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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Praying for a Sinner Bible Verse:1 John 5:16-21 (ESV) "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life — to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. " Message:
John’s teaching gives an important example of the preceding verses: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” So, when we pray for other Christians who have fallen into sin, we are positive that our prayers are meaningful. Can we influence God’s forgiveness? One would not think so; but then, our thoughts are not a very good guide to the truth!
The passage, with all its talk about sin that leads to death and sin that does not lead to death, can be very confusing. John does not clarify what sin leads to death. One interpretation is that he is talking about mortal sin and venial sin, a concept important to Catholics, but not adopted by most Protestants. Surely, not finding Christ at all (John 14:6) or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31) are sins that “lead to death.”
One apparent meaning of this passage is that we cannot necessarily save other peoples’ souls through our own prayers. Every person is responsible for their own salvation, at least in the first instance: a person finds salvation and eternal life only by faith in Jesus Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. We can and should forgive them, for it is not for us to judge; and we might ask God to forgive them, but we have no confidence that our prayer will be granted.
Guardian angel by Murillo
On the other hand, where a brother or sister in Christ has sinned, we may pray for their forgiveness, even if they do not; Christ will hear our prayer and grant it. This solves a big problem; we do not have to engage in some sort of salvation game at the time of our death. A great many Christians die suddenly, or with sins they do not realize or have not confessed, but these sins will not lead to death. God will hear and respond to a prayer that another’s sin be forgiven, in many cases.
There are theologians and even lay persons who will tell you, with absolute certainty, what this passage means. But they disagree with one another, often radically, and sometimes (unfortunately) heatedly. Personally, I cannot find a definitive answer within the four corners of the Bible. But as a more practical and meaningful matter, one can say with certainty that we should pray that others’ sins, and especially sins against us ourselves, be forgiven. (See Acts 7:54-60.)
To quote the great Matthew Henry: “We should pray for others, as well as for ourselves, beseeching the Lord to pardon and recover the fallen, as well as to relieve the tempted and afflicted. And let us be truly thankful that no sin, of which any one truly repents, is unto death.”
Meditation : “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.” Prayer : Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted me as a living member of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have blessed me with the grace of forgiveness through the sacrifice He made for me and for all people. Send me now into the world in peace, and grant me strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord......Amen. |
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