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NASB | 1 John 3:9 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God's seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again--who is reborn from above--spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him. |
Bible Question:
There are no notes about this verse, so I would like to be the first to ask what does this mean? One born of God cannot sin? Thanks, Isa |
Bible Answer: Isa, This has been puzzling to many, including myself. I think we need to look at the context of 1st John IOT see where he is going w/ this. Because in 1 John 1:8, 10 John says that if anyone says that he doesn't sin, he is a liar! So is he contradicting himself in such a short space of the same letter?! No. A main reason for writing 1 John was in response to gnostics, who were teaching that it was OK for believers to sin, since that was the physical, not the spiritual. So here in 3:9 John is saying that the believer, who has been born-again, is sinless in his inner man. John contrasts light/darkness, death/life, and also (here) sin/righteousness. Some try to make a simple present tense in Greek say something to the effect that no one born of God will "continue to sin." (NIV) However the NASB has it right here. When a person trusts in Christ, he in reality becomes a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). That regenerated inner man does not sin. of course, we can and each of us does sin - daily, but lets not pretend that that is OK, and try to distinguish between the body (which the gnostics taught was inherently bad) and the spirit. John teaches here that the inner man cannot sin. This was his point, IMO. BadDog |