When perusing a bookstore’s novels...
Illustration
Object:
When perusing a bookstore’s novels, one of my critical “inspection points” is the first word on page one. If it’s “I,” bells go off. I’ve become weary of “first-person crazy.” First person means the story is viewed and told from the perspective of one person, contrary to a third-person point of view — a perspective from beyond the characters involved. Many novels (especially on the sale table) are first-person crazy, in which the author portrays every form of perversity and insanity that can be imagined. Paul’s letters also give a first-person point of view: First person redeemed — not perfect, but freed to serve God. Paul isn’t ashamed to say “I.” However, always a giant third person (or even three persons) hover behind Paul’s writing. What he writes isn’t about him. When Paul must write about himself, he apologizes or praises God. In Ephesians 3 we hear Paul’s wonderful sanity as he worships God and commends God’s gracious bounty to our worship.
