Thursday, May 14, 2015

1 John 5:9-13

Year B - Easter 7 or Assurance 7
May 17, 2015


A distinction between “human testimony” and “the testimony of God” is tremendously difficult to make as the only G*D testimony we have is mediated through human language. Even a wonderfully profound personal experience of G*D is fraught or freighted with cultural overlays and personal desire.

Here we have the circular: those who believe have belief in their heart. The flip side of this heightens the power and control found in circular arguments: Those who do not believe have made God a liar. When we then tie eternal damnation into the picture, this becomes a very strong reason to be part of the believers, even going so far as to force baptize whole communities and giving the church the power of capital punishment which, ironically, was the martyrdom that raised Jesus’ sacrifice to the heavens.

1 John is lovely in many places, but here, particularly in an Easter season, rings false with its limitation on grace and requirement that all faith is mature faith. Don’t drink this kool-aid.



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