What is the sin unto death?

Answer

First John 5:16 is one of the most challenging verses in the New Testament to interpret. “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray, and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.” Among the various interpretations available, none seem to address all the questions regarding this verse.

The most plausible interpretation may be derived by comparing this verse to the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–10 «For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. », (see also 1 Corinthians 11:30). The “sin unto death” is willful, continuous, unrepentant sin. God has called His children to holiness «because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. », (1 Peter 1:16), and God corrects them when they sin. We are not “punished” for our sin in the sense of losing salvation or being eternally separated from God, yet we are disciplined. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” «For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. », (Hebrews 12:6).

First John 5:16 states that there comes a point when God can no longer allow a believer to persist in unrepentant sin. When that point is reached, God may decide to take the life of the stubbornly sinful believer. The “death” referred to is physical death. God, at times, purifies us.God purifies His church by removing those who intentionally disobey Him. The apostle John distinguishes between the “sin that leads to death” and the “sin that does not lead to death.” Not all sin within the church is addressed in the same manner because not all sin reaches the severity of the “sin that leads to death.”

In Acts 5:1–10 and 1 Corinthians 11:28–32, God addressed deliberate, calculated sin within the church by taking the physical life of the offender. This may also align with what Paul referred to as “the destruction of the flesh” in 1 Corinthians 5:5.

John advises us to pray for fellow Christians who are sinning, assuring us that God will heed our prayers. Nevertheless, there may be occasions when God chooses to shorten a believer’s life due to persistent sin without repentance. Prayers for such an unresponsive individual will not be effective.

God is both good and just, and He will ultimately present us as “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27). In pursuit of this, God disciplines His children. May the Lord shield us from the callousness that could lead us to commit the “sin unto death.”