1 John 3:9
The James Method Verse Mapping
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1 John 3:9 (NIV, 1984 version):
No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Here’s the concept map I created for these verses:
Here is an image of my verse map for 1 John 3:9. I will also type out what I have written for easier reading.
Keep in mind that a lot of my writing is shorthand or bullet points rather than complete thoughts or sentences due to limited space in the journal. That shorthand is reflected in the content I have typed out.
1 John 3:9 (NIV 1984)
No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Translations (key differences bolded)
KJV: 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.
NKJV: 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.
NLT: Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.
DBY: Whoever has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.
ESV: 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.
NASB20: No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God.
Context
Author: John
Date: Between 85-90 AD, from Ephesus
Audience: Gentile Christians, all believers everywhere
Purpose: Contrasting those who follow God with those who don’t
Key Words
I’m studying Greek, so I’ve included the Greek terms for each key word.
Born
Greek:
Definition: of God - making men his sons through faith in Christ’s work
Continue
Greek:
Definition: to do a thing, to perform, practices, habitual performance
Sin
Greek:
Definition: to miss the mark, wander from the law of God, violate divine law
Seed
Greek:
Definition: seed from which a plant germinates, produce of semen - children, offspring, whatever possesses vital force or life-giving power, of divine energy of the Holy Spirit operating within the soul by which we are regenerated
Remains
Greek:
Definition: abides, to continue to be present, to last, endure
Cannot
Greek:
Definition: not able to do something; strong and capable to not do something
*Because we have life-giving power and divine energy through the Holy Spirit, we are strong and capable and have the power to not sin.
Cross References
John 1:12-13: 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Those who believe in Jesus are born of God.
1 John 5:1-4: 5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
If we believe in Jesus, we are born of God and overcome the world.
1 Peter 1:23: For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
We are born of imperishable seed through the word of God.
John 15:4-10: 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
Remain in Christ and he will remain in us. This is how we bear fruit.
1 John 5:18: We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.
Anyone born of God does not continue to sin.
Romans 6:1-23: 6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we were slaves to sin, sin ruled over us. But now that we are in Christ, we are dead to sin and no longer continue to sin. We are alive in Christ.
View of God
God plants his seed in those he calls to be his children. This seed passes on the qualities of God, including the ability to resist sin. Once God plants his seed in someone, that seed remains forever.
View of Man/Self
If we are born of God, we can have hope in the fact that sin will no longer be our default mode. God will give us the strength to resist sin and remain in him. We are no longer slaves to sin.
Reflection and Application
Our first step to overcoming sin in our lives is to be born of God. How do we do this? By believing in Jesus. This is also a key step to remaining in Christ. If we remain in Christ and he remains in us, we will be dead to sin and alive in Christ. We will no longer have a desire to sin, and sin will not be a habit in our lives. We can do this through faith and God’s word and the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you take those of us who are born into sin and give us a rebirth into your family. The seed you plant in us brings faith in Jesus but also the power to remain in you and follow your commands. Lord, I pray that you would make me strong and capable and mature spiritually so that I don’t make sin a habit in my life and so I will be more and more able to resist sin.