“If you see a Christian brother sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray for him. God will give him life unless he has done that sin that leads to death. There is a sin that leads to death. There is no reason to pray for him if he has done that sin. Every kind of wrongdoing is sin. But there is a sin that does not lead to death” (1 John 5:16-17, author’s emphasis).
There is a believer who is caught up in their sinful lifestyle. They don’t want your help. They don’t want God’s help. Understand that this person doesn’t enter spiritual death after rejecting God’s help one time. Their rebellion is a gradual, persistent turning away from God. This is the kind of sin that leads to death. This believer becomes so deceived and hardened that they abandon their faith with their own free will. They choose to walk away.
How will we know when a believer has abandoned their faith?
They hate God, curse God, want nothing to do with God, don’t want to hear truth and they don’t want to go to church.
Someone who professes to be a Christian yet shares false ideologies and continues in a sinful, unrepentant lifestyle may be deceived and, in fact, unsaved. The Bible says, “Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality.” We are living in a day where we must rightly divide God’s word and compare the Scriptures with every idea, philosophy, belief, news story or social media post we hear or read. Sexual immorality accompanies false teaching. Therefore, holy living is a safeguard against false teaching.
Warnings about sin and deception are throughout the Bible—especially the New Testament. Over and over, Jesus warned, “Do not be deceived.” Can a Christian become deceived enough to eventually reject Christ and go to hell? You decide.
Bill Wiese is the author of New York Times bestselling book, 23 Minutes in Hell, the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife, Annette, founded Soul Choice Ministries in late 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at soulchoiceministries.org. You can find more of Bill’s teachings on YouTube here.
