Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Acts 8:13 Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 8:13 Even Simon believed [Philip's message of salvation]; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he watched the attesting signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. |
Subject: some reject, others obey the gospel WHY? |
Bible Note: Greetings John! Of course, I have to disagree my friend! :-) There is not word in 1 John 3:9 for practice or for deliberate. The verb is a simple present tense verb. The words 'practice' or 'continue' are interpretative additions because we are uncomfortable with saying that someone who is born of God is 'not able to sin'. This is why I disagree with using the assumed words 'deliberate' or 'practice' to assume that 1 John 3:9 is talking about the same kind of sin as Heb. 10:26. It is a big reach. Here is what the Bible Knowledge Commentary says about this translation: ***************************************** 3:5-6. The seriousness of sin is further underscored by the consideration that Christ appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. The Incarnation brought into the world the One who is totally sinless and who had as an objective the removal of sin from the lives of His own (cf. John 1:29; Heb. 9:28a). It follows logically from this that a person who is (?abides?) in a sinless Person must himself be sinless, for he has a sinless, regenerate nature. This is the inescapable logic of the text. But a different point is suggested by the NIV?s rendering: No one who lives (µ«?oÑ?, ?abides?) in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him. A widely held explanation of this verse is that a believer ?does not sin habitually,? that is, sin is not his way of life. However, the Greek text has no words to represent phrases such as ?keeps on? or ?continues to? or ?habitually.? These phrases are based on an understanding of the Greek present tense which is now widely in dispute among New Testament scholars (see, e.g., S. Kubo, ?1 John 3, 9: Absolute or Habitual?? Andrews University Seminary Studies 7. 1969:47-56; C.H. Dodd, The Johannine Epistles, pp. 78-81; I. Howard Marshall, The Epistles of John, p. 180). It cannot be shown anywhere in the New Testament that the present tense can bear this kind of meaning without the assistance of other words. Such a view is invalid for this verse and also for 1 John 3:9. Nor is John saying that sinless perfection must be achieved, and that those who fail to do so lose their salvation. Such a notion is foreign to John?s argument and to all of Scripture. John?s point is simple and straight-forward. Sin is a product of ignorance and blindness toward God. ?No one who sins has seen Him or known Him? (v. 6b). Sin can never come out of seeing and knowing God. It can never be a part of the experience of abiding in Christ. ?No one who abides in Him sins? (v. 6a). But though the meaning of this is not really open to question, there has seemed to be an inconsistency between such assertions and John?s earlier insistence that a believer can never claim to be without sin (1:8). The solution to this problem has been suggested by the statement in 3:3 in which the purification of the one ?who has this hope in Him? is comparable in its nature to the purity of Christ (?just as He is pure?). From this it follows that the regenerate life is, in one sense, an essentially and fundamentally sinless life. For the believer sin is abnormal and unnatural; his whole bent of life is away from sin. ***************************************** Well, I have to run now! Thanks for the discussion my friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |