First John: 1 John 5:16-The Command to Pray for Sinning Believers and the Prohibition Not to Pray for Sinning Believers Lesson # 202

1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death, he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that. (NET)

1 John 5:16 If anyone observes carefully his fellow-believer who does not exist in the state of committing a particular type of sin resulting in death, he then must make a request so that He will graciously give to him life. I repeat-those who do not exist in the state of committing a particular type of sin resulting in death. There does exist a particular type of sin resulting in death. With this regards to this type, under no circumstances do I say that he should make a request. (My translation)

1 John 5:16 instructs the recipients of First John that they must intercede in prayer to the Father on behalf of a fellow-believer who “does not exist in the state” of committing a particular type of sin which results in their physical death.

Conversely, it also instructs the recipients of First John that they must never intercede in prayer to the Father on behalf of a fellow-believer who “does exist in the state” of committing a particular type of sin which does result in their physical death.

Verse 16 begins with the apostle John continuing his discussion regarding prayer by solemnly presenting a hypothetical situation which could possibly take place in the Christian community.

This verse asserts that if a Christian observes carefully his fellow-Christian who does not exist in the state of committing a sin resulting in death, then they must make a request of the Father on behalf of such a believer so that the Father will graciously give to this type of believer life.

This statement is not only presenting a hypothetical situation but is also expressing what is expected of the child of God when observing a fellow child of God committing a sin which does not result in death.

In other words, it is expressing the idea that the child of God is expected to intercede in prayer for a fellow-Christian who is committing a sin which does not result in death.

Of course, the believer who is obeying the command to love one another will intercede in prayer to the Father on behalf of such a believer.

This clause is then followed by a declarative statement whose subject is the antithesis of the subject of the previous statement and appositional clause since it asserts that there does exist a particular type of sin which results in death.

This is followed another declarative statement which emphasizes with the recipients of First John that they must never intercede in prayer to the Father with regards to this type of sin committed by a believer.

So there are several questions which must be answered with regards to the statements contained in 1 John 5:16.

The first is what type of sin is John talking about which does not lead to the death of the believer and secondly, what type of sin is John talking about which does lead to the death of the believer?

Connected to these two questions, is John speaking of spiritual death or physical death and furthermore, why does John command the recipients of First John to intercede in prayer for the believer who does “not” exist in the state of committing a particular type of sin which leads to death?

Why does he prohibit the recipients of First John to intercede in prayer on behalf of the believer who “does” exist in the state of committing a particular type of sin which leads to death?

First of all, the sin unto death in 1 John 5:16 is not speaking of spiritual death of the unbeliever since John is clearly addressing believers which is indicated by the fact that John employs the noun adelphos, which means “spiritual brothers and sisters, fellow-believer, fellow-Christian.”

Also, when John speaks of “death” in 1 John 5:16, he is not referring to the spiritual death of the believer or in other words, the believer out of fellowship with God, which is indicated by the fact that in 1 John 1:9 he teaches that the confession of sin to the Father is solution to loss of fellowship with God.

“Death” in 1 John 5:16 is referring to the believer suffering dying discipline as a result of refusing to repent of a particular sin or in other words, the word speaks of a believer being put to death by God as a result of unrepentantly living in apostasy because they refuse to confess this sin and live according to His will.

Paul refers to this death in 1 Corinthians 11:30.

This type of Christian who is put to death by God as a result of stubbornly refusing to repent of sin is living in “apostasy” which is used to describe the state of those Christians who were once exercising faith and obeying the Word of God but are now in the state of unbelief and thus rejecting the teaching of the Word of God.

The child of God who stubbornly refuses to confess their sins to the Father has entered into apostasy.

There are many passages in the New Testament which speak directly to apostasy in the church (cf. Acts 20:28-30; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 1:3-11; 18-20; 4:1-6; 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 1:15; 2:16-18; 3:1-9; 4:1-4; Tit. 1:10-14; 3 John).

The believer living in apostasy must repent in order to escape this terrible state.

In relation to the Christian, repentance involves confession of sin to be restored to fellowship with God (1 John 1:9).

This fellowship is maintained by obedience to the Word of God (1 John 2:3-6).

So therefore, in 1 John 5:16, when the apostle John refers to a Christian who exists in the state of committing a particular type of sin which results in their death, he is referring to the Father disciplining this believer as a result of the latter refusing to repent of this sin by confessing this sin and obeying the Father’s will.

This type of believer is in apostasy and so John is teaching that the child of God in apostasy will be disciplined by God.

If they refuse to repent, they will be disciplined or in other words, if the child of God stubbornly refuses to confess their sins to the Father, they will be disciplined by God.

There are three categories of divine discipline (punishment) for the disobedient child of God: (1) Warning (Rev. 3:20; James 5:9) (2) Intense (Ps. 38:1; 2 Th. 2:11). (3) Dying (Jer. 9:16; 44:12; Phlp. 3:18-19; Re. 3:16; Ps. 118:17-18; 1 Jo. 5:16).

The believer in apostasy is not only subject to divine discipline by God but also discipline from the church.

In fact, one of the ways that God disciplines the apostate believer is through the church.

Church discipline is taught in Matthew 18:15-18, Romans 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:6-11; Galatians 6:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-16; 2 Timothy 2:23-26; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11.

The purpose of church discipline is always restoration and not revenge and is to deliver the offender from sinful patterns of behavior and not to drive him or her away from the fellowship of the church.

The church’s attitude is to be one of love and gentleness (Galatians 6:1-3).

The scriptural procedure for administering church discipline is clear and specific steps are prescribed in Matthew 18:15-17.

We must first go to the offender in private and seek to correct the situation privately (Matthew 18:15).

One must express genuine appreciation for the person who is the offender and one is to bring out in the conversation their good qualities and we must listen to the other person’s side of the story and seek the facts in the interest of truth and fairness.

If the person fails to respond, warn them that, according to the instructions of Scripture (Matt. 18:16), you will have to get others as witnesses and return with them to deal with the problem and if further action is necessary, it is to be taken before the whole church (2 Thess. 3:14-15; Matt. 18:17; 1 Tim. 5:20).

2 Thessalonians 3:14 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 along with Matthew 18:17 indicate that the church is to exercise group disapproval by way of social ostracism (refusal to have intimate fellowship).

If this does not work, the church is to remove the offender from the church fellowship and this must be approved of and done by the entire congregation (2 Cor. 2:6).

So therefore, in 1 John 5:16, when John refers to a particular type of sin which results in death, he is speaking of “unrepentant” sin and specifically, it is a sin which a believer has not repented of despite going through the process of church discipline.

Conversely, when he refers to a particular type of sin which does not lead to the death of the believer, he is referring to sin committed by a believer in which they have “not” demonstrated a stubborn refusal to repent of sin.

John prohibits the Christian from interceding in prayer to the Father on behalf of a believer who exists in the state of committing unrepentant sin which results in death because they have gone through the process of church discipline and are still unrepentant.

They are removed from the fellowship of the church and the church is instructed not to intercede in prayer since they have rejected the Holy Spirit’s rebuke and discipline which He administers through the church.

On the other hand, he commands the recipients of First John to intercede in prayer on behalf of the Christian who is not committing a sin leading to death because they have “not” demonstrated a stubbornness to repent.

In fact, they have not gone through all three phases of church discipline yet.

Thus, if the Christian has gone through this process of church discipline and still refuses to repent, then the church is not to pray for this individual as John prescribes here in 1 John 5:16.

Conversely, the church is to intercede in prayer to the Father on behalf of a believer who is not committing a sin leading to death so that this type of believer does repent of their sin.