3:9a

born of God: (Meaning) As in 2:29b, this means being a child of God. See Good News Translation, New English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible.

practice sin: (Alternative Interpretations) See the note on “keeps on sinning” on 3:6a. The meaning is the same here.

3:9b

God’s seed abides in him: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different interpretations of the topic of this metaphor God’s seed and different interpretations of who him refers to:

(1) It is generally thought to mean that something of God’s nature or God’s life is in God’s children. (Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It may mean that God’s children remain in God. (Revised Standard Version footnote)

3:9c–d

he cannot…born of God: (Logical Relationship) The second half of the verse (3:9c–d) is restating the same point as the first half (3:9a–b) in slightly stronger words. The link may need to be made clear in translation. See also Good News Translation.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.