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1 John 3 · a question people ask

"Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin" (3:9), and "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1:8). How do these go together?

In the text

1 John sets down both. This chapter says, "Whoever 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." (3:9). The letter's first chapter says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1:8). These notes set them side by side and don't choose how they fit together.

The verses

“Whoever 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.”
1 John 3:9 · World English Bible
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:8 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 John 3

1 John 3: In deed and truth

The chapter opens, "See how great a love the Father has given to us" (3:1), and near its end it names his commandment: "that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another" (3:23).

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Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions