1 John 3:6
What does 1 John 3:6 mean?
A plain-English look at 1 John 3:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What 1 John 3:6 means
To abide in Christ is to live in ongoing fellowship and dependence upon Him. John says such a person “sinneth not,” meaning not that they achieve sinless perfection, but that they do not live in unbroken, willful practice of sin. Persistent, unrepentant sin reveals a lack of true sight and knowledge of Christ. Knowing Him is transformative; it reorients desires, patterns, and choices. If someone continues in sin without repentance, it shows they have neither truly seen Christ’s beauty nor known Him savingly. The verse provides a diagnostic: abiding produces a new moral trajectory; absence of it unmasks counterfeit profession.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Anyone who is in him does no sin; anyone who is a sinner has not seen him and has no knowledge of him.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862every one who is remaining in him doth not sin; every one who is sinning, hath not seen him, nor known him.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: and whosoever sinneth hath not seen him nor known him.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Whoever abides in him, does not sin: whoever sins, has not seen him or known him.
Context
Here John draws a practical conclusion from Christ’s sin-removing work (verse 5). He begins to contrast abiding in Christ with habitual sinning, which will be developed in verses 7–10. The pastoral aim is twofold: comfort the obedient with clarity about true marks of life, and warn the deceived who claim fellowship without change. The flow continues with “let no man lead you astray” (verse 7), showing that the issue is not abstract but tied to false teachers minimizing conduct. Abiding is the key theme that links identity, Christ’s mission, and ethical consistency.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- 3 John 1:11
Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6
Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 2:28
And now, my little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.
- 1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.
- John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.
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