The Assurance and Outworking of Salvation, by John.

I John 5:16 & 17 speak of a "sin unto death" and a "sin not unto death." To discover what it means, we must consider the whole Book as context. Then we must compare these two phrases as well. By the way, this is a passage that troubles many because of their belief in eternal security or their belief you will be lost any time you sin. I'd like to point out in the beginning that in my own estimation you either have a home in heaven, or you don't, and it is not my right to decide which you have. All I can do is discuss what the Bible says, and I will admit my answer to what those verses mean may not be acceptable to you. I always am aware that I may be wrong. Christianity is not a matter of provable fact. It is a matter of faith. Only if God wanted people to have absolute proof of His existence could we offer proof. We must assume He does not, and that leads us to the conclusion that He wants those in His Kingdom who come to Him by faith.

Think about this for a moment or two. What is light? Any scientist would quickly say that light is made up of a spectrum of visible energy rays. Is it? Or are those rays of energy visible because God gave us eyes that could and would receive them? If that is what light is, why can't we see all the other rays that are present all the time? If color is only distinguished by the frequency of the different rays of visible light, why are we unable to distinguish higher and lower frequencies? Why can some of us not distinguish as many as other so-called "color-blind" people? My conclusion to all of this is that God made us the way He wanted us to be.

Do spiritual beings actually exist? If so, why can't we see them? Why do people report seeing angels sometimes, but not all of the time? Human beings existed from Adam until now without ever being able to visibly detect air, right? It's transparent, or is it? Hydrogen won't burn without oxygen, yet both are components of the air around us. Remove the other elements of air, and suddenly we will "see" the hydrogen/oxygen mixture in explosion, and if we are anywhere close, we will experience its force! The first result is visible fire. The secondary result will be oxygen and hydrogen combined in the form of water which both our eyes and skin can readily detect, but before the explosion we can't see either one.

There are myriads of questions scientists ask that still haven't been answered. Some will be, but there will always be more. God is so far ahead of us in intellect and power that questioning Him can't even be compared to an amoeba questioning the leading scientist of the world whoever that might be.

The Jews were furious with Jesus because He indicated He was equal with our Heavenly Father in John 6. Beginning in verse 31, Jesus said this: "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me...You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

Jesus said there were three witnesses of His unique position with our Heavenly Father, John the Baptist, the work God gave Him to finish, and the Father Himself. To explain the last witness, He alluded to the Jews' trust of the Scriptures. They were stating that they knew Moses came from God, so the Scripture to which He referred was probably the Pentateuch. I see what He said in verse 40 as meaning there was no life giving power in reading the Bible, but that the Bible witnessed the validity of Christ, and they refused to accept that truth.

First John was written primarily to announce and witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Who came to give us eternal life and to assure us of it. The first words of this short selection follow a lot of assurances of the reality of our faith in Jesus, and the security we have right now beginning here in this life. It is a gift resulting from the trust we place in Him. We cannot earn or deserve it in any way.

I feel there is no reason to bring in the "unpardonable" sin (Matthew 12:31-32) though some scholars do. The Book is written to Christians who are already past any such possibility; however, some scholars believe the sin "that does not lead to death" refers to sins committed by people in general, and the sin "that leads to death" refers perhaps to those who lapse from the faith, or more particularly those who attribute the works of the Spirit to Satan.

Notice in the following translation the article "the" is not used in front of "sin." If it was, it would refer to a specific sin. When it is not used, it refers to any and all sins.

Verse 16. If a person sees "the brother of his (another Christian) sinning not toward death (I've translated pros as toward), we shall pray for him and God will give him life." That could be, but is not necessarily eternal life, I think. He continues with "to those not sinning toward death." "There is sin toward death, concerning that I do not say he should pray. "

Verse 17. "All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not toward death;"

My conclusion is that all sin committed by Christians can and will be forgiven anyway because of our position as God's children. This does not refer to that. I believe it refers to physical life. Otherwise, the "brother" in verse 16 might possibly be lost eternally without another brother's prayer. That contradicts many other scriptures. Nowhere in this portion is the word "eternal" used.

I do believe sin toward eternal death is sin being committed by those who are lost, and the sin toward death is being committed by those who refuse and rebel against God the Father and Jesus His Son. But Christians do sin, and some of those sins certainly lead to physical death. Anything that we do that harms our bodies, certainly leads to death if continued. Prayer for, and witness to, a brother committing sin will help him live as long as God wants him to live. Personally, I do not want to go home before my time because something I am doing destroys my body. Things to think about are God's treatment of the Egyptians with Moses, Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham and Lot, and some other references in the Old Testament such as Ezekiel 18:25-27; "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die." Romans 1:18 and Titus 2:12 indicate that all ungodliness is sin, and all sin is destructive to human life as well as our fellowship with God.

Finally, I am not concerned about which view is correct. It is much more to the point to be concerned with our direct relationship with our Father through His Son, and our sensitivity to the leadership of His Holy Spirit who seals us to the day of redemption. My sister-in-law once asked me, "Don't you think it is easier for a woman to pray to Mary, a mother, rather than to Jesus who we don't know too well?" My answer: "I don't know Mary at all except that God chose her to be His Son's mother. I do know the Holy Spirit indwells me. You can't get any closer to the Lord than that, so I direct my prayers to the Father in the name of the son through the Holy Spirit." I am never satisfied with my relationship with the Lord, but I am more than satisfied with all that Jesus does for me.