QUESTION
1 John 5:16 (NCV) mentions sins that don't lead to eternal death... what's the difference between "sins that lead to death" and "sins that don't lead to death?"
ANSWER
Thanks for the great question.
This is definitely a difficult passage to say the least. In fact, there are many different interpretations and theories as to what John could be talking about in this verse. Now, let me first say that I do not claim to know with absolute certainty what this passage means. However, like many others I too have an opinion on it. Therefore, we will touch on four well known/accepted interpretations on this passage and I will add my comments to each one. In addition, after we’ve finished going through the well-known theories; I’ll give you my personal interpretation on it.
Now, before we begin, we’ll need to first establish the context of this verse. Let’s look at the whole passage here.. 1 John 5:16 “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.”
We see that John begins by first establishing that the context here is a “brother sinning a sin”. By “brother”, John is speaking of fellow believers, i.e. Christians. Therefore, he speaks of Christians sinning a sin that “does not lead to death” and Christians who sin a sin “leading to death”. With this understanding we can now begin to look at some of the interpretations on how this would fit with Christians. So.. with that being said, let us begin.
Possible Interpretations
| Interpretation 1: |
| The first interpretation is based on the idea of someone sinning a sin that results in spiritual death. In other words, there are passages that speak of sins that cross a certain spiritual line and thus insinuate that a person has reached a point of no return. For example: |
| Matthew 12:32 [Jesus Speaking] “………. whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” |
| Hebrews 6:4-6 4….it is impossible for those who ……have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God…….. 6if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. |
| Rev 14:9-11 Then a third angel… saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark …… he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, …… He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…… no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." |
| AS you can see from these passages, there are certain sins that seemingly have no way out of its consequences once a person has crossed that line. In other words, it seems that there’s certain things a believer or unbeliever could do that would result in complete apostasy, leading to a state that is hopeless. Therefore, the idea under this interpretation is: |
| The “sin that leads to death” is one of these sins that have crossed a spiritual line. |
| The “Sin not leading to death” is all other sins that can be forgiven. |
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| Comments on Interpretation 1: |
| I see one main problem in this interpretation of John referring to spiritual lines being crossed. If this idea is correct and John was indeed referring to people crossing the spiritual line then we would have to know the unknown. In other words, if “sin that leads to death” means one who has crossed the line, then, how would we know? How do we know with absolute certainty if someone has crossed a line or has reached a point of never being willing to repent? These are issues of the heart and only God knows such things. |
| There are many testimonies out there of people, who before coming to Christ, were harden towards God and even acted as though they hated Him. Yet, through God leading other people to pray and share the Good News with them and God working in their hardened hearts, their walls began to break. Before they knew it they were accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior and beginning a new life in Christ! |
| So you see, there are many people that fit the description as hardened and cold towards God, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray for them or that there’s no chance for them… Only God knows his or her heart and unless He reveals it to someone then there‘s no way to know. Therefore, I just don’t see how John could be talking about this. |
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| Interpretation 2: |
| Some have suggested that this passage deals with Jewish laws. Meaning, there were laws back in those times that called for the death penalty for certain sins(crimes) and laws that did not call for the death penalty. For example: Under Jewish laws, sins that called for Death Penalty were-- Idolatry, Blasphemy, Incest, Premeditated Murder, etc. Sins that do NOT call for Death Penalty were – transgressions of innocence, accidental murder, premarital sex, etc. So the idea here with this interpretation is: |
| The “sin that leads to death” is sins that call for the death penalty under Jewish law |
| The “sin not leading to death” are sins that do NOT call for the death penalty under Jewish law. |
| Interpretation 3: |
| This interpretation is along the same line as the last one but instead of it concerning Jewish laws it would be whatever the laws of the land were (i.e. the governing nation). In other word, during the time John wrote those words, Israel was under Roman control and had to abide by their rules. Rome had certain laws that called for the death penalty if broken, while other laws called for punishment only, but not death,. This would apply to countries/nation today for example the United States has certain states that use the death penalty for certain crimes. Therefore, the idea with this interpretation is: |
| The “sin that leads to death” is sins that call for the death penalty under ANY governing law. |
| The “Sin not leading to death” are sins that do NOT call for the death penalty. |
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| Comments on Interpretation 2 and 3 |
| I see a problem here with these two interpretations. First of all, why would it be wrong to pray for someone who has been locked up for a crime and has been sentenced to death (i.e. put on death row)? There are many Christians who are locked up and put on death row simply because they preach Jesus in spite of the laws of the land (i.e. China). Why couldn’t we pray that God be with them and give them strength? Why couldn’t we pray for their release? The answer is we should pray for them.. For example: In Acts 12:1-17 we find Peter being locked up for preaching the Gospel. Verse 5 say’s “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church”. So here we see constant prayer being done for a fellow believer who’s in prison and awaiting a death penalty. Interestingly enough, it was God who broke Peter out of prison. |
Also, there’s no doubt whatsoever that there have been innocent people that have been put on death row for crimes they did not commit.. Why would is be wrong to pray for them? Why couldn’t we pray that the truth come out and they be spared? Once again, the answer is we should be praying for those people.
Now, as for those who actually did commit a crime worthy of the death penalty… Surely it couldn’t be wrong to pray that they accept Jesus before they’re put to death? There are many accounts of people accepting Jesus on death row. In fact we see in Luke 23:39-43 that there were two other men being crucified next to Jesus and just moments before dying one of them believed and accepted Jesus as the his Messiah.
| Therefore, it seems to me that there’s nothing wrong with praying for someone who has been put on death row and awaiting their death penalty. I personally don’t see how these two interpretation concerning law line up with scripture in any way. So, to me, these are not the right answers. |
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| Interpretation 4: |
| This interpretation deals with sins committed within certain spiritual issues and resulting in physical death. For example, we see in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Paul was rebuking the people who lived in Corinth for abusing and mistaking the Lord’s Supper (communion). Now, as he was addressing this issue he say’s in verses 27, 29 and 30 concerning partaking in the Lord’s Supper in a wrongful manner, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord…….. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” |
As you can see, not only were people becoming weak and sick from abusing the Lord’s Supper, but also many were asleep i.e. dead. So here was a sin that dealt with spiritual matters and people physically died as a result.
| Another good example would be Acts 5:1-11 where we read about two people who physically died as a result of lying to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, there seem to be some sins that involve spiritual matters and could result in physical death., So.. The idea here is: |
| The “Sin that leads to death” is one of these sins that deal with spiritual matters resulting in physical death. |
| The “Sin not leading to death” is all other sins that can be forgiven. |
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| Comments on Interpretation 4: |
| I personally have no problem with this interpretation. There is more I would like to comment with this interpretation but I will wait until I go through the last one. Both this and the next one have one point in common. |
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| Interpretation 5: |
| This last one is my personal opinion on it, which is based on a simplistic reading of the passage. Basically, sin that leads to death and sin not leading to death is exactly that. In other words, are there not sins that result in death? For example: If I rob a bank and get shot in the process then my sin has resulted in death. If I overdose on drugs and die, then my sin led to death. If I break the speed limit driving in my car and die as a result then my sin has led me to death. On the other hand there are sins that don’t necessarily lead to death. If I cuss, I have sinned but it has not killed me. If I lie to my boss about why I was late then yes I have sinned but it didn’t kill me. |
In my opinion, if John were talking about a special types of sin then I would think he would have clearly said so. Therefore, I see no reason why John simply couldn’t be talking about common sins that can result in physical death (i.e. such as the examples I gave).
Now, I realize that this still doesn’t quite answer why John tells us not to pray those who have sinned a sin that led to death. This is where both 4 and 5 share a common understanding.
Interpretation 4 and 5 both suggest that “sin leading to death” means literal physical death as a result of sin. Interpretation 4 is based on spiritual sin and the other on common sin, but either way the end result is the same, actual physical death. Therefore, John is actually giving us a very important instruction, that being, do not to pray for the dead.
In other words, if I robbed a bank and got shot and die from it, then he is saying don’t pray for me. Why? Because I’m dead and what’s done is done.. I’ve died in my sin. On the other hand, if I lied to someone and got caught but did NOT die from it, then he is saying to pray for me. Why? Because I’m alive and there’s hope for me to repent and to turn away from lying.
This interpretation is the simplest understanding of this verse and makes the most sense.. I just can’t see John referring to something here that’s beyond a simple understanding of the text. It simply does not flow with the rest of his letter. Therefore, it seems to me, John is just making a simple statement, which holds a great instruction and teaching. I.e. Do not pray for the dead.
In closing,
I do hope this has helped you in your study of this verse. Again, there are many ideas on what John could be talking about, but it’s important to remember that any idea/theory you take must also line up with the rest of scripture. Therefore, make sure to take the interpretations and study them in context as well as lining it up with all of scripture to see if it has any merit.
Anyways, I think it’s great to see people really studying God’s Word. It’s one of the most important things a believer can do in their walk; therefore, I encourage you to continue in your studies. I pray that the Lord guides you and gives you understanding as you look to grow in Him and learn His word. If you have any thoughts or questions always feel free to drop us a line. We would love to assist in any way we can.
May God bless you and yours.
In CHRIST, TRM
