November 26
“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life,” 1 John 5:16-20.
The apostle John is discussing what we should do when a fellow Christian commits a sin, and as a result, for a time the fellow Christian might even lose his faith in Christ. John urges us to pray for and with such a person. We should witness to such a person with a word about sin and the Savior.
John specifically speaks of a sin that does not lead to death, and then he says, “All unrighteousness is sin.” Here he is speaking of sin in general, which is any sin against any of the Ten Commandments. Indeed, each and every sin is a violation of God’s will. In a moment of weakness of faith or spiritual carelessness, we often sin. We must confess, as Dr. Luther wrote in his explanation to the Fifth Petition, “We daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment.”
The new man, the Christian in us, does not sin. The new man is born of God. Through the word of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit creates the new man in us. He calls us to faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we are a new creature. The devil loses his control over us. John writes, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”
John also speaks of a sin leading to death. He writes, “There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.” Prayer is foolish and useless with reference to the sin leading to death. John is writing about the sin against the Holy Spirit. Seldom can this sin be identified, but if in a case it were identified with certainty, it would be useless to pray about. The person who has committed the sin against the Holy Spirit has hardened his or her heart against the Spirit’s pleading and calling to repentance and faith. The person has closed his eyes and ears to the call of the Spirit, “Repent and believe the Gospel!” The person willingly and stubbornly has hardened his heart and turned his back on God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus spoke of the sin against the Holy Spirit. He said, “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come,” Matthew 12:31-32. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote, “It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame,” Hebrews 6:4-6. Willingly and without shame they reject the Spirit’s invitation to believe and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.
Thank God on bended knee that He has called you to faith in Jesus and kept you in the faith!
“Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Let Thy bright beams arise;
Dispel the sorrow from our minds,
The darkness from our eyes.
Convince us of our sin,
Then lead to Jesus’ blood,
And to our wond’ring view reveal
The mercies of our God.” Amen.