约壹五16~17 人若看见他的弟兄犯了不至于死的罪，就当为他祈求，将生命赐给他，就是给那些犯了不至于死之罪的。有至于死的罪，我不说当为那罪祈求。一切的不义都是罪，也有不至于死的罪。

　　约翰用他在约壹五章四至十三节所写的话作基础，给我们看见这永远的生命能胜过死。我们已经接受永远的生命，这生命已经在我们里面得着证实、证明并保证。……约翰〔在十四至十七节〕给我们看见，在我们里面的永远生命能胜过我们自己身上，并召会别的肢体身上的死。永远的生命吞灭我们里面的死，也吞灭别的肢体里面的死。

　　我们在召会生活里并不是单独的生活。因为召会是基督的身体，所以我们乃是和身体上同作肢体的一同生活。既然我们在身体里，我们就是肢体，和其他同作肢体的在一起。永远的生命不仅顾到我们自己的需要，也顾到我们周围同作肢体者的需要。永远的生命胜过我们里面的死，也胜过我们弟兄里面的死，特别胜过那些软弱或有难处之人里面的死（约翰一书生命读经，三九七至三九八页）。

　　1 John 5:16-17 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask and he will give life to him, to those sinning not unto death. There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he should make request concerning that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not unto death.

　　John uses what he has written in 1 John 5:4-13 as a basis to show us that this eternal life can overcome death. We have received eternal life, and this life has been testified, proved, and pledged within us…[In 5:14-17 John shows] us that the eternal life within us can overcome death both in ourselves and in other members of the church. Eternal life swallows up death within us and death within other members.

　　In the church life we do not live alone. Because the church is the Body, we live with the fellow members of the Body. Since we are in the Body, we are members with the other fellow members. Eternal life not only takes care of our own need; it also takes care of the need of the fellow members around us. It overcomes death within us, and it overcomes death within our brothers. Especially, it overcomes death in those who are weak or who have problems. (Life-study of 1 John, p. 326)

　　〔约壹五章十四节〕说到照神的旨意求，不照我们的渴望、偏好或方式求。我们怎能知道所求的是照祂的旨意？照神旨意求的人是蒙了重生、有神圣的生命、在神圣生命的交通里的人。……在神圣生命的交通里祷告的人，真正与主是一。我们乃是这样认识神的旨意：借着与祂是一，借着住在祂里面，借着留在神圣生命的交通里。照神旨意的祷告，指明祷告的人住在神圣生命的交通里，也住在主自己里面。……这使他能向着神存坦然无惧的心。当我们在神圣生命的交通里，我们的良心没有亏欠，我们就与神有平安，我们也存坦然无惧的心祷告，不是照我们的感觉，乃是照祂的旨意。因为我们照祂的旨意祷告，所以祂就听我们。

　　约翰在十五节接着说，“我们若知道祂听我们一切所求的，就知道我们所求于祂的无不得着。”这个“知道”，乃是基于这事实：我们得着神圣的生命以后，住在主里面，并且在祂名里，在向神的祷告中与祂是一（约十五7、16，十六23~24）。

　　约翰在约壹五章十六节来到这一段话的要点。……约翰在这里是说，人若看见他的弟兄，就是在主里和他亲近的人，犯了不至于死的罪，就当为那人祈求。这里的“祈求”，必是指我们住在与神交通里而有的祷告。……“将生命赐给他”这句话的主词还是上文的“人”，这人也是“祈求”的主词。这指明祈求的人将生命赐给他所代求的人。这不是说，祈求的人本身有生命，能凭自己将生命赐给别人。这乃是说，这样一个住在主里面，与主是一，并且在与主是一的灵里（林前六17）祈求的祈求者，成了神赐生命的灵能将生命赐给他所代求之人的凭借。这是一件在神圣生命的交通里，分赐生命的事。我们要成为能将生命分赐给别人的人，就必须住在神圣的生命里，并在神圣的生命里行事、生活、为人。雅各书五章十四至十六节的祷告是为着医治，这里的祷告是为着分赐生命。

　　这里要紧的点乃是：我们若要照着约壹五章十六节所描述的为弟兄祷告，就需要与主是一。我们必须住在主里面，与祂在一灵里来祈求。因为我们这样与主是一，我们就能成为神赐生命之灵能将生命分赐给我们所代求之人的凭借、管道。这生命的分赐乃是在神圣生命的交通里进行的（约翰一书生命读经，三九九至四○二页）。

　　参读：约翰一书生命读经，第三十七、三十九篇。

　　First John 5:14 speaks of asking according to God’s will, not according to our desire, preference, or way…A person who asks according to God’s will is one who has been regenerated, who has the divine life, and who is in the fellowship of the divine life…A person who prays in the fellowship of the divine life is truly one with the Lord. It is in this way that we know God’s will: by being one with Him, by abiding in Him, and by remaining in the fellowship of the divine life.

　　The prayer that is according to the will of God indicates that the praying one is abiding in the fellowship of the divine life and is also abiding in the Lord Himself…This makes it possible to have boldness toward God. When we are in the fellowship of the divine life and our conscience is without offense, we have peace with God, and we also have boldness to pray not according to our feeling but according to His will. Because we pray according to His will, He hears us.

　　In 5:15 John goes on to say, “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.” This knowing is based on the fact that after having received the divine life, we abide in the Lord and are one with Him in our praying to God in His name (John 15:7, 16; 16:23-24).

　　In 1 John 5:16 John comes to his point in this section…Here John is saying that if anyone sees his brother, someone close to him in the Lord, sinning a sin not unto death, he should ask concerning that one. The word ask here must refer to a prayer made when we are abiding in fellowship with God. The subject of will give life is still he, the subject of the first predicate shall ask. This indicates that the asker will give life to the one for whom he is asking. This does not mean that the asker has life of himself and can give life by himself to others. It means that such an asker, who is abiding in the Lord, who is one with the Lord, and who is asking in one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17), becomes the means by which God’s life-giving Spirit can give life to the ones for whom he is asking. This is a matter of life-imparting in the fellowship of the divine life. To be one who can give life to others, we must abide in the divine life and walk, live, and have our being in the divine life. In James 5:14-16 the prayer is for healing; here the prayer is for life-imparting.

　　The vital point here is that if we would pray for a brother according to what is described in 1 John 5:16, we need to be one with the Lord. We must abide in the Lord and ask in one spirit with Him. Because we are so one with the Lord, we can become the means, the channel, through which God’s life-giving Spirit can impart life to the one for whom we ask. This imparting of life takes place in the fellowship of the divine life. (Life-study of 1 John, pp. 327-329)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msgs. 37, 39