One of the puzzling things is how a Christian is supposed to know the difference between the two kinds of sins. The clue may be the occasion of John's letter. He may be alluding to the individuals who broke fellowship with the churches he pastored in Asia Minor. Heretical schismatics who refused to submit to his apostolic teaching. In context, that may be the mortal sin.
Of course, some of them might have a change of heart. But perhaps John's point is that sometimes you may just have to give up on some individuals, not because their situation is necessarily hopeless, but there are other people and situations to pray about, so that, as a matter of priorities, it's okay to stop praying for some people and move on to other people and situations that call for prayer. And not in general, but the particular kind of obdurate sin that occasioned his letter. You've prayed for them repeatedly to no effect, and you don't have an open-ended commitment. You're not obligated to keep praying for them.
Even so, he doesn't forbid it. There are some people, like lost or straying family members, whom we never give up on as long as they, we live, or the prayer request is granted.
I think you are dead on Steve.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of John 5:16-17, I believe, is to preserve unity in the church. The Apostle is giving the church something tangible to do for those they see sinning... pray for them, and God will give them life.
The context of 1 John is dealing with a proto-gnostic system during which time people are leaving and denying the faith. The church must have had a lot of questions about how to tell if someone is an apostate, and what to do about people sinning or leaving.
The Apostle’s answer in 1 John :5:16-17 is to pray for people you see sinning who have not broken with the church and denied the faith. That prayer should give the one praying confidence in God’s promises according to the preceding verses.
The exception is apostates. The church was not expected to pray for apostates because there is no guarantee that they will be granted life based on the fruit of their actions. Indeed, they have proven themselves unfaithful.
Was John trying to elude to two types of sin? Yes, he was, but the types have less to do with “what,” (as in what type of sin), and more to do with “who,” as in who is committing the sin. This is in keeping with the context of John’s letter as he is obviously discussing two types of people throughout the epistle and how to identify each type. The two types are, “those who went out from us” (1 John 2:19), and those who have been “anointed by the Holy One” (1 John 2:20), and “remained with us” (1 John 2:19).
Notice it is a “brother” who is sinning and guaranteed life, but the term “brother” is not used for the type of sin (apostasy), that leads to death.
This concept would answer a question most likely posed often during the early church when people were abandoning the faith... “when I see someone sinning, should I write them off as an unbeliever?”
No... the Apostle says to pray for them, and be confident that God will grant them life. Therefore, I can preserve my unity with them as long as they have not denied Jesus Christ. Certainly our prayers are not the power to save... rather our prayers are intended to strengthen our own faith in God’s promises. If we pray in His name, we have what we ask (1 John 5:14-15).
But when someone denies the faith, there is no requirement to pray for them... they are proving they were never “of” us (1 John 2:19. They have committed the sin unto death.