At the end of John’s first epistle, he mentioned two different kinds of sins – one that leads to death and one that does not lead to death. What was he talking about? Is there a certain class of sins that God permits or tolerates and, therefore, allows them to go unpunished? Or does John mean something else? Notice what he wrote:
“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:16-17).
This is a difficult passage, and some portions of Scripture are like that (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). We must take care not to misinterpret it, but we can understand it (cf. Ephesians 3:4). To do this, we must seek to harmonize it with the rest of Scripture.
Key Words
First, we need to understand the key words used in the passage above:
- Sin (Greek: hamartia) – The word John uses for sin is the same word used elsewhere in the New Testament. It is a violation of God’s law, and he identified it as “lawlessness” earlier in this epistle (1 John 3:4). Jesus warned about the danger of being enslaved to sin (John 8:34), and Paul plainly stated that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
- Death (Greek: thanatos) – Paul told the Romans, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This is not physical death. Even infants, who have never committed a sin, sometimes die unexpectedly and tragically. Instead, the “death” we receive as a payment due to us for our sin is in contrast with the “eternal life” offered by Christ. Jesus offers a reward in heaven with Him for eternity. The “death” of this verse is the punishment in hell as one is separated from God for eternity.
- Unrighteousness (Greek: adikia) – This is the standard usage of the word. It refers to iniquity or wickedness. Peter used this word in his rebuke of Simon for attempting to buy the gift of God with money: “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity [Greek: adikia]” (Acts 8:23).
- Ask (Greek: aiteo) – In this context, this refers to prayer to God. Immediately before this, John explained that we must ask according to God’s will when we pray (1 John 5:14-15). We have the assurance that when we ask “according to His will,” God hears us and blesses us according to His will.
In this passage, John was describing an action one might take that violates the law of God and makes him guilty of practicing unrighteousness. Some who do this will receive the punishment of death, while others will escape that. What is the difference?
Possible Interpretations
What is a sin that is not leading to death? There are a few possibilities that one might suggest:
- Forgiven sin – This fits with the part about sin not leading to death. God promised that, under the new covenant, He would “be merciful…and…remember [our] sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12). But John’s statement about petitioning God on this person’s behalf does not fit with this interpretation. There is no point in asking for our brother to be restored to God if he has already been forgiven.
- Excused sin – This does not fit with what the Bible teaches about God’s judgment of sin. As we have noted, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Paul wrote earlier, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). We must not make excuses for sin when God said He will punish it. He may forgive sin, but He will not excuse it.
- Perceived sin – This means we see someone doing something that we think is a sin, but it is not. But in this case, there is no reason for God to “give life” to this brother as a result of our prayer, because he already stands justified before the Lord (cf. Romans 14:4).
So if none of the above possibilities adequately explain the passage, what was John talking about?
This is not about a particular sin or type of sin. Instead, this is about one’s attitude toward sin. It has to do with whether one is willing to repent of sin or has hardened his heart and given himself over to sin.
The Two Sins Mentioned
The first is “a sin not leading to death.” The New Testament helps explain what type of sin this is. Notice a few points:
- John said we are to petition God on this person’s behalf. This is what Simon asked the apostles to do when he fell into sin following his conversion (Acts 8:22-24). He recognized his error and wanted to be right with God again.
- The reason why someone in this position would respond in this way is because he experiences godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Paul explained that this type of “sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
- We can then help restore this person who has been caught up in a trespass (Galatians 6:1), bringing him back to God and welcoming him back among the people of God.
The second is “a sin leading to death.” Notice how this is different from the first sin:
- We are not to petition God on this person’s behalf – at least for their forgiveness – because it would do no good since he refuses to repent. In Jeremiah’s day, because the people of God had gone so far into sin, the Lord told the prophet, “As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you” (Jeremiah 7:16). Some people get themselves into the same condition today, and we cannot pray to God to forgive them unless they repent.
- Rather than experiencing godly sorrow, this person no longer feels guilt for sin. He is like those who have become “seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Timothy 4:2), and they have forgotten “how to blush” and feel shame for their sin (Jeremiah 6:15).
- When a person reaches this point, it is impossible for us to restore him. The Hebrew writer described this tragic condition: “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6). This does not mean that they might never have a change of heart. Instead, the point is that we cannot restore them until they have a change of heart.*
The person who commits “a sin not leading to death” recognizes his fault and is open to being restored. The one who commits “a sin leading to death” has no interest in giving up his sin and returning to the Lord.
Lessons for All of Us
First, sin is not to be taken lightly. When John said, “All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death” (1 John 5:17), he was not minimizing the problem of sin. Some of the Christians in Rome did this, which led them to think they could “continue in sin so that grace may increase” (Romans 6:1), yet Paul made it very clear that they were not to continue living in it.
Second, we must continually strive for perfection. Earlier in this epistle, John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin…” (1 John 2:1). That was the goal – to not sin. Our goal should not be to find the “right way” to sin so that we can avoid punishment. We must strive to follow Christ and His sinless example (1 Peter 2:21-22).
Third, when we sin, we must repent. We are to “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light” (1 John 1:7). However, we may slip back into sin from time to time. When this happens, we must “confess our sins, [because] He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We should always recognize our need for God’s mercy (cf. Luke 18:13).
Finally, we need to recognize that we can be hardened by sin. The Hebrew writer warned about this: “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13). This can happen to any of us. Even the more spiritually-minded brethren were told to be on guard “so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
Conclusion
All sin is contrary to the law of God, and He is just in punishing those who commit sin. At the same time, all sin can be forgiven through the blood of Christ, which He shed on the cross. Whether our sins will be punished or forgiven depends on our response to the gospel. Will we turn from our sin and accept the Lord’s offer of forgiveness on His terms? Or will we stubbornly continue in sin and refuse to turn from it? That choice is ours to make.
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* For more on Hebrews 6:4-6, see the article, Impossible to Renew the Fallen.
