Sin That Leads to Death

Few verses in this epistle have raised more anxious questions than today’s passage. Christians have read of a sin that leads to death and wondered whether they have committed it. This concern is not limited to weak believers; even John Bunyan wrestled intensely with the fear that he had committed this particular sin. Because tender consciences are at stake, John’s words deserve careful handling, and we must allow Scripture itself to define its terms.

This is a difficult passage, primarily because it is not clear what exactly John means by “sin that leads to death” (1 John 5:16b). The death spoken of refers to eternal death; thus, it seems likely that John understands there to be at least one unforgivable sin. Various possibilities for this sin have been suggested, such as the unpardonable blasphemy of the Holy Spirit mentioned by Jesus (Mark 3:28–30). Others mention a persistent refusal to hear the gospel. While it is difficult to be sure, these possibilities cannot be strictly separated. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is commonly understood as a conscious denial of His work in the ministry of Jesus even when the person making such a denial knows better. Final apostasy would certainly qualify for this category, for apostasy can be committed only by those who have some knowledge of the truth already. Such blasphemy naturally results in a heart unwilling to respond in faith to the gospel.

John’s apparent implication that a “brother” (1 John 5:16a) can commit this sin does not mean that it is possible for an elect child of God to fall away. The term “brother” can be used of any professing Christian, whether or not the person actually has saving faith. Clearly, John knows that true believers will not commit the sin that leads to death. Though we may sin, believers will not persist in unrepentant sin that leads to a final hardening of the heart (v. 18).

For the troubled believer, the very anxiety over this verse is itself a kind of evidence. A heart fully and finally set against Christ does not grieve over its sin or search the Scriptures for reassurance. “All wrongdoing is sin” (v. 17), John adds, and the reminder keeps us from the opposite error. Nothing in this passage excuses the sins that we have decided are minor; every one of them requires confession, and the same faithful God who forgives the greatest of them forgives the least.