“If you see a
Christian brother or sister sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you
should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads
to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. All
wicked actions are sins, but not every sin leads to death”
(1 John 5:16-17,
NLT).
“If
you see a Christian brother or sister sinning… you should pray.” As our faith grows, we should go beyond the
concerns we have about ourselves and pray for others. This is called the intercession prayer. If we pray only
about our own needs, as important as these needs may be, we can become quite self-centered and not see how great and privileged it is to be a part of the
growth of other people as well. As we learn to pray for others, we become more
sensitive about their needs and will keep in touch with them so we know what
their needs are.
And not only do we pray about
the needs of others; we should be willing to be a means or channel through which
God can answer our prayers. In case this is a new thought for you, let me share
an example: Let’s say that you find out that a friend is suffering from the
loss of a job and an illness. You have heard that he or she has very little
food or money at home. So you share these concerns with God, and you pray that God
will provide for their needs, so they won’t go hungry and thus will not sin against God for the situations that he or she experiencing now. After
praying such a prayer, you can ask yourselves, “In what way would God like me to be the way that an answer is
provided? How can I become the answer to my own prayer?” You could buy him
or her dinner, or you could help to find a job, or you could offer to care
(if need be) until he or she gets better, etc.
What is amazing about this
process, then, is that prayer does not become a closet activity in which we
withdraw from people and think only ‘heavenly’ thoughts. As we pray about the
needs of others we are drawn back into loving others. So, Lord Jesus Christ is
the connecting link between ourselves and others. As we feel loved by Jesus and
as our prayers are answered, we grow in our ability to love and care for
others. This is especially true when it comes to praying for our “Christian brother or sister” whom we
knowingly “sinning” and commit “wicked actions” against God. We must pray
for and at the same time, love and lead him or her back in the faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Apostle James was very clear with this: “If
someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be
sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and
bring about many forgiveness of many sins” (James 5:19-20). As we “pray” earnestly and be open to being used by
God in this way, He “will give that
person life” [This promise applies in the context of brothers and
sisters in Christ].
However, the part of this
section that may be less clear involves what John calls: “…a
sin that leads to death.” Exactly what this means has been debated
for centuries until now. But let me try, in a simple way: We know that God has
promised to forgive us our sins when we confess them and ask for forgiveness
(read 1 John 1:9 again). But there is one attitude – only one – that seems to
cut oneself off from God. Jesus talks about this sin as being blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (read
Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:29). This kind of sin that “leads to death” is the sin that says the work of Jesus is the work
of Satan or origin from Satan, imply that Satan is really more powerful than
God, and that evil is more powerful and maybe even is – preferable to what is good and true. To
talk and live like that is to live a life in spiritual ruin. So, John is saying
“there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not
saying you should pray for those who commit it” – because it is
useless to pray for them since they already decided willingly that everything
that Jesus did and done is attributed to evil one. Don’t do it!
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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