Studies in the First Epistle of John - Part 28

"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death; I do not say that he shall pray for that. All unrighteousness is sin, but there is a sin not unto death."(vs.16‑17)

A great deal of discussion - much of it not very well informed - has centred itself upon this subject of the sin unto death. John's words here appear at first sight to imply that sin can be separated into two categories - that which can be forgiven and that which cannot be forgiven. For the sinner who comes within the first, prayer can be made with some certainty that a favourable answer will be forthcoming from Heaven. For the one whose sin is embraced by the second, prayer is useless, and the thoughtful disciple is not recommended to pray for such an one. Now that is a most perplexing position for those who believe that God has appointed a future day of trial in the which He will give to all men everywhere a full and fair opportunity to repent of their evil deeds and come to Him in repentance and dedication of life. These words of John immediately pose the question: What is the sin that, committed during this Age, while as yet the "present evil world" is running its course, is of so heinous and irremediable nature that it debars for ever from the opportunities that redeemed humanity of the Millennial Age are to have in such abundance?

Fortunately, perhaps, we do not have to find an answer to such a question. If there is in fact a sin that cuts the offender off from all hope of repentance and salvation, either now or in the world to come, we who are still in the flesh will not be able to pronounce judgment upon it. One thing is very certain; only God Himself, who sees into the heart, can ever say whether or not any individual is beyond hope of reclamation. Even in the next Age, when the secret of men's hearts will be laid open for all to see in a fashion never known in all the history of this present world, it will only be God the Judge of all who passes the final sentence. So that when John says that if any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death.. Or is unto death … he shall pray for it or not pray for it accordingly, he must be talking of something else than the case of the man who is already lost to all hope of redemption. He must certainly be talking of a distinction and a judgment which is in our power properly to make.

The expression "sin unto death" was in common use among the Jews in John's day; it referred to certain specific sins that were considered more than usually serious, which, under the Law Covenant, were punishable by death, "cutting off from among the people". Thus in Num.18.22 the rash Israelite who committed sacrilege by entering the Court of the Tabernacle and approaching the Holy had thereby committed a sin "unto death" and was cut off from among the people. In Lev.22.9 the priest who denied his calling by profaning his priestly office similarly committed a "sin unto death". In New Testament usage the expression really means a sin that calls for immediate and outwardly observable punishment in the same fashion. Thus Paul's condemnation of the immoral member in 1 Cor.5 and his excommunication of the offender, is a case in point. This man had committed a sin unto death, a sin that implied a much greater measure of wilfulness and deliberateness than did the many common faults and failings of daily life in the Church. There was no question of his being eternally lost, but he was rigorously excluded from the fellowship and worship of the "ecclesia" until he had repented and reformed. Likewise on another occasion Paul declared that he had delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim.1.20). In such cases it would seem that treatment other than prayer was necessary - not that there is any admission that prayer is of lesser avail than other measures, but that prayer for the sinner implies at least a measure of sorrow and repentance on the part of the sinner, and prayer then is made that strength against future temptation may be given and the sinner restored to a position of peace and reconciliation with God. Where the sin is so wilful and deliberate that there is, at the moment, no regrets, then, says John, he does not insist that we should pray for the offender. Even so he does not forbid prayer being made; only that prayer is not laid upon us as an obligation in such case. And in all these instances there is no suggestion that the case is hopeless even though it be not an appropriate one for prayer at the moment. The corrective judgments of God may yet bring the sinner to an appreciation of his position and his eventual reconciliation, even as it did with the man in 1 Cor.5.

There must be a difference between this case of the disciple who is said to commit a sin unto death and the position of those spoken of in Heb.6 who cannot be renewed to repentance. It has been said that it may well be possible for human beings steeped in willing sin to destroy their own capacity for repentance, as though they have come to the point where there is absolutely nothing left on which God can work to bring them back to Himself. Be that as it may, it is clear that in Heb.6 we have a clear description of some such state of apostasy but no indication that any earthly observer is given power to say when that point has been reached in any particular case. One would think, however, that sufficient outward signs of such an apostasy would be evident to justify the withdrawal of the term "brother". Such an one must surely have come to the point where he is quite evidently no longer one of the "brethren in Christ"; the nature of his apostasy would at least demand that. And these in John's epistle, even though fallen into sin, are still brethren. "If any man sees his brother sin…". It seems clear therefore that the two cases are not the same.

It comes then to this, that in our prayers for the recovery and reconciliation of the erring ones in our midst we may have confidence that in general our prayers will be affirmatively answered and life given to the fallen in consequence of our prayers, but not in every case. There may, and will, be some instances where God - not we ourselves - can see that the sin is of a nature that needs stern remedial treatment - judgments - before reconciliation can be granted, and when that happens, if unwittingly we have prayed for such an one, our prayers will not be answered affirmatively - not at once anyway. As though to assure us that even though this be the case there will always be ample scope for our prayers the Apostle tells us in rounding off this little allusion, "all unrighteousness is sin, but there is a sin not unto death". There will always be plenty of faults and stumblings and failures to reach up to the mark which can form the burden of our prayers.

"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." (vs.18)

This verse goes back to verse 9 of chapter 3 and tells us practically the same thing. It evidently comes in here again as a reminder after talking about the sinners and their reclamation, John tells us that the ones born of God do not sin at all! It sounds very contradictory but of course it is not really so. It is in the spirit of our minds and intents of our hearts that we do not sin; in our flesh there are still the old processes working and leading us from time to time to do the things we would not, and these are the things for which we need the prayers of our brethren, which is exactly what we are told in verse 16. Paul explained this apparent paradox very clearly when he said in Rom.7.25 "With the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin". "The good that I would I do not" he said earlier in the chapter "but the evil that I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." That is exactly what John means when he says that the one born of God sinneth not, and in the same breath he tells us to pray for the brother who has sinned.

"And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." (vs.19)

The last word should really be "wicked one" - the Devil. "All the world is under the influence of the Evil One" says the 20th Century version. In these few words John sums up the whole situation. We who have given ourselves to God and repudiated the Devil and all his works are the only representatives on earth of God's Kingdom. We are on the Lord's side. Everybody else, whether they know it or not, are on the other. We represent the outposts of the army of light in the enemy's country. The time is to come when the Rider on the White Horse will descend from heaven with His armies and do battle with all the evil powers of earth and utterly overthrow them, but for the present we few who still remain are His only representatives. Glory be to God that the time will not be much longer delayed and that, the Evil One bound so that he may deceive the nations no more, the world will no longer lie in the Wicked One but stand erect in the glorious liberty of the children of God.

So we come to the end. The aged Apostle has said all that he has to say, of doctrine, of exhortation, of warning, of reproof, of encouragement. He has put forth his every effort to instruct his disciples, knowing how much they need that instruction. His eye looks down the Age, not discerning how long it must be before the signs of the end appear and men realise that the coming again of his Lord is actually realise that the coming again of his Lord is actually taking place; but he realises that all he has said must be for the instruction of the Church in all generations until that time. He has done all he can, and now in a final brief recapitulation which reads almost like a benediction he tells us in a few well-chosen words just what is the basis of his faith and our faith, and leaves us there, secure in the knowledge that his Lord will never let go the hands of those who have put their hands into His, and continue to keep them so.

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

"Amen."

THE END

AOH