1 John 3 · Verse 5

1 John 3:5

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
1 John 3:5, King James Version

1 John 3:5 in other translations

BSBBut you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.
WEBYou know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him.
ASVAnd ye know that he was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin.
YLTand ye have known that he was manifested that our sins he may take away, and sin is not in him;
DARBYAnd ye know that he has been manifested that he might take away our sins; and in him sin is not.
BBEAnd you have knowledge that he came to take away sin: and in him there is no sin.
WebsterAnd ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

What does 1 John 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. Additional proof of the incompatibility of sin and sonship; the very object of Christ's manifestation in the flesh was to take away (by one act, and entirely, aorist) all sins, as the scapegoat did typically. and--another proof of the same. in him is no sin--not "was," but "is," as in 1Jo 3:7, "He is righteous," and 1Jo 3:3, "He is pure." Therefore we are to be so.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 5. And ye know that he was manifested. The Lord Jesus, the Son of God. "You know that he became incarnate, or appeared among men, for the very purpose of putting an end to sin," Mt 1:21. Comp. 1Timm 3:16. This is the second argument in this paragraph, (1Jn 3:4-10,) by which the apostle would deter us from sin. The argument is a clear one, and is perhaps the strongest that can be made to bear on the mind of a true Christian--that the Lord Jesus saw sin to be so great an evil, that he came into our world, and gave himself to the bitter sorrows of death on the cross, to redeem us from it.

To take away our sins. The essential argument here is, that the whole work of Christ was designed to deliver us from the dominion of sin, not to furnish us the means of indulgence in it; and that, therefore, we should be deterred from it by all that Christ has done and suffered for us. He perverts the whole design of the coming of the Saviour who supposes that his work was in any degree designed to procure for his followers the indulgences of sin, or who so interprets the methods of his grace as to suppose that it is now lawful for him to indulge his guilty passions. The argument essentially is this:

(1.) That we profess to be the followers of Christ, and should carry out his ends and views in coming into the world;

(2.) that the great and leading purpose of his coming was to set us free from the bondage of transgression;

(3.) that in doing this he gave himself up to a life of poverty, and shame, and sorrow, and to a most bitter death on the cross; and,

(4.) that we should not indulge in that from which he came to deliver us, and which cost him so much toil and such a death. How could we indulge in that which has brought heavy calamity on the head of a father, or which has pierced a sister's heart with many sorrows? Still more, how can we be so ungrateful and hardhearted as to indulge in that which crushed our Redeemer in death?

And in him is no sin. An additional consideration to show that we should be holy. As he was perfectly pure and spotless, so should all his followers aim to be; and none can truly pretend to be his who do not desire and design to become like him. On the personal holiness of the Lord Jesus, Heb 7:26, 1Pet 2:23.

(a) "know" Heb 9:26,28

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins - He came into the world to destroy the power, pardon the guilt, and cleanse from the pollution of sin. This was the very design of his manifestation in the flesh. He was born, suffered, and died for this very purpose; and can it be supposed that he either cannot or will not accomplish the object of his own coming? In him is no sin - And therefore he is properly qualified to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of men.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 John 3:3-10

The sons of God know that their Lord is of purer eyes than to allow any thing unholy and impure to dwell with him. It is the hope of hypocrites, not of the sons of God, that makes allowance for gratifying impure desires and lusts. May we be followers of him as his dear children, thus show our sense of his unspeakable mercy, and express that obedient, grateful, humble mind which becomes us. Sin is the rejecting the…

Read the full comment on 1 John 3:3-10 →

1 John 3:5 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
οἴδατεoidateyou know
ὅτιhotithatG3754
ἐκεῖνοςekeinosHeG1565
ἐφανερώθηephanerōthēappearedG5319
ἵναinaso thatG2443
τὰςtastheG3588
ἁμαρτίαςhamartiassinsG266
ἡμῶνhēmōnof usG3165
ἄρῃ,arēHe may take away,G142
καὶkaiandG2532
ἁμαρτίαhamartiasinG266
ἐνeninG1722
αὐτῷautōHimG846
οὐκouknotG3756
ἔστιν.estinthere is.G1510

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 John 3:5

  • 2 Corinthians 5:21

    For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  • Hebrews 9:28

    So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

  • 1 Peter 2:24

    Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

  • 1 Peter 3:18

    For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

  • Hebrews 9:26

    For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

  • 1 John 4:9-14

    In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. …

  • John 1:29

    The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

  • 1 John 1:7

    But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

  • Titus 2:14

    Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

  • Revelation 1:5

    And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

  • Isaiah 53:4-12

    Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. …

  • Hebrews 1:3

    Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
he.
1:2; 4:9-14; Joh 1:31; 1Ti 3:16; 1Pe 1:20
to.
1:7; Isa 53:4-12; Ho 14:2; Mt 1:21; Joh 1:29; Ro 3:24-26
Eph 5:25-27; 1Ti 1:15; Tit 2:14; Heb 1:3; 9:26,28; 1Pe 2:24; Re 1:5
in.
2:1; Lu 23:41,47; Joh 8:46; 14:30; 2Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 9:28
1Pe 2:22; 3:18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 John 3:4

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

  • 1 John 3:5

    And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

  • 1 John 3:6

    Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Read all of 1 John 3

1 John 3:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y sabéis que él apareció para quitar nuestros pecados, y no hay pecado en él.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et vous savez que lui a été manifesté, afin qu’il ôte nos péchés; et il n’y a point de péché en lui.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ihr wisset, daß er geoffenbart worden ist, auf daß er unsere Sünden wegnehme; und Sünde ist nicht in ihm.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et scitis quia ille apparuit ut peccata nostra tolleret: et peccatum in eo non est.