This can be a tough verse because John doesn't specify which is a sin "leading to death" and which is "not leading to death". And it grabs our attention because John actually says not to pray for those committing a sin "leading to death"? As with all verses both difficult and easy, the number one rule for proper biblical interpretation is to always look at what other Scripture has to say. It's never a good thing to base a doctrine on a single verse, but on what the Bible has to say about a topic as a whole. So what we need to do is look for anything related in the rest of God's Word.
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Biblical love is a process, not a supernaturally imparted gift. It has to be worked on, worked out and, as John observes, "perfected". Some people assert that to follow the biblical instructions, "you shall love your neighobr as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) that you must first learn to love yourself. Perhaps. But that would create the dual-edged sword meaning that at some point you must then learn to love your neighbor.
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There have been many spiritual movement throughout history which have started out legitimately, but eventually veered off course. One of the more recent ones occured in the 60's and 70's, and one of the reasons I'm confident it began correctly is because of the theme song. There were several years where it was nearly impossible to go to nearly any kind of church meeting even across denominational lines without hearing "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love". Another song that became a staple at most services was "I'm So Glad I'm A Part Of The Family Of God". Christian revival begins with a return to the Word and the cross, but is authenticated by the presence of genuine love for others.
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The Bible doesn't tell us everything, merely everything we need to know right now. We know there is a future life with Christ after this one on earth, but most of the details have not been specifically revealed, just explained in general. What will our physical state be changed to? All the explanation we need for now is given by John: "We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." Our future form will be "like Him"—what that actually is and all the specific details are for a later time. What do we do in the mean time? We make ourselves ready. In this case, we purify ourself.
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Why is it—at least for some of us—that we seem to forget the beginning. The message that we heard and accepted at the point of making Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is the same today as then. Jesus Himself is the same today as then. What changed for me except me?
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In 1 John 1:6-7 the first characteristic defining those who "walk in the Light" are those who "practice the truth". This is actually defined there as the true definition of "fellowship". John provides a second characteristic here expanding upon our personal relationships, that someone who "abides in the Light" is someone who "loves his brother". In other words, it's impossible to claim you love the Light and yet by your choices, actions, and/or behavior hate people. And please, don't be silly enough to ask, "Who's my brother?" We already went through that with Cain and Abel, not to mention the Good Samaritan.
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If you were to take a poll of Christians asking them what characteristics define Christianity, it's almost certain that one of the top responses would be "fellowship". We all have a sense that this is an important Christian activity, but a subsequent poll to find out what they believe are the things which define such "fellowship" would most likely betray a lack of the biblical definition. I mean, honestly…on your list of the things which properly defines fellowship, how long did it take you to list "practice the truth"?
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