For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)
In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, Lord Jesus addresses seven churches. With each church, there is a promise for all who overcome. To be very honest with you, many times, I have been somewhat intimidated by these promises because I have felt that they were somewhat conditional in nature.
Take a look:
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)
He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone (Revelation 2:17)
he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations(Revelation 2:26)
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life… (Revelation 3:5)
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God (Revelation 3:12)
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne (Revelation 3:21)
However, when I read 1 John 5:4-5, it brought freedom to my soul. I realized that the qualifier to be listed as an overcomer is to simply put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. There is nothing that you and I can do to add or subtract from what Jesus did on the cross for all of us.
Overcome’ is a powerful word, and as children of God, we are called to be overcomers. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us the power to live as overcomers in this world.
Now, this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1John 5:14-15)
Confidence in prayer comes out of a daily relationship with the Lord. Confidence will make us bold in our asking. A relationship with the Lord will also ensure that we will never ask anything that displeases Him.
Also, for prayer to be effectual, it must be in accordance with God’s will. In other words, God will not hear any prayer that is outside or contrary to His revealed will.
For example, when the prophet Nathan came to David and said, “Your son is going to die” (2 Samuel 12:14), David prayed with fasting for seven days. Yet nothing happened and the child died. God did not hear David’s prayer because it was outside of and contrary to God’s will, which had already been revealed through His servant Nathan.
Therefore, our prayer should be centered in the word of God, because the will of God is primarily found in God’s word.
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. (1John 5:16)
Bible scholars say that 1 John 5:16 is one of the most difficult verses in the New Testament to interpret. Let’s dissect this verse with the help of the Holy Spirit.
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin… he will ask:
The first thing we should do when we observe a Christian brother or sister in sin, according to Apostle John, is to pray for them. Very often, when it comes to our own believing brothers and sisters who are going through a tough time, prayer is the last thing we do, or the least thing we do.
And He will give him life:
God promises to answer the prayer made on behalf of a brother or sister in sin. I believe such prayers carry special weight before God because they are prayers in fulfilment of Christ’ command to love one another. We certainly love one other the most when we pray for one another.
There is sin leading to death
We are in risk of committing the sin that leads to death if, after making a whole and unconditional commitment to God, we choose to return to the ways of the world, totally disregarding God's ways.
26For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:26-29)
4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)
An excellent illustration would be what occurred to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–10. Because of their transgression, God strikes Ananias and Sapphira physically dead.
A Christian can sin to the point that God believes it is best to bring them home, most likely because their witness has been damaged to the point that they should just return to Him. May the Lord keep us from hardening our hearts to the point of committing the "sin unto death."
I do not say that he should pray about that:
When a Christian is being disciplined for a sin that leads to death, it appears that praying for his recovery or restoration is pointless — the issue now solely rests in God's hands.
True Christians while attempting to please God in their everyday lives, don't always succeed in their efforts to "enter through the narrow gate" (Luke 13:24). As we grow to walk with Christ, we all stumble into sin from time to time. Accidental sin is not a deliberate break of God's rules.
As the apostle John stated: “If we [he included himself] say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). “But if we freely admit [confess] that we have sinned, we find God utterly reliable and straightforward—he forgives our sins and makes us thoroughly clean from all that is evil” (verse 9, J.B. Phillips Translation).
All who are willing to confess are forgiven by God. So, in my perspective, sin that does not result in death are sins committed by Christians whose hearts are still open to repentance - they have not yet hardened to the point of no-return against God.