Verse 8
If we say (εαν ειπωμεν — ean eipōmen). See 1 John 1:6.
We have no sin (αμαρτιαν ουκ εχομεν — hamartian ouk echomen). For this phrase see John 9:41; John 15:22, John 15:24. That is, we have no personal guilt, no principle of sin. This some of the Gnostics held, since matter was evil and the soul was not contaminated by the sinful flesh, a thin delusion with which so-called Christian scientists delude themselves today.
We deceive ourselves (εαυτους πλανωμεν — heautous planōmen). Present active indicative of πλαναω — planaō to lead astray. We do not deceive others who know us. Negative statement again of the same idea, “the truth is not in us.”
Verse 9
If we confess (εαν ομολογωμεν — ean homologōmen). Third-class condition again with εαν — ean and present active subjunctive of ομολογεω — homologeō “if we keep on confessing.” Confession of sin to God and to one another (James 5:16) is urged throughout the N.T. from John the Baptist (Mark 1:5) on.
Faithful (πιστος — pistos). Jesus made confession of sin necessary to forgiveness. It is God‘s promise and he is “righteous” (δικαιος — dikaios).
To forgive (ινα απηι — hina aphēi). Sub-final clause with ινα — hina and second aorist active subjunctive of απιημι — aphiēmi to cleanse (και αγιασηι — kai hagiasēi). So again with ινα — hina and the first aorist active subjunctive of καταριζω — katharizō (1 John 1:7).
Verse 10
If we say (εαν ειπωμεν — ean eipōmen). As in 1 John 1:6, 1 John 1:8.
We have not sinned (ουχ αμαρτηκαμεν — ouch hamartēkamen). Perfect active indicative of αμαρτανω — hamartanō This is a denial of any specific acts of sin, while in 1 John 1:8 we have the denial of the principle of sin. David Smith observes that the claim to personal perfectionism has two causes, one the stifling of conscience in making God a liar (πσευστην — pseustēn the word used of the devil by Jesus in John 8:44), and the other ignorance of God‘s word, which is not in us, else we should not make such a claim.
1 John 1 - Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org
I John 2
Verse 1
My little children (τεκνια μου — teknia mou). Tender tone with this diminutive of τεκνον — teknon (child), again in 1 John 2:12; 1 John 3:18, but παιδια — paidia in 1 John 2:14. John is now an old man and regards his readers as his little children. That attitude is illustrated in the story of his visit to the robber to win him to Christ.
That ye may not sin (ινα μη αμαρτητε — hina mē hamartēte). Purpose (negative) clause with ινα μη — hina mē and the second aorist (ingressive, commit sin) active subjunctive of αμαρτανω — hamartanō to sin. John has no patience with professional perfectionists (1 John 1:8-10), but he has still less with loose-livers like some of the Gnostics who went to all sorts of excesses without shame.
If any man sin (εαν τις αμαρτηι — ean tis hamartēi). Third-class condition with εαν — ean and second aorist (ingressive) active subjunctive again, “if one commit sin.”
We have (εχομεν — echomen). Present active indicative of εχω — echō in the apodosis, a present reality like εχομεν — echomen in 2 Corinthians 5:1.
An advocate (παρακλητον — paraklēton). See note on John 14:16, and John 14:26; and note on John 15:26; and John 16:7 for this word, nowhere else in the N.T. The Holy Spirit is God‘s Advocate on earth with men, while Christ is man‘s Advocate with the Father (the idea, but not the word, in Romans 8:31-39; Hebrews 7:25). As δικαιος — dikaios (righteous) Jesus is qualified to plead our case and to enter the Father‘s presence (Hebrews 2:18).
1 John 2 - Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org
1 John 1:8-10
Easy-to-Read Version
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar and that we don’t accept his true teaching.
1 John 2
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Is Our Helper
2 My dear children, I write this letter to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have Jesus Christ to help us. He always did what was right, so he is able to defend us before God the Father. 2 Jesus is the way our sins are taken away. And he is the way all people can have their sins taken away too.
I John 2:22 So who is the liar? It is the one who says Jesus is not the Messiah. Whoever says that is the enemy of Christ—the one who does not believe in the Father or in his Son. 23 Whoever does not believe in the Son does not have the Father, but whoever accepts the Son has the Father too.
I John 3:9 Those who are God’s children do not continue to sin, because the new life God gave them[a] stays in them. They cannot keep sinning, because they have become children of God. 10 So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are. These are the ones who are not God’s children: those who don’t do what is right and those who do not love their brothers and sisters in God’s family.
1 John 4
Easy-to-Read Version
John Warns Against False Teachers
4 My dear friends, many false prophets are in the world now. So don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. 2 This is how you can recognize God’s Spirit. One spirit says, “I believe that Jesus is the Messiah who came to earth and became a man.” That Spirit is from God. 3 Another spirit refuses to say this about Jesus. That spirit is not from God. This is the spirit of the enemy of Christ. You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming, and now he is already in the world.
4 My dear children, you belong to God, so you have already defeated these false prophets. That’s because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 And they belong to the world, so what they say is from the world too. And the world listens to what they say.
1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
One of the things John was writing against was false teachers who taught Gnosticism.
Like the cult known as Christian Science today they taught that:
1. Matter really did not exist.
2. Jesus was only a man who took on the "christ idea"
3. That sin does not exist.
