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Head-On Collision


           I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him. If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.  (I John 5:13-16)


          John says this letter was written so that those who believe in the Son of God can know that they have eternal life. That’s great news! But then we are in a head-on collision with life and reality. We screw up. Sometimes it seems more important to us that other people screw up. The biggest complaint I hear about Christianity is that people in churches are hypocrites. Christians speak against sins, but they are sinful. And those who make that complaint leave it there, rejecting and hating both the sinner and the Church. 
          Then, there is what John said to do. We’re to pray for the sinning brother, as long as the brother’s sin is not one that leads to death. Jesus told us the pattern that goes with this praying. The first step is to prayerfully go to the sinning brother about the sin. The second is to take two or three witnesses to prayerfully intervene, If the brother does not repent, the matter is to be taken before the Church as a whole. I believe these teachings go together.
          But what about the sins that lead to death? Do we kick them to the curb? John says that he doesn’t suggest we should pray for those who whose sin leads to death. I think the key in this case is the need for speed and directness of approach. John’s advice may not be clear to our minds, but they show that it was understood that just because someone became part of the Church, they did not become sinless, and the purpose of the Church is to treat sin as one treats an illness in a hospital. One doesn’t pretend the illness isn’t bad for the body and doesn’t need to be cured. One also doesn’t vivisect and randomly remove organs to see if doing so fixes the problem. Sometimes, there is ultimately nothing one can do, but the goal is always to provide the means of regaining good health.

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