Post-Crisis Assurance and the "Tests of Life" Reading of 1 John
1 John has often been read as advocating a series of personal "tests of life", by which individuals can evaluate the genuineness of their conversion. This article argues that framing 1 John’s teaching on assurance in this way distorts its teaching by failing to recognise the epistle’s rhet...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
2021
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| In: |
Reformed theological review
Year: 2021, Volume: 80, Issue: 2, Pages: 133-154 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Salvation
B Assurance B Confidence B 1 John B Apostasy B Pastoral B Tests |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | 1 John has often been read as advocating a series of personal "tests of life", by which individuals can evaluate the genuineness of their conversion. This article argues that framing 1 John’s teaching on assurance in this way distorts its teaching by failing to recognise the epistle’s rhetorical strategy. It argues that this epistle was intended to positively cultivate assurance in its original recipients by highlighting that they had already proven their possession of salvation by their perseverance in their confession, whereas others had recently abandoned it. This invites reflection on the role of pastoral evaluation and exhortation in cultivating assurance rather than on individualistic strategies alone. |
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| ISSN: | 0034-3072 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Reformed theological review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.53521/a247 |