1 John 1.8-Claiming That One Never Sins is Self-Deception
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday April 12, 2017
First John: 1 John 1:8-Claiming That One Never Sins is Self-Deception
Lesson # 32
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. (NASB95)
“If we say” is composed of the following: (1) conditional particle ean (ἐάν), “if” (2) first person plural aorist active subjunctive form of the verb eipon (εἶπον), “we say.”
The apostle John employs the conditional particle ean to introduce the protasis of a third class condition which offers a condition, the fulfillment of which is realized in the present time which is also called a fifth class condition.
As was the case in 1 John 1:6, the verb eipon in 1 John 1:8 means, “to claim” since it pertains to maintaining or asserting something as a fact.
The first person plural form of the verb eipon in 1 John 1:6, 8 and 10 is distributive, meaning, “any of us.”
As we noted in the above sections, eipon is used in the protasis of a fifth class conditional statement, which expresses a present general condition that indicates that the subject is distributive in meaning emphasizing no exceptions.
This would indicate that this spiritual principle applies to each and every believer declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ including John and his fellow apostles.
The aorist tense of this verb is an ingressive aorist denoting entrance into a state or condition emphasizing the beginning of an action.
It presents a hypothetical situation that John’s readers “could potentially” enter into if they adhere to this claim of the false teachers.
“We have no sin” is composed of the following: (1) accusative feminine singular form of the noun hamartia (ἁμαρτία), “sin” (2) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (3) first person plural present active indicative form of the verb echō (ἒχω), “we have.”
The verb echō means, “to experience a particular state or condition” and its meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, which means “never, absolutely never” since it expresses an absolute, direct and full negation.
The noun hamartia means “sin” and refers to the state or condition of having committed a sin whether it is a mental, verbal and overt act.
This word speaks of the state or condition of having committed a mental, verbal or overt acts of sin, which is in disobedience to God’s laws.
Therefore, these three words express the idea of never having experienced the state or condition of having committed either a mental, verbal or overt act of sin.
“We are deceiving ourselves” is composed of the following: (1) accusative first person masculine plural form of the reflexive pronoun heautou (ἑαυτοῦ), “ourselves” (2) first person plural present active indicative form of the verb planaō (πλανάω), “we are deceiving.”
The verb planaō means, “to deceive” and is employed with the reflexive pronoun heautou which refers to a hypothetical believer and emphasizes the action of a hypothetical believer deceiving themselves as a result of entering into the claim that they have never experienced the guilt of sin.
The word emphasizes the volitional responsibility of the believer when entering into making this claim.
Therefore, these two words mean “we deceive ourselves” expressing the idea of a believer “deceiving themselves” as a result of entering into the claim of the proto-Gnostic teachers that they have never experienced the guilt of committing a sin.
1 John 1:8 If any of us enters into making the claim that we have never experienced the guilt of sin, then, we are, as an eternal spiritual truth deceiving ourselves. Consequently, the truth is as an eternal spiritual truth unequivocally not existing in us. (My translation)
1 John 1:8 contains a fifth class conditional statement which communicates a spiritual principle pertaining to experiencing fellowship with the Father which is in addition to the fifth class conditional statements presented in 1 John 1:6-7.
It also contains a result clause which presents the result of the believer complying with the spiritual principle here in verse 8.
Verse 8 is the third in a series of six fifth class conditional statements which pertain to experiencing fellowship with God (1 John 1:8, 9, 10; 2:1).
Each of these fifth class conditional clauses consist of three pairs that can be divided into two: (1) Negative statement in the apodosis (1 Jn. 1:6, 8, 10). (2) Positive statement in the apodosis (1 Jn. 1:7, 9; 2:1).
The negative statements 1 John 1:6, 8 and 10 reflect the claims of the false teachers located in geographical region of the recipients of this epistle whereas the positive statements in 1 John 1:7, 9 and 2:1 reflect the apostolic teaching with regards to fellowship with God.
The recipients of this epistle were located in the Roman province of Asia.
The occasion of the epistle itself and the context of the entire book clearly indicates that they were already believers in Jesus Christ who were experiencing fellowship with God and each other.
However, they were now being exposed to Docetic and Cerinthian Gnostic teaching that denied the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John emphatically refutes this teaching in the prologue of the epistle.
If they believed this false teaching, it would prevent them from continuing to have fellowship with God since fellowship with God is based upon the Person, Work and Life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This false teaching the apostle John was seeking to protect the recipients of this epistle from, were propagating an “incipient” form of Gnosticism since it was not a full blown threat to orthodox Christianity in the mid to late part of the first century as it did become in the middle of the second century.
John’s teaching in the prologue and throughout the book concerning the person of Christ is designed to protect his readers from these heretical teachings and to ensure that their fellowship with God and other believers might continue or be maintained.
That John’s readers were already experiencing fellowship with the Father and the Son and that this letter is a protection from the false teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ is indicated in 1 John 2:13-15, 21, 26-29, 3:7-9, 4:1-3, 5:9-11, 13.
Therefore, John’s teaching in 1 John 1:6-2:2 is designed to protect the Christian community from these false teachers.
1 John 1:6-2:2 are also connected to 1 John 1:5 which asserts that God is, as an eternal spiritual truth existing in the state of being light.
Then, John states in emphatic terms that there is absolutely no darkness in His nature, none whatsoever.
1 John 1:6-2:2 presents the implications of these assertions in verse 5.
These verses are an inference from verse 5 and communicate spiritual principles with regards to fellowship with God.
Specifically, they present spiritual principles which the recipients of this epistle can employ for themselves in order to determine if they are in fact experiencing fellowship with God or not.
These principles are designed to protect the recipients of this epistle from the false teaching which was being propagated where they lived.
This fifth class condition is presenting a hypothetical situation which could take place in the Christian community and expresses another spiritual principle pertaining to experiencing fellowship with the Father.
It asserts that if any believer enters into making the claim that they have never experienced the guilt of sin, then, they are, as an eternal spiritual truth deceiving themselves.
Consequently, the truth is as an eternal spiritual truth unequivocally not existing in them.
In 1 John 1:8, the noun hamartia is interpreted by many expositors of this passage as referring to the indwelling Adamic sin nature.
However, the context indicates otherwise since it appears in 1 John 1:7 and 9 with reference to personal sins or the act of committing sin.
Furthermore, in 1 John 1:10, the cognate verb of hamartia occurs where it is used of the believer having committed an act of sin.
Then, in 1 John 2:1, the noun hamartia is found where it is again used of the believer committing an act of sin.
John asserts that Jesus Christ is the believer’s advocate with the Father when they do commit sin.
Lastly, in 1 John 2:2, the noun occurs but this time it is in the plural.
In this passage, John asserts that Jesus Christ is the propitiation or satisfaction for the believer’s sins.
In each instance, the word occurs in 1 John 1:5-2:2, it is used in relation to the act of committing a sin and not the sin nature.
We would expect the word to have an articular construction if John was referring to the sin nature in 1 John 1:8.
This is how Paul designates the sin nature in his writings (cf. Rom. 5:12, 13, 20-21; 6:1-2, 7, 10-14, 16-18, 23).
The articular construction of hamartia appears in 1 John 1:9 and 2:2.
However, it is used with the plural form of the first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego to denote possession.