1 John 5:16

John explained that prayer should extend to the needs of others (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1). He did this to clarify further what loving one’s brethren involves. The general subject of this verse is prayer for a sinning Christian. We can clarify the sense of this verse and the next by inserting the word "premature" before each instance of the word "death." Some writers wrote that the assumed modifier of "death" should be "eternal." [Note: Randall K. J. Tan, "Should We Pray for Straying Brethren? John’s Confidence in 1 John 5:16-17," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 45:4 (December 2002):599-609; and Yarbrough, pp. 306-13.] This interpretation may result in concluding, erroneously I believe, that the brethren in view were either never saved in the first place or lost their salvation. Some sins bring God’s swift judgment and result in the premature physical death of the sinner (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 11:30). Others do not. The fact that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for us today to distinguish these types of sins should not lead us to conclude that a distinction does not exist (cf. Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-29).

According to the "spiritual (or eternal) death" view, the sin unto death is a reference to failure to believe in Christ. Sins not leading to spiritual death are those that will not result in a person’s damnation because God will give spiritual life to that one in answer to the prayer offered by the intercessor. Sins not leading to spiritual death could also refer to sins that do not irrevocably separate the believer from God, for which forgiveness is possible.

Under the Old Covenant, sinners who repudiated that covenant died physically because their repudiation represented a major rejection of Yahweh’s authority. The writer to the Hebrews warned his readers that repudiation of the New Covenant would result in inevitable judgment with no possibility of repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-27). Repudiation of the New Covenant involves rejecting Jesus Christ. That may be the sin leading to death that John meant here.

"The early church took much more seriously than we do the possibility that a person may sin beyond hope of redemption." [Note: Marshall, p. 249. See also Westcott, pp. 209-14.]

In the case of sin leading to premature physical death, John revealed that prayer will not avert the consequences. Therefore praying in these situations will not avail. However, John did not say we should refrain from praying about them. [Note: Robertson, 6:244.] We may not know if a sin is one that God will judge with premature death. In such cases we can pray that God will bring His will to pass for a sinning Christian. [Note: See W. Robert Cook, "Hamartiological Problems in First John," Bibliotheca Sacra 123; 491 (July-September 1966):257-59; and C. Samuel Storms, Reaching God’s Ear, pp. 241-53.] Jeremiah continued to pray for the apostate Israelites even though God told him that his prayers would not avail because their doom was sealed (Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11-12).

". . . John’s warning against sin, and the failure to maintain orthodox faith (1 John 2:24; 2 John 1:8-9), shows that while he expected his readers to walk in the light as sons of God (1 John 1:7; 1 John 5:18-19), he did not ignore the possibility that some believing but heretically inclined members of his community might become apostate." [Note: Smalley, p. 299.]

Many Christians have failed to realize that sinning always leads to some type of dying, even among Christians (Romans 6:23). While it is true that no Christian will ever experience spiritual death (eternal separation from God), we do normally experience the physical consequences of our sinning. The fact that we all die physically is the proof of this. Of course, the exception is Christians whom God will translate when the Lord Jesus returns for His own.

"A further question is whether the sin that leads to death can be committed by those who are truly God’s children. . . . A number of scholars have tried to show that this could not have been John’s meaning. Thus it has been argued that the people in question had merely masqueraded as believers but had never at any point truly believed in Jesus. Consequently, the sin that leads to death is to be understood as a sin of unbelievers which believers cannot in principle commit. [Note: Footnote 27: Stott, pp. 186-91.] However, this point must remain doubtful. The fact that John needed to warn his readers against the possibility of sinning and failing to continue in the truth and in the doctrine of Christ (1 John 2:24; 2 John 1:7-11) suggests that he did not altogether exclude the possibility that a person might fall away from his faith into apostasy [cf. Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-31]. Nevertheless, it was his clear expectation that his readers would continue in their faith without falling away from it." [Note: Marshall, pp. 249-50.]