1That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life 2(and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); 3that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled.
5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t tell the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
John states another truth that applies to all believers. John’s use of “everyone who” generalizes this principle, which is being stated in absolute terms. Once more, it must be seen in light of 1:6-2:4 and the reality that we do sin at times, even habitually.
This principle is stated as a five-part chiasm:
“Everyone who has been born from God…
…does not sin
because His seed abides in him,
and it is not able to sin
because it has been born from God.”
The sense of “born of God” reflects once more a perfect tense verb that says the birth had a beginning and continues to the present. Once more, John affirms that this person who is a child of God “does not do sin” in the sense of practicing sin. The challenge is the reason this is true.
The central statement of the chiasm is that God’s “seed abides in him.” This is the reason he does not sin. However, the question is the identity of “His seed.” It seems best to see this as the indwelling Holy Spirit, and so, this once more points to the influence of God’s Spirit on the believer’s life. It is God’s “sinless seed,” not just indwelling the believer, but influencing and guiding the believer. The next step in the chiasm affirms that the Seed is not able to sin because His origin is in God, just as the believer’s.