OU DUNATAI hAMARTIAN in 1 John 3:9
Kevin Smith
kgs at iafrica.com
Wed Oct 20 19:24:16 EDT 1999
On 20/10/99 Steven Craig Miller wrote:
It is true that the present tense sometimes refers to habitual actions, but does that mean that a negative of a present tense can indicate that such actions are not done habitually? For example, if someone says: "Steven plays chess." What does "plays chess" mean? It doesn't mean that I play chess continuously day and night, yes? Now if someone says: "Steven doesn't play chess," what does that mean? Could it possibly mean that I only occasionally play chess, but I don't do it on a regular bases? I think not.
(There is the possibility that the phrase "plays chess" could mean "plays [tournament] chess" and so it is possible for one to occasionally play chess and yet not "play chess" in this specialized sense.)
Although I have no vested interest in the theological conclusion we draw from 1 John 3:9, I find your choice of illustration ironic. I used to play tournament chess but gave up playing regularly some time ago. When asked, "Do you still play [tournament] chess?" I answer, "No." The reality is that once every 2-3 years I do play a tournament. The general state of affairs is that I do not play chess, but that general state allows for occasional exceptions. Every once in a while I feel like playing some chess, but I am no longer truly a chess-player.
"Now, let's look at the Greek text. If we had: hAMARTIAN POIEI ("he/she does sin"), surely it is possible to understand this as referring to habitual action. Now lets negate the sentence (as it appears in the Greek text): hAMARTIAN OU POIEI ("he/she does not sin"). Now, are we to understand this to mean that this person does indeed occasionally sin, but just doesn't do it habitually? Personally, I find such reasoning to be a real stretch." (Steven Craig Miller)
Could it be that OU + present tense often expresses the general state of affairs while allowing room for occasional exceptions, with the focus falling sqarely upon the general truth? Perhaps the exceptions are not in view all, but the possibility of their existence is not excluded. Thus in our present text the focus if squarely upon the fact that "whoever is born of God hAMARTIAN OU POIEI." The possibility of exceptions to that truth is not denied, but it is incidental to the point.
Consider, for example, Romans 7:16: ...hO OU QELW TOUTO POIW. Regardless of whether it was before or after Paul's conversion, his point is surely that, as a general rule he did not want to sin. However, the very fact that he did what he didn't want to do indicates that there were exceptions to that general state, that is, times when he did want to sin.
Kevin Smith
Port Elizabeth, SA
kgs at iafrica.com
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