 You all would agree that there are consequences for our actions that there are things that we do whether we are either unbelievers or actual believers that there are still consequences for the things we do. There are positive consequences and there are negative. Well there's a passage in the Bible that is not as clear as we would like it to be and so for that reason there are times when you just have to say you know this is what I think it means but I cannot be totally sure and you will see different scholars and the allusions go back and forth in terms of what this passage means and that is the passage in 1st John 516 that speaks about a sin that leads to death as well as a sin that does not lead to death and so people have asked this question so let's go ahead and jump into it and see if we can kind of get some sort of understanding as to what John is actually talking about. So in 1st John 516 it says if anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death he shall ask God or pray to God and God will give him life to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is a sin or I'm sorry there is sin that leads to death I do not say that one should pray for that all wrong doing his sin but there is sin that does not lead to death and I had to correct myself because I said there is a sin and it's not to be taken as a sin as one particular sin it doesn't seem like again this is my my take on it it doesn't seem like there is a particular sin that John is in reference that's John's referencing just that there is a sin or sin or sins plural that a person can be involved in engaged in that could lead to God just giving a quick judgment and taking that person out some sins you would see that that will probably look even obvious and we're gonna reference a particular passes an example that might be an example of this but just in our own understanding if a person goes out and decides to rob a bank and then takes a gun and there's a shootout well guess what that is a sin that is probably or is a good chance leading to death if you decide you want to rob your local police station that might be a sin that's going to lead to death and that I think might be what he's speaking about I don't think that he's speaking of spiritual death here's why let's go ahead and read again if anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death he shall pray and ask God and God will give to him now the word God is not actually there but we know who he's referencing says he will give him life to those who commit sins that do not lead to death so the person who's committing a sin and this sin doesn't lead to death now the problem is he doesn't indicate what these sins are could it be a lie well typically lying does not lead to death but maybe through some sort of foresight that you have some sort of understanding you just see this person you've seen people that are on their way down they're on a slippery slope and you see the end result might be prison time for some people or it may just be death someone is engaged in let's say heavy drug abuse and you know where it's going or they are out robbing people to to stay up with their drug abuse their drug addiction you can see that ultimately ending in death and so the Bible didn't tell us if on this next passage if this is something that is a swift death or not just as lead to death he says there is sin that leads to death I do not say that one should pray for that now on that part he's not saying to not pray for someone he's just saying I'm not telling you to pray for that person there are times where you know what praying for the person might be he's gonna have to learn his lesson I'm not saying that's what he's getting at it could be but again he's not totally clear on this but let's see what we can glean from this for certainty he says there is a sin that leads to death there is sin now again it doesn't tell us if this is one sin a sin or just sins and I believe that the correct way to look at this is that there is sin different sins although it's not explained he says I do not say pray for that all wrongdoing is sin but there is sin that leads to death so obviously this is why we say that he's probably speaking of different types of sin because it says all wrongdoing a sin and he's including all sin anything that we do that's categorizes sin and there is a type there is sin that leads to death speaking of this all of the wrongdoing and look at verse 18 he says we know everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning but he who was born of God he was born of God protects him and the evil one does not touch him this is why I believe that a person who is a believer can commit a sin and then pay the ultimate price there well I would say the ultimate price the ultimate price would be loss of salvation right but we clear that's not what's happening here they can pay their life as the ultimate price here they can pay that price and so we're told here look what it says but he was born of God God protects him and the evil one does not touch him so it cannot be this person is losing their salvation right so that cannot be it then how is God protecting him so by the way this also is a passage that we use for someone who is saying that a person who is a believer can be possessed well no they can't be possessed if the Bible send the God protects that person but going back to that passage everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning so his point is that believers actual believers don't live a lifestyle of practice of sinning are you with me there is no one who is a believer who I got to go sin this is what I do now there might be a believer who might struggle with the sin but they're trying to overcome that they are grieved by their repented heart which bothers him but the other person who has his lifestyle of sinning that's not who this person is talking about a Christian a believer does not have this pattern or this lifestyle of sinning as a matter of fact we've seen passages and we won't go into them now this says that he who keeps sinning or the one that is doing center practice sinning is John already told us that person is not of God now let me give you a passage that might help to shed some light on this in Acts 5 1 we read about Ananias and Sapphira who sold some property with his wife verse 2 with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and later the feet of the apostles now the question is one were these believers that comes up often is this an example of someone who was a Christian who also lost their salvation as a result of this well one we know this this was clearly a sin that led to death you are lying to God and there was no need to do so but the one issue that needs we need to go ahead and dress is one were they believers we have no idea we have there's no way to know that this is active that Ananias or his wife were they were among the group of believers but let's be clear everybody in that group everybody in that audience all of the folks that called themselves believers in the first at the first century church or the founding of the church they weren't all Christians Jesus clear Paul is clear especially that not all of those who called themselves our believers in Paul says to examine themselves so we cannot assume that Ananias and Sapphira were actual believers clearly their sin led to death but let's just say they were believers we don't know what happened to them once they died again a believer according to 1st John 5 there is a sin that would lead to death but we're not speaking about a spiritual death because the Bible just told us we just read where God will protect him and so this is an example I believe of probably I would if you ask me do I believe that they were Christian I promise they were believers I'd go ahead and give them the benefit of doubt and if they were because other pastors that we've read where Jesus says is literally impossible if they were that they could have perished now do Christians commit sin they do we're told that as a matter of fact by John that anyone says he does not sin then what to see he is a liar so Christians do commit sin and can a Christian commit a sin that I believe would lead to death I think this is an example but it doesn't say that they went to hell you can die again every Christian that has ever lived every Christian that has ever lived who took their life God did so at some point in time God is going to take the life of the believer and it would not come as a surprise that if that Christian who happens to also sin from time to time who might commit a sin if God took that opportunity to take their life that's in keeping with with what God does it might be that God has decided that you know what maybe your usefulness has run out but I believe that's the whole point of that passage in 1st John 5 that there is a sin that leads to death it could be a sin we don't know what it is that this picture sin it varies could cause God to just give an ultimate judgment for the sake of the rest of the body because when the body sees a believer sinning and then taking that that believer's life what does that do that would give the the body a wake-up call so anyway that's my take on it my friends if you disagree I'd love to hear why I give you examples and so if I'm wrong could be could be again scholars differ on this you can look this up and you'll see people having different conclusions I gave you mine I'd love to hear what yours is and if yours is different well the name man