1 John 1:8

1 John 1:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
• English Standard Version (ESV)If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
• New King James Version (NKJV)If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
• New Living Translation (NLT)If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

Context of 1 John 1:8

6If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:8 word by word

ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• we sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• we haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• noοὐou · noG3756
• sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• we deceiveπλανάωplanaō · to lead astrayG4105
• ourselvesἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the truthὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for 1 John 1:8

• 1 John 1:6If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
• 1 John 3:5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
• 1 Kings 8:46“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near;
• 2 Chronicles 6:36“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near;
• Job 9:2“Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God?
• Job 14:4Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!
• Job 15:14“What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?
• Job 25:4How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure?
• Psalms 143:2Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
• Proverbs 20:9Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?
• Ecclesiastes 7:20Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
• Isaiah 53:6We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• Isaiah 64:6All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
• Jeremiah 2:22Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
• Romans 3:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
• James 3:2We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Commentaries on 1 John 1:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8If we say that we have no sin - This is tantamount to 1 John 1:10; : If we say that we have not sinned. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; and therefore every man needs a Savior, such as Christ is. It is very likely that the heretics, against whose evil doctrines the apostle writes, denied that they had any sin, or needed any Savior. In deed, the Gnostics even denied that Christ suffered: the Aeon, or Divine Being that dwelt in the man…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8If we say that we have no sin - It is not improbable that the apostle here makes allusion to some error which was then beginning to prevail in the church. Some have supposed that the allusion is to the sect of the Nicolaitanes, and to the views which they maintained, particularly that nothing was forbidden to the children of God under the gospel, and that in the freedom conferred on Christians they were at liberty to do what they pleased, Revelation 2:6…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-10Verses 5-10 A message from the Lord Jesus, the Word of life, the eternal Word, we should all gladly receive. The great God should be represented to this dark world, as pure and perfect light. As this is the nature of God, his doctrines and precepts must be such. And as his perfect happiness cannot be separated from his perfect holiness, so our happiness will be in proportion to our being made holy. To walk in darkness, is to live and act against religion…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8If we say we have no sin: This is the second false claim of the Gnostics (see 1:6). They trusted they could be free from sin because Christ had removed their sins forever. They believed that their special knowledge put them in a position where sin no longer mattered. But Christians do still sin when they live in their old nature (see Romans 7:14–25). A true Christian both acknowledges this sin and trusts Christ to take it away (1 John 1:9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. The confession of sins is a necessary consequence of "walking in the light" (1Jo 1:7). "If thou shalt confess thyself a sinner, the truth is in thee; for the truth is itself light. Not yet has thy life become perfectly light, as sins are still in thee, but yet thou hast already begun to be illuminated, because there is in thee confession of sins" [Augustine]. that we have no sin--"Have," not "have had," must refer not to the past sinful life while…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 1:8

• Blindness
• Depravity of Man
• Sin
• Sinlessness

In the dictionaries

• Deceive
• Fellowship
• Forgiveness of sin
• Light
• Sanctification
• Unction
• Walk
• Johannine Theology
• John, the Epistles of
• Proverbs, Book of

Commentaries on 1 John 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings