1 John 5:13-21
Keep Yourselves From Idols
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” - 1 John 5:13-21
Introduction
In verse 13, we have what really is the last verse of the book. Verse 13 is the thesis statement, John’s intention for writing this glorious epistle. The epistle was written to professing believers so that they could have the assurance that they were in fact saved, and so that they could distinguish themselves from false converts, false prophets, and antichrists at work in the world. When John says “these things have I written” he refers to everything this book has said up unto this point. Take a moment to examine yourself in light of what John has said:
Do you worship the true God who is light, life, and love?
Do you worship the Christ of Scripture who is truly God and man?
Do you believe Christ’s work on the cross satisfied the wrath of God which was revealed from heaven against you? Do you now believe He advocates for you in your weakness?
Do you relate to God as a beloved adopted child who is cared for by a perfect heavenly Father?
As a pattern of life, do you walk in the light? Confess your sin? Practice righteousness?
Do you take delight in God’s commandments? Do you repent when you break them and keep them as a general pattern of life?
Do you love the people of God? Are you in regular fellowship with other Christians?
Is there a noticeable separation between you and the unbelieving world?
Are you growing in these areas, such as the knowledge of God, the love of God, obedience to God, and love for the church?
When a person is transferred from spiritual death to life, darkness to light, and made a child of God, these are the kinds of things they should expect to see born as fruit. A false convert could care less about who God is Biblically or knowing Him experientially; they will practice unrighteousness without feeling any need to confess, repent, or be restored. False teachers will deny the orthodox doctrines of who God is and how we come to savingly know Him. They will advocate for the kind of perfectionism that brings people to despair, or they will preach a hedonism that says sin doesn’t matter at all. A true disciple of Jesus must learn to discern between these deceitful preachers and empty professors. So, have you come to a deeper assurance of your own salvation? Do you now possess a greater ability to differentiate true Christianity from the false? If you ever come to doubt your salvation, or desire grow in the assurance of your salvation, you need only examine yourself in light of this book.
The remainder of this passage, verses 14-21, are an earnest and aggressive postscript. You can view it this way: John ends the book in verse 13, then at the bottom of the page, you read, “P.S. Keep yourself from idols! Have confidence before God in prayer, and intercede for your struggling fellow Christians. Know that God will protect you from Satan because you are different from the rest of the lost world. Keep the true understanding of Christ in your mind always, because He is the only one who deserves your worship.” These are closing exhortations for the church to persevere in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
Confidence Before God, v. 14-17
I used to be very active in music and the arts. Somehow it always fell to me to find new musicians to play in the various bands I used to be in. As I would try out new bass players, guitarists, or drummers for the band I would know in a few minutes if the person trying out really knew their instrument. In like manner, a living and active prayer life is the most tangible way to tell the difference between a person who knows God and one who just knows about God. One preacher used to say he only needed to share in a person’s prayer life for a short time, and he would know whether or not he was dealing with a mature Christian or a babe in Christ. As John closes this epistle, he wants to call you to take prayer seriously. He wants you to be confident as you approach God personally, and know that your prayers can mean spiritual life or death for another person.
First, let's talk about prayer as it affects us (v. 14-15). The writer of Hebrews calls us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). It doesn’t do us any good to put on a false form of piety and act like groveling peasants before an indifferent king as we sheepishly make our needs known. We are not lowly peasants before an indifferent king, and the beloved children of a perfect Father who cares about us more than eternity can tell. Approach God, knowing He saved you, loves you, and actively inclines His ear to listen to what you have to say, dear Christian.
In the midst of this boldness we have in prayer, we are to keep the chain of command in order. Never forget that you are not God. Prayer is not meant to pull God’s arm and convince Him to do something He doesn’t want to; nor is prayer meant to change God’s mind and conform itself to our selfish wants. Verse 14 says we are to pray “according to His will.” Prayer doesn’t change God. Prayer changes us, and conforms us into the image of Christ who prayed, “not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). Not only this, but through prayer God allows us to join with Him in His plan to bring glory to Christ. What a privilege!
Second, we consider prayer as it affects others (v. 16-17). In verse 16, we read, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.” I know of a man whose church split, and in the midst of the chaos of the situation he began to fall into heinous sins. The man felt terrible and was struggling with his faith. He wanted to be restored and serve God, but he didn’t know how. Little did he know that God the Father was watching over him that whole time, and God raised up another believer to bear the burden with him. One day that friend called the struggling man and told him he was praying and fasting for his recovery and was going to walk with him until he had been fully restored. Within a short period, the man was back in church and has been used mightily since.
You need to recognize that your prayers, even your weak and broken prayers, are infinitely more important than you think. God means to save the lost and purify His church, but He has chosen to do so through the intercessory prayers of His people. As a mother would stay up all night tending to a sick child, or as a soldier picks up his wounded friend on the battlefield to carry him to safety, so the Lord means for Christians to aid one another in prayer. In Galatians 6:1-2, Paul says, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
This brings us to the most controversial portion of the text. Verses 16-17 distinguish sin which is not unto death from sin which is unto death. These verses can be a bit wordy, and have commentators divided on their exact meaning. However, I believe if we take these phrases in context with the passage, and keep the passage in context with the book, we can come to a reasonable interpretation.
What is the “sin unto death”? Some have taken this to be in reference to physical death; a crime deserving of capital punishment, and a mercy killing from God when a true Christian goes too far down the wrong road. I believe we need to keep in mind that John’s primary concern in this epistle has been differentiating true and false converts. In this postscript particularly, John is speaking about praying for spiritual life to come to others in accordance with the will of God. For these reasons, I conclude that John is talking about the spiritual death of a false convert, rather than the physical death of a true believer.
The people who sin unto death are the ones who, like the antichrists previously mentioned, have committed full apostasy and hardened their hearts beyond the point of return. These people like Pharaoh, who no matter how many times Moses appealed to him would not heed the word of God. These people are like the Pharisees, who no matter how many times Jesus interacted with them were set on killing Him. These are people like Esau. In Hebrews 12:14-17, we read:
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Esau was not a man who wanted peace with God; he did not seek salvation with tears only to be rejected by God in a cruel manner. No. Esau was a wicked man who wanted a selfish blessing. No matter how much he sought that blessing with pitiful tears, he was hardened in his heart beyond the point of having the ability to repent.
So, what is the sin which doesn’t lead to death? Any sin you can still genuinely repent of. The 1689 Confession says, “although there is no sin so small that it is undeserving of damnation, yet there is no sin so great that it will bring damnation on those who repent.” So long as genuine repentance, confession, and renewal of faith is present in your life when you sin, you can rest assured that you have not apostatized, blasphemed the Holy Spirit, or are hardened beyond the point of return. If you are concerned about having peace with Christ, you are not guilty of the sin unto death. I paraphrase verses 16-17 something like this, “As you see your brothers and sisters struggle in the faith, intercede for them, and God will use your prayers as the means to their restoration. However, keep in mind that some people have hardened themselves against God, and your prayers for their restoration may not result in what you want. So, always pray for the will of God, and trust Him to do what’s best.” Since we don’t know which professing Christians have been completely hardened from the ones who aren’t, we should pray for both and trust God to do as He wills.
Protection in God, v. 18-19
The next exhortation John closes with concerns our knowledge of God’s preserving hand upon us as we live amongst a wicked word and a devil who wants to destroy us. A young man once had a time of increased sanctification in his life. God the Holy Spirit took hold of this young man and began to shake him free of the sin and weight that had kept him from authentic discipleship. During this time, the young man began to notice his old friends didn’t enjoy spending time with him so much anymore. He noticed a horrible feeling of guilt and conviction when he returned to his old ways or wasted his time as he once had. The young man sat in his pastor’s office and shared these various changes he’d experienced and asked the pastor what was going on. The pastor replied, “God has ruined worldly living for you. God has a call on your life, and He won’t let you live like a pagan anymore. You’re ruined.”
Leonard Ravenhill used to say, “There’s only two kinds of people: those who are dead to sin, and those who are dead in sin.” The world lies in the wickedness of the spirit of antichrist (v. 19). A true Christian will be separated from sin (v. 18). It’s not possible for the Holy Spirit to possess a human being and not produce holiness. This phrase, “whosoever is born of God sinneth not” is reminiscent of what was previously said in 1 John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Again, this is not advocating Christian perfection, but progressive sanctification. A better rendering would read like the ESV, “everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning.” Are you progressing in holiness, dear reader? Are you closer to God and further from sin today than you were a year ago? God means to ruin worldly living in your life. Accept that you belong to God, and joy will fill your heart as you actively choose to live for Him.
Another contrast is given between our English Bible translations in verse 18. The KJV says a born-again Christian “keepeth himself” whereas the modern translations say that we are held secure by Jesus. Both are true. We persevere in faith and holiness because we are preserved by God. Consider 1 Peter 1:5, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Are we kept secure in our salvation by our own faith, or God’s power? Both! Paul places these seemingly contradictory realities side by side as well in Philippians 2:12-13. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Why do we do that? Because God works in us, giving us the will and ability to do what pleases Him.
Therefore, dear reader, hold fast to Christ because you are held secure in His unbreakable grip. I love this phrase in verse 18, “that wicked one toucheth him not.” Satan, his demons, and all the powers of this godless world will try to rip you from the hand of Christ, but they do not have that ability. You may think, “God must not be protecting me, because I feel attacked by the devil constantly, and John says the devil doesn’t even touch a true Christian.” The Greek word for “touch” is haptomai, and it can also be translated as “cling” or “fasten one’s self.” Meaning, Satan can attack you so that you fall, but he can’t attach himself so as to keep you down. Satan roams like a lion seeking those whom he may devour, but he may not ever fully devour a born-again Christian. He can tempt you from without, but he can’t control you from within. Dear believer, take heart. Christ is the keeper of your body and soul, not Satan.
Understanding of God, v. 20-21
Lastly, John assures us of a true understanding of Jesus, and warns against anything which may steal our worship from Him alone. In verse 20, we are told who Jesus is and who we are in relation to Him. In verse 21, we are given a somber reminder to never place anything above or against Jesus in our hearts. Jesus is not merely the way to God, He is God. Jesus is not merely the way to eternal life, Jesus is eternal life. Here’s what you need to understand: Your longing for truth, God, and life will not be found in a religious system, they can only be found in the person Jesus Christ.
As we close this series in 1 John, I ask you a simple but stern question: Why did you become a Christian? As a pastor, I can’t help but notice the multitude of under-girding reasons people have for calling themselves followers of Christ. Many people have no interest in Jesus, but when they have kids they start going to church because they assume that’s what good parents do; once the kids move out, the parents go back apathetic and destitute spiritual lives. Maybe some folks want to appear as an upright conservative member of the community, and Jesus is their means to that end. Others want happiness, or some kind of material blessing, and they think they can use Jesus to achieve that goal.
Why should a person be a Christian? Because at one point they were lost in the misery of sin, bound for hell, rebelling against God their Creator and Savior. And then, as they ran their hell bound race, the truth of Jesus was made known to their mind. Their dead heart began to beat, and the breath of life filled their lungs as they inhaled the sweet aroma of saving grace. They beheld the cross, and believed. With eyes of faith, they now look unto Jesus and see the man who is the end of all their affection and desire. A true Christian isn’t in it for personal gain, they’re in it for the man, Jesus Christ. If life was nothing more than communion with Christ, and heaven was nothing but an empty room with Jesus, they'd be eternally content.
If anything or anyone has your love more than Christ, it is an idol. If your spouse or children come before Christ, you have made yourself an idol. If your career or calling in life means more to you than Christ, then you are no different than the heathen of old who bowed to Baal or other false deities. Christ must have your whole heart, and when He does you will love your spouse and children better; when Christ has all of you, your career will have eternal significance. There will be personal gain and happiness when Jesus is your only God, but all of this will only come as a byproduct to those who say, “Jesus, you are my only God, not a means to a selfish end.” May we look unto Jesus, and with the hymn writer, proclaim,
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
