How does 1 John 3:5 define the purpose of Jesus' coming to earth? 1 John 3:5 “You know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.” Immediate Context in 1 John John is combating proto-Gnostic teachers who denied the seriousness of sin (2 John 7). Verses 4–8 form one unit: sin is “lawlessness” (v. 4); Christ came to lift it away (v. 5); habitual sin is incompatible with knowing Him (v. 6); and the Son “appeared to destroy the works of the devil” (v. 8). Thus v. 5 gives the positive purpose, v. 8 the negative counterpart. Old Testament Anticipation • Isaiah 53:5–6 foretells the Servant “bearing” (nāśā’) sin—same semantic field as airō. • Psalm 103:12 promises sins removed “as far as the east is from the west,” realized in Christ. • Daniel 9:24 lists Messiah’s goals: “to finish transgression, to put an end to sin.” • The scapegoat rite (Leviticus 16) typologically prefigures the Messiah’s removal of iniquity “to an uninhabited land.” John intentionally draws on this imagery. Harmonization with the Gospels and Epistles Matthew 1:21—“He will save His people from their sins.” John 1:29—“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Mark 10:45—“to give His life as a ransom for many.” Hebrews 9:26—“He has appeared once for all…to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21 affirm the same substitutionary logic. Sinlessness as Essential Qualification “In Him there is no sin” grounds the efficacy of His mission. Isaiah 53:9, Hebrews 4:15, and 1 Peter 1:19 combine to show the Lamb had to be without blemish. Philosophically, only a morally perfect substitute can bear the penalty of another without incurring His own. Historical Validation through Resurrection The earliest creed (1 Corinthians 15:3–7) is dated within five years of the crucifixion; multiple independent appearances (groups, skeptics, hostile witnesses) fulfill Deuteronomy 17:6’s principle of “two or three witnesses.” Empty-tomb testimony is attested by women (embarrassment criterion) in all four Gospels, and Jerusalem could have refuted it instantly by producing a body—none was produced. The resurrection publicly certifies that the sin-bearing work was accepted (Romans 4:25). Theological Synthesis: Purpose Statements in the New Testament Appeared… • to take away sins (1 John 3:5) • to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) • to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18) • to give eternal life (John 10:10) Each statement complements, not contradicts; all hinge on the removal of sin as the foundational act. Practical Implications for Believers 1. Assurance: The verb tense (aorist) portrays a decisive, completed action. 2. Sanctification: Because sins are lifted away, habitual sin becomes incongruent with new birth (vv. 6, 9). 3. Evangelism: The human conscience universally testifies to moral failure; the gospel offers an objective solution rather than self-help. Answering Common Objections • “Couldn’t Jesus simply be an ethical teacher?” Ethical reform does not necessitate incarnation; removal of sin does. • “Is substitution unjust?” Justice requires penalty for wrongdoing; substitution satisfies justice while extending mercy, foreshadowed in Levitical sacrifice. • “Text corrupt over time?” See manuscript evidence above; textual purity here is exceptionally high (<0.2 % variation, none meaningful). Eschatological Horizon The initial taking-away is legal and positional; Revelation 21:4 promises the final experiential eradication of sin and death, completing what began at the first advent. Summary 1 John 3:5 defines the purpose of Jesus’ earthly appearance as the complete, substitutionary removal of human sin, grounded in His sinless nature, validated by the resurrection, preserved by reliable manuscripts, and evidenced by transformed lives—thereby reconciling humanity to God and setting the trajectory for ultimate redemption. |
    |