1 John 5:17

17 Every wrong thing we do is sin. But there are sins that do not lead to death.

1 John 5:17 Meaning and Commentary

1 John 5:17

All unrighteousness is sin
All unrighteousness against God or man is a sin against the law of God, and the wrath of God is revealed against it, and it is deserving of death; yet all unrighteousness is not unto death, as the sins of David, which were unrighteousness both to God and man, and yet they were put away, and he died not; Peter sinned very foully, and did great injustice to his dear Lord, and yet his sin was not unto death; he had repentance unto life given him, and a fresh application of pardoning grace:

and there is a sin not unto death;
this is added for the relief of weak believers, who hearing of a sin unto death, not to be prayed for, might fear that theirs were of that kind, whereas none of them are; for though they are guilty of many unrighteousnesses, yet God is merciful to them and forgives, ( Hebrews 8:12 ) , and so they are not unto death.

1 John 5:17 In-Context

15 If we know that God hears what we ask for, we know that we have it.

16 Suppose you see your brother or sister commit a sin. But that sin is not the kind that leads to death. Then you should pray for them. And God will give life to them. I'm talking about someone whose sin does not lead to death. But there is a sin that does lead to death. I'm not saying that you should pray about that.

17 Every wrong thing we do is sin. But there are sins that do not lead to death.

18 We know that those who are children of God do not keep on sinning. The Son of God keeps them safe. The evil one can't harm them.

19 We know that we are children of God. We know that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.