A sceptic compiled a list of supposed contradictions in the Bible, and this was one example he proposed: Does every man sin? This was his argument:
- Yes, no man does not sin. See 1 Kings 8:46, 2 Chronicles 6:36, Proverbs 20:9, and Ecclesiastes 7:20. And if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (I John 1:8).
- No. True Christians cannot sin, because they are God’s children. See 1 John 5:1 and 1 John 3:9.
The short answer to his question is yes, every man sins. We need to read the verses in 1st John in context first.
(1 John 3:8-9) “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”
What our teacher John the Apostle says in these verses (3:6-9) is about not committing continuously repeated sin. If the one born of God sins, it’s a mistake, and he must repent and not continue in sin because he knows it is wrong. But if he loves sin and continues in it while knowing it is wrong, he becomes dead before God, and he is not the son of God.
That is why in verse 5 Saint John said, “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him [Jesus] there is no sin.” And he gave the solution of sin through abidance in our Lord later on. Therefore, the context should be understood that St. John is discussing how to address our sinful nature and that God Himself is the only one who can change our nature. By abiding in Him, God will help us get over our sinful and corrupted nature where we strive to live sin-free.
In 1 John 1:8-10 we find:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
So yes, every man (and woman) sins. However, once we become followers of Christ, we continuously strive to avoid sin, and when we fail, we repent and get back on track.
You can find more articles dealing with the alleged contradictions in the Bible at the link below:
Category: Bible-Difficulties
You’ll find our videos on this topic here:
@SaintPaulCopticApologetics – Bible Difficulties
