Articles
All Unrighteousness Is Sin - 1 John 5:16-17
Believers in Jesus Christ can confidently approach God in prayer and be assured that He hears prayers that are according to His will (1 Jn. 5:14-15). This confidence and assurance includes praying for brethren who sin. John wrote, “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. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death” (1 Jn. 5:16-17).
Believers are encouraged to pray for brethren who have committed a sin not leading to death. John has taken a strong stance against sin throughout his letter. One of the reasons he wrote to these believers was so they would not sin (1 Jn. 2:1). Those who practice sin are of the devil and have not been born of God (1 Jn. 3:8,9). There is, however, good news for those who sin. Believers can confess their sins and be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9). We have an Advocate with the Father if we sin (1 Jn. 2:1). And our brethren can pray for us (1 Jn. 5:16). This is what John had in mind when he encouraged believers to pray for those who have committed a sin not leading to death. Sinners who are penitent and confess their sins have the promise of forgiveness and cleansing. Their repentance leads to restoration and life—not death.
There are those, however, who are caught up in sin and refuse to repent. John has been writing about such people throughout his letter. They claimed to know God but refused to keep His commandments (1 Jn. 2:4). They denied that Jesus was the Christ (1 Jn. 2:22) and that he had come in the flesh (1 Jn. 4:3). These people had left the community of believers (1 Jn. 2:19). They were hard-hearted apostates and had rejected the only means by which sins may be forgiven. John instructed believers not to pray for these individuals. Robert L. Plummer and E. Roderick Elledge write, “Praying for a person who is running full speed down the road to eternal death is not the kind of confident intercession that John seeks to illustrate here.”
John’s statement that “all unrighteousness is sin” (1 Jn. 5:17) is a warning. There is a sin not leading to death, but believers should not adopt a casual or complacent attitude toward sin. Unrighteousness is a violation of God’s standard of uprightness, and believers should never excuse, love, or practice what violates our Father’s standards. Rather, we should seek to be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9).
Sin and unrighteousness destroys our relationship with God. Believers recognize this and should earnestly pray for the restoration of those who are penitent. We can be confident that this is according to our Father’s will.
