1 John 3:4 (the context of verse 9)
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
9 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.
The Greek verb in question in verse 4 means "committ
ing" or more literally "do
ing." The Greek verb tense doesn't refer to
an event which has occurred but what is in the process of presently occur
ing. The idea is also not that
a sin is occurring or that
a sin has occurred.
The same thing occurs in verse 9. The verb there is "sinn
ing." The Greek verb tense again refers to what is in the process of presently occurring.
The idea here is not that you see someone commit
a sin and conclude he is not born again but that a process of sinning is not what you find with born again believers. John makes it perfectly clear in this same letter that it is quite possible for a true believer to commit a sin (1 John 2:1; 5:16-17) Therefore, reading verse 9 to mean that is impossible for a true believer to commit a sin is obviously wrong.
But you can ignore these facts if you want.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God.
I already told you this interpretation is just as wrong as the other interpretation which you are claiming. The issue isn't about commiting a single sin nor is it about "practicing" sin or "habitually" sinning. John is talking about something else.
I already told you in my previous post:
NEITHER.
John isn't talking about whether anyone commits
a sin just as he is not talking about whether anyone commits
an act of righteousness.
He is contrasting how you tell the difference between a fake believer and a true believer. You can see fake believers are those who are sinn
ing and that is what they do. True believers are do
ing what is righteous and that is what they do.
I actually do know what I'm talking about.
Well then you won't be ignoring the Scriptural facts then will you?