1 John 5:13-21 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.  If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.  All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.  We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

Many of you are waging battle with your sin already.  You have successes, you have failures, but you are diligently pursuing the Lord.  If that is you today, I want you to be comforted, God is with you and for you.  My hope is that you would gain strength from this call to greater repentance and faith, and know that even as I write this – you have been prayed for.

What is the sin that leads to death?  Some would say that is failure to believe, but surely we would want to pray for THAT!  There is no greater prayer, than to pray for God to save – Only He can bring life from death, only He can make a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.  Although every sin at its core is unbelief in the gospel, I don’t believe John is talking about belief per se.  Nor do I believe John is talking about a type of sin, like say murder or abusing a child.  God is mighty to save, and there is no sin that cannot be forgiven.  Christ’s blood is precious to cover any sin.  So what is it?  It’s a pretty strong statement for John to want to relieve people from a burden to pray for someone.  My answer I believe is given in the following verse – “everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning”.  Also, we see this message earlier in 1 John 3:9 – “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”  I believe John is simply sounding a warning that there will be those who profess salvation, who make a practice of sinning, who are righteous in their own eyes, but have no true love for God.  So a sin that leads to death is not a matter of type but of depth.

Hebrews 12:15-17 – “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.  For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” 

There is a rootedness and momentum in sin.  Have you not noticed how sin, leads to sin, leads to greater sin, and onward?  There is a point at which your heart has been so hardened by sin, you are so entangled by that sin that you cannot imagine your life without it.  Repentance, turning to the Lord will be impossible.  There are people who do not want to turn away from their sin, even after pleading.  John is not saying we can’t pray for that person, only that we should not feel burdened to.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to give rest to the weary.  If they do not want to come; if they repeatedly, continually choose their sin over Christ, there are many others who are in need of the gospel and our prayers.  For those who maybe reading this and are yet unmoved, I want to take a moment to press the reality of sin into your heart.  There are some who will read this casually and set it aside; clinging to a profession they made when they were 8 years old to save them in the day of judgment.  With eternity in the balance, the most tragic words you will hear from Christ will be “begone from me, I never knew you”. I say this not of my own opinion, but Jesus says as much in Matt 7:21-23.  I pray that this message would awaken you to know that God is not mocked, if you sow to the wind, you will reap the whirlwind – the wages of sin is death.  Galatians 5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 

Here is what I want to say; while it is still today, and you still have a chance to change your mind about your sin to turn from it’s deceitful “pleasures” and turn towards joy in relationship with Jesus, do it.  Do not take today for granted, do not give sin a chance to take root.  Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him your refuge.  He will not turn you away.  Be like Joseph and run from sin (Gen 39:12)  What things are leading you away from God into sin?  What is driving you towards those things?  Keep yourself from idols in your heart’s affections for God.   Keep running the race of faith, straining forward for the upward call of Christ Jesus.

Grace be with you,
Adam