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The idea of family likeness continues: As God’s children, we bear his likeness. Conversely, the children of the Devil bear his. But once again John focuses on the positive purpose of the Incarnation, to destroy the devil’s work. The Devil’s work is sin; Christ’s work is to put an end to sin (the practice of sinning) and this result occurs with those who have truly experienced the new birth.
God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning has been a troublesome phrase. The NIV properly captures the meaning and avoids the problem posed by the KJV, “cannot sin.” It does not describe moral inability. It describes the incompatibility of sin and the new birth. One cannot continue sinning and have God’s seed (rsv “God’s nature”; neb “the divine seed”) remain in him. This is one of the strongest passages in Scripture on “sinless perfection,” but such a term is dangerous and should be balanced with 2:1. John Wesley consistently rejected such terminology.