BIBLE INTERPRETATION: SHOULD WE PRAY FOR EVERYONE?

It seems that we should be praying for all:

·       First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. (1 Timothy 2:1 ESV)

However, it also seems that 1 John would not have us pray for all:

·       If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:16-18 ESV)

As it stands, this passage raises many questions. Here are just a few:

·       How are we to tell who has sinned a sin which leads to death?

·       Are we no longer to pray for them?

·       Have some people just gone too far to receive divine assistance?

Taking an overview, this epistle raises other questions about sin, like “Are Christians supposed to be sinless?”

·       We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; (1 John 5:18 NKJV)

·       Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9 NKJV)

However, earlier John had written that the Christian life is characterized by sin, confession, and God’s forgiveness:

·       If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:9-10 NKJV)

These verses claim that we all sin. However, what seems to be a contradiction is easily resolved when we look to the more modern translations, which translate the present active Greek verb for “sin,” as an unrepented “practice of sin”:

·       …everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning. (1 John 5:18 ESV)

·       No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9 ESV)

Those who “practice…sinning” do not repent. Instead, they have chosen sin as their lifestyle. This translation accords with the fact that when we confess and repent, we are forgiven, restored, and cleansed. Contradiction resolved!

There is also a lesson here about translating present active Greek verbs. They can be understood as denoting a one-time action or a pattern of actions. A pattern of sinning seems to be in view in the difficult passage of 1 John 5:16-18. If an unrepented pattern of sinning is in view in this passage, it would explain how we can identify the sinning, which “leads to death.” When we are able to make this assessment, we should not pray for life. A refusal to repent is what will lead to death and places the sinner beyond forgiveness, as Jesus had warned:

·       “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:2-5 ESV)

Understood in this sense, 1 John 5 conforms to the rest of the Bible. I think that “The Message,” a highly interpretive Bible, captives this idea:

·       For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I'm not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is "fatal," leading to eternal death), we ask for God's help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I'm not urging you to pray about that. (1 John 5:16 MSG)

However, should we not pray for the unrepentant? I think we should. However, we should pray that they first repent before we should pray that their sins can be forgiven:

·       Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

Consequently, we mustn’t think that we will receive God’s blessings if we refuse to repent. This refusal sends the wrong message – “God, I prefer to live my own life instead of giving it to You!”

This understanding also helps us to interpret the “unpardonable sin” as a refusal to repent:

·       “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32)

Why will they never be forgiven? Because they will never repent! Jesus was referring to those of the religious leadership who had witnessed Him performing many miracles, but instead of considering the hand of God in them, they ascribed these miracles to Jesus’ alleged collusion with Satan. However, as Jesus had pointed out, such an allegation went against reason.

In view of these verses, those who fear that they have sinned a sin “unto death” or the “unpardonable sin,” need to understand that God will hear their honest confession of sins. If they had gone too far, they would no longer be concerned about being forgiven. Such a need would be foolish to them (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Admittedly, these verses are difficult. However, the unclear or uncertain verses shouldn’t be allowed to discount those many verses that are clear – the many verses that give us the assurance that if we return to God, He will return to us.