ACC ~ 1 John 5 v16

SOME SINS ARE UNTO DEATH. ORIGEN: Since there are sins “unto death,” it follows that anyone who commits one of them will die as a result. SERMONS ON LEVITICUS 11.2.6.

SELF-CONTRADICTORY TO PRAY THAT SOME SIN BE FORGIVEN. AUGUSTINE: Even though the Lord commands us to pray for our very persecutors, this passage clearly shows that there are some brothers for whom we are not commanded to pray. We therefore must acknowledge that there are some sins among the brothers which are worse than persecution by enemies. I think that the sin of a brother is unto death when anyone who has attained a knowledge of God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ opposes the brotherhood and is aroused by the fires of envy against that very grace by which he was reconciled to God. COMMENTARY ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 1.22.73.

ESPECIALLY SINS AT THE END OF LIFE. AUGUSTINE: In another place I defined the sin of a brother unto death [see above], but I should have added: “if he ends this life in a perversity of mind as wicked as this.” For surely we must not despair of anyone, no matter how wicked he is, while he lives, and we should pray with confidence for him of whom we should not despair. RETRACTATIONS 1.18.7.

WHO CAN PRAY AGAINST GOD? ANDREAS: It is the sin of heresy, or of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which leads to death. If one man sins against another, pray for him. But if he sins against God, who is there who can pray on his behalf? CATENA.

SOME SIN NOT UNTO DEATH. BEDE: Just as Christ washes us from our sins by interceding with the Father on our behalf, so also should we, if we know that our brother is committing a sin which is “not unto death.” HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 2.5.

DISTINGUISHING SINS MORTAL AND NONMORTAL. BEDE: These are things which are asked for according to God’s will, because they are part of what it means to love our brothers. John is talking here about trivial, everyday sins which are hard to avoid but which are easy to put right. The question of what constitutes a mortal sin is very difficult, and it is hard to accept that there are people whom John tells us not to pray for, when our Lord tells us that we should pray for those who persecute us. The only answer to this is that there must be sins committed within the fellowship of the brothers which are even more serious than persecution from outside enemies. Mortal sin therefore occurs when a brother opposes the fellowship after he has come to acknowledge God by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ given to him and when he starts to fight against that grace, by which he has been reconciled to God, with the weapons of hatred. A nonmortal sin is one which does not infringe on brotherly love but merely fails to show it adequately because of some weakness of the mind. ON 1 JOHN.

1 Jn