Verses 4-5: Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
Now John’s discussion turns to the inconsistency of the believer who continues a sinful life. Lenski correctly sums up John’s stance in verse 4 that “This is a fact, and there are no exceptions.”1 It stands to reason that practicing righteousness, as John stated in 2:29, is the opposite of practicing of sin.
As stated in 2:29, this word ‘practice’ is not exactly the same as someone practicing a musical instrument or rehearsing their lines for acting. The doctor practicing medicine when tending to a patient is nearer to John’s meaning of practice. The meaning of this word ‘practice’ implies “any external act as manifested in the production of something tangible.”2 The inference here is that a believer’s life that is evidenced by consistent production of habitual sin is in contrast to a life which should be producing righteousness.
So, what exactly is sin? The Greek word, as defined concisely and literally, means “to miss the mark.”3 The ‘mark’ is the established commands of God, the indicators for us to aim for—to obey His commands (John 14:15; 15:10). When believers are in violation of His commandments (2:3-4) they miss the mark and sin against God, for every infraction of His commands is sin.
We sin because we have an old sin nature. We are born with the proclivity to sin as a result of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12ff). The Apostle Paul describes our old sin nature as our ‘old self’ (literally: old man):
That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. (Ephesians 4:22–23)
Dr. Ryrie explains that the old self, forever linked to the believer, is
...all that a person is before salvation, which is made “old” by reason of the presence of the new life in Christ. Though separated from its power, its presence has not been eradicated; therefore, we are exhorted to lay it aside.4
We are also commanded to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” (Romans 13:12), meaning all of the sinfulness related to the old self. Since this exhortation is communicated by other writers of Scripture besides the Apostle Paul, this would be an instructive study for all believers. The following verses describe exactly what characteristics of the old self we should lay aside. (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 25; Colossians 3:8; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1).
Lawlessness
John advances the issue by asserting that those who produce sin also produce lawlessness—the violation of laws. Our Lord’s commands constitute His laws on how we are to live this life of faith. Their objective is to restrain our evil tendencies so that we might become imitators of Christ (1 Peter 2:21; Philippians 2:5). Therefore, His laws are intended to control the hearts and conduct of men5 (James 2:8; Galatians 6:2; Romans 13:8).
Next is John’s absolute statement that sin is lawlessness. Dr. L.S. Chafer maintains that “sin is, in its essential character, a lawless departure from the purpose and will of God.”6 This describes an active revolt against God, illustrated by man choosing his will instead of the prefect will of God. This is evident today in our culture and churches by those who are doing what they have determined to be right in their own eyes. A study of the period of the Judges demonstrates that this same spirit of anarchy resulted in chaotic conditions (Judges 17:6; 21:25; cf. Proverbs 21:2-3).
The Apostle Paul addressed this issue with the Romans and provided the means to resolve lawlessness:
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. (Romans 6:19)
And elsewhere Paul provides further advice:
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)
What we as believers need to learn from this is that if we truly desire to live this life of faith according to His will and purpose, it is essential that we endeavor to obey His commands. For us to become slaves to producing righteousness, we must “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). This is how we can achieve stability and inner peace during these turbulent times. Otherwise, we will be “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
An Important Reminder
In verse 5 John reminds us of two very important truths. The first one refers to something which they certainly knew—the reason for the Incarnation of Our Lord. It is denoted by the word appeared, meaning that Jesus Christ, Who existed with the Father in eternity, became manifest in human flesh (John 1:14; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7) for the purpose of taking away sins. This was the mission which Our Lord was sent by the will of His Father (John 6:38; cf. John 4:34; 5:30; 12:44). Therefore, He becomes our premier example for choosing to pursue God’s will for our lives. By regarding sin nonchalantly and choosing to flagrantly sin, we demonstrate an arrogant disdain for Our Lord’s objective of taking away sins and thus we become “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18).
Second, there should be no doubt in our minds that in Jesus Christ “there is no sin.” The early Apostles understood this when Peter described Our Lord as “the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14) and later wrote in his first epistle:
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth. (1 Peter 2:21–22)
Note that there is sufficient Scriptural evidence to substantiate the fact of Our Lord’s impeccable character:
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15; cf. 7:26)
He gave us the example of how to resist sin when He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) He refuted him at each point of temptation with His knowledge of Scripture, saying “It is written.”
How well do we know God’s Word? Do we have His truth ready in order to help avoid temptation to practice sin?
[1] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.455.
[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G4160.
[3] Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[4] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update+-. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1799 note.
[5] Zodhiates, G3551.
[6] Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press 2.263.
© 2025 David M. Rossi
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