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NASB | 1 John 3:4 ¶ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 3:4 ¶ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God's law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing--being unrestrained by His commands and His will]. |
Bible Question:
Lawlessness is sin, that's true but are we to base sin just on the absence of right behavior or not abiding the law? Do we think if we can come up with a comprehensive enough sin list, and avoid all the items on the list, that the effort will make us sinless? |
Bible Answer: Greetings Inheavenseyes, Here is a bit of commentary on this verse.. "3:4 sin is lawlessness. Lawlessness is used here in its broadest sense- defection from any of God's standards." (1) "3:4 ... sin is lawlessness. The first reason why Christians cannot practice sin is because sin is incompatible with the law of God which they love (Ps. 119:34,77,97; Rom. 7:12,22). The term "lawlessness" conveys more than transgressing God's law. It conveys the ultimate sense of rebellion, i.e., living as if there was no law or ignoring what laws exist (James 4:17)." (2) "3:6 sins. John is not asserting sinless perfection (see 1:8-10; 2:1), but explaining that the believer's life is characterized not by sin but by doing what is right." (3) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition, 1995, The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Th.D., Ph.D., pg. 1995 (2) MacArthur Study Bible, 1997, Word Publishing, John MacArthur, Author and General Editor, pg. 1968 (3) Zondervan NASB Study Bible, 1999, the Zondervan Corporation, Kenneth Barker, General Editor, pg. 1833 |