Circular Rhetoric and Paradox in 1 John 3:9

Circular rhetoric has been a controversial area of research in biblical scholarship for the latter half of the 20th century. Recently there has been a renewed interest in this area of research, due in part to a new approach by the current author, with some exciting new results in biblical exegesis and hermeneutics. Some noteworthy examples of circular rhetoric in the Bible include the liar paradox in Titus 1:12, the divine "I am" sayings in Exodus 3:14, the circular indwelling relationships in John 14:10-11, and the two proof-methods in John 8:12-20. Another noteworthy example is the two-stage coming of the Kingdom of God as a temporal-modal paradox of "already" and "not yet" in tension (Luke 17:20-30) in the framework of Salvation History (Heilsgeschichte). This article extends the approach to the circular rhetoric and paradoxical logic of the argument about the impeccability of God's children in 1 John 3:9. According to this Johannine text, everyone "born of God" does not sin for God's seed dwells in him, and he is unable to sin for he is "one born of God." This is clearly an example of circular rhetoric, to be further examined for the associated paradox.