We have no sin: constructions of “to have” with nouns like “fellowship” (1.3, 6-7), “sin” (1.8), “life” (3.15; 5.12-13), “love” (4.16), “joy” (3 John 4), “confidence” (2.28; 3.21; 4.17; 5.14) often occur in the Johannine writings. The verb then refers to inner possession and shows a person to be in a certain condition, or to have a certain emotion, which influences him continually. Thus “to have sin” means that one has the source and principle of sin in oneself and is continually dominated by it. The expression does not refer here to sinful deeds (as it did in verse 7) but to a sinful attitude that is the source of sinful deeds, and implies personal guilt. Some ways to render the clause are “we claim to be sinless” (New English Bible), ‘we have no evil in our head-hearts,’ ‘we are persons who never sin.’
We deceive ourselves. The Greek verb occurs often in the passive, meaning “to be led astray.” Here the reflexive form is used in order to show that the persons concerned are held responsible; hence, for example, ‘we are leading ourselves astray,’ ‘we take the wrong road,’ or better, to bring out the metaphorical use, ‘we are leading our hearts astray,’ ‘our thoughts follow the wrong road,’ ‘we are turning our heads,’ ‘we are fooling ourselves (literally causing ourselves to be stupid).’
The truth is not in us. The present tense has durative force. The clause means to say that the truth is not in us and this will remain so. Thus the situation of the false teachers, who claim to know God, is shown to be quite the contrary of what they claim.
† Truth is used here (and often elsewhere in the Johannine writings) with another shade of meaning than in verse 6, namely, as a reference to God’s own truthfulness. God is truthful in that his acting and speaking cover each other completely. Thus God’s truth constitutes his real being and revealing activity, giving life and freedom to man. Therefore he keeps faith with his worshippers, doing what he has promised; compare, for example, Exo 34.6. The term is used in this sense also in 2.4, 21b; 3.19; 4.6; 2 John 1b, 2; 3 John 8; compare also 1 John 5.7.
† In the writings of John the phrase “to be in” serves to express a very close and intimate relationship of Christ with God or God with Christ (John 17.21), of men with God or God with men (1 John 2.5; 5.20; and 4.4), of an aspect of God’s being (as represented by Christ) with men (here), or of the devil with the world (4.4). Compare also “to abide in” (see comments on 2.6), which emphasizes the continuity of the relationship. Some renderings used are ‘to live in,’ ‘to be one with,’ ‘to belong to,’ ‘to be before,’ ‘to be in the presence of,’ ‘to be in the innermost of’ (that is, to agree with, to act according to the will of, TBT, 20.79-80, 1969).
In the present case it is often preferable to change the structure of the clause, taking “we” as the subject. This leads to such renderings as ‘we are not familiar with the truth (of God),’ ‘we do not have the truth (of God) in our heart,’ ‘we have not the true One/God in our heart.’
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .