The Sin That Does Not Separate II: When Sin Becomes Separation

You asked a difficult question in Part I: Are there sins believers commit that do not sever our relationship with God? But John’s words in 1 John 5 raise another question—and perhaps an even more sobering one: What is the sin that does lead to death?

In this episode, we explore what John means by “death,” whether he is referring to physical death or spiritual separation, and how the New Testament consistently frames life and death through our relationship with Christ. Along the way, we examine apostasy, falling away, the spirit of antichrist in 1 John, and the terrifying possibility of rejecting the very One who is life itself.

Bring your Bible and come study with us.

Works Cited

Colin G. Kruse, The Letters of John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2000), 192, 194.

Daniel L. Akin, 1, 2, 3 John, vol. 38, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 208–209.

John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 188-189.

Ian W. K. Koiter, “Apostasy,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Daniel L. Akin, 1, 2, 3 John, vol. 38, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 210.