Introduction
I’ve read many commentaries on the “sin that leads to death” (1 John 1:16), and there are different opinions about what this sin is. However, I don’t believe it’s as great a mystery as some seem to suggest. Furthermore, I don’t believe the Apostle John intended it to be a mystery. That should be obvious. Otherwise, his instruction about prayer doesn’t do us much good if we can’t identify what sin he’s talking about. Therefore, we may not know with absolute certainty what sin John was talking about (since he didn’t specify what it is), I believe we can consider the overall context of 1 John, as well as other confirmatory scriptures, and be very confident about what sin John was referring to. So let’s get to it.
In a nutshell: I believe the “sin that leads to death” are those among us, in our assemblies, who have identified with the Christian faith, who made a profession of faith in Christ (intellectually), who have perhaps sat under the teachings of the Trinity, only to eventually change their mind. These are not true believers, but false believers who have decided this is not what they believe afterall. This is a persistent and unrepentant denial of the truth, where they finally and fully walk away from it. This also involves a denial of the Trinity (if this has been taught to them), where they have decided against it in favor of different ideas about who God is and who Jesus is.
Of course, this understanding of 1 John 5:16 has to be backed up with Scripture and with a thorough explanation. That’s what I’ll be providing throughout this study.
This Sin that Leads to Death
(1 John 5:16-18 – BSB) – [16] If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin. [17] All unrighteousness is sin, yet there is sin that does not lead to death. [18] We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him.
In regard to verse 18, the CSB is more accurate, because it gives the literal rendering of the verse (also the ASV, NASB, LSB, NKJV, KJV):
CSB (verse 18):
(1 John 5:18 – CSB) – [18] We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
The translations given by the ESV, NIV, BSB and NLT are very misleading, because they completely miss the point. If there’s a place in Scripture where we need to understand this in its literal form, it’s this one. If we don’t, we won’t know what sin John was talking about in verse 16 (1 Jn 5:16). The idea of “does not keep on sinning” (ESV, BSB), “does not continue to sin” (NIV), does “not make a practice of sinning” (NLT) complicates this verse even more. It steers us in the wrong direction, which hinders us from properly understanding what sin John was referring to in verse 16. Thus, if we try to interpret this passage according to those translations, we’re sunk even before we begin, because they give us the idea that John is talking about how we live our lives, that he’s talking about a lifestyle of sin. This is a perfect example of the importance of translations that are on the more literal side of the spectrum.
The Apostle John is not talking about a habitual, lifestyle of sin—although that’s certainly a by-product of the “sin that leads to death.”
The statement, “everyone who has been born of God does not sin,” is directly related to the verses leading into this one, which are verses 16-17 (1 Jn 16-17), which talks about the “sin that leads to death.” Therefore, I believe we can be confident that what John is really saying in verse 18 (1 Jn 5:18) is this:
“Everyone who has been born of God does not sin in a manner that leads to death.”
This ties the two statements directly together. We see the contrast between a believer and an unbeliever, because being “born of God” refers to believers. In other words, a true believer can never commit the “sin that leads to death,” because our salvation is protected (“keeps him”). Therefore, we already know from the start that the “sin that leads to death” refers to people who are not saved.
However, even before we get to verse 18, we know that John is talking about people who are not saved, because the verses leading into verses 16-17 (1 Jn 5:16-17) all have to do with “eternal life.” Thus, we know that the type of “death” John is talking about in the “sin that leads to death,” refers to eternal death (eternal spiritual death). While all sinners are already dead spiritually, John is talking about a sin that leads to death of a particular nature from which there is no return—as we’ll talk about in detail in a bit. The idea which some people have that this refers to physical death, is completely out of the context of the passage (1 John 5:10-13), as well as the whole context of the book of 1 John, and should not even be considered. Context is everything when interpreting Scripture.
Accordingly, we know that it’s impossible for those who are “born of God” to commit sin that leads to eternal death, because we have eternal life in Christ. Thus, we know John is not talking about the redeemed. He’s talking about the unsaved. However, he’s not talking about the unsaved in general, but certain people within that group—because the way John words it, we know that he’s talking about a type of sin that doesn’t refer to all the unsaved.
At this point, we know that the “sin that leads to death” does not refer to physical death, but to eternal spiritual death (eternal separation from God). We also know that it doesn’t refer to believers in Christ, those who are “born of God.” We also know that it doesn’t refer to all the unsaved, but to certain people within that group of unsaved.
Identifying the Sin That Leads To Death
We need to go back to 1 John 5:16:
(1 John 5:16 – BSB) – [16] If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.
“His brother” is the literal rendering of the Greek (also NASB-1995, LSB, ESV, NKJV, KJV, ASV ). The CSB and NLT translate this as “fellow believer.” The NET translates it as “fellow Christian.” The NIV and NASB-2020 translate it as “brother or sister.” Here is another example of the importance of literal translations. The way the CSB (which is excellent in most places) and the NET read, is totally interpretive, and so is the NIV and the NASB-2020—although not as plainly stated as the CSB and the NET.
The reason it’s so important to understand this according to the literal rendering is because “brother” could refer to “our fellow man” or “our neighbors” or “our fellow church members.” In other words, people in general, which may or may not include believers. In context, I believe John is referring to our fellow church members. So when John refers to those who commit the “sin that leads to death,” he’s talking about people in our Christian assemblies who appear to be brothers and sisters in Christ, but aren’t. These are the tares among the wheat that Jesus Himself talked about (Matt 13:25-40). These are people among us who look so much like Christians that they’re regarded as and assumed to be fellow believers in Christ—but upon further inspection, they’re revealed to be false believers. In the context of 1 John, this applies not only to the false teachers John was exposing, but also to those who followed their teaching.
Every church has these types of people, who appear to be one of us, but aren’t. It’s not until we find out what they really believe that we know for sure that they’re false believers. That’s why it’s so important to know where a person stands doctrinally. We shouldn’t be deceived by such people. In all of our Christian assemblies we should know who our true brothers and sisters in Christ are—if it’s possible to make that determination. In fact, I think that’s exactly what the Apostle of John is implying. We have to be aware of who the false believers are among us if we’re going to follow John’s instruction about prayer, who basically told his readers “don’t bother praying for them. In that regard, I believe he’s referring to praying for the salvation of others. Thus, I believe he’s telling us that unless we see evidence of someone committing the “sin that leads to death,” we can still pray hopefully for their salvation. That’s what the context indicates.
However, as already stated, these are not merely false believers, but a certain type of false believer, where there’s no longer any hope for such, because they have committed the “sin that leads to death,” based on a final decision of their heart to reject the light of truth they were exposed to—and I think the implication is, that it’s something that occurs over time, which could be months or even years. It’s the death of opportunity, where there’s no longer opportunity to be saved. While I don’t believe it’s the same thing, this sin is similar to “blasphemy against the Spirit” that Jesus talked about in Matthew 12:24-32; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 12:10. It’s an “eternal sin” (Mk 3:29), where there’s no longer opportunity for “forgiveness” (Mk 3:29). Therefore:
The “sin that leads to death” is to be understood as a type of death that is permanent, where the final outcome has already been determined. It’s an eternal sin where forgiveness is no longer possible.
In regard to “blasphemy against the Spirit,” we’ll discuss this a little more later, where we compare the two sins and how they differ.
So far in our identification of those who commit the “sin that leads to death,” we know that it doesn’t refer to true believers. This understanding is in harmony with what we learned in the first part of this study—that “brother” does not refer to true Christians who have “eternal life.” Rather, it refers to our fellow church members in general, those who have identified with the Christian community.
As it relates to those who have committed the “sin that leads to death,” it refers to those who eventually reveal themselves as false Christians via this sin. This is sin resulting in eternal death (eternal spiritual death), where they’ve committed an “eternal sin,” where there’s no longer opportunity for forgiveness of sins. John also indicates that it’s something that’s observable by other Christians. We have to be able to identify this sin and those who commit it if we’re going to know whether to “pray” for them or not (1 Jn 5:16).
Now that we know that John is not talking about true Christians in this passage, but to a certain group of people among the unsaved, what is the particular “sin that leads to death?” And who exactly are these people among the unsaved who commit this sin? We’ll answer those two questions next.
First of all, who specifically is the Apostle John talking about? I believe the context of the whole book of 1 John reveals the answer. It seems so clear that we shouldn’t have any doubts about it. Throughout this book, John talks primarily about two things: the true nature of God and the true message of salvation in Christ. It’s upon these two doctrines that the Christian faith is built. Together they form our foundation. One cannot be wrong about either one of these doctrines and get saved. Those who have an erroneous belief about God and who Jesus is, or who has an erroneous belief about the gospel of Christ, reveal an absence of salvation. The same is obviously true of those who completely reject the gospel of Christ.
More specifically, one cannot reject the Triune nature of God (that He exists as three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and get saved. Once a person has been taught the truth, then they are at that point accountable to believe it. Light given is light that makes a person accountable. Belief in the true God, in the true Jesus, in the true Son of God, is necessary for one to receive salvation—because our faith must have an object, and the object of our faith must be true. Likewise, and quite obviously, one must believe in the true gospel, and not some distorted version of it.
Why is precision in these matters so important?
It’s because people who have different religious backgrounds or personal beliefs, have all sorts of ideas about who God is, about who the Son of God is and about the way of salvation. To give a couple examples, when Paul preached to the Greeks, they believed in many different gods. Their ideas about deity were drastically different from the true God. So for Paul to simply say that Jesus is the Son of God would not be giving them enough information. They would have had all kinds of ideas about the nature of God and about the Son of God that he was referring to. Thus, it was necessary for him to go into detail to explain who God is, who the Son of God is, who Jesus is. We can be absolutely certain that’s what he did.
We must do the same thing today in our own culture—because there’s still a lot of different religions and ideas about God and the way of salvation that must be countered by the truth. For example, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses have different ideas about who God is, who Jesus is, who the Son of God is, and about the way of salvation. Therefore, it’s positively necessary to identify who God really is and about His way of salvation in order to eliminate the false ideas that people may have.
When we talk about God, about Jesus, about the Son of God, about the gospel of Christ, it’s imperative that we explain the truth about each. The doctrine of God and the doctrine of salvation are so intertwined that one cannot believe in one without the other. One cannot believe in the Son of God unto salvation, while having an erroneous understanding about who He is or about who God is—because who we believe we’re trusting for our salvation determines the outcome. To use an extreme example to make my point, if someone believes that the Son of God is the son of Zeus, it will not result in salvation, because both are false gods that cannot save. To use a more current and common example, one of the tenets of the Mormon faith is, “As man is, God once was; As God is, man may be.” Thus, they believe in a false god, that they themselves will become in the afterlife. They also believe that Jesus is the brother of Lucifer, and that alone makes Jesus the son of a false god that cannot save. Who we believe God is, who we believe Jesus is, is all-important, because only the true God can save us from the eternal penalty of sin.
Just because a person refers to “God,” or uses the name “Jesus,” or the title “Son of God,” and that they get these terms from the Bible – like Mormons do – doesn’t mean they believe in the true God and the true Son of God. If I say that I believe in Jesus and someone else says the same thing, a closer look may reveal that the other person believes that Jesus is just a good moral man like any other man, who taught a lot of helpful things to live by, who also started a whole religious movement called “Christianity.” Thus, this person views Jesus to be no different than so many others who have started religions. Such a belief in such a Jesus cannot save anyone.
In the same way, if someone says they believe in the God and Jesus of the Bible, but also believe they will become exactly like God in all His glorious and powerful attributes, and believe that they had a pre-existence as such, they not only have a false understanding about themselves, but also about God, whom they claim to worship. To worship a god whom they believe they themselves will become in all its fullness in the next life, is no more than self-worship. I added this illustration, because I happen to know someone who actually believes this way. I once asked this person, “if that’s what you believe, aren’t you in effect worshipping yourself?” He replied, “in a way that’s true.” Take note that this is someone who grew up in Christian churches! This is a perfect example of why it’s so important to define our terms when sharing the gospel of Christ—even for those who grew up hearing the teachings of the Christian faith. We never know what erroneous ideas people may have.
It’s these types of false beliefs and false understanding about God and about the gospel message that John was countering in 1 John. We can’t miss this, because it’s central to his whole purpose in writing this book.
It should be clear by now why it’s so important that the object of our faith (God, Son of God) be Who He really is, and not some false version of God. These two doctrines are the foundation of the Christian faith. Therefore, we must be precise in explaining both to eliminate false ideas. I believe that a lot of false conversions exist because of erroneous ideas about God people had at the time of their profession of faith. The more information, the more light and truth we give to people when sharing the gospel, the better equipped they are to make a decision about Christ—about the true Christ.
The whole book of 1 John was written for the primary purpose of revealing the true nature of God, the true nature of Christ and the true nature of the gospel message. Over and over John exposes the false understanding of who God is, who Jesus is and what the gospel message is, while revealing the truth of such. Therefore, when we consider what the “sin that leads to death” is, we must keep this context in mind, because that’s the key to interpreting the nature of this sin.
Throughout this book, John is writing to give his audience assurance of their salvation, or the lack thereof. If what they believe is the truth, then they can be at peace, knowing that their salvation is secure. If what they believe is false, then they have good reason to doubt their salvation. The fruit of salvation begins with what a person believes—not about how they present themselves. How we live our lives (John also talks about that) only matters if what we believe about God, about Jesus and about the gospel message is the truth. Because a moral or “obedient” life can be imitated (to a certain degree), which is evidenced by those who are in cults, like Mormonism. Mormons are very moral people, but what they believe is demonic. Therefore, how we live our lives only matters if our beliefs are grounded in the truth. This is the overall message of 1 John, which gives us the confidence to identify the “sin that leads to death.” That comes next:
Foundation for Identifying the Sin That Leads to Death
We can’t go into every detail of 1 John that gives us the proper foundation for interpreting the “sin that leads to death,” so we’ll have to focus on a few that represent the whole. First, the Apostle John begins and ends the same way, which is the revelation of the true Jesus and the true God. We see this in 1 John 1:1-3, which is a parallel passage with the first chapter of his gospel (the Gospel of John). He begins both books with a revelation of who Jesus is, which is that He is God, the very God the people of Israel worshipped, or claimed to worship. Jesus Himself revealed Himself as the God of Israel in places like John 8:12-59. What we see in both John 1 and 1 John 1 is the revelation of the Triune God, as he points us back to Genesis 1 as the Creator God, where the Holy Spirit is included along with the Father and Son as the Creator of the universe. When we do a detailed comparison of 1 John 1, John 1 and Genesis 1, we know this is the message the Apostle John is conveying to his readers. When we get to the end of 1 John, we see the same thing:
(1 John 5:20 – BSB) – And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
So we see that John begins and ends 1 John with a revelation of the true Jesus, whom he reveals to be the God and Creator of the universe, the very God of Israel.
Between chapter one and chapter five of 1 John, we see several references to the Son of God, to salvation in Christ, to false teaching and teaching of the truth, to light and darkness, to assurance of salvation—which are all presented in such a way as to determine what John’s main concern was. His main concern was that professing believers had a right understanding about God, about the truth. In all his references to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, it’s with his personal awareness of the true nature of God. We must have the same awareness that John had. We can’t just talk about God or about the Son of God without having a true understanding of who God is. It’s necessary that we define the all-important terms to those we share our faith with. We can’t allow people to apply their own understanding about these things. We must realize that John had a true understanding of it all, and he conveys that understanding in this book—if we look carefully enough for it.
John’s concern was that his readers were placing their faith in the true Jesus and the true gospel of Christ. Within that context he gave us guidelines to determine who the false teachers were, as well as who the true believers in the true Jesus were, and those who weren’t. We can’t walk away from 1 John without knowing these concerns and his reasons for writing this book. Because when we understand his motivations and the focus of this book, it provides us with the means for identifying the “sin that leads to death.”
The identity of those who commit that sin begins to be revealed to us in the following passage:
“If they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us”
(1 John 2:18-19 – BSB) – [18] Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. [19] They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
Who were the “antichrists” John was referring to? It was those who had a false understanding about God and about who Jesus is. This is made clear by what he says in verses 22 & 23:
(1 John 2:22-23 – BSB) – [22] Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. [23] Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
We first must define the title “the Christ” (the Messiah). We must understand all that that name entails. In Jesus’ day, the Jews regarded the Messiah as a king who would sit upon the throne of David (this part is true) who would deliver them from their oppressors. At the time, the Roman Empire was their oppressor. However, their understanding of the Messiah fell short of who He is and what His purpose is. Isaiah 9 identifies who the Messiah is and His purpose in these two verses:
(Isaiah 9:6-7 – BSB) – [6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [7] Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Yes, Jesus as the Messiah is certainly a King – “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 17:14; Rev 19:16), who sits upon the throne of David now – but as such He is also “Mighty God,” the God of Israel. As “a Son,” He is the Son of God—as the Second Person of the Trinity. As a Deliverer, this refers not to the rescue of Israel from their worldly oppressors, but to the rescue of sinners from the penalty of sin. This is the spiritual “peace” that the “Prince of Peace” gives to His people by bringing us into a right relationship with God via His atonement and the salvation He provides.
Therefore, understood correctly, Jesus as the Messiah (the Christ) is Savior, King, the Son of God (same in essence with the Father and Holy Spirit) — the one true God of Israel, who is Triune in nature. Jesus came to reveal Himself to Israel in all these ways. This is how the Apostle John understood the Messiah, in all His glory.
Therefore, when He wrote 1 John and referred to Jesus as “the Messiah,” it’s in all these ways he understood Him to be. So when he was writing this book, this is what He was conveying to his readers—both then, as well as to us today. If we don’t have this awareness when reading 1 John, we’re going to miss the central message and purpose of this book.
With that background and context, let’s take another look at 1 John 2:22-23:
(1 John 2:22-23 – BSB) – [22] Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. [23] Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
Within the proper context that’s revealed to us, who is “the antichrist?” It’s those who “deny the Father and the Son.” In other words, to deny the Father is to deny the Son. To deny the Son is to deny the Father, for they are One. Denial of the pre-existent and eternal Son of God is evidence that they do not belong to God. Those who reject the Trinity for some other viewpoint about God (such as modalism, where God merely manifests Himself in three different modes—not distinct Persons), are anti-Christs or anti-Messiahs. They’re not acknowledging all that’s been revealed about Him. Those who don’t believe in the unique, pre-existent and eternal Son of God (such as modalists), don’t believe in the same Jesus that we do as Trinitarians. That’s who we are.
Either the Son of God is an eternal and distinct Person, or He is merely someone who had His beginning as the Son of God in this life in the person of Jesus, whom God chose to dwell in and make Himself known through. The difference between the Trinitarian view and the modalist view is so significant, that we’re not talking about the same Son of God. We’re not talking about the same Jesus. Only the true Jesus, the true Son of God has the power to save. If someone claims to be a Christian, but rejects that God is a Trinity, they cannot be identified with the true Christian faith, but with a distorted version of it.
Those who have been taught the Triune nature of God, are at that point accountable to believe it. Thus, those who deny the revelation of who God is, will die in their sins. Even if they have the gospel message correct (intellectually), they will still die in their sins, because our faith must have an object, and the object of faith must be in the unique and eternal Son of God, who is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Those who deny the Son of God in His eternal essence with the Father and Holy Spirit, are placing their faith in a false Jesus and a false god, who cannot save. Believing the gospel message means believing in the true Jesus, the true Savior and the true God. The two cannot be separated. It’s upon these two doctrines that the Christian faith stands. It’s our very foundation.
In addition to 1 John 2:22-23, we must also consider these two passages:
(1 John 4:1-3 – BSB) – [1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.
(2 John 1:7 – BSB) – For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
In John’s day there were some who acknowledged the Deity of Jesus the Christ (Messiah), but denied His true humanity. In our day, we have the very opposite problem. Most people will acknowledge that Jesus was a man, but they deny that He was God. This passage refers not just to His humanity, but also implies His Deity—because to acknowledge that He came in a human body implies that you also believe something else about Him, which is His Deity.
In other words, this refers to His incarnation, where the pre-exsistent, eternal Son of God entered this world in human form (via the virgin Mary). Accordingly, we must believe that Jesus the Messiah (Christ) was both fully man and fully God. We can’t believe in one without believing in the other. We can’t be just half right. To be only half right is to be totally wrong about who Jesus the Messiah is. Those who don’t teach both are “false prophets.” John identifies them as “antichrists.”
Therefore, those who believe what these particular false prophets taught, are false believers (“not from God”), who are also “antichrists,” because they are anti-truth about who Jesus the Messiah is. The “Spirit of God,” who is the “Spirit of truth” (Jn 15:26), can only speak the truth about who Jesus the Messiah is. People who are of the truth (Jn 8:32), will believe the truth about who He really is.
Identifying the Sin That Leads to Death
In harmony with 1 John 2:22-23 and 1 John 4:1-3 we also have 1 John 4:4-6:
(1 John 4:4-6 – BSB) – [4] You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. [5] They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
First, notice that this passage immediately follows the last passage we looked at (1 Jn 4:1-3). That fact is highly significant because it helps us to understand this passage correctly. With the foundation laid, we’re close to identifying the “sin that leads to death,” as well as those who commit this sin. Those who “listened” to the teaching of the Apostles about Jesus the Christ (Messiah) – who He really is – and placed their faith in Him, showed that they belonged to God (“from God”). Those who didn’t listen (“does not listen to us”) to the teaching of the Apostles about the Messiah, who He really is, showed that they did not belong to God (“is not from God”). The people who didn’t listen, revealed themselves to be “false prophets” (1 Jn 4:1) and of “the spirit of antichrist” (1 Jn 4:3). This also applied to those who followed their false teaching. Instead of listening to the Apostles, they listened to the false prophets.
Since the days of the Apostles we have pastors and Bible teachers who teach the same truths about Christ. Thus, we have those same types of situations today that they had in their day. People who sit under the teaching of the truth, who are exposed to the true light of Christ (who may or may not make a superficial profession of faith), but who eventually turn away from it in unbelief, have nowhere else to go but to darker and darker beliefs about God and about the way of salvation. Most of these people will leave those churches and belief systems for something else, or nothing at all.
This takes us right back to what John said in chapter 2:
(1 John 2:18-19 – BSB) – [18] Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. [19] They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
We see that these were people who once identified with the Christian faith, who once identified with Christian community, who were regarded by others as true brothers and sisters in Christ—but then changed their minds about Christ (the true Christ) and His message (or simply made a decision about it without professing it), and no longer listened to the teachers of the Christian faith. Thus, they departed from the Christian faith in their heart first, and then walked away from the assembly they had once identified with.
Whether we’re talking about such people in John’s day or in our own day, these are people who have considered the teachings of Christ and about Christ, and eventually make a final decision in their hearts that it wasn’t for them. They simply didn’t believe it. Whatever they may have believed before, they ultimately rejected it.
Therefore, I believe it’s those particular people who have committed the “sin that leads to death.” To reject the truth about Christ and/or about the way to God, after sitting under the light of those teachings, only to finally and decisively reject it, I believe it’s at that point where there is no longer any hope for them. This indicates that God judges them on the spot, knowing their true heart.
This is much like those who committed “blasphemy against the Spirit” (Matt 12:31; Mk 3:29), which is unforgivable. The same is true of those who have considered the truth about God, about Christ (the Messiah), and/or about the gospel message, but who have rejected these teachings as a firm and final decision against it. I believe this is the “sin that leads to death.” It’s now an unpardonable sin for them. While they had the light and while learning the truth, the possibility for salvation still existed. But ultimate rejection of that light and truth results in judgment, for they have made their decision. They considered the teachings about Christ (who He is, what He taught) – perhaps over a period of many years – only to reject it at the end of their journey.
In regard to such people, John tells us “I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.” In other words, “don’t bother praying for them,” because the evidence indicate that they’re probably past the point of no return. As I said in the beginning, this is an observable sin, so when we know people like this, who have turned away from the true teachings about God, about the Son of God, about the gospel of Christ, or who have turned away from the Christian faith altogether, John indicates that praying for them won’t do any good.
However, we need to be careful about this, because we may not know a person well enough to be able to identify them as those who have committed this “sin unto death” (that’s why we must get to know the people in our churches and find out what they really believe). But we do know, as John said, such people will no longer listen to church authority or teachers of the Christian faith, and they will likely part ways with us (1 Jn 2:19; 1 Jn 4:5-6).
I happen to know two people who fit the description the Apostle John gave us. One man is someone I was in a Bible study with for a full year. We really clicked and became friends. We began meeting together in a particular restaurant. It came out one day that he didn’t accept the teaching of the Trinity. He said that he never could fully embrace that particular teaching about God. I was stunned and heartbroken. Here was someone I thought I knew and believed to be a brother in Christ. Sadly, such is not the case. He doesn’t believe in the pre-existence of Jesus as the Son of God. He doesn’t believe that He is a distinct Person, who has always existed throughout eternity. He believes that the Son of God – in the Person of Jesus the Christ – had His beginning when He entered this world via human birth. He told me he adopted a belief about God that is taught by David Bernard, who is the primary leader and teacher of Oneness Pentecostalism, which is a cult. They believe in a form of modalism.
Specifically, my friend believes that the Father is the one true God, who is also the Son and the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Son is not really the Son, but is the Father. And the Holy Spirit is not really the Holy Spirit, but is the Father. He seems to base everything on the fact that the Bible refers to God as “God the Father” (Jn 6:27; 1 Cor 15:24; Gal 1:1; Eph 5:20; etc.). He’s very firm and unwavering about his position. I did my best to show him the pre-existence of the Son of God from the Bible, but it did no good whatsoever—in spite of overwhelming proof. In fact, he told me that it’s his hope that someday the Christian community abandons their Trinitarian view of God in favor of the modalist view. He’s one of those who now, at this point in time, “refuses to listen.” He has chosen to stay in his church for now, but I think eventually he’ll choose to leave.
The other person I mentioned, grew up in Christian churches, sitting under the teachings of Christianity his whole life. But when he was about 19 years old he began to question his beliefs. For the next several years he set out on a journey to find out what he really believed—based on his own understanding of the Bible. He eventually put together his own belief system. Today he’s no longer Trinitarian (if he ever was), but has His own beliefs about who God is, about who we are as human beings, where we came from and where we’re going. His overall belief system represents a very different understanding about Christianity and about the Bible. I could go into detail about that, but I’ll leave it there. The point is, he’s one of those who “refuses to listen” to the orthodox teachings of Christianity, especially in regard to the nature of God.
I believe the evidence suggests that both of these men have committed the “sin that leads to death,” especially in the case of the second man. While his beliefs are far more extreme than the other, both have rejected the truth about the true nature of God. Both of them believe in a God and a Jesus who cannot save. Both of them are fully settled and immovable in their beliefs. They cannot and will not be persuaded. It remains to be seen if that will ever change.
Tragically, the more stubborn a person becomes in their rejection of the truth, the darker and darker their beliefs become—because once they’ve made that decision, there’s nowhere else to go. Like begets like. However, in regard to my friend, the modalist, I haven’t known him very long, so I need to give him more time to see if he remains on this same road of firm rejection of the Trinitarian view of God, because I think it’s too early to come to a conclusion about him. On the other hand, this other man has been unwaveringly defiant and settled in his beliefs for many years, and is at peace about it—which is a bad sign, because it shows that he’s no longer wrestling with the truth vs. the false.
Nevertheless, I still hold out hope that both these men will some day turn from their beliefs and embrace the historical teachings of Christianity.
For me personally, I received Christ as my Savior when I was 16. When I first learned that God exists as a Trinity, believing it was automatic for me. While I didn’t understand it very well at the time (who does?), I fully believed it and never looked back. That’s what matters. Since that time, of course, my understanding has only grown. That’s what happens when someone embraces the light and truth that God has given to us about Himself. The light becomes brighter and brighter, and the truth becomes more and more clear. Like begets like.
Confirmatory Scriptures Help Us To Correctly Interpret The “Sin That Leads To Death.”
I believe the interpretation of the “sin that leads to death” given in this study is the same sin talked about in Hebrews 6:1-9; Hebrews 10:26-29; and 2 Peter 2:20-22. Those passages help us to properly identify the sin John was talking about. All of these passages are dealing with the sin of apostasy, where someone professes belief in Christ and the Christian faith, but then eventually decides that it’s not the truth afterall. This includes those who finally and fully reject the teaching of the Trinity.
All of these passages reveal that there’s no going back from that. They’ve crossed a line where there’s no return. Therefore, we can be confident that the “sin that leads to death” is the sin of apostasy, where someone identifies with Christ and the Christian community, only to eventually walk away from it. As we’ve discussed in detail, this involves a proper understanding about God, about Jesus, about the Son of God and about the gospel message. To finally and fully reject the truth about any of these after indicating a belief in such, is crossing the line of no return.
By the way, none of these passages are talking about losing or forfeiting our salvation, for the simple reason we cannot lose our salvation. We’re eternally secure in Christ, as those who have been “set free from the law of sin and death” (Ro 8:2) — more clearly understood as being “set free from the law of sin that brings death, or results in death.”
Is This the Same Sin As Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?
In some sense it could be (since both involve a continuous rejection of the voice and working of the Holy Spirit), but I don’t believe it is. The reason I don’t believe it’s the same sin is because there’s only one sin that is referred to as being “unforgivable,” which Jesus Himself revealed in Matthew 12:24-32; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 12:10. While the “sin that leads to death” is unpardonable, I don’t believe it’s the unpardonable sin that Jesus described. The difference is, the sin that Jesus described (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) is a single sin that occurs in an instant. It’s committed once and never forgiven. Jesus named the sin here:
(Mark 3:22 – BSB) — And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
This is a very specific sin Jesus named, one that associates Jesus with Satan.
On the other hand, the “sin that leads to death,” unbelief is not unpardonable while a person is still thinking through the message about Christ, or about who God is. Very few people believe and receive Christ as their Savior the first time they hear the gospel. It normally takes time, often many years. Therefore, I don’t believe it’s the same unforgivable sin that Jesus specifically named.
However, the “sin that leads to death” becomes unforgivable once a person makes a final decision in their heart to reject the truth. This is a persistent and unrepentant rejection of the truth. This is true of everyone who hears the gospel message and ultimately rejects it. Everyone who hears the gospel of Christ, must make a decision about it.
The difference between the two is this: the unforgivable sin that Jesus named, is a single event, while the unpardonable “sin that leads to death” is a process that everyone must work through upon hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. This includes the teaching of the Triune nature of God, if this has been taught to them.
In conclusion, we have to be careful about who we identify as someone who has committed the “sin that leads to death.” I believe it’s wise to observe someone over a long period of time (perhaps several years) before coming to a discernable conclusion about them—for the simple reason that in the early stages we can’t know with any certainty if they’ve made a final decision. While we can’t know what’s really in a person’s heart, we can look at the evidence. I believe that is what the Apostle John is telling us to do.
Therefore, if many years go by and someone has become more and more resolute and stubborn in their rejection of the truth about the nature of God and/or about the gospel of Christ, then I think that’s ample evidence for us to come to a cautious conclusion about that person. At that point, we just have to leave them in God’s hands. As John instructed, “I’m not saying he should pray about that.”
