1 John 3:4
New International Version
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

New Living Translation
Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

English Standard Version
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Berean Standard Bible
Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.

Berean Literal Bible
Everyone committing sin also commits lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

King James Bible
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

New King James Version
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

New American Standard Bible
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

NASB 1995
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

NASB 1977
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Legacy Standard Bible
Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Amplified Bible
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will].

Christian Standard Bible
Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.

American Standard Version
Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Contemporary English Version
Everyone who sins breaks God's law, because sin is the same as breaking God's law.

English Revised Version
Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness: and sin is lawlessness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Those who live sinful lives are disobeying God. Sin is disobedience.

Good News Translation
Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the law.

International Standard Version
Everyone who keeps living in sin also practices disobedience. In fact, sin is disobedience.

Majority Standard Bible
Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.

NET Bible
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness.

New Heart English Bible
Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law.

Weymouth New Testament
Every one who is guilty of sin is also guilty of violating Law; for sin is the violation of Law.

World English Bible
Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Everyone who is doing sin, he also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness,

Berean Literal Bible
Everyone committing sin also commits lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Young's Literal Translation
Every one who is doing the sin, the lawlessness also he doth do, and the sin is the lawlessness,

Smith's Literal Translation
Every one doing sin also does lawlessness; for sin is lawlessness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Whosoever committeth sin commmitteth also iniquity; and sin is iniquity.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Everyone who commits a sin, also commits iniquity. For sin is iniquity.

New American Bible
Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.

New Revised Standard Version
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Whoever commits sin commits evil: for all sin is evil.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But whoever commits sin commits evil, for sin is entirely evil.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Every one that works sin, works also transgression of law: and sin is transgression of law.

Godbey New Testament
Every one doing sin does also a transgression of the law: and sin is the transgression of the law.

Haweis New Testament
Every one who committeth sin, committeth also a transgression of the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Mace New Testament
he that is vitious, is lawless: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Weymouth New Testament
Every one who is guilty of sin is also guilty of violating Law; for sin is the violation of Law.

Worrell New Testament
Every one who commits sin commits lawlessness also; and sin is lawlessness.

Worsley New Testament
Every one that committeth sin, transgresseth the law; for sin is the violation of the law.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Children of God
3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure. 4Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.…

Cross References
Romans 4:15
because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.

Romans 6:19
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

James 2:10
Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Galatians 3:19
Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.

Romans 7:7
What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”

Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.

Galatians 3:22
But the Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.

Romans 5:13
For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

James 1:15
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Romans 7:8
But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Romans 8:7
because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1:9
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers,

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,


Treasury of Scripture

Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

committeth.

1 John 3:8,9
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil…

1 Kings 8:47
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

1 Chronicles 10:13
So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;

transgresseth.

Numbers 15:31
Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

1 Samuel 15:24
And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

2 Chronicles 24:20
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

for.

1 John 5:17
All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Romans 7:7-13
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet…

Jump to Previous
Breaks Commits Committeth Fact Goes Guilty Lawlessness Practices Practises Sin Sinner Sins Transgresseth Transgression Violating Violation
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Breaks Commits Committeth Fact Goes Guilty Lawlessness Practices Practises Sin Sinner Sins Transgresseth Transgression Violating Violation
1 John 3
1. He declares the singular love of God toward us, in making us his sons;
3. who therefore ought obediently to keep his commandments;
11. as also to love one another as brothers.














Everyone who practices sin
The phrase "everyone who practices sin" emphasizes the universality of sin's impact on humanity. The Greek word for "practices" is "ποιεῖ" (poiei), which implies a continuous or habitual action. This suggests that sin is not merely an isolated act but a pattern of behavior. In the conservative Christian perspective, this highlights the fallen nature of humanity, as all are born into sin and are in need of redemption through Christ. The universality of sin underscores the need for a Savior, as all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

practices lawlessness
The term "lawlessness" is translated from the Greek word "ἀνομία" (anomia), which means a state of being without law or in violation of the law. In the biblical context, lawlessness is not just a disregard for civil law but a deeper rebellion against God's divine law. This rebellion is rooted in the human heart and is a direct affront to God's holiness and order. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, lawlessness is the essence of sin, as it represents a willful rejection of God's authority and commands. It is a reminder of the spiritual battle between the kingdom of God and the forces of darkness.

Indeed, sin is lawlessness
This phrase serves as a definitive statement about the nature of sin. The Greek word for "indeed" is "καί" (kai), which can also be translated as "and" or "also," reinforcing the connection between sin and lawlessness. By equating sin with lawlessness, the apostle John underscores the seriousness of sin as a fundamental violation of God's moral order. In the conservative Christian tradition, this understanding calls believers to recognize the gravity of sin and the need for repentance. It also points to the transformative power of Christ's atonement, which not only forgives sin but also empowers believers to live in obedience to God's law. This verse challenges Christians to examine their lives, ensuring that they are not living in habitual sin but are instead walking in the light of God's truth.

Verses 4-12. - Sin is absolutely incompatible with Christ's work of redemption and our union with him (verses 4-8), and also with being born of God, as is shown by the presence or absence of brotherly love (verses 9-12). Verse 4. - Once more the apostle turns from the positive to the negative. Having shown what birth from God involves, he goes on to show what it excludes. "Every one that doeth sin" evidently balances "every one that hath this hope" (verse 3), and "to do sin" is the exact opposite of "to do righteousness" (chapter 2:29). Sin is lawlessness ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία. Both words having the article, the two terms are exactly equivalent - all sin is lawlessness, and all lawlessness is sin. Ανομία, like "lawlessness," expresses the ignoring of the law rather than the absence of it. "The law" means the law of God in the fullest sense, not the Mosaic Law. In short, sin is defined as the transgression of God's will.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Everyone
Πᾶς (Pas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

who
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

practices
ποιῶν (poiōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

sin
ἁμαρτίαν (hamartian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 266: From hamartano; a sin.

practices
ποιεῖ (poiei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

lawlessness
ἀνομίαν (anomian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 458: Lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin. From anomos; illegality, i.e. Violation of law or wickedness.

as well.
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

Indeed,
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

sin
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 266: From hamartano; a sin.

is
ἐστὶν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

lawlessness.
ἀνομία (anomia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 458: Lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin. From anomos; illegality, i.e. Violation of law or wickedness.


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NT Letters: 1 John 3:4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo)
1 John 3:3
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