Knowing that we know
John’s statements about “knowing that we know” (1 John 2:3) have been the historical basis for the practical syllogism:
1. All who keep the commandments may be assured God’s favor. 2. I am keeping the commandments. 3. Therefore, I am assured of God’s favor.
But the practical syllogism pushes John’s point back further than John does. It subtly inserts a new layer, a layer of self-reflection and self-evaluation that is not in John’s statement.
John says we know we know Him because we keep the commandments; the practical syllogism suggests that we know we know Him because we know we keep His commandments. For John, obedience is the pathway of assurance and the full experience of friendship with God; for the practical syllogism, reflection and self-evaluation is the pathway of assurance that we are friends of God.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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