THERE IS A SIN LEADING TO DEATH - 1 JOHN 5:16

Verse 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.

Previously, in the last post, it was discussed how the faithful believer is to pray for a fellow brother in Christ who may be entangled in sinning. It is important that they not ask God to coerce the erring brother but that the Lord might appeal to his will in order that the erring brother might confess and seek to be restored to fellowship with God.

What follows in the remainder of this verse is a truth that many have found difficult to comprehend. Since the Holy Spirit led the apostle John to write this text, we must endeavor to understand its full import of how it applies to us today.

Sin Resulting in Death

In the final phrase of this verse, John assures us that there is indeed a sinful condition that will result in the physical death of the believer. Again, as in the opening phrase of this verse, the English translation reads a sin but the Greek text does not specify one particular sin. Instead, this implies a continual state of sin in which the believer is abiding while persistently refusing God’s summoning to repentance and restoration to abiding fellowship with Him. James describes this believer as one who “strays from the truth…the error of his way” (James 5:19–20). The apostle Peter portrays them as “forsaking the right way, they have gone astray” (2 Peter 2:15). The right way which Peter refers to is “the way of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:21), which is synonymous with being in fellowship—walking in the Light (1:7).

So what John is telling us is that believers who continue to live in a status of sin, the longer they prolong their rebelliousness to the will of God for their life that at some point the Lord will remove them by death. We have no idea of how long the Lord will allow the erring brother to maintain their sinful status before He administers this final discipline. This means that we need to continue intercessory prayer that the Lord preserves their life.

But when the unfortunate event of the final disciple occurs—the removal of the sinning brother by the Lord in death—John states that we should not make request for this. Here the Greek word for request, erotao (ἐρωτάω), is different than the Greek word for ask, aiteo (αἰτέω), that John used earlier. This word (erotao) normally “provides the most delicate and tender expression for prayer or request with the one asking and the one being asked being on an equal level, such as the Lord Jesus asking of the Father”1 (cf. John 14:13, 14). Trench states that this is the only passage in the New Testament that seems to contradict the normal usage of this word erotao and that in no other instance is it “used in the New Testament to express the prayer of man to God, of the creature to the Creator.”2 Whereas, aiteo generally indicates a request made by “one who is lesser in position than he to whom the petition is made; e.g., in the case of men in asking something from God.”3

Therefore, we are discouraged from making an appeal to God for “intercession for any believer who has experienced divine judgment in the form of death. Such prayer for the dead would be contrary to God’s will.”4 This indicates that we must leave the matter in God’s hands. Also, we should consider these two biblical truths pertaining to this particular divine judgment: there are no Scripture that authorizes praying for those who are dead, and that what we ask for in our prayers must be according to His will (v. 14); thus the discipline dispensed by the sovereign will of God cannot be reversed by a believer’s prayer. 

A Final Note

We ought always to be mindful of the spiritual well-being of our fellow believers. But if we become aware of a brother entangled in sin then we “who are spiritual” (free from unconfessed sin, walking in fellowship) are to follow the apostle Paul’s command “to restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). This would imply that any confrontation should to be tactful and in private. However, it isn’t possible or even practical to be aware of every sin of our fellow brother. For outside of our immediate family, we should be cautious and not become arrogant and overly absorbed in or actively intruding upon the privacy of other believers, thus becoming a spiritual busybody.

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[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G2065.

[2] Trench, Richard (1975). Synonyms of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, p. 145.

[3] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.40.

[4] Harris, Murray J. (1986). In The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Brown, Colin, Ed.), Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 3.1205–1206.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

SIN NOT LEADING TO DEATH - 1 JOHN 5:16

Verse 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.

In the previous two verses, John provided the confidence we now have that God hears our prayers and answers according to His divine will. Now he illustrates an example of this principle as it applies to intercessory prayer.

John begins with if, meaning in the event that we should observe a brother committing sin. The Greek text literally reads “sinning sin” while our English text reads committing a sin, for John does not identify a specific sin. This denotes the nature or essence of sin, referring to a status rather than a specific sin. For their present status is residing outside of the sphere of abiding fellowship with the Lord, having reverted back to their sinful condition prior to salvation. But John does qualify the sin as that which is not leading to1 death, referring to physical and not spiritual death, for believers cannot lose their salvation.

In the next phrase John asserts that upon seeing such a brother entangled in sin we are to pray on their behalf for intercession. Since will give is God’s response to shall ask, hence, He [God] will give life, on the basis of him (who shall ask), to those who commit sin not leading to death. Therefore, the response to what we ask for is emphasized by what God gives: continued life rather than death, the ultimate discipline for the erring brother.

Now let us determine if this aligns with verse 14, that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” First, is it God’s will that all believers continually reside in an abiding fellowship with Him? Yes, for it is a mandate from Our Lord Himself: “Abide in Me” (John 15:4), in order to fulfill the purpose of having been saved to bear much fruit (John 15:5); which cannot be accomplished if the believer remains in a sinful condition. Second, what is the correct prayer for the erring brother? That God will provide an intervention in order to convince the fellow believer of the error of his ways. It is important to note that we should not pray for God to withhold His discipline apart from them returning to fellowship. Third, we should not pray that God should employ measures to coerce the believer to conform and obey. God always appeals to the believer will, that it is their personal responsibility to make a rational decision to obey or face the certainty of discipline of their disobedience. This is the true meaning of Our Lord’s statement in Revelation 3:19–20:

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

The knock on the door is for the erring brother to respond to Our Lords summoning him to dine with Him and thus to be restored to fellowship. This favorable result is conditioned upon if anyone hears and opens the door. The opening of the door is synonymous to confession and cleansing of sin (1 John 1:9), for it is impossible to have fellowship with a holy God if we walk in the darkness of sin (1 John 1:5–6).

Therefore, it becomes important that faithful believers pray earnestly upon seeing a fellow believer who appears to descend spiritually into a state of sinfulness, recognizing that the beginning stage of their downfall is not leading to death. Although that may change depending upon how long they remain in their sinful status.

This should alert all believers to be vigilant of all personal sins and to maintain consistent fellowship with God by confessing their sins without delay.

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[1] “To the point of, to the extent of,” Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). πρὸς, In Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1.692.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER - 1 JOHN 5:14-15

Verses 14-15: This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Before closing out his epistle, John provides some principles regarding the believers’ prayers.

Confidence/Boldness

This confidence John refers to can be defined as courage, boldness, fearlessness,1 being the exact opposite of cowardice, timidity, fearfulness.2 John has previously mentioned three other times in this epistle the potential confidence the believer may have: at His coming (2:28); before God (3:21); in the day of judgment (4:17). Confidence is a characteristic of the mature believer, one who acquires the boldness to live and speak their faith, being in fellowship with their Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit. This was demonstrated by the early disciples when they boldly proclaimed God’s truth (Acts 2:29; 4:13; 14:3).

And it is this same confidence we also can have before Him—literally, face-to-face3 with God in prayer, as the writer of Hebrews states:

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 cf. 10:19)

However, it is one thing to have the needed confidence to stand before the Lord in prayer, but it is another thing to know the exact parameters of how we ought to pray. For prayer is not a giveaway for just any self-seeking whim or desire, nor is it intended to resolve spiritual problems as a crutch for the spiritually weak. The true function of prayer results in the consistent learning of God’s truth and understanding His grace provision. Thieme correctly explains:

The more the believer knows and understands God, the more he knows how to communicate with Him (John 15:7). In other words, effectiveness in prayer increases with spiritual growth and reaches its peak in the hands of the spiritually mature.4

John explains the extent of our confidence in prayer is that “if we ask anything...He hears us.” We should be gratified knowing that God indeed hears all of our prayers; it is only when there is sin in our lives that He turns a deaf ear to our prayers (Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 15:29; John 9:31). This does not mean that He provides the answer that we might desire, for the answer to prayer is strictly God’s decision. “God alone has absolute power and integrity to hear the believer’s requests and provide the response He knows is best.”5 We should never forget what Our Lord proclaimed: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8; cf. Luke 12:30). This led Paul to remind us that since the Father provided the greatest gift, the sacrifice of His Son, “how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). To which Peter concurred:

Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

Now it is true that the word anything denotes everything that may involve others, ourselves, our country, etc. But does it mean unconditionally all the desires of our heart? This notion has been disseminated based on a faulty interpretation of Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” Within the context of David’s Psalm, he never describes the desires of our heart as self-seeking materialistic cravings, but instead as virtues: righteousness (v. 6); cessation of envy (v.1) and anger (v.8); resting and waiting patiently for the Lord (v.7). 

We can now understand the reason that John adds the phrase that what we ask must be according to His will. The desires of our heart must coincide with the divine will of the Father. Thus it is imperative that we endeavor to know His will and pray accordingly, if we are to have the confidence that our prayers are effective (cf. James 5:16).

Result of Correct Prayers

In verse 15 John’s summarizes that since it is true that we know He hears the prayers that we ask according to His will, then we also know with full assurance that the requests we have made and now possess are the results of following the correct procedure of prayer. To obtain what we ask for is not to be considered a miracle; for this is the expression of the Father’s divine will for our life.

Again, the key to this entire passage, as well as the correct principle of the believers’ prayers, is that whatever we ask must be according to His will. The logical question for the believer should be: “How do I know what His will is concerning the request that I make?” The apostle Paul emphasizes how important this is when he commanded: “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). 

Throughout the epistles the will of God for the believer is outlined. Note just a few examples: To be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); Be always thankful (Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18); To live and please God separated from sin (1 Thessalonians 4:1, 3); Submit to human authorities (1 Peter 2:13-15).

Paul summarizes the exact method in order to know and exhibit His will in our lives:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

For believers to be transformed requires the daily study of God’s Word, not merely reading the Word, but a comprehensive discovering and absorbing of His truth that renews (literally, renovates) their minds. It is an extensive undertaking that the believer cannot afford to engage casually; but when avidly undertaken the results will enable believers to love God and endeavor to serve Him, so that as the light of the world we will reflect His glory to others (Matthew 5:16; cf. 2 Peter 2:12).

Lest We Forget

Prayer is listed by Paul’s as a part of the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), provided for believers to enable them to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (6:11). Therefore “prayer is a weapon for the spiritually strong.”6 It is for our advantage that we understand and utilize this spiritual armament according to His will.

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 630.

[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). δειλία, In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G1167.

[3] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1John 5:14.

[4] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, p. 203.

[5] Thieme, p. 202.

[6] Thieme, p. 203.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

THE ASSURANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE - 1 JOHN 5:12-13

Verses 12-13: He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

In verse 12 John presents a clear distinction of the spiritual statuses of the believer and the unbeliever. He begins by stating he who has the Son—he indicates any believer, male or female, for as the apostle Paul maintained there are absolutely no divisions in the Body of Christ:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

Next, the word has implies “to experience a state or condition^”1 and is especially related to what John has been teaching: the abiding love relationship with God that the believer experiences continuously, since they have the Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior. And simultaneously, he who has the Son has the life. The definite article in the Greek serves to point out the specific life which God “gives sinners who place their faith in the Son,”2 while emphasizing that the quality of that life, as mentioned in the previous verse, is eternal. It should be noted that the life begins the moment we believe in Christ for salvation and continues uninterrupted, throughout our physical life and then after death, onward for all eternity.

What follows is the antithesis to John’s opening statement. The absence of the word but in both the English and the Greek texts should draw our attention to the stark contrast of spiritual conditions between the believer and the unbeliever. For chances are the unbeliever may never read this passage, yet he (any unbeliever) who does not have the Son of God is a grim depiction of their tragic condition. And since we also were once unbelievers, without hope, without eternal life, destined to eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire, we should have sincere empathy for those who are unsaved.

Now note something rather interesting. In the first phrase, John takes for granted that we who have the Son fully believe in the unique person of Christ as the God-Man. But now he adds an emphasis to what the unbeliever does not have: the Son of God. John is alluding to his defense against the Gnostic heresy that he has been making throughout this epistle regarding the false teachers who deny “that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (4:2). Vincent believes that of God is added so that “unbelievers may know at length how serious it is not to have Him.”3 And as Vine asserts that “those who do not possess the Son need the reminder as to what person it is whom their unbelief refuses.”4 Hence, when we present the gospel to unbelievers, it should be with genuine compassion of how eternally detrimental it is for them to reject Christ, the Son of God.

Certainty of Eternal Life

John begins verse 13 with these things, referring to the previous 12 verses which describe the firm foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ. And by his declaration that he has intentionally written to you who believe, we should be reminded that all Scripture is written only to and for those who believe in God. The unbeliever may read the Bible and discover something that appeals to their emotions, but they can never fully understand the spiritual significance of God’s Word since they ultimately consider it foolishness and are unable to understand its truths, because Scripture can only be comprehended by the Holy Spirit’s assistance (1 Corinthians 2:14; John 14:26; 16:13).

John emphasizes that the object of our faith is in the name of the Son of God. This is the third and last mention of the word name in this epistle (2:12; 3:235). The word has great significance as it relates Christ with all His “being, attributes, relations, manifestations.”6 In this case, to believe in the name of the Son of God is to obey the command given in 3:23: “that we believe in the name of His7 Son Jesus Christ.” This infers that we truly believe in His unique personage including all of His divine attributes as the Son of God, God having come in the flesh—true God, true man in hypostatic union.

Thus, the reason for having presented these 12 verses coincides with his original stated objective in writing this epistle, “that our joy may be made complete” (1:4); and by providing the basis of how our joy can be made complete we now have the knowledge with certainty of our eternal life.8

Verse 13 has a noticeable similarity to John’s explanation for writing his gospel account:

But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:31)

The difference is that in the gospel account, John provides all that a person needs to make a rational decision to believe in Christ, the Son of God and therefore to have life because of the intrinsic power and authority in His name.9 But in our passage John states his purpose for writing was that we might know something of great importance: assurance that we have eternal life. Not necessarily a knowledge from experience, even though we do experience eternal life at the moment we believe, but instead, an absolute beyond a doubt knowledge10 that is firmly established, that cannot be shaken by any external forces either human of demonic (Romans 8:38-39). The apostle Peter declared the magnitude of the name of Jesus Christ:

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Do we fully comprehend that His name has the exclusive power to save men?

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[1] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1.806.

[2] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 13.178.

[3] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2.369.

[4] Vine, W. E. (1996). Collected Writings of W.E. Vine. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1 John 5.12.

[5] Note a further explanation of name in the 1 John 3:23-24 post: https://dashrossi.blogspot.com/2025/06/for-there-is-no-other-way-1-john-323-24.html

[6] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G3686.

[7] Refers to God, the Father.

[8] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2.537.

[9] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.425.

[10] Wuest, 13.179.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi