1See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
4Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him. 6Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him.
7Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him, and he can’t sin, because he is born of God. 10In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother. 11For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another— 12unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
13Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death. 15Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
16By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?
18My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth. 19And by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him, 20because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; 22so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded. 24He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.
This is a challenging, absolute statement from John. The believer who abides in Jesus does not sin. His follow-up is equally absolute. The one who sins is described as not seeing or knowing Jesus. This is an example of Johannine dualism. This is where John makes two opposite statements that cannot be true if taken at face value. If it is true, no one can be saved. Also, this is said in the context of 1:6-2:4, where John affirms that we all have sins to confess every time we approach God in prayer. It seems best to take these absolute statements and assess what John is likely intending to communicate through these shocking statements.
One cannot abide in Christ with unconfessed sin or while sinning. Thus, the first statement can be understood that one does not sin while abiding. Further, abiding is dependent on Jesus’ work on the cross and our confession of sin. Abiding is equivalent to walking in the light, which symbolizes God’s moral purity. The second statement raises further difficulties.
John is not claiming sinless perfection. Rather, he is looking at the abiding relationship – while abiding, one does not sin – Why? Because he or she is expressing a relationship with a sinless Savior
On the surface, read in isolation, John’s second statement appears to affirm that anyone whose life is characterized by sin is unregenerate. However, it is stated as a principle like the previous two “whoever” statements. It seems better to see John affirming that a sinful lifestyle denies a relationship with God. This would be as true for a believer as a nonbeliever. Thus, the believer who is sinning, and so not abiding in Christ or walking in the light, is acting like an unregenerate person. That person is revealing the lack of fellowship with God in their life. This is clarified in the verses that follow.