What is the meaning of 1 John 5:17? All unrighteousness is sin • “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17a) tells us every act, attitude, or thought that falls short of God’s perfect standard is sin—no sliding scale, no excusable corner cases. • Scripture echoes this absolute standard: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “whoever keeps the whole law, yet stumbles at just one point, is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). • John has already said, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). The point is clear: sin is not merely a poor choice; it is rebellion against the holy character of God. • Because all sin is unrighteousness, every believer must stay alert to daily compromises, confess quickly (1 John 1:9), and seek practical righteousness empowered by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Yet there is sin that does not lead to death • John immediately balances the prior statement: while every sin is serious, not every sin brings the same consequence. “Yet there is sin that does not lead to death” (1 John 5:17b). • In context (1 John 5:16), John has just spoken of “a sin that leads to death.” That looks back to severe, willful, unrepentant rebellion—possibly illustrated by Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 or the Corinthians who “sleep” under discipline (1 Corinthians 11:30). • By contrast, “sin that does not lead to death” refers to the believer’s ordinary failures that are brought to God in confession and cleansed by Christ’s advocacy (1 John 2:1-2). • Key truths: – Believers are not condemned (Romans 8:1); eternal life is secure (John 10:28). – Ongoing sins can still invite God’s loving discipline (Hebrews 12:5-6), but they are forgiven, not fatal, when confessed. – Fellow Christians are encouraged to intercede for brothers or sisters caught in such sin (1 John 5:16), confident that God “will give him life.” • The warning remains sobering: habitual, defiant sin may reveal an unregenerate heart (Hebrews 10:26-27). The comfort is equally strong: repentant, struggling believers are not beyond grace. summary 1 John 5:17 draws two complementary lines. First, there is no harmless sin; every unrighteous act violates God’s holy standard. Second, for those in Christ, ordinary repentant sins are not final—they do not “lead to death” because Jesus has already borne that death. The verse calls us to take sin seriously, confess quickly, pray fervently for one another, and rest confidently in the life secured by our Savior. |
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