1 John 3:6 (DBY)

Passage

Whoever abides in him, does not sin: whoever sins, has not seen him or known him.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:4 Every one that practises sin practises also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:5 And ye know that *he* has been manifested that he might take away our sins; and in him sin is not.

1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in him, does not sin: whoever sins, has not seen him or known him.

1 John 3:7 Children, let no man lead you astray; he that practises righteousness is righteous, even as *he* is righteous.

1 John 3:8 He that practises sin is of the devil; for from [the] beginning the devil sins. To this end the Son of God has been manifested, that he might undo the works of the devil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whoever", "abides", "does", "sins", "seen", and "known". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whoever" and "abides", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And ye know that he has been..." into verse 7's "Children let no man lead you astray...", so "whoever" and "abides" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whoever" and "abides" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.