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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. |
Subject: 1st John 3:4-9 Discussion on sin. |
Bible Note: Hey Tim, The other thing (and this is the crux of the problem) is that I can't wrap my mind around a present (or future) absolute negative action implying something occasionally positive. I think that's my real issue. Whether preset, future, or continuing, you still have an absolute value of the action. Actively I can see and appreciate. Those abiding in God [actively remaining and abiding now and continually] do not sin [actively perform the absolute negative of the action now and continually]. Practicing I can see, though I think it's a poor word to show what's being said. Those abiding in God [practicing (as in actively doing, not as in exercises to gain improvement like a musician would) the act of staying there now and continually] do not sin [practice (as in actively do the absolute negative of the action, not as in exercises to gain improvement of the absolute negative of the action) the absolute negative of the action]. Habitually, on the other hand, implies an occasional lapse of the substantiated action, and this is bad for two reasons. 1) It implies that we sometimes do the positive of the absolute negative, or that we do the absolute negative only "most of the time." 2) Because of the sequence of tenses, it implies that we sometimes do not abide in God, or that we just abide in Him "most of the time." Thus, Those abiding in God [make a habit of abiding in him, but occasionally absent by implication of habit] do not sin [make a habit of performing the positive action instead of doing the absolute negative of the action as the syntax requires]. Habitually makes no sense to what's actually being said. This is presumptuous in my opinion. It says what no one can guarantee is the intent of the author. Practicing is not wrong, but can be construed as habitually because of the common association of practice being a thing you do to "get better at something" versus a thing you actively do everyday. Actively carries the same implications as practicing for the same reasons. You actively do not sin, but by implication, it is something that occasionally lapses when the tense actually suggests something present, on-going, and indefinite according to what you've corrected me on (thanks, by the way). By this standard and comparison, the words habitually, actively, and practicing need to be kept out of the text, because they imply things that were neither intended nor said. If John wanted to say that we don't sin "most of the time" instead of "never at all," there's no reason he wouldn't have said, "Those abiding in God do not 'usually' sin." Waiting for follow up. :o) Theo-Minor |