1:10a

If we say: (Expression) See the note on 1:6.

have not sinned: (Meaning) This is different from the beginning of 1:8. Here John is dealing with those who claim that although other Christians sometimes sin, they themselves have not done anything that needs to be confessed.

1:10b

make Him out to be a liar: (Logical Relationship) Perhaps it is not clear why John says that claiming not to have sinned is making God out to be a liar. The reason is that God has said that all people have sinned. Therefore anyone who says that we have not sinned is thereby saying that God has lied. You may need to state this reasoning explicitly in your translation.

1:10c

His word is not in us: (Meaning) If we call God a liar, it shows that we have not accepted what he has said or allowed it to affect our lives.

(1) In this sentence it probably means that everything Jesus does is good and right in God’s sight. (This is the sense in which John usually uses this word.)

(2) The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible and Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English translate it as “just,” meaning that Jesus treats everyone fairly in his dealings and judgments.

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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.