1 John 3:1-8

1 See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called [the] children of God. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and what we shall be has not yet been manifested; we know that if it is manifested we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as *he* is pure.

4 Every one that practises sin practises also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

5 And ye know that *he* has been manifested that he might take away our sins; and in him sin is not.

6 Whoever abides in him, does not sin: whoever sins, has not seen him or known him.

7 Children, let no man lead you astray; he that practises righteousness is righteous, even as *he* is righteous.

8 He that practises sin is of the devil; for from [the] beginning the devil sins. To this end the Son of God has been manifested, that he might undo the works of the devil.

Footnotes

• [a]. Teknon (not a diminutive), as vers. 2,10; ch. 5.2; 2John 1,4,13; 3John 4.
• [b]. Actual manifestation is here meant; not merely a revelation for faith.
• [c]. Oida, as ch. 2.29.
• [d]. Or 'he.'
• [e]. Him who is to be manifested.
• [f]. To translate this 'sin is the transgression of the law,' as in A.V., is wrong, and gives a false definition of sin, for sin was in the world, and death as a consequence, before the giving of the law: see Rom. 5.13; 7.13. The Greek reads 'sin is lawlessness,' that is, the absence of the principle of law (not the law), or, in other words, of the control of God over the soul. I ought to have no will of my own, but be in obedience. The statement is reciprocal, and may be read 'lawlessness is sin.'
• [g]. Lit. 'every one that.'
• [h]. Ginosko: perfect tense; implying here the continuously present state of not seeing or knowing.