OUR WITNESS (17 OF 49)
Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10
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Our Witness (17 of 49)
Lectionary, Year B, Easter 02
Christopher Harbin
1 John 1:1-2:2
I can't very well tell you what's going on with someone else. I can't relate their experience very effectively, for I am limited to what I have been told, what I have pieced together, and what I hope I have understood correctly. I can tell you my story pretty well. In that role, I am an authority. I might not be sufficiently removed to understand my story, but I can report clearly on my experience. That is our role as witnesses. It is not to tell all the truth, but to share the truth we have experienced. Our witness to Christ points beyond ourselves, but it is at heart about how we have experienced Christ. Why do we find that a hard rule by which to live?
The nation's attention was directed to a particular court case over the last couple of weeks. I had the opportunity to be in a local courtroom to support a friend over this time. I saw more than one person swear to ''tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.'' I was also able to witness that the very same court requiring people to swear that way was not focused precisely on truth. Its focus was on following procedure, abiding by legal rules, and seeing that the law was being followed as it pertained to each suit brought before the court. Unveiling truth is a much broader task than the court has in mind or could attempt to delve into.
Jury trials are not about ascertaining truth. They are about convincing a jury to accept or reject a perspective on one's guilt according to the letter of the law. Witnesses come forward to offer their experience, their perspective, and answer specific questions about what they know. The whole truth slips to the side, as our focus is much more narrow.
For generations of New Testament Greek students, First John is where they cut their teeth with translating. The language is simple. John follows common, standard rules of Greek grammar. The sentences tend to be short. ...
Lectionary, Year B, Easter 02
Christopher Harbin
1 John 1:1-2:2
I can't very well tell you what's going on with someone else. I can't relate their experience very effectively, for I am limited to what I have been told, what I have pieced together, and what I hope I have understood correctly. I can tell you my story pretty well. In that role, I am an authority. I might not be sufficiently removed to understand my story, but I can report clearly on my experience. That is our role as witnesses. It is not to tell all the truth, but to share the truth we have experienced. Our witness to Christ points beyond ourselves, but it is at heart about how we have experienced Christ. Why do we find that a hard rule by which to live?
The nation's attention was directed to a particular court case over the last couple of weeks. I had the opportunity to be in a local courtroom to support a friend over this time. I saw more than one person swear to ''tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.'' I was also able to witness that the very same court requiring people to swear that way was not focused precisely on truth. Its focus was on following procedure, abiding by legal rules, and seeing that the law was being followed as it pertained to each suit brought before the court. Unveiling truth is a much broader task than the court has in mind or could attempt to delve into.
Jury trials are not about ascertaining truth. They are about convincing a jury to accept or reject a perspective on one's guilt according to the letter of the law. Witnesses come forward to offer their experience, their perspective, and answer specific questions about what they know. The whole truth slips to the side, as our focus is much more narrow.
For generations of New Testament Greek students, First John is where they cut their teeth with translating. The language is simple. John follows common, standard rules of Greek grammar. The sentences tend to be short. ...
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