Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sin Leading Unto Death

Look at what it says: 1st John 5:16 - There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. Huh? That part of the verse is a puzzler.
“There is sin leading to death?” What is it?

Well, let’s start with what it’s not. First, it’s not some awful sin that is so bad God can’t or won’t pardon it. Even a Ted Bundy could be saved and forgiven. Even those who nailed Jesus to the cross could be saved and forgiven. No sin is too great for God to forgive if the heart is repentant. The Roman Catholics have this distinction between a mortal and venial sin, but there’s no such distinction in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament certain sins required the death penalty, and it didn’t allow a sacrifice for willful sins; but nothing like that is found in the New. It tells us God can forgive even the most despicable of sins.

Paul, persecutor of the church, is an example: He was searching out Christians to bind them in chains and cast them into dungeons for execution. But Jesus met him on the Damascus Road, and it changed his life.

This is also not talking about apostates. Apostates were never Christians to begin with. They tried out Christianity for awhile, then turned back to the world from which they came.

No, these are genuine believers being referred to here. 1st John 5:16 calls them that – “If anyone sees his brother sinning.” Brothers are our fellow believers. They too are children of God, born again, adopted into God’s family.

Well, what then is this “sin leading to death?” The death must be physical death as a result of persistent, deliberate sin. It’s not a specific sin, or a kind of sin, but an unrelenting, persistent sin the believer won’t give up. So God brings them home early.

But why would a good, loving God do that? Why would God bring death to one of His own? That’s a good question. It could be to protect His reputation. He might if the actions of that professed believer puts a blight on His name or hinders his program. Can you imagine the damage that a professing believer does while he lives a life of sin? Can you imagine the damage he does to God’s reputation? Or, it could be to protect the believer from an ongoing life of sin, a life of ruin and degradation.

Here are some examples of God protecting his reputation or program: In Leviticus 10:1-7, Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, disobeyed God by bringing strange fire to the altar of god, and fire came out of the alter to devour them. In Numbers 16, Korah and his clan opposed Moses’ authority, claiming equal authority. God opened up the ground to swallow them alive. In Joshua 6-7, Achan stole of the bounty at Jericho, and he and his family were stoned and they and all their possessions were burned. In 2nd Samuel 6, Uzzah reached his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant when the oxen stumbled, and God struck him dead instantly.

There are New Testament examples also. In Acts 5:1-11, Annanias and Saphira lied to the Holy Spirit about their offering, and God struck them dead. In 1st Corinthians 5:1-5, Paul instructs the Corinthians what to do about the man in the church having an affair with his mother in law, and he says to “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Then, in 1st Corinthians 11:29-30, Paul talks about those who were taking part in the Lord’s Table unworthily: “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” That means they are dead. These people’s sin literally caused their death.

Wow! But didn’t we say that say the reason is that God is protecting the believer from himself? This almost sounds like God is getting even or punishing them for their sin. Can this be true?

Well, let’s think about it:
Look at Hebrews 12:5-7, the passage where it talks about God chastening us as a loving parent:
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
“For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

When God takes us to the woodshed for a lickin’, it proves He love us, not the other way around. And if we respond to His discipline, God instructs us, trains us, and corrects us in love just the way you would with your own child. You don’t spank someone else’s child.

But drop down to Hebrews 12:9
“Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?”

What’s the implication? If you don’t respond to God’s discipline, you just might die - not a spiritual death, but a physical one. It is a child of God, after all, in this passage. But the implications is – physical life is on the line.

I can give you lots of examples of people I knew: There was a new convert in one of our churches who was saved out of alcoholism. He used to run around on his wife and drink up every paycheck, but now, he was on fire for God. For two years, he lived a new, sober life, but then he started having binges. He would be very repentant with tears, and straighten out, for awhile, but then the binges continued with greater and greater frequency. He died of a heart attack at the age of 30.

There was another young man we knew. His parents had split up, neither wanting him, and he shuffled back and forth between them. He got into repeated trouble. He was saved at the age of 20 through the witness of an aunt, and seemed real tender to the Lord. But there was never any real change in his lifestyle. He kept on drinking and died at the age of 21 in a car accident caused by the combination of excessive speed and alcohol.

As a good Father, God might have just called those two young men home to protect them from a life of degrading sin. As a good parent, we want to protect our kids, not let them destroy their lives, their reputation, and their testimony. For a Christian, death is a better alternative by far. They will be safe in heaven. That is much better than allowing them to live a life of sin.

As parents, my wife and I have prayed for our children, “God, if our children are going to reject you, take them before they can dishonor You, and reject You eternally.” We would rather lose them young, than lose them eternally. It is much better that they die before they reach the age of accountability, then live a long life and go to hell.

But, still, this is confusing - especially the part where it says in 1st John 5:16, “There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.” Why shouldn’t we pray about that? Quoting the best commentaries, “Beats me!” Nobody knows. But don’t let that bother you. This is given as an exception.

The preponderance of the teaching in Scripture is for us to pray. Almost never are we told not to pray. It’s more natural for us to skip praying anyway. We are more prone to gossip about someone caught in sin than pray for them. Shame on us!

But we really don’t know when these exceptions are going to occur. We have no idea who will repent and who won’t. We have no idea who will be restored, and who will sin leading to death. So as a general rule, pray. This isn’t a command not to pray as much as a comment that it won’t do any good in some cases. But we don’t know, so we pray - we always pray.

But, let this obscure passage be a warning: Sin has consequences, even in the life of a believer, and one of those consequences for unrelenting sin just might be physical death. Always, repentance is the best plan.

Look at Peter’s example: After following Jesus around for three years of intimate contact, when the crisis came at Jesus’ arrest and trial, Peter denied that he even knew the Lord -Peter denied Him three times. Doesn’t that sound like a sin leading to death? Yet, Jesus restored him, and Peter went on to a life of useful service with phenomenal results.

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Don’t be too quick to write someone off.

The glorious truth is this, God can restore anyone – God can use anyone. Falling into sin doesn’t have to be the end. But you must repent. If you are caught up in sin, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline. If your conscience torments you, that’s God working on you. Turn back to Him. And know we are praying for you.

And if you see someone else falling into sin, don’t condemn them or gossip about them. Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray that they be restored.

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