Question: Could you please explain 1 John 3:9? It states, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (NKJV). Do we take this passage literally?
Answer: This is a very important question from a verse that has troubled many sincere believers. One of the principles of biblical interpretation that will help us properly interpret this text is to understand the context in which it is written. The context in the first part of this letter (chapters one and two), gives us some clear indications as to the believer’s relationship to sin:
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Here we find that sin is to be acknowledged and confessed by the believer. The purpose being that we would not have “fellowship” with sin or “walk” (as a way of life) in sin but rather that we would have fellowship with the Father and walk in the light of His love (1 John 1:5-7).
When we take this context into consideration, we have some clearer insight into what John meant in 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.”
It does not mean that we have no sin, for in that case we would self deceived. It does not mean that we have not sinned, for in that case we would be making Him a liar. It does not mean that it’s impossible for us to sin, for John says, “If” we sin we have an Advocate, meaning that it is possible that we can sin. What it does mean is that when we are born of God we no longer live a life of sin. We walk in the light and not in darkness. We have fellowship with the Father and not with the sinfulness of the world. We cannot keep living a life of sin because we are now born of God. Praise God!
