Does 1 John 3:9 teach that Christians do not sin?

      At first glance the passage does appear to teach such. The text as it appears in the King James reads, “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, a little research and study of the verbs used in the text reveal that such is not the case.

      The verb phrases “doth not commit sin” and “cannot sin” are both in the present tense and active voice. The present active verb conveys the idea of present and continuous action. Therefore, the passage is actually saying that one who is a Christian (born of God) does not make it a practice to continue in sin (cf Rom 6:1-2). The English Standard Version reflects the genuine meaning of these verbs as it reads, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”

      However, other passages also teach us that a person will sin, even after becoming a Christian. Such was the case with Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. He is said to have believed Philip’s preaching and was baptized (vv 12-13). Therefore, he was a Christian. However, not long after his conversion, he sinned in trying to purchase the apostles’ gift with money. Peter told him to repent and pray for forgiveness (vv 22-23).

      This is the same pattern for Christians today who sin. We must repent of our sins and confess them to God (1 John 1:9), and at times to one another (James 5:16).

      Finally, 1 John 1:7 teaches that a Christian will sin, even while walking in the light. “For if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Here we see the real security of the Christian. It is not an unconditional security, but one based upon our faithfulness to God. While we should strive to never commit even a single sin (1 John 2:1), we know that as long as we strive to do God’s will, we enjoy the provision of forgiveness given through the blood of Christ.  TC