1 John 5:16-18

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

(v16-17, NIV)

With regards to praying for others, John presents an instance in which we are to pray. In this situation, if we see a brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, we are to pray for them. Our prayer for them will result in God giving them life. John goes on to say that since there are sins that do not lead to death, there are also sins that do lead to death. For these kinds of sins, we are not to pray for them. One thing to note is that the sin not leading to death is with regards to a brother. So, if we see a brother or sister in Christ who is sinning that does not lead to death, we are to pray for them. However, for the sin that does lead to death, it does not say whether this is a brother or not.

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.

(v18, NIV)

Is it even possible for a child of God to sin unto death? Of course not! We can see from this verse that anyone born of God does not continue in sin. The mere fact that they are one of his means that they will not continue in sin. In addition, it is not like anyone can remove a child of God from under God's wing. They cannot be removed from the flock. Though it may seem to use sometimes that a person falls away from the faith, the truth is that God keeps those that are his. Therefore, wouldn't it imply that those who "fall away" were never truly God's in the first place?

So, a child of God cannot continue in sin. Can a child of God sin unto death? If God keeps those who are his, how can they sin unto death? Now of course, this isn't a mere physical death. Rather, this "death" is referring to an eternal death. We're all going to die, so it doesn't make sense to distinguish between sin leading to death and sin not leading to death. Therefore, the prayer for one who is sinning not unto death seems to be for those who are brothers in Christ. Thus, ones who are sinning unto death are not children of God.

Now this seems weird. Why would we be not allowed to pray for those who are not children of God? Maybe further inspection of this prayer will reveal what is really meant here. The prayer results in God giving that person life. Children of God are his and on the path leading to life. Children of God are also ones who are characterized by repentance and living by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. However, what does everyone else do? Well, there is no turning or repentance of their sins. If this prayer results in life, what are we asking for? Now this isn't to say that we aren't to ask for non-believers to be saved. We are to preach to gospel to them and desire their salvation. However, the way in which we pray for believers is different from the way in which we pray for non-believers. Praying for sin not leading to death is a pray for those who are God's children. We pray for a sin we see and God will grant life to these who are children of God. Since children of God are characterized by repentance and leaning on the grace of God, they will repent for their sins. However, will those who are not children of God repent for their sins? We are not to simply ask for life for unrepentant people. We are to ask for their salvation through repentance and turning from their sins.