Prayer Changes Things
"If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him 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 he should pray about that. – 1 John 5:16
This is a heavy passage with a lot of implications. In my research I found those wiser than me delving into what it means to have a “sin that does not lead to death” versus a “sin that leads to death.” This is a really important concept –particularly for those who like to rate their sins according to how much penance is required to absolve them.
Actually, I do think it’s an important thing to give thought to – especially when we consider Ananias and Sapphira who were struck dead when they lied to God (Acts 5:1-11) and also when Jesus referred to blaspheming the Holy Spirit as the unpardonable sin (Mark3:29). Obviously sin is something to be taken very seriously… we need Jesus to atone for it.
But today I want to look at prayer.
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.
I’ve talked before about the importance of recognizing our responsibility to those we call “brother.” That’s not to say we have no responsibility to everybody else, it’s just different and we hold our brothers to a higher expectation. The point is, this verse is speaking specifically to our work in the lives of those who are fellow believers – not everyone in the world.
When we see a brother commit a sin, we pray. This verse makes no mention of admonishing, condemning or judging – just prayer… and for a number of good reasons.
First, when we pray we can stimulate conviction in the offending brother. Either God will charge them with their offense and they will be humbled, or they will recognize our petition before God on their behalf and they will be humbled. The result is a changed, and humbled, perspective that will ultimately convict them to their error and lead them to repentance and forgiveness.
Second, when we pray we’re actually aligning ourselves with God’s will and understanding. To look at prayer this way means that there’s benefit not only to the brother we pray for but also to us. We can gain insight into God’s perspective on this particular sin (and sin in general) and learn more about the death truly involved. It’s not the goal to take that learning and attack our brother with it but rather to grow in our relationship and appreciation for Christ and His sacrifice.
Finally, going along with the previous point, when we are seeking God’s perspective through prayer we give God an opportunity to share revelation with us. It’s in opening ourselves to His voice that we can learn about the actual sin involved… or lack thereof. It was through prayer that Peter learned that there is no unclean food (Acts 10:9-16) and prayer allowed the gentiles to experience the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-47). These concepts would have been blasphemous in the days of the Old Testament but when people were willing to quiet themselves before God and listen, they were shown an evolving plan.
Prayer changes things. It can change our brother. It can change ourselves. It can change the church.
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.
Unbelievable! beautiful article very informative
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