What Is Real Love? A Guide to 1 Johnናሙና

1 John 5:16-21

16 If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. 17 All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.

18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. 1 John 5:16-21 NLT

Pray: God, thank you for pulling me out of the darkness and into the light of your love. Help me to live free as your child. Jesus, you are so good and kind. I want to know you more and love you better. Help me to trust you more fully and obey you more completely. Holy Spirit, give me the power to know just how much you love. Guide my steps so that I can remain in your love today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Today, we will be reading the conclusion to 1 John, a letter written to help us understand the bigness of God’s love and how we can respond to that love so we will become people of love.

16 If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. 1 John 5:16 NLT

The first part of this verse is relatively simple. When you see a brother or sister in Christ sinning, you should pray for that person so they will return to God and find life. The second part of this verse is more complicated though. Because John is making the distinction between two types of sin: the type of sin that does not lead to death, and the type of sin that does lead to death. And for some reason, John wants us to know that he isn’t telling us to pray for people who commit the kinds of sin that lead to death. What’s going on here? And what are we supposed to do with it? Before we answer those questions, let’s take a look at verse 17.

17 All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death. 1 John 5:17 NLT

To summarize these two verses: some sins lead to death, and other sins don’t. When people are doing the first kind of sins, we should pray for them. When people are doing the second kind of sins, the ones that lead to death, praying for them maybe isn’t as useful. Even though not every sin leads to death, every sinful act is evil.

So, what is it that John wants us to know? And what should we do?

First, John wants us to know that forgiveness of sins and eternal life are gifts from God. We can’t control another person’s choices or decide another person’s fate. So, we do what we can to love them the same way Jesus has loved us. One of the best ways we can do that is by praying for them. We pray for them to come to Jesus and experience His forgiveness. We pray for them to open their eyes to the ugliness of sin so they can experience the beauty of grace. We pray for God to work in their lives and in their hearts in ways that only He can.

Second, John wants us to know that not all sins are created equally. Every sinful act is a departure from the way of life God created us for and a failure to fulfill the purpose He has given us, but some are more grave than others. This doesn’t mean we should start creating a hierarchy of sins we can use to judge how we stack up against other people. That would be a horrible way to apply this verse to our lives. Instead, John is simply acknowledging the fact that in some situations, our prayers may not be effective. How could that be so? Possibly because the person we are praying for has decided to resist God’s gracious invitation to come to Him. They’ve hardened their hearts and no amount of prayer on our part will ever change it. And even though God does not want them to perish, He loves them enough to honor their decision. Even when that decision is to reject Him and numb themselves to His Spirit, He will not rob them of their free will. Because love cannot exist without choice.

Third, John reminds us that all sin is wicked so that we won’t even entertain playing the comparison game with sin. Now that we belong to God, sin has no place in our lives.

18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:18-19 NLT

Living as God’s kids means living in the light and turning our backs on the darkness. We are held securely in the loving arms of Jesus. That means the enemy can’t touch us. He has no power over us anymore. We’ve been rescued from the disease of sin, the curse of death, and the dominion of the evil one. His power is fading, and the Kingdom of God is expanding.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.1 John 5:20 NLT

The arrival of Jesus isn’t just wishful thinking. It is a real event that took place in history. He lived, He died, and He rose again. Jesus, God in the flesh, showed us what God is really like so we can know our Creator and lose ourselves in His unfailing love. We have been adopted into the family of God. He is our Father, Jesus is our older brother, and the Spirit is pumping new life into our veins. Our three-and-one God is the only true God. He is eternal life. And He wants us to join our lives to His.

Because of what Jesus has done, we have been reunited with God. A God who is pure light, perfect love, and eternal life.

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. 1 John 5:16-21 NLT

John’s closing comment, what feels like a, “one last thing before I forget!” may seem trivial, but it’s a nugget of truth we need to hold onto. Don’t let anything take God’s place in your hearts. Other translations say, “keep away from idols.”

Because the enemy would like nothing more than to get you to put something above your relationship with God. And more likely than not, he’ll try to get you to put something good in the place of God. The most convincing lies are always partly true. There are a lot of good things in life. But there is only one God. As His children, we have to fight to keep Him front and center. Otherwise, slowly and subtly, something else might take His place. And if that happens, we will start drifting away from our Father and back into the darkness.

So, no matter what, remember the love of God. Receive the love of God. And live in the light of His love.

Application: Think about your life. What good things might the enemy try to get you to put in the place of God? Are there things that have already crept up into places of importance in your life that don’t belong there? Examine your heart. Be honest with yourself, with God, and with your community. Tell the truth about the things that have become idols or are competing for the top spot in your life. Then, take action to put them back where they belong: underneath the Lordship of Jesus.