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NASB | 1 John 5:16 ¶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 5:16 ¶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he will pray and ask [on the believer's behalf] and God will for him give life to those whose sin is not leading to death. There is a sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for this [kind of sin]. |
Bible Question: What is sin unto death. Is there any sin that can't be forgiven? 1Jhn 5:16 |
Bible Answer: Hi k_peace, This is one of those difficult passages in scripture where there is no easy answer. Scripture doesn't specifically tell us and the good many scholars who've studied this passage are not agreed either! The basic question is: "Is there a sin from which there is no recovery? There is certainly no problem with the concept that one should pray for a fellow Christian who sins. With John, Christians recognize that “all wrongdoing is sin” and that all of it separates individuals from God. Thus prayer and restorative counsel (Gal 6:1) appear to be in order when we observe a fellow believer who has sinned. Where John causes problems, however, is in mentioning “a sin that leads to death,” for which prayer is not in order (not that it is necessarily wrong, but that it is useless). What type of sin is this? And what type of death is intended—physical or spiritual death? Since we ourselves fall into sin at times, the questions are of practical importance to each of us. This is no mere resolving an academic problem of Scripture." [Hard Sayings of the Bible] We know the only unforgivable sin is that of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28). The IVP Background Bible Commentary offers this view: "Given the use of “life” for eternal life and “death” for its opposite in this epistle, a “sin unto death” (KJV) would seem to be a sin leading one away from eternal life (cf. Gen 2:17; 3:24). The two sins John would likely have in mind would be hating the brothers and sisters (the secessionists’ rejection of the Christian community) and failing to believe in Jesus rightly (their false doctrine about his identity as the divine Lord and Christ in the flesh); see comment on 3:23. The Old Testament and Judaism distinguished between willful rebellion against God, which could not be forgiven by normal means, and a lighter transgression. More relevant here, some ancient Jewish texts (e.g., the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jubilees) also spoke of a capital offense as “a matter of death,” which was normally enforced by excommunication from the community rather than literal execution. Those who were sinned against could secure forgiveness for their opponents by prayer (Gen 20:7, 17; Job 42:8), but a sin of willful apostasy from God’s truth nullified the efficacy of secondhand prayers for forgiveness (1 Sam 2:25; Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11). John is presumably saying: God will forgive erring believers at your request, but those who have gone completely after the heresy are outside the sphere of your prayers or (on another interpretation) simply must directly repent to receive forgiveness." This is obviously not the "last word" on this topic, nor necessarily a complete answer. Volumes have been written. If you'd like more, I know there are numerous good articles available online to aid you. I trust this gives you some small measure of understanding that you sought:-) Speaking the Truth in Love, BradK |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 1 John 5:16 | Author | ||
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bronx hulk | ||
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Becky1969 | ||
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yondering | ||
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Jamesthomas | ||
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k_peace | ||
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BradK | ||
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k_peace | ||
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k_peace | ||
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k_peace | ||
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k_peace |