“No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).

Stadium in Roman Ephesus.

If we consider 1 John 3:9, “No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God” (RSV), next to 2:1, “My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” Sakae Kubo reasonably points out that we would have either to admit a contradiction or to understand the latter in the habitual sense, deriving it from the present tense as opposed to the aorist of the former. Hence, “He cannot sin” is not understood absolutely but in the sense that “He cannot continue in a habitual life of sin;” however, that interpretation has caused some to question whether such an understanding is entirely accurate.[1]

The verb used in 3:9 is πoιέω is in the present active indicative tense; this tense and mood indicate that the action of the verbs in question is actual and continual. Whereas the KJV renders πoιέω as “doth,” (cf. ASV, NKJV, RSV…) the present active indicative tense is better described with a referent that “practices” sin; therefore, the behavior is not static as the KJV reading may infer; rather, the sin that the author has in mind is ongoing in nature. Much of the debate concerning how John intends the verse to be interpreted by his readers is built on renderings similar to that of the KJV; whereas, a translation of the verbs characteristic of something ongoing or of continuation stands to reshape the debate. 

The participial construction in 3:9 (Πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ) headed by the nominative Πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος, operates as the subject of ποιεῖ,[2] According to Georg Strecker, understanding the use of πᾶς as suggesting that “the community is being addressed as a whole,” as opposed to individuals within the community, reflects too literal of a reading that ignores the rhetorical function of the adjectives encompassing individual readers.[3] The articular perfect passive participle (ό γεγεννημενος) refers to the new birth; the individual is now a newborn being “born of God.” The author’s assertions in 3:9 reiterate the new nature articulated in verse 3:6 attributed to their “abiding in Christ;”[4]therefore, with God functioning as the subject of 3:9, the verb’s action reflects a change in the orientation of πᾶς. Concerning 3:9, Constantine Campbell observes that John is not demanding sinless perfectionism; instead, the author illustrates a realignment and obedient inclination toward God.[5] John writes to his readers with reference to the divine provision for deliverance from sin (3:8b) and the deliverance produced through the new birth (3:9).[6]

Therefore, for some, it may seem that John is switching gears to demand perfectionism from his readers that he rejects previously as heretical (and not just hypocritical) when proclaimed by the secessionists; however, depending on how you understand the Greek here, that may not represent the apostle’s precise intention. Believers are called into a life of obedience to God, but how πoιέω is translated makes a huge difference to how the passage is understood. So, as you can see, meaning matters!

There are other legitimate theories regarding this verse. My purpose was to demonstrate another example of how meaning matters.

[1] Sakae Kubo, “1 John 3:9: Absolute or Habitual?,” AUSS 7 (1969): 47.

[2] Martin M. Culy, 1, 2, 3 John A Handbook on the Greek Text (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2004), 77.

[3] Georg Strecker, The Johannine Letters, Hermeneia (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1996), 101.

[4] Edmond D. Hiebert, “Exposition of 1 John 2:29-3:12,” Bibliotheca sacra 146, no 582 (Apr-Jun 1989, 212-13.

[5] Constantine R. Campbell, 1, 2, and 3 John (London, England: HarperCollins Christian Publishing, 2017, 106.

[6] Hiebert, “Exposition of 1 John 2:29-3:12,” 212.

To view all posts, click/press the link here to visit the Amazing Tangled Grace main page.

Please Subscribe to follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. God bless!