1Jn 3:8  he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. ASV

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. KJV

1Jn 3:8  The one practicing sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. For this the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the devil. LITV

1Jn 3:8  He who practices sin is of the Devil, for the Devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the Devil. MKJV
________________________________________________________

                                   COMMENTARY

  Reader... Do you sin?  There are two and only two possible answers to that question. Yes.....  or No. If your answer is Yes... well then... John says you are of the Devil!  The LITV & MKJV are correct in the word "practice".  The Greek word is poieo which means to "make" or "do". Here it is a present active participle that can be translated... "keep on continually doing." To continually do something is to practice it, like a musical instrument or a sport or even a medical -practice-. It means to do over and over again. There are examples in Scripture of this and guess which one is a really good example of one who sins over and over again & again so that it can rightly be said of the person that he practices sin? You guessed it... Romans 7:14ff!

  So then, does this verse mean that when a regenerate Christian sins he is "of the Devil"? Of course not. Why not? Because the verse speaks of a ~Continual Practice~ of sin and true born-from-above Christians do not continually practice sin. This verse/passage speaks of a sinful life-style wherein sin is the Norm and the person cannot stop sinning. But sin for the Christian is the ~Exception~ rather than the norm because the Christian is walking in Newness of Life which is a life marked by the absence of sin. Romans 6. Again sin is the work of the Devil but as John teaches here, the Lord Jesus Christ has been revealed in order that He might destroy the works of the Devil. And that is exactly what happens to a sinner when God saves him. The works of the Devil, which is sin, are destroyed in that person and he shows it by the fact that he now walks in Newness of Life which means he stops sinning.

1John

Main Index