1 John 3:5
 
1 John 3:5
(KJV) And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
(1611 KJV) And ye know that hee was manifested to take away our sinnes, and in him is no sinne.
(1587 Geneva Bible) And ye knowe that hee was made manifest, that he might take away our sinnes, and in him is no sinne.
(1526 Tyndale) And ye knowe that he appered to take awaye oure synnes and in him is no synne.
 
Counterfeit Versions
(CSB) You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.
(NASV) You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
(THE MESSAGE) Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin.
(AMP) You know that He appeared in visible form and became Man to take away [upon Himself] sins, and in Him there is no sin [essentially and forever].
(ESV) You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin
(CEV) You know that Christ came to take away sins. He isn't sinful,
(NCV) You know that Christ came to take away sins and that there is no sin in Christ.
(1901 ASV) And ye know that he was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin.
(HCSB) You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him.
(RSV) You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
(NAB-Roman Catholic) You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) YOU know too that that one was made manifest to take away [our] sins, and there is no sin in him.
 
Footnotes
HCSB - Other mss read our sins
 
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
kai oidate oti ekeinoV ejanerwqh ina taV amartiaV hmwn arh kai amartia en autw ouk estin
 
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
kai oidate oti ekeinoV ejanerwqh ina taV amartiaV arh kai amartia en autw ouk estin
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse has been corrupted in the following manuscripts:
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
P 025 - Ninth century
33 (Miniscule) - Ninth Century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verseBU
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
K 018 - Ninth century
L 020 - Ninth century
 
Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “our” before “sins”
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
 
Affected Teachings
One of the greatest errors taught in Christendom is that Christ went to the cross to pay for the sins of every human being that would ever live. Nowhere in Scripture do we read that He did this. If He did, then there would not be one unsaved person in the world today.
 
(Mat 1:21 KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
 
(Mat 13:15 KJV) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
 
(John 1:12-13 KJV) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: {13} Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
 
(John 17:9 KJV) I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
 
The way the modern versions omit the word “our” it makes it look like Christ went to the cross to give universal salvation. However, when we look at some verses closely, we will see that Christ came to pay for the sins of His people only. God applies the atonement to those who were named for salvation before the foundation of the world. (Rev. 13:8 & 17:8) This is why the King James Bible has it correct when it uses the word “our.” It shows the proper perspective on the sacrifice of Christ, that it was for His people that he died. “Our” shows us that it was for a specific group that Christ died and that was His Elect or else in John 17:9, why is he only praying for those that the Father gave Him and why isn’t He praying for the world? It is an important question which must be broached. The King James gives us the correct rendering as the other versions attempt to show a universal salvation which is not taught in Scripture.

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