Everything is different when you're a Christian. I don't mean that life is necessarily easier or that all Christians sail through life with a smile on their face, impervious to struggles and pain. That's clearly not true! What I mean is that sin (the root problem behind all that is wrong with our world and our lives) is defeated in the life of the Christian and this changes everything...1 John 5:13-21
John is writing so that his readers might become Christians and know that they are safe. If we're not sure what it really means to be a Christian (or if we've forgotten!), we can fin it in verse 13. John says it's about believing in the name of the Son of God or in other words, believing Jesus was and is who he says he is.
If we're Christians, John says we can know for sure that we have been given life forever and also we can ask in prayer with greater confidence because we're asking our Father who's forgiven and accepted us. People who aren't yet Christians can pray too and God will hear them (he hears everything) but it's not the same if you haven't asked for forgiveness and there's sin separating you from God. Prayer changes when you become a Christian.
Sin changes when you become a Christian too. All sin leads to death but God offers free forgiveness and life (Romans 6:23). Christians still make mistakes and do the old sins they used to but it's totally different because when a Christian (forgiven) is sinning - it's not killing them! God has taken the sting of sin away through Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection. This is how John can talk about sin that doesn't lead to death. ALL sin leads to death but what he's talking about is forgiven sin. Forgiven sin doesn't lead to death. Making mistakes and doing wrong is also totally different when you're a Christian. Still wrong (and we still need to grow out of it) but it's forgiven! We can still have life to the full and life forever!
John finishes this letter by ramming his point home. In short - 'Jesus is the truth so don't bother with fakes!' Why is he being so clear about it? Why is he being so exclusive? So arrogant? Because John knows that believing in the name of Jesus changes everything and it's the difference between life and death.
Have you asked Jesus for forgiveness and for change? You're allowed to! And you're allowed to keep asking too! And if you've done this, remember that as you grow to become more like Jesus, your sinful mistakes aren't killing you any more when you fall back! Jesus is life!
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4 comments:
Thank you for this.
Sin that doesn't lead to death... Thanks for interpreting this. Inspiring!
Thank you for encouraging us to ask Jesus for forgiveness and change.
I don't think if makes sense to interpret "sin that does not lead to death" as the forgiven sin of a Christian.
He's talking about "brother"s, i.e. Christians, and by saying that they may "commit a sin that does not lead to death" he implies that they may commit a sin that does lead to death. The same can be said of - "I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death." it implies that bothers and sisters can be grouped into two categories, "those whose sin does not lead to death." and those whose sin does lead to death.
Also, John, who is writing "these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [,who] have eternal life", says that we still have a need for forgiveness of sin: 1 Jn 1:9
I think we need to understand what God says in one part of the Bible in the context of what he says to us in the rest of the Bible.
The idea that some sins lead to death and others don't would fly in the face of the rest of what the Bible says about sin, so I think this can't be what John means. If I'm wrong though, the obvious question would be - Which sins lead to death and which ones don't? I'm sure we'd tie ourselves in knots if we went down that road because there's just nothing in the Bible about it and for good reason I would suggest. What do you think?
I was going to give a response in two parts, one here, and one on my blog, but, thinking about it, I don't know how much text your comments will take, so I'd better put it all on my blog:
http://dob-log.blogspot.com/
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