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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: In 1st John he talks about if someone says they are without sin they don't know the truth. Later in chapter 3 it says that if you are born of God you don't sin. How is it that Paul talks about struggling with sin and John says we don't? |
Bible Answer: 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. You have to read the context of John 3 and you will notice that John has already stated that if we sin we can ask for forgiveness and recieve cleansing from all unrrighteousness. If John says that then it must be that he does not mean it as it may sound. John would not say. If you sin ... do this.. and also say.. you cannot sin it is not possible. He would be contradicting himself and only an insane person would speak that way. So what other meaning can you apply to someone saying You cannot do something? It would have to be that same way we speak when we say "I just can't do that" meaning not that it is a physical impossibility for us but that we cannot bring our selves to do such a thing. So if you read the verse in that light you see that John is saying...If you are born of God, (by the word of God) the Word of God is internalized within you by that supernatural thing that God does whereby with the eternal Word of God he is working in you that which He pleases, and you will not be able if you are born of God to stay in sin, you will have to repent, you will have a nervous breakdown if you don't. You will find that the Spirit of God in you as your own thoughts is screaming in your spiritual ears.. "I can't do this, I Can't keep doing this, I can't live this way, This is not what God has called me to., I am never going to be happy doing this, I will never have peace until I repent... etc) But on the other point about Paul. Read the context of what Paul wrote in Romans 7-8. You will notice a definite topic and that is that of living under the law and why he was guilty of sin and how that the Faith live freed him from sin and the bondage of sin he was never free from under his religious efforts to try to be righteous. Paul never taught that christians that are Born again have to live with a struggle of always sinning when they really don't want to. |