Sermon: "The Passage That Doesn't End", 1 John 5:1-5 (July 21, 2024)

Okay; before we go any further, I want to assure you that it’s not just you: this passage IS really confusing. You all know I usually prefer the Common English Bible for its clarity of language, but even there, Scripture’s message is convoluted at best. One of the commentaries I read in preparation for this sermon noted that this passage “seems to defy parsing into logical thought. Motifs entwine, spiral, then interlace with such circularity that a reader may experience verbal vertigo.”[1] This passage is objectively perplexing, even to the so-called “experts”. Sometimes, that’s just the way the Bible is.