1 John 3:9 [King James Version] 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.
The word translated as born, twice in this verse is «gennao».
«Gennao»:
• Can mean begotten or born.
• Can describe the process from our spiritual begettal to our spiritual birth.
When the Scriptures address our spiritual begettal and birth, it says that a born-again person is spirit and invisible (John 3:6, 8). Nobody who is still flesh and blood is born again.
(See YESHUA: THE ONLY ONE BORN AGAIN).
TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF YAHWEH:
• ONE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
• ONE MUST BE SPIRIT THEREFORE INVISIBLE
• The Eternal is Spirit therefore human eyes cannot see Him nor His Kingdom – 1 Timothy 6:16.
• Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Yahweh – 1 Corinthians 5:50
• To enter the Eternal’s Kingdom we must be spirit – John 4:24
BEGOTTEN
We are begotten when we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Holy Spirit; that is, after we repent, have faith in the Sacrifice of Messiah and belief in the Kingdom of Yahweh. It is at this point that we become part of the Kingdom of Yahweh ‘in embryo’.
As begotten children:
• we must grow in the knowledge and understanding of the truth – 2 Peter 3:18.
• we are desirous of the pure milk of the word – 1 Peter 2:2.
• we are being nurtured by our ‘mother’ the Congregation of the Eternal Galatians 4:26 compare with Ephesians 4:11-16.
• we ought to have the desire to become perfect as the Father is perfect – Matthew 5:48.
• we ought to become pure as Yeshua the Messiah is pure – 1 John 3:3.
• to overcome Satan and self as Messiah overcame – Revelation 3:21; John16:33; Matthew 4:1-11; Romans 8:3.
BORN AGAIN
1 JOHN 3:9
IS PROOF THAT WE ARE NOT BORN AGAIN YET
1 John 3:9 – Everyone who has been begotten of YAHWEH does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to sin, . . .
Notice as well:
1 John 5:18 – We know that whoever is born of God does not sin.’
According to these verses, one who is born again cannot and does not sin. The only being that cannot sin is the Eternal. Yeshua could have sinned while he was on earth but did not.
Hebrews 4:15 [Hebraic Roots Bibible] but we have one who was tempted in everything as we are, yet without sin.
It also shows that Yeshua was fully a man, because the Eternal cannot be tempted (James 1:13). When it comes to Believers, however, we do sin from time to time, even after receiving the Holy Spirit and being begotten.
SIN
1 John 1:7–10 [Hebraic Roots Bibible] 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of His Son Yahshua Messiah cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous that He may forgive us the sins, and may cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.
John writes that we did sin in the past, and also, that we still do sin now. He uses the past and the present tense. He is talking to Believers, those who have received the Holy Spirit. Believers do sin from time to time. They can sin, which means that they are not already born again, because those who are born again cannot sin.
WE WILL BE BORN AGAIN
THROUGH THE RESURRECTION
AS YESHUA DID
(See YESHUA: THE ONLY ONE BORN AGAIN).
The Eternal will bring many sons and daughters into His Family through a resurrection or change to immortality. Then, they will be born again spirit beings and as such, they will be unable to sin.
MISTRANSLATIONS AND ADDED WORDS
Some who want to uphold their teaching that we are already born again translate 1 John 3:9 as, ‘cannot abide in the state of sin.’ However, this is not what the Scripture says. Rather, the correct translation, word for word from the Greek is:
Πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ, Everyone the having been born out of the God sin not he does,
The Biblical truth is very plain:
ONE WHO IS BORN AGAIN
IS UNABLE TO SIN
Most translations of 1 John 3:9 prefer the rendering “born” in both instances:
1 John 3:9 [King James Version] 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.
However they falsely assume that Believers are already born again now. Nevertheless, when concluding that 1 John 3:9 refers to the here and now, a few translations choose the rendering, ‘begotten’:
New American Bible – No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.
Other translations, realizing the potential difficulties with making a particular choice (especially, when they teach that we are already born again now), state more ambiguously:
Revised Standard Version and similarly New Jerusalem Bible – No child of God commits sin, because the divine seed remains in him; indeed because he is God’s child he cannot sin
Some feel that the passage does refer to Believers here and now. But realizing that John could not have said that it is impossible for Believers to sin, claim that the phrase, “he cannot sin,” should be rendered as, “he cannot continue practicing sin,” or, “he cannot habitually sin.”
The International Version . . . he cannot go on sinning . . .
Living Bible . . . [he] does not make a practice of sinning, because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning . . .
Notice, too, how the Amplified Bible renders this verse, obviously unwilling to make a definite choice—the words in parenthesis and in brackets are in the original:
Amplified Bible – No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately and knowingly] habitually practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him—His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him—and cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.”
If they wants to say that the passage of 1 John 3:9 refers to the here and now (that is, to begotten Believers today), they have to add quite a few words to the original text, in an attempt to make it consistent with other passages in John’s writings. Rather than saying that the one who is begotten of the Eternal cannot sin, one has to say that he cannot continue practicing sin, or that he cannot habitually practice sin, or something to that effect. The problem, of course, is that the Greek text does not contain these words—they must be added in order to convey what is perceived to be the intended meaning.
Moreover, another problem arises with these additions when we consider the apostle Shaul’s (Paul’s) own words, which he wrote down years after his conversion and the receipt of the Holy Spirit:
Romans 7:14-16, 19, 25 [The Scriptures 2009]
14 For we know that the Torah is Spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.
15 For what I work, I know not. For what I wish, that I do not practise, but what I hate, that I do.
16 But if I do what I do not wish, I agree with the Torah that it is good.
. . .
19 For the good that I wish to do, I do not do; but the evil I do not wish to do, this I practise.
. . .
25 Thanks to Elohim, through יהושע Messiah our Master! So then, with the mind I myself truly serve the Torah of Elohim, but with the flesh the law of sin.
This is not to say that Shaul was ever indifferent or careless about his sins. He knew that those who practice evil things will not inherit the Kingdom of the Eternal (Galatians 5:21; Revelation 22:15). He agreed with John who said that those who do not practice righteousness and who do not love their brothers and sisters in Messiah are not of the Eternal (1 John 3:10). Shaul did not want to sin; he did not want to practice evil, but he realized that at times, he would slip, and that he needed the Eternal’s forgiveness and mercy and power and strength to overcome and conquer sin (Romans 7:24-25; 8:37).
Old habits die slowly and only with difficulty and under severe trials and tests. It is possible for a Believer to repeat the same sin repeatedly, out of habit. But upon continued and ongoing repentance and belief in Christ’s Sacrifice and with the genuine desire to forsake those sins (Proverbs 28:13), they will be forgiven him, and the Eternal’s seed—the Holy Spirit–will remain in such a person. It is only that when we refuse to repent and change, we are in danger of losing the Eternal’s Spirit (Hebrews 6:4-6). The Eternal is most certainly not less merciful than what He requires of us. He is most certainly not limiting Himself to just forgiving us the same sins only once or twice, when we truly repent, while Messiah told Kepha (Peter) that he needed to forgive his repentant brother seventy times seven, upon his repentance (Matthew 18:21-22; compare Luke 17:3-4).
CONCLUSION:
1 JOHN 3:9
DOES NOT ADDRESS BEGOTTEN BELIEVERS TODAY
1 John 3:9 makes the profound statement that once we are truly born again, we will not sin anymore. It will be impossible for us to sin—to even commit one single sin, let alone practicing sin (John 7:37-39).
Source:
Norbert Link
Edited: Nazarene Notes