10 thoughts on “The Sin Which Leads to Death”

1. Hi Sue, interesting post! The Sin That Leads to Death (1 John 5:16-17)
   In 1 John 5:16-17 (NASB), the apostle John writes:
   “If anyone sees his brother or sister committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will, for him, give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I am not saying that he should ask about that.
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.”
   This passage has been widely debated, and its meaning must be understood in light of the whole counsel of God’s Holy Word.

   Understanding “Sin That Leads to Death”
   The key question here is: What is the “sin leading to death” that John refers to? There are a few common interpretations, but only one aligns fully with the whole counsel of God’s Word.
   1. The Sin That Leads to Physical Death
   One interpretation suggests that some sins result in God’s judgment through physical death rather than eternal damnation. Examples in Scripture include:
   * Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) – They lied to the Holy Spirit and were struck dead.
   * Some at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:27-30) – Paul states that some believers had died due to partaking in the Lord’s Supper unworthily.
   * Achan (Joshua 7) – His disobedience led to his execution and judgment upon Israel.
   While this view holds biblical weight, it does not fully address the seriousness of John’s statement that “I am not saying that he should ask about that,” which implies something more severe than just physical death.

   2. The Sin of Apostasy (Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit)
   A stronger interpretation, supported by the whole counsel of Scripture, is that the “sin leading to death” refers to willful, continual rejection of Christ—apostasy that results in spiritual death. This aligns with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 12:31-32 (NASB):
   “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever 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.”
   The sin leading to death is a final, hardened rejection of God’s truth, where one persistently resists the Holy Spirit’s work of conviction and rejects Christ as Savior. This results in eternal separation from God (spiritual death).
   This view is strengthened by passages such as:
   * Hebrews 6:4-6 – Those who have “been enlightened” and “tasted the heavenly gift” yet “fallen away” are beyond repentance.
   * Hebrews 10:26-27 – “If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.”
   * 1 John 2:19 – “They went out from us, but they were not really of us.”
   John may be distinguishing between sins that believers can repent from and receive forgiveness for (sin not leading to death) versus the ultimate rejection of Christ (sin leading to death), which aligns with apostasy.

   How Should We Respond?
   John instructs believers to pray for fellow believers who commit sin not leading to death because God grants restoration and forgiveness (1 John 1:9). However, when it comes to those committing the “sin leading to death,” John does not encourage prayer, likely because their rejection of Christ has hardened to the point of no return.
   This warning is not for those struggling with sin but for those who have willfully turned away from Christ with no repentance.
   Key Takeaways
   1. All unrighteousness is sin, but not all sin results in immediate judgment.
   2. Some sins may result in physical death as divine discipline, but this is not the primary meaning of the passage.
   3. The ultimate sin leading to spiritual death is apostasy—final, hardened rejection of Christ.
   4. Believers should pray for fellow Christians who stumble in sin, trusting in God’s restorative grace.
   5. For those who have completely turned from Christ, prayer may not be encouraged, as their decision is final before God.

   Let me know your thoughts!

   Love in Christ – Bruce

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   • Bruce, the Scriptures teach us that if we make sin our practice, and not walks of obedience to his commands, that we are not in fellowship (relationship) with God, we don’t know God, we are of the devil, and that we do not have salvation (forgiveness and deliverance) of sin nor eternal life with God. Putting sin to death in our lives, in practice, and walking in obedience to our Lord, in practice, is required of us to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is where God draws the line. This doesn’t make us perfect, and it does not mean that we will not ever sin, but that deliberate and habitual sin and deliberate and habitual disobedience to our Lord will keep us out of God’s heaven if we do not repent (turn away from deliberate and habitual sin and disobedience to our Lord). And many will hear Jesus say, “Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they did not submit to the Lord but they went their own way, instead.

     [Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

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     • Thank you,Sue, for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate your emphasis on the necessity of obedience and repentance in the Christian life. Indeed, Scripture is clear that those who make a practice of sin—living in continual, unrepentant disobedience—are not in right fellowship with God (1 John 3:6-10). Jesus Himself warns that many will call Him “Lord,” yet be rejected because they practiced lawlessness rather than doing the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21-23).

       At the same time, Scripture also affirms that our salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that while genuine faith is evidenced by obedience (James 2:17, 1 John 2:3-6), it is Christ’s atoning work that secures our salvation, not our personal ability to maintain a perfect walk (Romans 3:23-24; Titus 3:5). True believers will struggle with sin (Romans 7:14-25), but the key distinction is whether they are living in repentance and striving to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).

       Your point about habitual sin is well taken—if someone persistently rejects God’s commands and refuses to repent, this demonstrates that their faith is not genuine (1 John 3:9-10). However, we must be careful not to imply that salvation is dependent upon our level of obedience, as though we could earn or maintain it by our works. Rather, obedience is the fruit of a transformed life, not the root of our salvation (John 15:5, Philippians 2:12-13).

       Ultimately, the believer’s assurance is found not in their own efforts, but in Christ’s finished work and their ongoing relationship with Him. Those who are truly His will persevere (John 10:27-28), and God, in His faithfulness, will complete the good work He began in them (Philippians 1:6). May we all continue to walk in the light, confessing our sins, relying on Christ’s cleansing blood (1 John 1:7-9), and living in joyful obedience as a response to His great grace. -Love in Christ – Bruce

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   • https://runwithit.blog/2025/02/23/walking-in-uprightness/

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     • Hi Sue, Thank you for your thorough response. I agree with much of what you’ve said, especially the distinction between professing Christ and genuinely following Him, and the importance of living in obedience to God’s commands as a demonstration of true faith. As you pointed out, faith is not just about lip service, but about how we live and whether we take sin seriously.

       You rightly emphasize that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot earn salvation by our works, and no amount of good deeds can save us from our sin. Yet, genuine faith in Christ always produces a changed life (James 2:17). As you mention, we cannot be content with deliberate and habitual sin—this is not consistent with the new life we are called to in Christ (1 John 3:6-10). A true believer does not continue in sin without repentance, because the Holy Spirit within them convicts and leads them toward holiness (Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:16).

       Your mention of “the line in the sand” is important. As you said, God draws a line between those who habitually live in sin and those who walk in righteousness. It’s vital to recognize that this is not a matter of perfection, but of the direction of our lives. A true Christian will strive to obey God, even though they may stumble along the way. The key is the posture of the heart—a heart that desires to follow Christ and be obedient to His commands, not to willfully persist in sin (Romans 6:16-18).

       I do want to clarify a point, though. While it is clear that Scripture calls us to a life of obedience and holiness, we must be careful not to overemphasize works as the basis of our assurance. A true Christian will desire to live in obedience, but our salvation is ultimately secured by Christ’s finished work on the cross (John 19:30). It’s not our ability to perfectly obey that saves us, but Christ’s sacrifice and our faith in Him (Romans 3:24-25). Obedience is the evidence of that faith, not the condition for salvation.

       You’re absolutely right that those who continually make sin their practice without repentance are in danger of being deceived about their standing before God. As Jesus warned, many will come to Him and claim they did works in His name, but He will say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23). But I would also want to add that the call to repentance is ongoing for the believer. We are not called to be perfect, but to persevere in faith, knowing that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9).

       In summary, I completely agree that genuine Christians will live lives that reflect their faith in Christ, and that includes striving for holiness and obedience. Our salvation is secured by Christ alone, but the fruit of that salvation should be evident in how we live. Let’s continue to encourage one another to press on toward the goal of living obediently to our Lord, all while resting in the assurance that our salvation is not dependent on our perfect performance, but on Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Love in Christ – Bruce

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   • https://runwithit.blog/2025/02/23/is-our-salvation-conditional-upon-our-obedience/

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     • Hi Sue, You are right to emphasize that genuine faith will result in a transformed life. The Bible is clear that faith without works is dead (James 2:26), and that those who are truly born again will bear fruit, showing the evidence of their new life in Christ. This is consistent with what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

       The key distinction here, I believe, is that while good works, obedience, and fruitfulness are the evidence of salvation, they are not the cause of it. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is a gift of God, not a result of our own efforts, so that no one can boast about their works being the reason for their salvation (Ephesians 2:9). You rightly point out that the grace of God trains us to renounce sin and live self-controlled, godly lives (Titus 2:11-12). The Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer to empower them to live in obedience, but this is a fruit of the salvation God has already given, not a prerequisite for receiving it.

       I think the crux of our difference is in how we understand the role of obedience in the believer’s life. I agree wholeheartedly that habitual, unrepentant sin is incompatible with true faith. As 1 John 3:6-9 says, “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil.” This does not mean that a true believer is sinless (1 John 1:8), but it does mean that they do not practice sin as a lifestyle. When a believer falls into sin, they are convicted by the Holy Spirit and brought to repentance (1 John 1:9), and they do not remain in their sin as if it’s acceptable or normal. This is where I think we agree.

       However, I believe the Scripture also teaches that salvation, in its fullness, is not something that is earned or kept through perfect obedience, but rather is secure because of the perfect obedience of Christ. As we look at Romans 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Our justification is not based on our ability to maintain sinless perfection, but on Christ’s perfect righteousness being credited to us by faith (Romans 3:22). It is through His finished work that we stand before God justified, and the Holy Spirit enables us to live in a manner that honors God.

       The danger in the position that obedience is a condition of salvation, if I understand you correctly, is that it could unintentionally put the believer’s assurance of salvation on their own performance, rather than on the sufficiency of Christ’s work. If our salvation depends on the consistency of our obedience, then how do we know if we’ve done enough? How do we know if we’re truly obeying perfectly? The Bible teaches that “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36) and “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Our assurance of salvation is rooted not in how perfectly we obey, but in the unchanging work of Christ on our behalf.

       We are called to obey, yes, but even our obedience is a response to God’s grace, not the ground of it. Philippians 2:12-13 says, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Our obedience is the result of God’s work in us, not the means of securing our salvation.

       In conclusion, I believe we both agree on the importance of obedience, repentance, and forsaking sin, but I would stress that our salvation is not contingent upon perfect obedience but rather upon the finished work of Christ. We are called to a life of holiness, to grow in our sanctification, and to bear fruit that gives evidence of our new nature in Christ, but it is God’s grace that empowers us to do so. I hope this helps clarify my thoughts on this important matter. May we continue to pursue righteousness, living in light of the salvation that has been so freely given to us. Love in Christ – Bruce

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     • Me again! Further to my last, Romans 14 and James 4 both caution against judging others in areas where Scripture is not explicit or where individual consciences may differ. In fact, the judgment mentioned in those passages is particularly relevant when someone believes their personal convictions (which may be Scripturally sound in their own view) should be universally applied to all believers. This can be problematic if it causes division or causes someone to stumble in their walk with God.

       If we impose our understanding of obedience on others in a way that undermines the grace of God or leads to condemnation, it can be an issue of self-righteousness rather than righteous judgment.

       In contrast, Scripture calls us to be gentle, humble, and loving in our correction and encouragement of fellow believers, always remembering that we too are in need of God’s grace. In Galatians 6:1 (NASB), Paul encourages us with this:

       Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
       This aligns well with the principle of avoiding judgmental attitudes, especially when it leads to unnecessarily alienating others. It’s important to remember that our salvation is ultimately by grace alone, through faith alone, and that God is the one who judges, not us.

       I believe that it is essential to evaluate matters of obedience through humility, as none of us perfectly obey all God’s commands. Rather than judging one another, we’re called to help each other grow in love and truth, keeping in mind that God alone knows the heart and motives of every believer. I would further suggest that how Jesus dealt with the Samaritan woman at the well exemplifies this. Hope this helps! – Bruce

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   • Bruce, this is going to be my last communication with you on this subject here. I don’t believe you are really hearing what I am saying and that you seem to be putting words in my mouth I did not say, but that I said the opposite. I am teaching the Scriptures in their appropriate context as Jesus taught them, and as the New Testament apostles taught them. I am not teaching works salvation, but the opposite of that. Here, I believe, I am not casting any judgment on anyone that the Scriptures do not do themselves.

     And in Romans 8, where it says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, it adds on to that, “who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (v. 4), “for the mind set on the flesh is death” (v.6).  It always comes down to obedience. If sin is what we practice, and if obedience to our Lord is not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God. It says it in these Scriptures. These are not my words. And “practice” does not infer absolute perfection. Sue

     [Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom  6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

     FAITH = OBEDIENCE and DISOBEDIENCE = UNBELIEF

     GRACE TRAINS US TO RENOUNCE SIN AND TO OBEY GOD

     JESUS DIED THAT WE WOULD DIE TO SIN AND OBEY HIS COMMANDS

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     • Not a problem, Sue. Enjoy your evening. Bruce

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