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FAQ # 88
QUESTION 88 : The apostle John wrote of sin in 1 John 5:16, Clearly,
there is sin that leads to death. Whatever type of death this is, is not
clearly identified here. However, the eternal security teachers like to
draw our attention to 1 Cor. 11:27-30. And to that they sometimes add
the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira as specific examples of the sin unto
death. To them death is always physical. While it is undeniable truth
that God gets so angry over sin that he kills people because of it, there
is another truth related to this that the eternal security teachers will
always deny—that sin can bring a Christian to his spiritual death, just
like Adam and Eve died spiritually because of their sin, as God warned
would happen (Gen. 2:17); God didn't kill them physically but they did
die spiritually like he warned. From the eternal security perspective,
when a person who was formerly saved would die physically, he will always
go to heaven. How such people are living at that point is inconsequential,
even if God would kill them physically because of their unrepentant heinous
sins. This clearly spells out license for immorality (Dan Corner). Doesn't
it?
He also said,
The Lord Himself taught how the righteous can prevent
their own spiritual death: I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word,
he will never see death. (John 8:51). Clearly, the Lord was not talking
about physical death, since many righteous people remained faithful to
the very end, such as the Apostle Paul did, yet died physically. Again,
since Paul died physically, Jesus couldn’t have been referring to physical
death. Hence, the Lord gave the preventative to spiritual death as being
simply to keep his word or continue to obey to the end. They agree with
the devil and try to confuse the issue by saying the death of 1 John 5:16
is physical death, with Ananias and Sapphira being examples.
The verses read, "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. There is a sin unto death: I do not
say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is
a sin not unto death" (1 John 5:16-17).
Firstly, it didn't mean that there are two types of sins,
one that causes you to die immediately and another that you still remain
alive. John himself made sure he clears this up when he said, "All
unrighteousness is sin." Also, because one sin leads to immediate
death and another doesn't, doesn't mean they are two deaths involved here
either; though they are several forms of death. What John was trying to
say was that sometimes we as saints are afflicted and pressured, sometimes
we falter; though we always bounce back as our new nature demands (Heb
10:39), sometimes when we do break, death occurs. Not a general rule.
For instance, if a minister all his life never sinned since the day he
got saved, not even once, but because he's preaching out hell for the
pass six month, he is afflicted by devils disguise as extra-ordinarily
sexy women. Normally, like a *super-Christian he pushes these "bimbo's"
away and continue on. But this time he was on fire that when he cooled
down, the devil launched an arsenal of beautiful women at him - church
sisters, cashiers at the 99 cents store, on the bus commuter, showing
up at his door, etc. At one point he breaks, but that woman who broke
him had a deadly disease to which he died shortly after. Super-Christian
would not go to hell's fire, for he was justified (Heb 10:14). But we
would have lost Super-Christian permanently, a great tragedy. His sin
led to death. However, if he lived and even still afflicted in this manner,
John admonishes us to greatly pray for him that he might be recovered
quickly. This is what he was saying; noted here, "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." Not usually touting
him, but Mr. Matthew Henry summed it up nicely,
We should pray for others,
as well as for ourselves, beseeching the Lord to pardon and recover the
fallen, as well as to relieve the tempted and afflicted. And let
us be truly thankful that no sin… is unto death. [For truly regenerated
saints]
John was so adamant that we do this that he made sure
a couple of verses up he strengthened our faith, leading down to verse
16. In fact, verse 15, which ties into verse 16 reads, "if we know
that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him." We should continue to strive to do this
today. Thank God many of our sins haven't led to death, because at least
half the 'church' would be in the grave. Don't be fooled though, not that
we are sinners or practice sin, but once a year we slip up - hiding the
truth maybe. John himself made it plain that sinning is not apart of the
born again believers' life, but we still have these treasures in earthen
vessels. He said, "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" (1 John 5:18). Therefore, we don't have a license
to sin because we cannot (1 John 3:6); if and when it occurs it most often
happens because you are doing something right, then to suppressed that,
you are 'overly' tempted, relatively; hence, pray for one another. So
all in all, though he speaks thus, we are not sinners - it is mostly a
caution and “contingency.”
Also, death here couldn't refer to spiritual death, because
we can't die spiritual after being born again. That was the problem with
man, we kept dying spiritually; so the remedy or solution, was salvation
through Christ (Eze 36:27). Wherewith Christ said that we "will never
thirst again," in essence, never die spiritually again, seeing we'll
never die of thirst again - the reason we go a sinning (“eth”). Moreover,
sin is what causes us to die spiritually, any and all sins; so if spiritual
death was meant, then every time we sin we would die, rather than some
being "not unto death." The mere fact some is "unto death"
and some are not, means it spoke of a physical death; for sin in general
always leads to spiritual death, but not all sins lead to physical death.
There cannot be a sin unto spiritual death and a sin not unto spiritual
death – all sins leads to spiritual death immediately. But rather, there
is a sin that leads to physical death and there is a sin that doesn’t
lead to physical death. Physical death as in immediate physical death
because of sin, and not the consequential death everyone goes through,
especially upon old age.
Concerning Dan's reference to the word, men always had
God words and strive harder than Mr. Corner or most Christians every would
to keep those words, but still die spiritually. So keeping the word on
your own is not the solution, the solution is being born again and thereafter
God make sure you keep yourself. That's why John also said, "but
he that is begotten of God keepeth himself." Even further,
when the dilemma of men failing to keep God's word and dying spiritually
was clearly seen with Israel and the Law, God herald the solution, "I
will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and
ye shall keep my judgments, and do them " (Eze 36:27). That is the
solution my friend, being born again - it comes with all the benefits,
especially not dying spiritually again; even if you accidentally falter
(Heb 10:14).
Answer Notes: 1. Also, he said that we should not pray for
it. That is, some might be so afflicted in sin that they cause shame to
the body and death might be the remedy God chooses to use and also to
demonstrate his power; as in the case with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts
5:3-10). Even further, Paul uses this authority boldly as well, "To
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that
the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor 5:5).
But notice what he also said, "that the spirit may be saved."
Paul is not a fool, he know about Justification and applied it across
the board. He knew the man was born again and regardless of, would be
saved though he temporarily fell into sin. However, he did what he did.
Nevertheless, we are rather to have mercy and exercise grace at most times,
even though we are given certain authority and power. Jesus (Lk 6:28)
mirrors this in this statement by Paul, " bless, and curse not"
(Rom 12:14).
In addition, to show that
all sins always lead to spiritual death, Paul himself in 1 Cor 15:31 said
that he "die daily" (falter or "sin"), so to speak;
because by God's spirit he is resurrected daily, making him unable to
die spiritually at any given time. So sin alone represents spiritual death,
which kept us from God, but with his spirit we are forever joined to him.
But this is not a license to sin, so Paul patched it back up when he said,
"for to morrow we die. [HOWEVER] Be not deceived: evil communications
corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not..." (1
Cor 15:32-34).
2. *denotes, Super Christian
is a fictitious name I made up for this example, yes I used personal examples
but not what eventually happened to super Christian; thank God!
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