1 John 1:7–10

Context

1 John is traditionally attributed to the apostle John. It is understood as a letter to believers unsettled by people who had left the community (see 1 John 2:19). The declaration in 1:5 that "God is light" is followed by a series of conditional statements beginning "If we…." Verses 6, 8, and 10 present false claims, and verses 7 and 9 set forth the right path in response. Some scholars connect the claim to be without sin with early Gnostic or Docetic tendencies, Docetism being the idea that Jesus only appeared to have a physical body.

Interpretation

• Reformed reading: The Reformed tradition takes this passage as evidence that sin remains even in believers who have received justification, God's declaration that a sinner is righteous. It reads the confession in verse 9 as the daily repentance by which God's children restore their relationship with Him, not as a condition for regaining salvation.
• Wesleyan reading: Methodist and Holiness churches that follow Wesleyan theology emphasize the promises in verses 7 and 9 that God cleanses "from all sin" and "from all unrighteousness." They connect these promises with the possibility of a sanctification in which the heart is wholly cleansed in this life. John Wesley is reported to have held that verse 8 must be read together with verse 9.
• Readings on the manner of confession: The Catholic Church sometimes cites this passage in connection with the sacrament of penance. Protestants generally understand it as confession made directly to God.

Debates and Issues

The Greek verb translated "confess" originally means "to say the same thing," that is, to acknowledge one's sin in agreement with God's judgment. Among Korean Bible translations, the New Korean Revised Version uses an older word meaning "faithful" in verse 9, which the New Korean Standard Version renders with the modern word for "faithful."

A long-standing interpretive problem is the tension between verse 8, which says that those who claim to have no sin deceive themselves, and 3:9, which says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." In Korean Protestant churches, this passage is frequently cited in critiques of the understanding of repentance held by the Salvation Sect (Guwonpa). Adherents of that movement have argued, in effect, that a person who has once come to understand that his or her sins are forgiven has no need to offer repeated prayers of repentance.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean churches, the passage is commonly cited in sermons on repentance, in self-examination before the Lord's Supper, and at prayer meetings for repentance. Verse 9 in particular is widely used as a memory verse.

Related Passages

• 1 John 2:1–2
• Psalm 32:5
• Proverbs 28:13
• James 5:16