“If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.” 1 John 5:16 NIV
John does not say, “If anyone sees his brother or sister sinning, go tell the pastor so they can deal with it.” Nor does he say, “If anyone sees his brother or sister sinning, call up all of your friends and tell them about it so that they can pray.” That is a thin spiritual cover for gossip. Nor does he say, “If anyone sees his brother or sister sinning, they should shake their head in disgust and ask, ‘How could they do such a thing?’” That is called “judging your brother and sister.” Rather, he says that if we see a brother or sister in sin, pray for God to give life to them. While we all are responsible for our own sins, only God can truly deliver us from sin, because only God can impart life. Before we speak to a brother or sister about their sin, we need to speak to God about them. Let us not try be the Holy Spirit in the lives of others. “A sin that leads to death.” There are various views on these words but let us take note that the Bible does describe those who make a profession of faith, look like believers for a while, then turn from the faith, showing that they were not truly born of God. In the context of John’s letter, where he has been dealing with false teachers who had been a part of the fellowship, but who had denied the faith, lends support to such view that John is not saying that we should not pray for such people, but he is not extending the promise of God’s giving life to these people. This is challenging!
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, let me never be the Holy Spirit in another’s life, lead me to pray.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord Jesus, let me never try to be the Holy Spirit in the life of others. When I see another brother or sister sin, let me always speak to You first before I do anything else. AMEN
I.B.R.A. Readings
Ezra 1
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