Why Christian Believers Keep on Sinning When Scripture Says No One Born Of God Makes A Practice Of Sinning.

The message of the Epistle of 1 John is both comforting and confrontational. It comforts those who are in Christ by assuring them of forgiveness, but it also confronts false assumptions about ongoing sin in the life of a believer. Many readers are confused when they come across what appears to be a contradiction in John’s letter:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

But then just a few verses later John says:

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

These two statements seem to pull in opposite directions. One insists that claiming sinlessness is self-deception, while the other insists that the one born of God does not sin. The truth lies in understanding what John is actually saying in context.

The Puzzle of 1 John 1:7–10

John writes:

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1:7)

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” (1:8)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1:9)

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar.” (1:10)

Many people stop here and conclude that Christians will always sin. But John is not affirming perpetual sinfulness as a status for the born-again believer. Instead, he is addressing three groups:

1. Verse 8 – the self-deceived: Those who deny having sin at all.

2. Verse 9 – the repentant: Those who acknowledge and confess sin.

3. Verse 10 – the defiant: Those who claim to be sinless and thus make God a liar.

But in chapter 2 and beyond, John shifts from describing the conditions of salvation to the evidence of salvation:

“Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (2:4)

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning... and he cannot keep on sinning.” (3:9)

The Seed of God and the New Nature

The key lies in the new birth. When someone is truly born of God, something radical happens: God’s own seed abides in them (3:9). This is not metaphorical poetry—it’s a spiritual reality. Paul describes the same thing in Romans 8:

“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him... But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ will also give life to your mortal bodies.” (Romans 8:9–11)

Jesus, like the first Adam, was put into a deep sleep (death), and from His side—pierced on the cross—flowed blood and water (John 19:34). Just as God formed Eve from Adam’s side, so too the Church was formed from the side of Christ. The same Spirit that raised Jesus is now in those who are born of God.

This is why Paul says:

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:16–17)

The Body Was Not Broken—But We Are

It is significant that not one of Jesus’ bones was broken (John 19:36), in fulfillment of Exodus 12:46 regarding the Passover lamb. Yet Paul writes about the breaking of the bread in communion:

“This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

The bread we break symbolizes our shared participation in His body—not that His physical body was broken, but that we, the Church, are now His body, broken and distributed among the world. When we take communion, we affirm our unity with Christ and one another. We share His Spirit, and that Spirit does not lead us to keep on sinning.

Conclusion

The world says, “Nobody is perfect.” Scripture says, “Everyone born of God does not keep on sinning.”

Yes, Christians may fall. But the one who is born of God will rise again, will walk in the light, and will be cleansed. The life of Christ in us is more powerful than the habits of the flesh. And if we have His Spirit, we walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4).

To deny that is not humility—it is unbelief.

Let us walk in the light, confess when we fall, but never settle for a life of sin. Because:

“Whoever has been born of God does not sin... he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)