1 John 1:8 (YLT)

Passage

if we may say--`we have not sin,' ourselves we lead astray, and the truth is not in us;

Nearby Context

1 John 1:6 if we may say--`we have fellowship with Him,' and in the darkness may walk--we lie, and do not the truth;

1 John 1:7 and if in the light we may walk, as He is in the light--we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son doth cleanse us from every sin;

1 John 1:8 if we may say--`we have not sin,' ourselves we lead astray, and the truth is not in us;

1 John 1:9 if we may confess our sins, stedfast He is and righteous that He may forgive us the sins, and may cleanse us from every unrighteousness;

1 John 1:10 if we may say--`we have not sinned,' a liar we make Him, and His word is not in us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "say--", "ourselves", "lead", "astray", and "truth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "say--" and "ourselves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "and if in the light we may..." into verse 9's "if we may confess our sins stedfast...", so "say--" and "ourselves" 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 "say--" and "ourselves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.