What Does 1 John 3:9, 3:6 and 5:18 Mean? Christians Don't Sin?

1 John 3:9 seems to say that Christians don't sin:

"Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him, and he can't sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9)

But 1 John 1:9 seems to say that Christians sin:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins..." (1 John 1:9)

1 John 3:6 seems to say that Christians don't sin:

"Whoever remains in him doesn't sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him and doesn't know him." (1 John 3:6 ).

But 1 John 2:1a seems to say that Christians sin:

"My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin" (1 John 2:1a).

1 John 5:18 seems to say that Christians don't sin:

"We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him" (1 John 5:18).

But 1 John 2:1b seems to say that Christians sin:

"If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous". (1 John 2:1b). 

1 John 3:9, 3:6 and 5:18 seem to say that Christians don't sin. But 1 John 1:9, 2:1a and 2:1b seem to day that Christians do sin. What do these scriptures mean?

1 John 3:9, 3:6 and 5:18 are sometimes translated a little differently than the translation of the WEB which I used above. But all appear to say, depending on the particular translation, that Christians don't sin or that all Christians stop sinning permanently and never sin again. Whether the appropriate translation is "don't sin" or "stop sinning", 1 John 3:6, 3:9 and 5:18 appear to create a contradiction with the other scriptures in 1 John which clearly state that Christians do sin. 1 John 3:6, 3:9 and 5:18 do appear to say that a person stops sinning after conversion, never to sin again. But there is no contradiction. Scripture does not state that Christians stop sinning permanently after they become Christians. That is why the apostle Paul said "don't sin" or in some translations "stop sinning" (1 Corinthians 15:34) Please prayerfully read on and you will see.

I will arrange the above scriptures into two groups so you can see the issue a little more clearly. According to the scriptures in Group 1, Christians do sin. The scriptures in Group 2 have been interpreted to mean that Christians don't sin or stop sinning permanently. ONE WAY to resolve the apparent contradiction is by the Old Man New Man Doctrine.

According to the Old Man New Man Doctrine: The old man, flesh, does all of my sin. The new man does no sin.

First, I will present the two groups of scriptures which create the alleged contradiction. Then I will identify the issues, present the Old Man New Man Doctrine and then resolve the problem using that doctrine.

 

GROUP 1: Those Who Know God Do Sin:

• "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins..." (1 John 1:9)

• "My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous" (1 John 2:1). 

By the way, we know that the "little children" in 2:1 know God because 2:13 states, "I write to you, little children, because you know the Father."

 

GROUP 2: Those Who Know God Don't Sin 

(or don't continue to sin in some translations):

• 1 John 3:6 "Whoever remains in him doesn't sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him and doesn't know him."

• 1 John 3:9 "Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him, and he can't sin, because he is born of God." "Can't sin" is translated differently in some versions: "not able to sin" (NET), "cannot sin" (KJV, NKJV), "cannot keep on sinning" (ESV), "can't go on sinning (NIV).

• "We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him" (1 John 5:18).

Issues

As I said, some translations of the above verses state "cannot keep on sinning" instead of "can't sin". For example, the  ESV translates 1 John 3:9 as "he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God." At first glance this may appear to resolve the difficulty or at least obscure it. But, it merely replaces "can't sin" with "cannot keep on sinning"... meaning that those who are born again stop sinning permanently. 

So, the verses in Group 1 indicate that Christians do still sin. But the verses in Group 2 indicate that those who know God (or those born of God) don't sin.  

But in the Old Man New Man Doctrine, the born again New Man in the Christian doesn't sin, while the Old Man of flesh in the Christian does sin, thus resolving the alleged contradiction. The same applies to alternate translations of all passages in Group 2. The Old Man New Man Doctrine provides a clear and simple reconciliation of the passages. It is a clear but overlooked doctrine. 

Old Man New Man Doctrine

There are two men within each Christian: The Old Man (flesh) and the New Man (Spirit). The Old Man does nothing but sin. The New Man is the born again new creation which does nothing but righteousness. The New Man in us is Christ.

• Ephesians 4:21-24 "They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. ²⁰ But you didn't learn Christ that way, ²¹ if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man (anthropos) that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit, ²³ and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth." 

They were taught to "put away" the old man and "put on" the new man. The old man" (anthropos) also appears in Rom 6:6 (below). Why "put on" the new man if the new man sins? The scriptures below show that Christ is in us and that we "put on" Christ. So, it appears that the new man whom we put on is Christ and the new man can not sin.

• Romans 13:14     "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts."

So, we put on Christ and Christ can not sin.

• Galatians 2:20     "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me."

Christ lives in me and Christ does not sin. The new man can not sin.

• Romans 7:15-17, 25    "...For I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. 16 But if what I don't desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me... ²⁵ with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, sin's law..." 

Please prayerfully read Romans 6:1 - 8:17, paying special attention to 6:6 ("old man", anthropos), 7:14, 7:17-20 and 8:12-14 (flesh vs Spirit). In those passages you will see that all sin is from "sin which dwells in me", the flesh, the old man.

 

The old man, flesh, does all of our sin. The new man doesn't sin. This resolves difficulties in 1 John 2:3,9; 3:6,9,15; 5:18.  

The born again are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15). Christ should "dwell" (live) in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). We should grow "into" Christ (Ephesians 4:15).

We Choose Which Man to Walk In 

Believers will either "walk by the Spirit" or walk by the "flesh" (Galatians 5:16, 16-25, 1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Both the Spirit and the flesh are within us. In the spiritual realm, we either present ourselves to sin or to God (Romans 6:13). Both sin and God are within us. So, walking by the Spirit is a function of spiritual actions we take in the spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm, we either present ourselves to God’s Spirit within us as instruments of righteousness, putting on the new creation of the new man…  or … we present ourselves to the sin of the flesh of the old man within us as instruments of unrighteousness. We either sow to the flesh within or sow to the Spirit within... to reap either corruption from the flesh within or to reap "eternal life" from the Spirit within (Galatians 6:8).  Both corruption and eternal life are within us (Ephesians 4:22, 1 John 3:14-15, John 6:53). We may reap from both to eat the fruit of both.

Old Man

So, the old man in us sins (Ephesians 4:22), is always in the darkness (1 John 2:9,"until now") and doesn't know God ( 1 John  3:6), walks in the darkness (1 John  1:6), says he has no sin (1 John  1:8), says he has not sinned (1 John  1:10), doesn't practice truth (1 John  1:6), have truth (1 John  1:8) or have God's word in him (1 John  1:10). We are forgiven for sins of the old man in us by confession (1 John  1:9). 

New Man

The new man is born of God and cant sin (1 John 3:9) never sins (1 John  5:18) and has fellowship with God (1 John  1:7)... permanently.

 

Other Difficult Passages Resolved by Old Man New Man Doctrine (OMNM)

• 1 John 2:9 "He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness even until now". 

Difficulty: Either 1) One who sins has never been in the light, 2) Believers cannot hate their brothers, 3) The old man can hate his brother but the new man can't. The old man has always been in the darkness. 

The third option, the OMNM doctrine, resolves the difficulty.

• 1 John 3:15 "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him." 

Difficulty: Either 1) One who sins does not have eternal life, 2) Believers cannot hate their brothers, 3) The old man can hate his brother but the new man can't.

The third option, the OMNM doctrine, resolves the difficulty.

•  1 John 2:3-4 "³ This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. ⁴ One who says, "I know him," and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn't in him" (1 John 2:3-4).

Without the OMNM doctrine to resolve an apparent contradiction, a person who both keeps and breaks God's commandments knows God according to 1 John 2:3, but doesn't know God according to 1 John 2:4. With the OMNM doctrine we see that in 1 John 2:3-4, the "new man" in the believer keeps 100% of God's commandments. Old Man Flesh keeps none.  

All three of these passages are resolved by the Old Man New Man Doctrine.