Well, I'm afraid I still do. And I still see contradictions between
alternating sentences in the "omens" of chapters 1-2. But I suspect that at
this point we've really discussed all the interesting Greek questions, and
we're left with the fact that you and I simply read 1 John differently.
To me, these contradictions are not a flaw in 1 John, but point to the very
real contradictions in our life, and are closely related to the kinds of
contradictions Paul points out in Romans 7. I do not see 1 John as a
tightly-constructed theological argument, I see it as a very existential,
very personal, pastoral letter. I don't find an explanation for how sin can
continue to exist in the life of a sinner, but I hear John speaking directly
to my own experiences with sin, righteousness, love, and grace.
Since we've pretty much exhausted the Greek questions, I think I'll drop out
of this thread at this point.
Grace and peace to you!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~jwrobie
POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703 http://www.poet.com
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