1 John 1.10-Claiming That One Has Never Sinned Makes God Out To Be A Liar
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday May 17, 2017
First John: 1 John 1:10-Claiming That One Has Never Sinned Makes God Out To Be A Liar
Lesson # 45
1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (NASB95)
“If we say that we have not sinned” 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” (3) conjunction hoti (ὅτι), “that” (4) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (5) first person singular perfect active indicative form of the verb hamartanō (ἁμαρτάνω), “we have sinned.”
The apostle John employs the figure of asyndeton in 1 John 1:10 in order to emphasize the solemn nature of the fifth class conditional statement which is contained in this verse.
He is being solemn because the content of the fifth class conditional statement contained in this verse will ensure the fact that the recipients of this epistle will continue to experience fellowship with God.
Once again, 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.
The fifth class condition is expressing an eternal spiritual principle or spiritual axiom with regards to fellowship with God.
As was the case in 1 John 1:6 and 8, the verb eipon in 1 John 1:10 means, “to claim” since the word pertains to maintaining or asserting something as fact.
The first person plural form of the verb eipon is distributive, meaning, “any of us.”
The aorist tense of this verb is an ingressive aorist denoting entrance into a state or condition emphasizing the beginning of an action.
Therefore, the ingressive aorist of eipon in the protasis of this fifth class condition presents a hypothetical situation that John’s readers “could potentially” enter into if they adhere to this claim of the false teachers.
The verb hamartanō means, “to sin” referring to any mental, verbal or overt act of sin that is contrary to the will and law of God.
This verb is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, which should be translated “never,” rather than “not” since the former expresses an absolute, direct and full negation.
Therefore, these two words mean “we have never sinned,” which emphasizes how dogmatic were the claims of the false teachers and expresses how deceived they were by the kingdom of darkness.
The consummative perfect of the verb hamartanō is a consummative perfect which expresses the assertion of the false teachers that they have never sinned in the past emphasizing that they have never committed a mental, verbal or overt act of sin, thus implying sinlessness.
“We make Him a liar” is composed of the following: (1) accusative masculine singular form of the noun pseustēs (ψεύστης), “liar” (2) first person plural present active indicative form of the verb poieō (ποιέω), “we make” (3) accusative third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “Him.”
The verb poieō means, “to make someone out to be something” and here it is used of John and his readers making God out to the be a liar as a result of hypothetically entering into making the claims of the false teachers that they have never sinned.
The present tense of this verb is also a gnomic present used to make a statement of a general, timeless fact and expresses the spiritual principle that the believer who enters into making the claim that they have never sinned, is “as an eternal spiritual truth” making God out to be a liar.
The intensive personal pronoun autos means “Him” referring to the Father.
The noun pseustēs means, “liar” and is used in response to the claims of the false teachers who maintained that they have never sinned.
Consequently, by making such false assertions they were in effect making God out be a “liar” since their claims contradicted the teaching of the Word of God, which states that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (cf. Rm. 3:23).
The noun pseustēs in 1 John 1:10 is in the emphatic position in the apodosis of this fifth class statement, which emphasizes the profound consequences of entering into the claim that one has never sinned, namely making God out to be a liar.
The emphatic position of the word emphasizes the negative impact on God the Father if we enter into making the claim that we have never sinned, namely, we make God out to be a liar since we contradict His Word.
“And His word is not in us” presents the result of the previous assertion.
“His word is not in us” is composed of the following: (1) articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun logos (λόγος), “word” (2) genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “His” (3) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (4) third person singular present active indicative form of the verb eimi (εἰμί), “is” (5) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (6) dative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “us.”
The noun logos means, “teaching” and refers to the content of the Word of God which is divine revelation that was communicated through the apostolic teaching which was communicated to those in the Christian community and is now recorded in the New Testament.
Specifically, the noun refers to the apostolic teaching communicated by the apostles that the human race are sinners by nature and practice (cf. Rm. 3:10, 23).
The verb eimi means “to exist” in an absolute sense and is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou.
The latter emphatically negates the assertion that the truth exists in the believer who enters into the claim that they have never sinned.
John is making an emphatic denial that God’s Word exists in the soul of the believer who enters into making this claim.
The gnomic present of the verb eimi which is again used for a general, timeless fact or specifically, a spiritual axiom or an eternal spiritual truth.
Here it is used to express an absolute statement that is true all the time, namely that God’s Word is unequivocally not in the believer who enters into making the claim that they have never sinned.
The dative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego means “us” referring of course to the apostle John and the Christian community as a corporate unit and is the object of the preposition en which is functioning as a marker of a state or condition.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase denotes the condition or state of the soul of the believer who unequivocally does not have the Word of God in their soul because they accept the claim of the false teachers that they have never sinned.
1 John 1:10 If any of us enters into making the claim that we have never sinned, then, we are, as an eternal spiritual truth making Him out to be a liar. Consequently, His Word is, as an eternal spiritual truth unequivocally not existing in us. (My translation)
1 John 1:10 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 1:6-9.
It also contains a result clause which presents the result of the believer complying with the spiritual principle here in verse 10.
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 sinned, then, they are, as an eternal spiritual truth making God out to be a liar.
Consequently, God’s Word is as an eternal spiritual truth unequivocally not existing in them.
God’s Word is not existing in them in the sense that they are not applying the teaching of His Word which declares that they and the entire human race are sinners by nature and practice.
The believer who is guilty of claiming that they have never sinned is thus making God out to be a liar because they reject the teaching of His Word which says they are sinners by nature and practice and will be disciplined by God if they don’t confess their sins to be restored to fellowship and obey His Word to maintain it.
These believers are in apostasy and need to repent which for the believer would involve confession of sin to be restored to fellowship which is maintained by obedience to God’s Word.
There are three categories of divine discipline (punishment) for the disobedient child of God: (1) Warning (Rev. 3:20; James 5:9) (2) Intense (Ps. 38:1; 2 Th. 2:11). (3) Dying (Jer. 9:16; 44:12; Phlp. 3:18-19; Re. 3:16; Ps. 118:17-18; 1 Jo. 5:16).
These three categories are mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:30: (1) Warning: “weak” (2) Intense: “ill” (3) Dying: “died.”
This assertion in 1 John 1:10 which reflects the false teachers, makes God out to be a liar because His Word declares that every human being-past, present and future is a sinner by nature and practice (Ps. 14:3; 51:5; Ecc. 7:20; Is. 53:6; 64:6; Jer. 17:5-6; Rom. 3:10-19, 23; 6:23).
They are not applying God’s Word by adopting this attitude.
It was because of the sinfulness of all humanity that the Son of God had to become a human being and suffer a substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross on behalf of every member of the human race and then rise again from the dead and ascend into heaven and be seated at the right hand of the Father.
Consequently, by making this claim, one would denying the need for Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.