I John 3:9-10
9 No one who is born of God practices sin,
because His seed abides in him;
indeed he cannot keep on sinning,
because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God,
also the one who does not love his brother.
Introduction
Our text this morning continues our study of John’s first epistle.
Now remember the false teachers who are troubling John’s flock are doing so by their living as well as by their teaching. That is, in addition to denying Christ, they claim that it does not matter how you live outwardly in the body. Instead, for them salvation is a purely inward spiritual matter.
Therefore, John has reminded his readers that faithful living is an essential part of abiding in Christ because it is an essential part of what grace and salvation are doing in each believer.
In our text this morning John provides the culmination of his discussion on righteous living.
Verse 9
Notice at once, John tells us that no one who is born of God, that is, no one who has received the salvation/new birth/new life that Christ provides practices sin. Importance: notice at once the clarification in the verb tense: the verb “practices” is a customary present tense verb. As such, it points to a standard, regular, normative practice. Not only that, notice sin (the thing practiced) is singular. In other words, both the verb tense and the singularity of what is practiced underscore the fact that John is not talking about people who struggle, stumble, and thus commit sins (plural). Instead, John is talking about people who are given over to the condition of sin (singular). Their lives are untouched/uncorrected by grace. As such, sin is the underlying nature that defines all they do. Notice then the point: John says that no one who is born of God is abandoned to sin. That is, sin is not the single determinate principle in their lives FN#1. As such, sin is not the single unchecked principle that defines all they do/practice.
Next, notice the reason that sin is not the single dominate factor in the believer’s life or practice: John says the believer does not practice sin because God’s seed abides in him. Importance: “seed” here points to the new principle of life or the new nature that the believer has received from God. In other words, John reminds us that a child has his life and specific nature from the parent. Notice then the flow of verse 9: John says that the believer is the child of God because the believer has been born of God. Not only that, because we have been born of God, God’s seed abides in us. That is, we have received a radically new sort of life, with a fundamentally different trajectory and a fundamentally different orientation to the whole of existence. As such, we now enter life facing God and seeking more and more to please Him. Simply put, new birth has brought about a new kind of life which inevitably results in a new kind of living. Therefore, the believer is not abandoned to sin or given over to its unchallenged/uncorrected practice FN#2.
Next, notice the astounding claim: John not only says that the believer does not practice sin, he goes on to say that the believer cannot keep on sinning. However, notice once again, the verb tense provides clarity. The verb “sinning” is a customary/habitual present. As such, it points to a standard/normative practice. Importance: a standard/normative practice stands in stark contrast to an invariant/ perfect behavior. That is, John does not say that those who are born of God are unable to ever sin. Notice, the entire epistle tells us that is not the case. In fact, John says to even claim that it is the case is to lie (1:8). Instead, John says that those who are born of God cannot keep on sinning in a persistent, unchecked, and uncorrected manner FN#3.
Next, notice John says that the believer cannot keep sinning because he is born of God. However, please note: John does not specify/restrict how being born of God inhibits the believer’s sin. That is, John does not specify whether the believer’s lack of persistent sinning is due to an inability or an impermissibility. In other words, does the believer refrain from persistent sin because he is born of God and thus his new nature prevents him from doing so (he is unable to persist in sin); or does he refrain from persistent sin because he is born of God and God his Father will not allow him to persist in sin? Notice then John does not restrict the reason that the believer refrains from persistent sin to only one of the options (inability or impermissibility) because both options are true. Not only that, when we turn to Scripture, we find that both of these options are clearly taught. Thus, grace, new life, and the Holy Spirit are constantly drawing the believer back to God, convicting, correcting, and renewing him. At the same time, God does not abandon His children to sin nor does He allow them to get comfortable in it. Instead, Scripture tells us that God disciplines every one of His children (Rev 3:19), God chastises the stubborn (Heb 12:6), and in extreme cases God even calls them home destroying the body that the soul might be spared (I Cor 5:5). Simply put, John does not restrict the reason for the believer’s inability because both are true and both are in view here. Thus, the believer cannot persist in sin because grace and new life are adverse to sin. In turn, he is not allowed to persist in sin because God his Father does not abandon his children to their own unrighteousness FN#4.
Verse 10
Next, notice John concludes his discussion on righteous living by giving his readers two distinguishing marks by which life from God and life estranged from God can be clearly distinguished. Why? John wants you to be able to identify and avoid the charlatans. Notice then, John says that anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God. However, notice once again, that the verb “practices” is a customary present tense verb. As such, it points to a standard/normative behavior. In other words, John is not talking about those who fail to follow God perfectly without setback or stumble. Instead, John is talking about those who persist in their rebellion and neglect of God. As such, their general practice is to have no concern for God or righteous living. Notice then the point: John says don’t follow or imitate those whose manner of living has no reference to God FN#5. They are not from God nor will they lead you to God. Not only that, John says that the one who does not love His brother is also not a child of God. Why? Remember, in addition to the false teachers’ claim that it does not matter how you live, they also claim that it does not matter how treat others. Therefore, John introduces the next section of his letter by alerting his readers that the harsh, self-centered, and manipulative indifference of the false teachers is also not from God. Instead, as we will see, a key aspect of abiding in Christ involves loving your brother.
Bottom line: John reminds us that righteous living is a central part of what it means to abide in Christ because it is a central part of what grace and salvation are doing in each believer. Therefore, John warns that anyone who ignores, dismisses, or rejects the centrality of grace changed living is not from God. Therefore, they are not to be followed or imitated. Instead, the believer is to abide in Christ and with Christ, seeking the very things that God seeks FN#6.
Footnotes
1] Sin is not the single determinate principle for believers. In other words, there is something else going on (at work in) in the believer’s life.
2] Importance: notice at once how this grace permeated picture serves as the foundation of John’s entire discussion on righteous living (2:29- 3:10). We do not become God’s children by practicing righteousness. Instead, we practice righteousness because we already are God’s children and already grace and new life are unfolding in us.
3] Importance: notice at once the contrast in natures: the unbeliever who is separated from God and governed by sin, death, and rebellion has nothing in his life that does not share in or arise from the brokenness of his fallen nature. As such, he can only persist in sin. In contrast, the believer is governed by grace, new life, and healing. As such, sin is not left unchecked in his life. In fact, even in the areas where a believer struggles and stumbles the most, there are redemptive factors resisting/correcting the misbehavior. Therefore, the believer cannot persist in unchecked sin
4] Notice then the point: every detail of verse 9 underscores that there are other factors at work in/for the believer. That is, the believer is not given over to persistent, unchecked sin because inside and out grace and the Fatherhood of God oppose sin. As such, the false teacher’s claims that how you live does not matter are contrary to who the believer is on the most basic level.
5] When John tells us that their lives have no reference to God, he does not mean that they aren’t religious or spiritual. Instead, he means that their teaching and living are contrary to the character of the one true living God, the direction/ objective of His salvation, and the teaching of His Word. Thus they may have reference to a god but they utterly dismiss God.
6] The case for the Customary Present Tense:
Throughout this section of John’s Epistle (2:29- 3:10) we have seen the prevalence and importance of the customary present tense. However, it is important to note that no doctrine or teaching of Scripture is based on a single word much less some aspect of that word (e.g. tense, number, person, and etc…). At the same time it must be equally maintained that word choice and aspects as well as their contribution to the passage are intentional and deliberate choices of the author intended to convey the meaning he wishes to communicate. As such, Scripture instructs us to consider every jot and tittle (i.e. the smallest letter and mark in the Bible- Matt 5:18; Gal 3:16). That said the case for the customary present is not based on a verb considered in isolation nor is it an attempt to build an understanding of the passage based on some arbitrarily selected verb tense. Instead, the customary present is based on and called for by the teaching of the Epistle as a whole, the context of the passage, as well as the syntax of the particular verse.
· Overall Teaching of the Epistle– if we understand a verse like verse 9 to read “no one born of God sins nor is he able to sin” at once we stand at variance with the primary teaching of the Epistle as a whole. For example, verse 1:8 teaches
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Simply put, to understand the present tense verbs in (2:29- 3:10) as other than customary puts us in direct contradiction with the major teaching of the entire letter. The overall teaching of the book calls for the customary present.
· The Immediate Context of 2:29- 3:10: if we understand a verse like verse 9 to read “no one born of God sins nor is he able to sin” at once we stand at variance with the immediate context of the discussion at hand. For example, in 3:2 John tells us
1 John 3:2 Beloved, even now we are God’s children, though it has not yet appeared what we shall be.
In other word, the believer is already born of God and already God’s child. However, we are not yet complete or perfect. Thus to understand the present tense verbs in (2:29- 3:10) as other than customary puts us in direct contradiction with the main point of the conversation in which these verbs occur. The immediate context calls for the customary present.
· The syntax of the verses itself– Throughout the syntax and construction of the verses of this passage call for the customary present. For example, over and again John does not simply say “no one born of God sins”. That is, John does not simply use the expected verb for “sin”. Instead, John takes an indirect route. John uses a participle “the one who does” together with the singular noun “sin” as the direct object in order to say, “anyone who does sin”. Not only that the word that John uses for “does” caries in its range of meaning the notion of “practices”. The point here is that the indirect manner in which John expresses what should be a straightforward idea invites us to ask what the additional syntax is for. If John had wanted to say believers do not sin, he would have said it. Instead, John points us to something more than the act of sinning. He points us to a condition and regular practice.
Bottom line: John has used the present tense here in a specific intentional fashion. Therefore, it is up to his readers to ascertain how he is using it. In turn, the weight of the Epistle’s teaching, the immediate context, and the internal syntax of the particular verse all insist on a customary understanding of the present tense verbs in question.