1 John 3:4
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Sin is lawlessness, the violation of God's law.
What Does 1 John 3:4 Mean?
John defines sin plainly. Whoever commits sin also breaks the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. Sin is not a small thing but a rebellion against God's righteous order.
To take sin seriously, we must see what it truly is: a setting aside of God's will, a stepping outside His good boundaries. This sober definition guards against treating sin lightly. Yet John has already shown the remedy in Christ. Naming sin for what it is does not crush us but drives us to the One who came to take it away, calling us back to the path of obedience and life.
In the Original Language
anomia (ἀνομία), 'transgression of the law' -- lawlessness, the rejection of God's law that constitutes sin.