1 John 3:9

Ilvgrammta at aol.com Ilvgrammta at aol.com
Wed Dec 22 09:52:43 EST 1999


Here is what S.M. Baugh has to say about 1 John 3:6, 9. His full Excursus is 
about two and a half pages. I'm not about to type all of that information 
now. :-) But I'll try to accurately relate his comments and quote him where I 
feel it is pertinent.

Baugh initiates the discussion of 3:9 in his First John Reader by noting that 
1 John 3:9 has been understood in many ways. The RSV, NIV and NASB all render 
this Johannine passage differently. Baugh posits the following view:

"In my opinion, the fact that John chose to use the present infinitive 
hAMARTANEIN rather than the aorist hAMARTEIN, shows that he was thinking 
about "sinning" in v. 9 as a characteristic action. Hence, John does not 
teach "perfectionism"--that Christians can experience sinlessness in this 
life. Rather, when he says OU DUNATAI hAMARTANEIN he teaches that the genuine 
Christian cannot be characterized by a life of unrepentant sin" (pp. 50-51).

Baugh believes that three factors buttress his interpretation of 3:9.

(1) The immediate context.

(2) The lexical significance of hAMARTANEIN.

(3) The influence of DUNAMAI upon the tense form of its complementary 
infinitive.

Basically Baugh feels that since the infinitive form of hAMARTANW does not 
appear elsewhere in the NT, John must have used the infinitive in 3:9 to 
signal an ongoing activity (not a state). He concludes: "the phrase OU 
DUNATAI hAMARTANEIN in 1 John 3:9 expresses the fact that the Christian is 
prevented by the new birth and the abiding presence of God from falling into 
persistent sin" (52).

In ftn. 16 on page 52, Baugh also addresses  the arguments of Smalley and 
Wallace. He demonstrates that 1 John 5:16 with its use of hAMARTANONTA does 
not eradicate the iterative force of 1 John 3:9. hAMARTANONTA is an adverbial 
present participle employed to express action contemporary with the main 
verb. 1 John 3:9 differs in this regard.

I hope these points shed some light on the debate,

Edgar Foster



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