In This Issue

• ALL SHOULD HONOR THE SON JUST AS THEY HONOR THE FATHER

• "WHAT IS A SIN UNTO DEATH?"

• THOUGHTS THAT GREW OUT OF DIFFICULTY

• WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

• MORE INFORMATION...

ALL SHOULD HONOR THE SON JUST AS THEY HONOR THE FATHER

The Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him because He had healed a man on the Sabbath. “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him’” (John 5:17-23).

Jesus showed that although on the original seventh day, God had rested from His work of creation, He had not ceased to be active in His universe. He had continued to do the things necessary to sustain and support His creation. Later, when He gave the Law of Moses, He had commanded the Israelites not to work on the Sabbath, but that command did not forbid them from doing what was necessary to sustain life and health. In the mind of the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus had broken the Sabbath by healing the lame man – but Jesus had NOT violated God’s instructions regarding that day.

But the Jewish elite had a bigger problem with Jesus. Not only had he ignored their man-made rules regarding the Sabbath -- He called God His Father, “making Himself equal with God.” And they were absolutely correct in their assessment of His claim. He did indeed claim Deity for Himself! They knew of His healing the lame man, but He would do greater deeds that that. He would even, when He chose to do so, raise the dead. And eventually He would be the one to execute all judgment. Those who dishonor Jesus are also dishonoring the heavenly Father.

– Clarence R. Johnson

"WHAT IS A SIN UNTO DEATH?"

1 John 5:14-17 is an often discussed and debated passage. What is a sin unto death? The simple answer to the question is: a sin of which one will not repent. (And likewise, a sin not unto death is a sin of which one does repent.)

This answer is based upon interpreting this text in light of the rest of the scripture. The best way to understand one text is to understand it's immediate context and then look at the rest of the scriptures. The immediate context does not define a "sin unto death." John is discussing intercessory prayer and assumes his reader knows what he means. So we must go to the rest of the scriptures. 

The subject of 1 John 5:14-17 is prayer (see, vss. 14-15). The subject of verses sixteen and seventeen is praying for a brother in sin. One is to pray (a pray of intercession) for a brother who sins a "sin not unto death" and God will "give him life." If a brother sins a "sin unto death," John says, "I do not say that he shall pray for it." John is not promising prayer for a brother's "sin unto death" will "give him life."

What makes the difference in God answering my prayer on behalf of my brother in sin? The attitude of my brother in sin. God will not forgive my brother's sin without his repentance. This is exactly what James says, "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5:19-20). The word "repent" simply means "to turn." John's warning about not interceding in prayer for those in "sin unto death" is also found in the prophets: "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee" (Jer. 7:16). "Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth" (Jer. 15:1). God had called his people to repentance and they refused. Thus, he tells his prophet that intercessory prayer will not bring forgiveness to these people.

The scriptures teach that the consequence of sin is "death," that is separation from God (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1; 1 Tim. 5:6). When one repents in "godly sorrow," he "turns from" his sin and comes out of "death," and into life. "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Cor. 7:9-10).

The best passage to illustrate that a "sin unto death" is a sin one will not repent of is Ezekiel 18 and 33. "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die" (Ezk. 18:4). "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: `The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.' When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. Again, when I say to the wicked, `You shall surely die,' if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live" (Ezk. 33:12-16).

I believe one can see a "sin unto death" and a "sin not unto death" herein without further comment.

– Wayne Greeson via Bible Studies web page

THOUGHTS THAT GREW OUT OF DIFFICULTY

My friend, please allow me to present a few thoughts that grew out of my own saga of difficulty and distress and are offered with the hope that they may be of some comfort to you. Prov. 1:33 – “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

While such a place is the desire of all right thinking people, it is the possession of only the faithful. But when do they have it? Is it in the here and now? If it is, why then do so many of the famous faithful (i.e., Jesus, Stephen, John, Peter, etc.) have so much turmoil? The simple truth is, it would appear, not so simple.

There is a sense in which we have these things only in promise – that is, we shall have them in heaven. Whereas we are assured of heaven if we live in such a way as to please the Lord here, we are assured of having what is in heaven. In that sense, passages such as the one cited above indicates what we SHALL HAVE in the AFTER-A-WHILE.

There is another sense in which we have them now – only not necessarily in every respect. When Stephen arose that fateful day and made his way to the crowd and addressed their spiritual deficits he did so with the full assurance that he was doing the right thing and that the Lord was with him and all would be well. He probably also knew the physical consequences of the task he set himself to. Still, he did it. He engaged in the work of the Lord and that brought him closer to the Lord than anything else he ever could have done. He was happy with that. There was nothing the evil in this world could do to him that would in any way hinder the joy he had in knowing the Lord. The assurance he knew in the Lord outweighed any fear of anything.

Sometimes when I am wearied with the world and its troubles, when I think I have taken all I can take, when it seems that there is a target painted squarely on my back – I grow weak and begin to falter. It is at such times that the passage selected for our text comes to mind (or one like it). I am reminded that He is there and that He loves me and that nothing His enemy can do will hurt me in the end if I will but trust Him and obey His word.

What is the worst thing that the world can do to a faithful Christian? Keep him for heaven? No. Make Jesus stop loving him? No. Nullify the promises of God? No. The worst thing they can do to us is to kill us. But is that so bad? I mean, if it means pleasing the Lord, do what you must do and if the world reacts with their worst you will be all the closer to Him!

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).

My friend, know that He loves you and so do I and so do many more – you are in our prayers and thoughts. May this thing that troubles you, and that troubles those of us who love you, quickly pass. But whether it does or not, may He be with you in every good way.

– Tim Smith, The Enon Endeavor, Nov. 6, 2005

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

A college professor posed the following problem to his class for their resolution.

“A young girl has gotten pregnant out of wedlock. She has a fiancée, but he is not the father. She did nothing to plan or provoke what happened; she was simply overpowered. Her fiancée, whom she loves very much, is a very scrupulous man and will probably reject her when he finds out. Her culture is also severely strict in its views about these things, so she will be subjected to very sharp public criticism and, perhaps, even punitive legal proceedings if her condition becomes known. Indeed, it is fair to say that her entire life will be permanently ruined by this pregnancy. Even if her fiancée were to take her, an early child would greatly complicate their new marriage. Both of them are already below the poverty level and will have to move away from their hometown at the height of the pregnancy. What would you recommend for this girl?”

The class unanimously recommended that she have an abortion.

“Congratulations,” stated the professor, “you have just aborted Jesus.” 

- Gary Eubanks, Stonegate Standard, Vol. 12, Issue

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