Verse 17: All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
John now summarizes verses 14–17 concerning prayer with a gentle warning and a calm assurance.1
John has previously characterized sin as lawlessness (3:4). God’s commands presented throughout Scripture, including the Ten Commandments, encompass His laws for all mankind to uphold. Even though believers of the Church Age do not live by the commands of the Mosaic Law, there are many commands given that believers today are to obey in thought, word and deed. Disobeying God’s mandates places the believer in a position of lawlessness. John assured us that His commandments are not burdensome (5:3), meaning they do not carry the psychological stress of constraining and challenging mandates; this is just as Our Lord guaranteed “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
But in this verse, John advances the issue by asserting that all unrighteousness is sin. The Greek word for unrighteousness (adikia) indicates that which is contrary to what is right in accordance “to the standard of His holiness and righteousness.”2 Swanson characterizes it as unjust deed, wickedness, evil, wrongdoing.3 Further expanding upon the concept of wickedness, Zodhiates states:
This wickedness is seen more particularly in the neglect of the true God and His laws and in an adherence to the world or to idolatry; hence, adikía means impiety, ungodliness, contempt of God, as opposed to truth or piety toward God…those who impede the worship of the true God.4
This implies that the believer who sins has substituted their faithfulness to God for selfish ambitions by indulging in the fleeting enticements and pleasures of this world (Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12; 2 Peter 2:15).
Reassurance of Our Relationship
Next, John encourages believers that there is a sin condition that does not result in the divine discipline of death. Robertson asserts that: “Sin is a terrible reality, but there is no cause for despair. Sin not unto death can be overcome in Christ.”5 We should recall that there is no sin that God would refuse to forgive us for and to cleanse us from its stain. The fact is that all our sins (and the sins of the whole world) were judged on the cross, having satisfied the just demands of the Father (1 John 2:2).
And yet we should never be dismissive of the fact that we may receive corrective discipline for unconfessed sins. However, this can be avoided if we keep short accounts with God. This requires an acute awareness of personal sins and diligence in confessing sins (1 John 1:9); for confession of sin is by necessity self-judgement, as explained by the apostle Paul:
But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:31–32)
We must keep in mind that if God were not to discipline us, then regarding our vital relationship with Him, we would be considered “illegitimate children and not sons” (Hebrews 12:8). Thus, the reason for corrective discipline of those “whom the Lord loves” (Proverbs 3:12) is plainly stated by the writer of Hebrews:
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11)
The Life of Righteousness
The writer to the Hebrews instructs us to once and for all time to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). But note that the writer to the Hebrews characterizes our life of righteousness as a race. This is a direct contrast to the perception of some in Christian assemblies today, where many equate the Christian way of life with a journey. The Greek word for race (agon) is where we get our English word agony. Elsewhere Paul uses this word for fight in 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7, conflict in Philippians 1:30 and struggle in Colossians 2:1. Paul further instructs us to “run in such a way that you may win” (1 Corinthians 9:24), meaning to race like the rabbit and not trudge along like the tortoise. As our example, Paul could rightly boast: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Therefore, the Christian life is not some tranquil, idyllic excursion down a dreamy country lane. It is fighting the good fight, finishing the course, keeping the faith—this is our race, our life of righteousness. Anything else is a distraction from attending to the primary spiritual needs of the believer: the study of His Word and the absorption of His truth to establish the foundation of our belief structure. It is only with this basis for our faith that we live the righteous life. This is the formula advanced by Paul:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17; cf. Romans 12:1–2)
Final Thought
Note the writer to the Hebrews’ apt conclusion:
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20–21)
Are we striving to “do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22)? Are we determined to finish our race? The key is: that we must run; and to do so unrestrained by the unrighteousness of sin.
[1] Smith, David (1990). The Expositor’s Greek Testament (Nicoll, W. Robertson, Ed.), Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 5.198.
[2] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.326.
[3] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek New Testament. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., G94
[4] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G93.
[5] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1 John 5:17.
© 2026 David M. Rossi
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