to pray. We therefore must acknowledge that there are some sins among the brothers which are worse than persecution by enemies. I think that the sin of a brother is unto death when anyone who has attained a knowledge of God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ opposes the brotherhood and is aroused by the fires of envy against that very grace by which he was reconciled to God. COMMENTARY ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
BEDE:672-735ad These are things which are asked for according to God's will, because they are part of what it means to love our brothers. John is talking here about trivial, everyday sins which are hard to avoid but which are easy to put right. The question of what constitutes a mortal sin is very difficult, and it is hard to accept that there are people whom John tells us not to pray for, when our Lord tells us that we should pray for those who persecute us. The only answer to this is that there must be sins committed within the fellowship of the brothers which are even more serious than persecution from outside enemies. Mortal sin therefore occurs when a brother opposes the fellowship after he has come to acknowledge God by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ given to him and when he starts to fight against that grace, by which he has been reconciled to God, with the weapons of hatred. A nonmortal sin is one which does not infringe on brotherly love but merely fails to show it adequately because of some weakness of the mind. ON 1 JOHN.
Romans 1:21-32
Romans 1:32
the words knowing the judgements of God, implies they have a knowledge of God
Whether they profess to be a Christian or not
the righteous judgements of the Holy, Holy, Holy God will find them out! Hebrews 4:12,13
& will reward them according to their deeds, if not confessed with a godly sorrow unto repentance & forsaken, which is a reward according to their deeds also.
It is my belief that God (the True Author of Scripture) is speaking of our testimony. You see, all sin leads unto death; "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 KJV. So how can there be a sin that leads NOT unto death? The only thing that makes sense is God is speaking of our testimony; you see, Christ's most scathing rebuke is "hypocrite". Keeping this in mind, hypocrisy "kills" our testimony! I can admit I'm a sinner and still Proclaim Christ's Healing in my life! For instance: If I proclaim that God healed me of drug addiction, yet I'm found to still be doing drugs I'm a hypocrite and "kill" my testimony. Yet, if I admit that I'm a sinner AND still suffer a multitude of sinful desires, but I proclaim that God healed my drug addiction fully to the point of destroying ALL desire for drug use, then, if I'm caught in sexual immorality I'm a sinner, yet if I never do another drug again then my sin of sexual immorality takes NOTHING away from my proclamation of God Healing me of drug addiction. Thus, there is a sin unto death and a sin NOT unto death; it's death of our Testimony! Above ALL knowledge of scripture, above ALL theological teachings, and above ALL religions is the testimony of The Lord Jesus Christ's Healing power in our lives. Testimony is actual PROOF that God is real!
The sin unto death is the rejection of Christ.
It says, If any man see his brother, that is, a Christian, sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.
It's God's will that if I see a brother or sister involved in a sin that is not unto death, and that's the rejection of Christ, but I can pray for every born again believer, and God will minister to them, because God will not allow His people to live in habitual sin, and I can pray according to His will.
But then he goes on to say that there is a sin unto death: And I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1 John 5:17 says that all unrighteousness is sin. That's the non-believer.And there is a sin that's not unto death.
All the sins that Christians commit are not unto death. The only sin in the bible that is unto death is in Matthew 12:31-32.
Jesus said wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
The Holy Spirit is here to convict people of their need of Christ. If you reject His testimony, you have committed the unpardonable sin.
So he says I can't pray for someone who is rejecting Christ. I can't pray for them to get saved because that's between them and God. I just pray for His will to be done.
Hope this helps!
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