For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century. I recently spent some time discussing 1 John with a dozen or so parishioners. Despite the letter’s quotability—who doesn’t love “God is ...

"(1 John 5:13) If that sounds redundant to you, that's understandable. We have been taught that if you believe on the name of Jesus, then you do have eternal life. What John is saying is that it ...