Tom Shepherd
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:9.
1 John 3:9 sounds pretty frightening to many people because it seems to give the impression that once a person becomes a Christian, he or she will not sin anymore. When they compare this verse to their own experience of making mistakes multiple times and tripping over the same sin again and again, they conclude that either they are not Christians or that John must somehow be wrong in what he says. Either all hope is lost, we just do not understand how to live the Christian life, or the word of God is unreliable, at least in this passage. However, none of these conclusions is necessary.
John’s teaching about sin – Two concepts help us to understand 1 John 3:9 better. The first is a broader perspective on the teaching about sin and sinning as presented by the apostle. The most common New Testament words for sin are the Greek noun hamartia and the verb hamartano. These terms mean failure to achieve a standard, to miss the mark, to err, or to transgress.1 The verb hamartano means “to sin, to do wrong.” Nearly twenty-five percent of all its New Testament uses occur in 1 John. Clearly, the subject of sin is very important in this epistle.
What does the apostle teach about sin? According to 1 John 3:4, it is the same as lawlessness (“transgression of the law,” KJV). It is expressed as rebellion against God and His commands, to the point that a person who claims that he or she have not sinned, actually makes God out to be a liar (1:10). Sin is connected with the devil and stands in opposition against God. God and Christ have no connection with sin (3:5, 8, 9), and the same can be said for the Christian in a certain sense. The Christian has experienced sin, but he or she has also experienced the solution to sin. That solution, the apostle states over and over, is the atoning sacrifice of Christ in our place (1:9; 2:1, 2; 3:5; 4:10; 5:16). This sacrifice removes the sinner from the realm of sin and brings him or her into the state of forgiveness and fellowship with God (1:7, 9; 2:2; 4:10). This new state of fellowship with God is separate from the life of the world (another favorite word of the apostle in 1 John; see 2:15-17; 3:1, 13; 4:4-6; 5:4, 5, 19).
The Christian’s new relationship toward sin – Twice John tells us that the Christian, the person born of God, does not sin or cannot sin (1 John 3:6, 9). In both cases, he uses the present tense form of the verb hamartano. This usage is very significant, because elsewhere in the epistle, when he speaks of the Christian sinning, he uses the aorist2 tense of the verb (2:1). In Greek, verb tenses do not only contain the idea of the time of an action but also the kind of action. The present tense is often used to express an on-going type of linear action (as a video picture), whereas the aorist or simple past tense often expresses a single event (as a snapshot). The Christian cannot have an ongoing lifestyle of sin, even though he or she may occasionally sin.
“The Lord will recognize every effort you make to reach His ideal for you. When you make a failure, when you are betrayed into sin, do not feel that you cannot pray, that you are not worthy to come before the Lord. ‘My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ With outstretched arms He waits to welcome the prodigal. Go to Him, and tell Him about your mistakes and failures. Ask Him to strengthen you for fresh endeavor. He will never disappoint you, never abuse your confidence” (MYP 97).
What John tells us through this careful use of Greek tenses and through his extensive theology of sin is that when individuals become Christians they receive a new attitude toward sin. They are forgiven their past when they receive the new birth (1 John 1:7, 9; 2:1, 2; 4:10), and now, born of God, they are to live for Him and, like Him, are to be distant from sin (2:3-6, 15-17, 29; 3:1-3, 7-10, 21, 22; 4:4-14, 17-21; 5:11, 12). That the Christian continues to struggle against sin is plainly taught in such passages as 1:7-10 and 2:1, 2. In fact, those who claim to have no sin remaining in their life are pictured by the apostle as liars and self-deceived (1:6-10). John clearly states that the goal of the Christian must be to overcome sin (2:1, 2). The Christian cannot live a lifestyle of sin (a present tense ongoing experience). That lifestyle is the way of the worldly person. The Christian may still stumble and fall with an individual act of sin (the snapshot experience), but he or she turns to Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing.
The true solution to sin is found in Christ – 1 John teaches us the truth about the problem of sin. The Apostle warns us to beware of the danger of claiming that we no longer have any sin in our life (1:7-10). That claim is self-deception that feels no need, and, where no sense of need exists, the proffered propitiation remains unused (2:2). What a pity to have in hand the inestimable treasure and not recognize or utilize its power!
The only true solution to sin is found in Christ. We must confess our sins to God who graciously forgives us on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ. This new birth experience sets us on the path that Jesus walked (1 John 2:5, 6) and, though we may stumble, He gets us up again, purifies us, and points us toward the heavenly goal (1:9; 2:2; 3:2, 3). Now we are children of God and, when He appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is (3:1, 2). What a wonderful assurance of forgiveness and grace!
1 See P. Fiedler, “ἁμαρτία” in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, eds., H. Balz and G. Schneider, 3 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 1:65-69.
2 The Greek aorist tense is a past tense, but requires the context to determine more precisely the extent of the action. It is usually translated by the English simple past tense.