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10. οὐχ ἡμαρτήκαμεν. This is the third false profession. It is not equivalent to ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν (1Jn 1:8), which refers to the sinful state, the inward principle: whereas this indicates the result of that state, viz. the commission of sinful Acts 1. We may ignore the difference between right and wrong and thereby deny that sin exists (1Jn 1:6). 2. We may deny that our own nature is sinful (1Jn 1:8). 3. Or, admitting the reality of sin and the sinful tendency of our nature, we may deny that we, as a matter of fact, have sinned. Of course sins committed before baptism are not meant: no Christian would have denied these. Both in Gospel and in Epistles S. John has in mind adult Christians, not catechumens. The Greek perfect here again (1Jn 1:1; 1Jn 1:3) has its full force; present result of past action: ‘We are in the condition of having avoided sin.’
ψεύστην ποιοῦμεν αὐτόν. At first sight this third false profession seems less serious than the others: but to avoid the other two and yet adopt this is more conspicuously a sin against light. There is a marked gradation of guilt. ‘To lead ourselves astray’ (1Jn 1:8) is worse than ‘to lie’ (1Jn 1:6): but ‘to make God a liar’ is worst of all. This use of ποιεῖν for ‘to assert that one is’ is another of S. John’s characteristics: τίνα σεαυτὸν ποιεῖς; (Joh 8:53); ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν θεόν (Joh 10:33). Comp. Joh 5:18, Joh 19:7; Joh 19:12. The O. T. proclaims the universality of sin. Moreover, God’s whole scheme of salvation assumes that every human being sins and has need of redemption, the Redeemer only excepted. Therefore those who profess that they have never sinned, and have no need of a Redeemer, charge God with having deliberately framed a libel against themselves, and having misstated the possibilities of human nature. It has been acutely remarked of Renan’s Life of Jesus that “sin does not appear in it at all. Now if there is anything which explains the success of the Good News among men, it is that it offered deliverance from sin—salvation” (Amiel).
ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν. God’s revelation of Himself has no home in our hearts: it remains outside us, as the light remains outside and separate from those who shut themselves up in darkness. Obviously ὁ λόγος here is not personal: nothing has been said about the indwelling of Christ. ‘His word’ means the whole of God’s Revelation in both O. and N.T., especially in the Gospel (Joh 10:35; Joh 17:6; Joh 17:14; Joh 17:17). Ὁ λόγος is more definite than ἡ ἀλήθεια (1Jn 1:8), and also more personal: it implies that the truth has been uttered. Utterance there must be in word or deed to make truth of any worth to mankind. The expressions εἶναι ἐν and μένειν ἐν, to express intimate relationship, are very characteristic of S. John: and either of the things related can be said to be in the other. Thus, either ‘His word is not in us’ (comp. 1Jn 2:14) or ‘If ye abide in My Word’ (Joh 8:31): either ‘The truth is not in us’ (1Jn 1:8) or ‘He standeth not in the truth’ (Joh 8:44). Sometimes the two modes of expression are combined; ‘Abide in Me, and I in you’ (Joh 15:4).
Note that the contrary hypothesis to the first and second false professions is given (1Jn 1:7; 1Jn 1:9) but not to the third. That to the second (1Jn 1:9) covers the third also. The mere confession of sinfulness, which would be the exact contrary to the second false profession, is omitted as being of no moral value.