The Gospel and the Religious Mind

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Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 7

Back to Keep Yourselves from Idols, Part 1

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Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 8

^[1] Aaron and his sons (Exodus 28:43 NET)

^[2] Exodus 29:33 (NET)

^[3] Matthew 2:4 (NET)

^[4] Translated feed in the KJV and Tanakh.

^[5] Micah 5:4a (NET)

^[6] But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it (Micah 4:1 Tanakh).

^[7] A future active indicative 3^rd person plural form of ὑπάρχω.

^[8] Matthew 9:2-7; 12:38-42; 15:1-9; 16:21; 17:10-13; 20:18, 19; 21:15, 16; 23:2-13, 15, 23, 25, 27-32; 26:57; 27:41-44; Mark 2:6, 16; 3:22-30; 7:1-13; 8:31; 9:11-27; 10:33, 34; 12:35-40; 14:1, 43-46, 53; 15:1, 30-32; Luke 5:21, 30; 6:7-11; 9:22; 11:53, 54; 15:2-10; 19:47, 48; 20:1-19, 46, 47; 22:2, 66-71; 23:10; John 8:3-11; Acts 4:5-22; 6:12-7:60; 1 Corinthians 1:20-25

^[9] Matthew 5:20 (NET)

^[10] Luke 20:19 (NET)

^[11] Matthew 8:19, 13:52; Luke 20:34-39; Acts 23:9

^[12] Deuteronomy 6:5 (Tanakh) Table

^[13] Matthew 24:29; Matthew 25:15; Mark 13:25; Luke 10:19; Luke 21:26; Acts 3:12; Romans 8:38; 1 Corinthians 4:19; 1 Corinthians 14:11; 1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Corinthians 15:56; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 8:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Hebrews 7:16; Hebrews 11:34; 1 Peter 3:22; 2 Peter 2:11; Revelation 1:16; Revelation 13:2; Revelation 17:13; Revelation 18:3

^[14] Revelation 18:3b (NET)

^[15] Romans 8:39b (NET)

^[16] The NET parallel Greek text had παραδιδῷ here, a present active indicative 3^rd person singular form of παραδίδωμι, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παραδω, the 2^nd aorist active subjunctive 3^rd person singular form (KJV: he shall have delivered up).

^[17] 1 Corinthians 15:24 (NET)

^[18] Here I assume that beyond their means refers to the power of God.

^[19] 2 Corinthians 1:9b (NET)

^[20] Acts 3:12 (NET)

^[21] Zechariah 4:6 (Tanakh)

^[22] 1 Peter 1:13 (NET)

^[23] The NET parallel Greek text had συμβιβασθέντες, an aorist passive participle nominative plural masculine form of συμβιβάζω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had συμβιβασθεντων, the aorist passive participle genitive plural masculine form.

^[24] The NET parallel Greek text had πᾶν here, a nominative / accusative singular neuter form of πᾶς, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παντα, the nominative / accusative plural neuter form.

^[25] The NET parallel Greek text had πλοῦτος here, the nominative singular masculine form, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πλουτον, the accusative singular masculine form.

^[26] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και πατρος και του χριστου (KJV: and of the Father, and of Christ) here, where the NET parallel Greek text had simply Χριστοῦ.

^[27] Colossians 2:2, 3 (NET) The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article της preceding knowledge, while the NET parallel Greek text did not.

^[28] The NET parallel Greek text had ἐσκοτωμένοι here, a perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine form of σκοτόω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εσκοτισμενοι, a perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine form of σκοτίζω.

^[29] The NET parallel Greek text had ὃ here, the nominative singular neuter form of ὅς, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had α, the nominative / accusative plural neuter form.

^[30] The NET parallel Greek text had δώσει here, a future active indicative 3^rd person singular form of δίδωμι, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δωη, a 2^nd aorist active 3^rd person singular form in the subjunctive or optative mood dependent on accent marks which are not present in either of the texts I use.

^[31] The Byzantine Majority Text had η preceding eternal and life; the Stephanus Textus Receptus had it preceding life only. The NET parallel Greek text had neither.

^[32] John 3:7b (NET)

^[33] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ου ψευδομαρτυρησεις (KJV: Thou shalt not bear false witness). The NET parallel Greek text did not.

^[34] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had εαυτον here, the 3rd person accusative singular masculine form of ἑαυτοῦ. The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had σεαυτον, the 2nd person accusative singular masculine form of σεαυτοῦ.

^[35] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had πεπλήρωται here, a perfect middle indicative 3rd person plural form of πληρόω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πληρουται, a present passive indicative 3rd person singular form.

^[36] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had σεαυτον here, the 2nd person accusative singular masculine form of σεαυτοῦ, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εαυτον, the 3rd person accusative singular masculine form of ἑαυτοῦ.

^[37] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὑπ᾿ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υπο.

^[38] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had γὰρ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε.

^[39] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐὰν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αν.

^[40] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μοιχεια (KJV: adultery) at the beginning of this list. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[41] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἰδωλολατρία here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδωλολατρεια.

^[42] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔρις here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ερεις.

^[43] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ζῆλος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ζηλοι.

^[44] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text connected these clauses with the conjunction και. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

Atonement, Part 4

Posted on August 26, 2018 by admin

I’ll continue to consider y^ehôvâh’s (יהוה) instruction to Moses: They^[1] are to eat those things by which atonement (kâphar, כפר; Septuagint: ἡγιάσθησαν, a form of ἁγιάζω) was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy.^[2] The atonement of Aaron and his sons continued:

Exodus 29:10-14 (NET)	Leviticus 8:14-17 (NET)
You are to present the bull at the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to put their hands on the head of the bull.	Then [Moses] brought near the sin offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, החטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) bull and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sin offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, החטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) bull,
You are to kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting	and he slaughtered it. Moses then took the blood and put it all around on the horns of the altar with his finger and decontaminated the altar, and he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and so consecrated (qâdash, ויקדשהו; Septuagint: ἡγίασεν, another form of ἁγιάζω) it to make atonement (kâphar, לכפר; Septuagint: ἐξιλάσασθαι, a form of ἐξιλάσκομαι) on it.
and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; all the rest of the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar.
You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.	Then he took all the fat on the entrails, the protruding lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses offered it all up in smoke on the altar,
But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up outside the camp. It is the purification offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, חטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία).	but the rest of the bull – its hide, its flesh, and its dung – he completely burned up outside the camp just as the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) had commanded Moses.

The sin offering bull was eaten by no one. The Hebrew word translated holy in the clause for they are holy was קדש (qôdesh). In the Septuagint קדש (qôdesh) was translated ἅγια (a form of ἅγιος).

But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come.^[3] He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into the most holy place (ἅγια, a form of ἅγιος) not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.^[4]

The Greek word translated more perfect was τελειοτέρας (a form of τέλειος). Later in the same chapter the author located that more perfect tent beyond the phrase not of this creation (Hebrews 9:24-28 NET):

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary (ἅγια, a form of ἅγιος) made with hands – the representation of the true sanctuary – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary (ἅγια, a form of ἅγιος) year after year with blood that is not his own, for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.

I got a little obsessed (See Table1 below) convincing myself that πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἁμαρτίας (to bear the sins of many) was the referent of χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, but did eventually come to the conclusion that not to bear sin was a better translation of χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας than the more literal without sin (KJV).^[5] The phrase to bear (ἀνενεγκεῖν, a form of ἀναφέρω) the sins of many was an allusion to Isaiah’s prophecy.

Isaiah 53:12 (NET)	Hebrews 9:28 (NET Parallel Greek)	Isaiah 53:12 (Septuagint)	Isaiah 53:12 (Tanakh)
…he lifted up the sin of many…	πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν^[6] ἁμαρτίας	ἁμαρτίας πολλῶν ἀνήνεγκεν^[7]	…he bare the sin of many…

The Hebrew word translated ἀνήνεγκεν in the Septuagint was נשׁא (nâśâʼ), which brought me back to the long name of God: And HaShem passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving (nâśâʼ, נשׁא; Septuagint: ἀφαιρῶν, a form of ἀφαιρέω) iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.’^[8] The author of Hebrews concluded (Hebrews 10:15-18 NET):

And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying,^[9] “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,”^[10] then he says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember^[11] no longer.” Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, John wrote, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know^[12] that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure.^[13] The Greek word translated purifies was ἁγνίζει (a form of ἁγνίζω). It had a very specific meaning. Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse (ἁγνίσωσιν, another form of ἁγνίζω) themselves ritually.^[14]

There were rituals to perform. We have four men who have taken a vow, the brothers in Jerusalem instructed Paul, take them and purify (ἁγνίσθητι, another form of ἁγνίζω) yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may have their heads shaved.^[15] Then Paul took the men the next day, and after he had purified (ἁγνισθείς, another form of ἁγνίζω) himself along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice of the completion of the days of purification (ἁγνισμοῦ, a form of ἁγνισμός), when the sacrifice would be offered for each of them.^[16] But I will strongly suggest that those rituals relate only tangentially to John’s use of ἁγνίζει above.

You have purified (ἡγνικότες, another form of ἁγνίζω) your souls by obeying (ὑπακοῇ, a form of ὑπακοή) the truth,^[17] Peter wrote. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority Text had δια πνευματος here as well, translated through the Spirit (KJV). The clue John left that he meant something other than established ritual was καθώς ἐστιν (literally, “just as he is”), translated just as Jesus is pure. To walk just as Jesus walked is to be led by the Holy Spirit. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.^[18] But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.^[19]

John described a new covenant purification ritual, if you will, previously (1 John 1:8-2:2 NET):

If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. (My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, John continued, indeed, sin is lawlessness. And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins,^[20] and in him there is no sin. Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.^[21] The Greek words translated practices above were not forms of πράσσω but forms of ποιέω. The one who [does] (ποιῶν, a form of ποιέω) righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.

The One who does righteousness is the Holy Spirit. He fills the new human born of God from above with God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness^[22] and self-control.^[23] By his will we have been made holy^[24] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.^[25] And the second point is like it: The “God of peace…will in fact do (ποιήσει, another form of ποιέω) this”:^[26] make you completely holy and [keep] your spirit and soul and body…entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^[27] because He is trustworthy (πιστὸς, a form of πιστός). I want to be one who [does] (ποιῶν, a form of ποιέω) the truth [who] comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that [my] deeds have been done in God.^[28]

The one who practices sin is of the devil, John continued, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice (ποιεῖ, another form of ποιέω) sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God.^[29]

The one who [does] (ποιεῖ, another form of ποιέω) sin is of the devil. This is the old human: You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old (παλαιὸν, a form of παλαιός) [human] (ἄνθρωπον, a form of ἄνθρωπος) who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new (καινὸν, a form of καινός) [human] (ἄνθρωπον, a form of ἄνθρωπος) who has been created in God’s image – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.^[30] So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.^[31]

Though the new human is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God, at any given moment one born from above might revert to walking according to the flesh, the old human, sin personified (Romans 7:14-23; 8:1-4 NET):

For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate. But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot^[32] do it. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to^[33] the law of sin that is in my members…

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.^[34] For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Endure your suffering as discipline,^[35] the author of Hebrews wrote. Actually, your suffering was added by the translators. The NET parallel Greek text and the Byzantine Majority Text began with εἰς. A more literal translation would be “Into (or, unto) discipline endure.” (The Stephanus Textus Receptus began with ει, translated If ye endure chastening.) What one endures unto discipline was clearer a few verses prior (Hebrews 12:3 NET):

Think of him who endured such opposition against himself^[36] by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

When I think of Jesus I think of others in opposition to Him, the sin in his own flesh was so marvelously controlled. The old human has been the most obvious, nearest and dearest sinner whose opposition has been mine to endure.

A table of the occurrences of χωρὶς in the New Testament and its translation in the NET and KJV, and nine tables comparing Hebrews 9:24-28; 1 John 3:2-9; Galatians 5:22-23; Hebrews 10:10; Romans 7:25; Romans 7:14-23; Romans 8:1-4; Hebrews 12:7 and 12:3 in the NET and KJV follow. I broke the latter tables when the NET parallel Greek text differed from the Stephanus Textus Receptus or the Byzantine Majority Text.

χωρὶς in the New Testament
Reference	Greek	NET	KJV
Matthew 13:34	χωρὶς παραβολῆς	without a parable	without a parable
Matthew 14:21	χωρὶς γυναικῶν	Not counting women	beside women
Matthew 15:38	χωρὶς παιδίων (NET) / χωρις γυναικων (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Not counting children	beside women
Mark 4:34	χωρὶς δὲ παραβολῆς	without a parable	without a parable
Luke 6:49	χωρὶς θεμελίου	without a foundation	without a foundation
John 1:3	χωρὶς αὐτοῦ	apart from him	without him
John 15:5	χωρὶς ἐμοῦ	apart from me	without me
John 20:7	χωρὶς	by itself	by itself
Romans 3:21	χωρὶς νόμου	apart from the law	without the law
Romans 3:28	χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου	apart from the works of the law	without the deeds of the law
Romans 4:6	χωρὶς ἔργων	apart from works	without works
Romans 7:8	χωρὶς γὰρ νόμου	For apart from the law	For without the law
Romans 7:9	χωρὶς νόμου	apart from the law	without the law
Romans 10:14	χωρὶς κηρύσσοντος	without someone preaching	without a preacher
1 Corinthians 4:8	χωρὶς ἡμῶν	without us	without us
1 Corinthians 11:11	χωρὶς ἀνδρὸς (NET) / χωρὶς γυναικὸς (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	independent of man	without the woman
1 Corinthians 11:11	χωρὶς γυναικὸς (NET) / χωρὶς ἀνδρὸς (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	independent of woman	without the man
2 Corinthians 11:28	χωρὶς τῶν παρεκτὸς	Apart from other things	Beside those things that are without
2 Corinthians 12:3	χωρὶς τοῦ σώματος (NET) / εκτος του σωματος (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	apart from the body	out of the body
Ephesians 2:12	χωρὶς Χριστοῦ	without the Messiah	without Christ
Philippians 2:14	χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν	without grumbling	without murmurings
1 Timothy 2:8	χωρὶς ὀργῆς	without anger	without wrath
1 Timothy 5:21	χωρὶς προκρίματος	without prejudice	without preferring one before another
Philemon 1:14	χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης	However, without your consent	But without thy mind
Hebrews 4:15	χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας	yet without sin	yet without sin
Hebrews 7:7	χωρὶς δὲ πάσης ἀντιλογίας	Now without dispute	And without all contradiction
Hebrews 7:20	χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας^[37]	done without a sworn affirmation	without an oath
Hebrews 7:20	χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας^[37]	without a sworn affirmation	without an oath (verse 21)
Hebrews 9:7	χωρὶς αἵματος	without blood	without blood
Hebrews 9:18	οὐδὲ…χωρὶς αἵματος / ουδ…χωρις αιματος (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	with blood	neither…without blood
Hebrews 9:22	χωρὶς αἱματεκχυσίας	without the shedding of blood	without shedding of blood
Hebrews 9:28	χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας	not to bear sin	without sin
Hebrews 10:28	χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν	without mercy	without mercy
Hebrews 11:6	χωρὶς δὲ πίστεως	Now without faith	But without faith
Hebrews 11:40	μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν	together with us	without us…not
Hebrews 12:8	χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας	you do not experience discipline	be without chastisement
Hebrews 12:14	οὗ χωρὶς	for without it	without which
James 2:18	χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων	without works	without thy works
James 2:20	χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων	without works	without works
James 2:26	χωρὶς πνεύματος	without the spirit	without the spirit
James 2:26	χωρὶς ἔργων / χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	without works	without works

Hebrews 9:24-28 (NET)	Hebrews 9:24-28 (KJV)
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation of the true sanctuary – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us.	For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οὐ γὰρ εἰς χειροποίητα εἰσῆλθεν ἅγια Χριστός, ἀντίτυπα τῶν ἀληθινῶν, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανόν, νῦν ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν	ου γαρ εις χειροποιητα αγια εισηλθεν ο χριστος αντιτυπα των αληθινων αλλ εις αυτον τον ουρανον νυν εμφανισθηναι τω προσωπω του θεου υπερ ημων	ου γαρ εις χειροποιητα αγια εισηλθεν ο χριστος αντιτυπα των αληθινων αλλ εις αυτον τον ουρανον νυν εμφανισθηναι τω προσωπω του θεου υπερ ημων

And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own,	Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice.	For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐπεὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν πολλάκις παθεῖν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου· νυνὶ δὲ ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς ἀθέτησιν [τῆς] ἁμαρτίας διὰ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ πεφανέρωται	επει εδει αυτον πολλακις παθειν απο καταβολης κοσμου νυν δε απαξ επι συντελεια των αιωνων εις αθετησιν αμαρτιας δια της θυσιας αυτου πεφανερωται	επει εδει αυτον πολλακις παθειν απο καταβολης κοσμου νυν δε απαξ επι συντελεια των αιωνων εις αθετησιν αμαρτιας δια της θυσιας αυτου πεφανερωται

And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,	And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.	So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ προσενεχθεὶς εἰς τὸ πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἁμαρτίας ἐκ δευτέρου χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας ὀφθήσεται τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀπεκδεχομένοις εἰς σωτηρίαν.	ουτως ο χριστος απαξ προσενεχθεις εις το πολλων ανενεγκειν αμαρτιας εκ δευτερου χωρις αμαρτιας οφθησεται τοις αυτον απεκδεχομενοις εις σωτηριαν	ουτως και ο χριστος απαξ προσενεχθεις εις το πολλων ανενεγκειν αμαρτιας εκ δευτερου χωρις αμαρτιας οφθησεται τοις αυτον απεκδεχομενοις εις σωτηριαν

1 John 3:2-9 (NET)	1 John 3:2-9 (KJV)
Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.	Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν	αγαπητοι νυν τεκνα θεου εσμεν και ουπω εφανερωθη τι εσομεθα οιδαμεν δε οτι εαν φανερωθη ομοιοι αυτω εσομεθα οτι οψομεθα αυτον καθως εστιν	αγαπητοι νυν τεκνα θεου εσμεν και ουπω εφανερωθη τι εσομεθα οιδαμεν δε οτι εαν φανερωθη ομοιοι αυτω εσομεθα οτι οψομεθα αυτον καθως εστιν

And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure.	And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness.	Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away (ἄρῃ, a form of αἴρω) sins, and in him there is no sin.	And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη, ἵνα τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἄρῃ, καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν	και οιδατε οτι εκεινος εφανερωθη ινα τας αμαρτιας ημων αρη και αμαρτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν	και οιδατε οτι εκεινος εφανερωθη ινα τας αμαρτιας ημων αρη και αμαρτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν

Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him.	Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.	Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.	He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God.	Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)	Galatians 5:22, 23 (KJV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,	But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.	Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
πραΰτης ἐγκράτεια· κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος	πραοτης εγκρατεια κατα των τοιουτων ουκ εστιν νομος	πραοτης εγκρατεια κατα των τοιουτων ουκ εστιν νομος

Hebrews 10:10 (NET)	Hebrews 10:10 (KJV)
By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.	By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν ᾧ θελήματι ἡγιασμένοι ἐσμὲν διὰ τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐφάπαξ	εν ω θεληματι ηγιασμενοι εσμεν οι δια της προσφορας του σωματος του ιησου χριστου εφαπαξ	εν ω θεληματι ηγιασμενοι εσμεν οι δια της προσφορας του σωματος ιησου χριστου εφαπαξ

Romans 7:25 (NET)	Romans 7:25 (KJV)
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.	I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
χάρις τῷ θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. ῎Αρα οὖν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῷ μὲν νοὶ_ δουλεύω νόμῳ θεοῦ τῇ δὲ σαρκὶ νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας.	ευχαριστω τω θεω δια ιησου χριστου του κυριου ημων αρα ουν αυτος εγω τω μεν νοι δουλευω νομω θεου τη δε σαρκι νομω αμαρτιας	ευχαριστω τω θεω δια ιησου χριστου του κυριου ημων αρα ουν αυτος εγω τω μεν νοι δουλευω νομω θεου τη δε σαρκι νομω αμαρτιας

Romans 7:14-23 (NET)	Romans 7:14-23 (KJV)
For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.	For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate.	For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.	If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me.	Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.	For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοί, τοῦτ᾿ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀγαθόν· τὸ γὰρ θέλειν παράκειται μοι, τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ καλὸν οὔ	οιδα γαρ οτι ουκ οικει εν εμοι τουτ εστιν εν τη σαρκι μου αγαθον το γαρ θελειν παρακειται μοι το δε κατεργαζεσθαι το καλον ουχ ευρισκω	οιδα γαρ οτι ουκ οικει εν εμοι τουτ εστιν εν τη σαρκι μου αγαθον το γαρ θελειν παρακειται μοι το δε κατεργαζεσθαι το καλον ουχ ευρισκω

For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want!	For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.	Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.	I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.	For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.	But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
βλέπω δὲ ἕτερον νόμον ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν μου ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός μου καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντα με \|ἐν\| τῷ νόμῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῷ ὄντι ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν μου	βλεπω δε ετερον νομον εν τοις μελεσιν μου αντιστρατευομενον τω νομω του νοος μου και αιχμαλωτιζοντα με τω νομω της αμαρτιας τω οντι εν τοις μελεσιν μου	βλεπω δε ετερον νομον εν τοις μελεσιν μου αντιστρατευομενον τω νομω του νοος μου και αιχμαλωτιζοντα με εν τω νομω της αμαρτιας τω οντι εν τοις μελεσιν μου

Romans 8:1-4 (NET)	Romans 8:1-4 (KJV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.	There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Οὐδὲν ἄρα νῦν κατάκριμα τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ	ουδεν αρα νυν κατακριμα τοις εν χριστω ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα	ουδεν αρα νυν κατακριμα τοις εν χριστω ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα

For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.	For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,	For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.	That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Hebrews 12:7 (NET)	Hebrews 12:7 (KJV)
Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?	If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε, ὡς υἱοῖς ὑμῖν προσφέρεται ὁ θεός. τίς γὰρ υἱὸς ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ	ει παιδειαν υπομενετε ως υιοις υμιν προσφερεται ο θεος τις γαρ εστιν υιος ον ου παιδευει πατηρ	εις παιδειαν υπομενετε ως υιοις υμιν προσφερεται ο θεος τις γαρ υιος εστιν ον ου παιδευει πατηρ

Hebrews 12:3 (NET)	Hebrews 12:3 (KJV)
Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.	For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀναλογίσασθε γὰρ τὸν τοιαύτην ὑπομεμενηκότα ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς \|ἑαυτὸν\| ἀντιλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ κάμητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἐκλυόμενοι	αναλογισασθε γαρ τον τοιαυτην υπομεμενηκοτα υπο των αμαρτωλων εις αυτον αντιλογιαν ινα μη καμητε ταις ψυχαις υμων εκλυομενοι	αναλογισασθε γαρ τον τοιαυτην υπομεμενηκοτα υπο των αμαρτωλων εις αυτον αντιλογιαν ινα μη καμητε ταις ψυχαις υμων εκλυομενοι

Atonement, Part 5

Back to Atonement, Part 11

Back to Romans, Part 91

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 13

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 2

Back to Who Am I? Part 9

Back to Hannah’s Prayer, Part 1

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 1

Back to A Door of Hope, Part 1

Back to Romans, Part 92

Back to To Make Holy, Part 7

Back to Jedidiah, Part 5

Back to Father, Forgive Them – Part 6

Back to A Door of Hope, Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 4

Back to He Takes Away, Part 3

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 4

Back to Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 1

Back to Patterns of Evidence: Exodus

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 7

Back to The New Covenant, Part 2

Back to The Book of Life, Part 1

Back to Christianity, Part 1

Back to Christianity, Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 9

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 7

^[1] Aaron and his sons (Exodus 28:43 NET)

^[2] Exodus 29:33 (NET)

^[3] The Greek word translated to come in the NET parallel Greek text was γενομένων (a form of γίνομαι). In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority texts it was μελλοντων (a form of μέλλω). Table

^[4] Hebrews 9:11,12 (NET)

^[5] NET note (34): “Grk ‘without sin,’ but in context this does not refer to Christ’s sinlessness (as in Heb 4:15) but to the fact that sin is already dealt with by his first coming.” My actual question was whether χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας (without sin) referred to those who eagerly await him. I didn’t discover anything that would allow me to propose that argument in the face of those who know Greek syntax better than I do.

^[6] A 2^nd aorist active infinitive form of the verb ἀναφέρω

^[7] An aorist active indicative 3^rd person singular form of the verb ἀναφέρω

^[8] Exodus 34:6, 7 (Tanakh)

^[9] The NET parallel Greek text had εἰρηκέναι here, a perfect active infinitive form of ῥέω according to the Koine Greek Lexicon (a form of ἐρέω according to BibleHub). The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προειρηκεναι, a perfect active infinitive form of προερέω.

^[10] The NET parallel Greek text had διάνοιαν here, an accusative singular feminine form of διάνοια. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had διανοιων, a genitive plural feminine form of διάνοια according to the Koine Greek Lexicon.

^[11] The NET parallel Greek text had μνησθήσομαι here, a form of μιμνήσκω in the indicative mood (though the word “μνησθήσομαι” in the parallel Greek text of the NET for Hebrews 10:17 highlights as, and links to, μνάομαι). The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μνησθω, another form of μιμνήσκω in the subjunctive mood, the same as the Septuagint and the full quotation in Hebrews 8:11, 12.
In the Septuagint and the full quotation this is not an issue: “if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action” (from Subjunctive Mood). Isolated as it is in verse 17, however, μὴ μνησθω ἔτι would mean something like “I might remember no longer” while μὴ μνησθήσομαι ἔτι would translate “I will remember no longer.”

^[12] In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority Text this clause began with δε (KJV: but). It is absent in the NET parallel Greek text.

^[13] 1 John 3:2, 3 (NET)

^[14] John 11:55 (NET)

^[15] Acts 21:23b, 24a (NET)

^[16] Acts 21:26 (NET)

^[17] 1 Peter 1:22a (NET)

^[18] Romans 8:14 (NET)

^[19] Galatians 5:16 (NET)

^[20] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αμαρτιας ημων here (KJV: our sins). The NET parallel Greek text had simply αμαρτιας.

^[21] 1 John 3:4-7 (NET)

^[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had πραΰτης here, which was also spelled πραοτης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[23] Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)

^[24] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had οι here, which was absent from the NET parallel Greek text.

^[25] Hebrews 10:10 (NET)

^[26] 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NET)

^[27] 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NET)

^[28] John 3:21 (NET)

^[29] 1 John 3:8, 9 (NET)

^[30] Ephesians 4:22-24 (NET)

^[31] Romans 7:25b (NET)

^[32] The NET parallel Greek text had οὔ here where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουχ ευρισκω.

^[33] The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐν here where the Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

^[34] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα (KJV: who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit) while the NET parallel Greek text did not.

^[35] Hebrews 12:7a (NET)

^[36] The NET parallel Greek text had ἑαυτὸν here where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτον.

^[37] The second occurrence of χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας was in verse 21 of the Stephanus Textus Receptus and King James translation, while both were in verse 20 in the NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text.

Atonement, Part 3

Posted on August 19, 2018 by admin

The Hebrew word translated to consecrate was למלא (mâlêʼ). In the Septuagint למלא (mâlêʼ) was translated τελειῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας, “validate their hands” in an English translation of the Septuagint (NETS). And τελειῶσαι (a form of τελειόω) was translated to perfect in: For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.^[3]

There isn’t a lot of wiggle room in the meaning of τελειῶσαι here. If the sacrifices had perfected those who came to worship, the sacrifices would have ceased to be offered long before the temple was destroyed: For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin?^[4] John wrote (1 John 1:5-2:6 NET):

Now this is the gospel message^[5] we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus^[6] his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. (My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.

Now by this we know that we have come to know God: if we keep (τηρῶμεν, a form of τηρέω) his commandments. The one who says “I have come to know God” and yet does not keep (τηρῶν, another form of τηρέω) his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person. But whoever obeys (τηρῇ, another form of τηρέω) his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected (τετελείωται, another form of τελειόω). By this we know that we are in him. The one who says he resides in God ought (ὀφείλει,^[7] a form of ὀφείλω) himself to walk^[8] just as Jesus walked.

If I fall back on my own strength the obligation to walk just as Jesus walked will fill me first with fear, then defensiveness, anger and eventually a pervasive desire to “chuck this whole religion thing.” So I plan to be very gentle with myself. I want to keep foremost in my mind the two points from the previous essay: 1) By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all;^[9] and, 2) he will in fact do this:^[10] …make you completely holy and…[keep] your spirit and soul and body…entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.^[11]

If I’m honest my fear stems from my offended pride when I fail to walk just as Jesus walked in my own strength. So I want to consider that pride. Aaron and his sons^[12] were commanded to eat those things by which atonement was made to consecrate and to set them apart. No one else could eat them, for they are holy. For the moment it doesn’t really matter whether they meant the things by which atonement was made or Aaron and his sons or all of the above. In any case Aaron and his sons were distinguished from everyone else in Israel by this holiness. But how proud could they be about that?

Exodus 29:4-9 (NET)	Leviticus 8:6-13 (NET)
You are to present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of meeting. You are to wash them with water…	So Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.
…and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband.	Then he put the tunic on Aaron, wrapped the sash around him, and clothed him with the robe. Next he put the ephod on him and placed on him the decorated band of the ephod, and fastened the ephod closely to him with the band.
Exodus 28:30	He then set the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim into the breastpiece.
You are to put the turban on his head and put the holy diadem on the turban.	Finally, he set the turban on his head and attached the gold plate, the holy diadem, to the front of the turban just as the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) had commanded Moses.
Exodus 30:22-33	Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated (qâdash, ויקדש; Septuagint: ἡγίασεν, another form of ἁγιάζω) them.
Exodus 30:22-33	Next he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and so anointed the altar, all its vessels, and the wash basin and its stand to consecrate (qâdash, לקדשם; Septuagint: ἡγίασεν, another form of ἁγιάζω) them.
You are to take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.	He then poured some of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron and anointed him to consecrate (qâdash, לקדשו; Septuagint: ἡγίασεν, another form of ἁγιάζω) him.
You are to present his sons and clothe them with tunics…	Moses also brought forward Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped sashes around them, and wrapped headbands on them just as the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) had commanded Moses.
…and wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and put headbands on them, and so the ministry of priesthood will belong to them by a perpetual ordinance. Thus you are to consecrate (mâlêʼ, ומלאת: Septuagint: τελειώσεις,^[13] another form of τελειόω) Aaron and his sons.

Aaron and his sons were distinguished in holiness because they stood there while Moses performed y^ehôvâh’s prescribed rituals to them and around them. Now to the one who works, Paul wrote believers in Rome, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation (ὀφείλημα) [Table]. But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.^[14] The Pharisees on the other hand said, None of the rulers or the Pharisees have believed in [Jesus], have they? But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!^[15]

This is very interesting in this context. The priests were made holy by atonement rituals prescribed by y^ehôvâh. The only holiness the Pharisees could legitimately^[16] claim was atonement made by priests performing rituals prescribed by y^ehôvâh. Yet they distinguished themselves from the rabble^[17] (ὄχλος) here, not by these rituals, but by knowledge of the law. To seek out some other distinction was a tacit acknowledgement that the law was completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. So in a sense they were on the right track as it pertained to recognizing a need.

I don’t intend to minimize the value of knowing the law as a means to knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent.^[18] As the Psalmist wrote (Psalm 119:33-40 Tanakh):

Teach me, O LORD (y^ehôvâh,יהוה), the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.

Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.

Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.

Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

But to claim knowledge of the law as a means of distinction, rendering one more holy than one who does not know it, is to not know the law: For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.”^[19] Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say: Amen.^[20] For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.^[21]

Cursed in the phrase Cursed is everyone was ἐπικατάρατος in Greek. The Greek word translated accursed in this rabble who do not know the law are accursed was ἐπάρατοι (a form of ἐπικατάρατος). In other words, those who know the law are as accursed as those who do not because… (Romans 3:10-18 NET):

…just as it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”^[22]

“Their throats are open graves, they deceive with their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips.”^[23]

“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”^[24]

“Their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace they have not known.”^[25]

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”^[26]

So how proud should I, a Gentile, be, recognizing that: 1) by [Israel’s] transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous;^[27] 2) They were broken off because of their unbelief, but [I] stand by faith; Do not be arrogant, but fear; For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare [me];^[28] 3) [I] have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for [my] sins, and not only for [my] sins but also for the whole world;^[29] and, 4) Jesus Christ the righteous One promised, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”^[30]?

It is past time that I give up my pride, quit trying to distinguish myself from others by some holiness I have achieved rather than received, and start gathering with Jesus rather than scattering (Matthew 12:30-32). So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.^[31] Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.^[32]

The righteous never expected to keep the law in his or her own strength but in the power and presence of God (Psalm 51 Tanakh):

Have mercy upon me, O God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים), according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions (Table).

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin (Table).

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me (Table).

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest (Table).

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me [Table] (Genesis 5:1-5; Romans 5:12-21).

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים); and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me (Table).

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit (Table).

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים), thou God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהי) of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord (ʼădônây, אדני), open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים) are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהים), thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

A table comparing the NET and KJV translation of 1 John 1:5-2:6 follows. I broke the table whenever the NET parallel Greek text differed from the Stephanus Textus Receptus or the Byzantine Majority Text.

1 John 1:5-2:6 (NET)	1 John 1:5-2:6 (KJV)
Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.	This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἀκηκόαμεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν καὶ σκοτία \|ἐν αὐτῷ\| οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία	και αυτη εστιν η επαγγελια ην ακηκοαμεν απ αυτου και αναγγελλομεν υμιν οτι ο θεος φως εστιν και σκοτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν ουδεμια	και εστιν αυτη η αγγελια ην ακηκοαμεν απ αυτου και αναγγελλομεν υμιν οτι ο θεος φως εστιν και σκοτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν ουδεμια

If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.	If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.	But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί, κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ᾿ ἀλλήλων καὶ τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας	εαν δε εν τω φωτι περιπατωμεν ως αυτος εστιν εν τω φωτι κοινωνιαν εχομεν μετ αλληλων και το αιμα ιησου χριστου του υιου αυτου καθαριζει ημας απο πασης αμαρτιας	εαν δε εν τω φωτι περιπατωμεν ως αυτος εστιν εν τω φωτι κοινωνιαν εχομεν μετ αλληλων και το αιμα ιησου χριστου του υιου αυτου καθαριζει ημας απο πασης αμαρτιας

If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.	If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.	If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.	If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
(My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,	My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
and he himself is the atoning sacrifice (ἱλασμός) for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.	And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Now by this we know that we have come to know God: if we keep his commandments.	And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
The one who says “I have come to know God” and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.	He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him.	But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
The one who says he resides in God ought himself to walk just as Jesus walked.	He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Atonement, Part 4

Back to Everyone Fathered by God Does Not Sin

Back to My Deeds, Part 2

Back to Atonement, Part 1

Back to Son of God – 1 John, Part 1

Back to Atonement, Part 10

Back to A Door of Hope, Part 1

^[1] Aaron and his sons (Exodus 28:43 NET)

^[2] Exodus 29:33 (NET)

^[3] Hebrews 10:1 (NET)

^[4] Hebrews 10:2 (NET)

^[5] In the NET parallel Greek text and the Byzantine Majority Text the word translated gospel message was ἀγγελία while it was επαγγελια in the Stephanus Textus Receptus.

^[6] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the word χριστου here, while the NET parallel Greek text did not.

^[7] https://greekdoc.github.io/lexicon/of.html#ofeilw

^[8] The Greek verbs translated walk and walked were περιπατεῖν and περιεπάτησεν respectively. Both are forms of περιπατέω. By simply tracking select forms of περιπατέω I found that Paul and the Holy Spirit left a fairly detailed description of what it means to walk just as Jesus walked: περιπατῆσαι, Colossians 1:9-14; περιπατήσωμεν, Romans 6:1-4; περιπατήσωμεν, Ephesians 2:4-10; περιπατῆτε, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12; περιπατεῖτε, Ephesians 5:1-21, Colossians 2:6-23, Colossians 4:2-6; περιπατεῖν (also περιπατεῖτε), 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; περιπατείτω, 1 Corinthians 7:17-24; περιπατοῦμεν, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; περιπατοῦσιν, Romans 8:1-17. Perhaps most to the point is Galatians 5:16. But I say, live (περιπατεῖτε) by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

^[9] Hebrews 10:10 (NET)

^[10] 1 Thessalonians 5:24b (NET)

^[11] 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NET)

^[12] Exodus 28:43 (NET)

^[13] τελειώσεις τὰς χεῖρας, “validate the hands” (NETS)

^[14] Romans 4:4, 5 (NET)

^[15] John 7:48, 49 (NET)

^[16] from Pharisees: “Emergence of the Pharisees”
After defeating the Seleucid forces, Judas Maccabaeus’s nephew John Hyrcanus established a new monarchy in the form of the priestly Hasmonean dynasty in 152 BCE, thus establishing priests as political as well as religious authorities. Although the Hasmoneans were considered heroes for resisting the Seleucids, their reign lacked the legitimacy conferred by descent from the Davidic dynasty of the First Temple era.^[16]
The Pharisee (“separatist”) party emerged largely out of the group of scribes and sages…
Sadducees rejected the Pharisaic tenet of an Oral Torah. In their personal lives this often meant an excessively stringent lifestyle from a Jewish perspective, as they did away with the oral tradition, and in turn the Pharisaic understanding of the Torah, creating two Jewish understandings of the Torah. An example of this differing approach is the interpretation of, “an eye in place of an eye”. The Pharisaic understanding was that the value of an eye was to be paid by the perpetrator.^[20] In the Sadducees’ view the words were given a more literal interpretation, in which the offender’s eye would be removed.^[21] From the point of view of the Pharisees, the Sadducees wished to change the Jewish understanding of the Torah, to a Greek understanding of the Torah. The Pharisees preserved the Pharisaical oral law in the form of the Talmud. They would become the foundation of Rabbinic Judaism…
“The Hasmonean period”
After the death of John Hyrcanus his younger son Alexander Jannaeus made himself king and openly sided with the Sadducees by adopting their rites in the Temple. His actions caused a riot in the Temple and led to a brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees. However, on his deathbed Jannaeus advised his widow, Salome Alexandra, to seek reconciliation with the Pharisees.
“The Roman period”
According to Josephus, the Pharisees appeared before Pompey asking him to interfere and restore the old priesthood while abolishing the royalty of the Hasmoneans altogether (“Ant.” xiv. 3, § 2). Pharisees also opened Jerusalem’s gates to the Romans, and actively supported them against the Sadducean faction.^[26] When the Romans finally broke the entrance to the Jerusalem’s Temple, the Pharisees killed the priests who were officiating the Temple services on Saturday.^[27] They regarded Pompey’s defilement of the Temple in Jerusalem as a divine punishment of Sadducean misrule.

^[17] In John 7:40 ὄχλου (a form of ὄχλος; translated of the crowd) was used without any pejorative connotation. The translators may have added more emphasis to the distinction than the Pharisees actually intended. The point still stands that they distinguished themselves from the crowd, not by y^ehôvâh’s prescribed rituals, but by their own knowledge of the law.

^[18] John 17:3b (NET)

^[19] Galatians 3:10 (NET)

^[20] Deuteronomy 27:26 (Tanakh)

^[21] Romans 2:12 (NET)

^[22] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Psalm 14:1-3 Tanakh).

^[23] For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue (Psalm 5:9 Tanakh). They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah (Psalm 140:3 Tanakh).

^[24] His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity (Psalm 10:7 Tanakh).

^[25] Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace (Isaiah 59:7, 8 Tanakh).

^[26] The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes (Psalm 36:1 Tanakh).

^[27] Romans 11:11b (NET)

^[28] Romans 11:20, 21 (NET)

^[29] 1 John 2:1b, 2 (NET)

^[30] John 12:32 (NET)

^[31] Romans 9:16 (NET) Table

^[32] Romans 11:30-32 (NET)

Atonement, Part 2

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

The next occurrence of כפר (kâphar), translated atonement, I want to consider on this pilgrimage is found in y^ehôvâh’s (יהוה) instruction to Moses (Exodus 29:33 NET):

[Aaron and his sons^[1]] are to eat those things by which atonement was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy.

In the Septuagint כפר (kâphar) was translated ἡγιάσθησαν (a form of ἁγιάζω). Though ἡγιάσθησαν doesn’t occur in the New Testament, other forms of ἁγιάζω do. I’ll try to be mindful of similarities between old covenant and new covenant atonement as well as differences. So many concepts appear in this verse—to consecrate and to set them apart…they are holy—I want to back up and take a run at it.

The Hebrew word translated to set them apart was לקדש (qâdash). It was translated ἁγιάσαι (another form of ἁγιάζω) in the Septuagint. “Now this is what you are to do for them to consecrate them,” y^ehôvâh instructed Moses, “so that they may minister as my priests.”^[2] The Hebrew word translated to consecrate was also לקדש, the very same form of qâdash as to set them apart above. And in the Septuagint it was also translated ἁγιάσαι. The new covenant is quite similar.

1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24 (NET)	1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24 (KJV)
Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy (ἁγιάσαι, another form of ἁγιάζω) and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.	And the very God of peace sanctify (ἁγιάσαι, another form of ἁγιάζω) you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this (ποιήσει, a form of ποιέω).	Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Both ἁγιάσαι and τηρηθείη (a form of τηρέω; translated may…be kept [NET] and I pray God…be preserved [KJV]) are in the optative mood, the “mood of possibility.” Both verbs recognize that one’s actual state may be far removed from holiness, sanctification and blamelessness at a given moment. But ποιήσει (translated he will in fact do [NET] and who also will do [KJV]) is in the indicative mood, “a statement of fact” based on the trustworthiness or faithfulness of God in Christ. Even more precious to me, ποιήσει is future tense in the active voice.

I was one who misunderstood the “finished work of Christ” as an invitation to a do-it-yourself works religion. Since Christ was finished working, I reasoned, the rest of the distance between my current condition and his holiness and blamelessness was up to me, a race for me to run. I don’t think my pastor intended to enroll me in a works religion, except…I wonder if I, sitting idly “trusting” Jesus, could ever have understood the word of God. Or was it the desire to do his will combined with my failure to do his will that opened my mind to it? Jesus said, If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority.^[3]

This epistemological aspect intrigues the philosophical bent of my mind. I earn a living on the fringes of a conference industry that, viewed economically or technologically, shouldn’t exist. Gathering in one location wastes human resources, both time and money, now that the technology exists to meet virtually. But viewed epistemologically conferences are extremely valuable. A group of people pressed together, smelling one another, espousing the same or similar opinions can more easily convince themselves that their opinions are true. The larger the group the “truer” their opinions are until that critical moment when the group fractures into disparate opinions.

I was born into evangelicalism as an established group, revealed truth. But it grew to prominence in the U.S. from many streams:

According to religion scholar, social activist, and politician Randall Balmer, Evangelicalism resulted “from the confluence of Pietism, Presbyterianism, and the vestiges of Puritanism. Evangelicalism picked up the peculiar characteristics from each strain – warmhearted spirituality from the Pietists (for instance), doctrinal precisionism from the Presbyterians, and individualistic introspection from the Puritans”.^[40] Historian Mark Noll adds to this list High Church Anglicanism, which contributed to Evangelicalism a legacy of “rigorous spirituality and innovative organization”.^[41]

In the 1730s, Evangelicalism emerged as a distinct phenomenon out of religious revivals that began in Britain and New England. While religious revivals had occurred within Protestant churches in the past, the evangelical revivals that marked the 18th century were more intense and radical.^[48] Evangelical revivalism imbued ordinary men and women with a confidence and enthusiasm for sharing the gospel and converting others outside of the control of established churches, a key discontinuity with the Protestantism of the previous era.^[49]

It was developments in the doctrine of assurance that differentiated Evangelicalism from what went before.

Before his conversion to evangelicalism, which we evangelicals assume to be synonymous with a conversion to Christ, John Wesley wrote, “I hope he has died to save me.”^[60] “About a quarter before nine,” Wesley recalled his conversion, “while [the speaker] was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone^[4] for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”^[61]

Evangelical preachers emphasized personal salvation and piety more than ritual and tradition. Pamphlets and printed sermons crisscrossed the Atlantic, encouraging the revivalists.^[64] The Awakening resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Pulling away from ritual and ceremony, the Great Awakening made Christianity intensely personal to the average person by fostering a deep sense of spiritual conviction and redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to a new standard of personal morality. It reached people who were already church members. It changed their rituals, their piety and their self-awareness.

By the time I arrived on the scene those new rituals, piety and self-awareness were nothing more than the ritual and tradition of a bygone era. And the critical epistemological moment had passed: evangelicalism had already fractured into many disparate opinions. Though Berger and Luckmann denied^[5] it for adults, the teachings of any given religious sect are as much a part of the paramount reality^[6] for children who grew up in it as anything an adult does at work.^[7]

Though the relatively mindless taken-for-granted-ness^[8] of the reality of everyday life shares some of the same blindness (Isaiah 42:18-25) to alternatives as religious faith, it was not faith in Christ in my case. And apparently, part of my attempt to reinsert myself into the church I had abandoned and the mindless-taken-for-granted-ness of my youth, what I have called “fighting my way back from atheism,”^[9] was like Cypher’s (Joe Pantoliano) attempt to be reinserted into The Matrix. When my pastor lamented that most people came to Christ as children rather than as adults I nodded my “Amen” despite my anomalous personal history.

Now it seems obvious that there is no intrinsic reason that God would be merciful to children but not to adults. An eternal life knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent,^[10] living his own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,^[11] should be more appealing to those who have been around awhile and have had their fill of sin than to those for whom everything is still new and interesting. I don’t doubt the accuracy of my pastor’s reflections on his experience. But the truth behind that actuality seems to be that nearly three centuries of dumbing eternal life down to gaining heaven (or its corollary, escaping hell) has blunted the effectiveness of the gospel presented by evangelicalism.

“Evangelical revivalism” may have “imbued ordinary men and women with a confidence and enthusiasm for sharing the gospel” in its early days. But by the time I was born into it “sharing the gospel” had become a necessary condition for belonging to the group. As such, there were many aids, tips, tricks and techniques to make it easier for any Peter, Paul and Mary to “share the gospel.” So we drowned the voices of God-gifted apostles and evangelists (Ephesians 4:11-16) in a sea of gospel peddlers promoting Jesus as a means to an end. Even that end is now largely imaginary. What is heaven, after all, but knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent, face to face, living his own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, forever?

In an opinion piece on Fox News Chris Sonksen cited Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s concept of a “wish dream” from his book Life Together:

Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.

Bonhoeffer’s wish dream intrigues me because of my own running feud with “the pursuit of happiness.” Pegging my happiness to a fantasy of my own mind—I will be happy if…—was at best nonsensical and at worst a diabolical prescription for unhappiness. Even when I have achieved my goals happiness was no longer-lived than that which one should expect from such achievement. It has proven far better to pursue Christ (Philippians 3:8-11) and his righteousness, and let happiness float freely with the ups and downs of life. Now I’m mostly happy.

Pastor Sonksen’s point was:

God did not wire us to be alone. We are truly better together. It’s in community that we grow, are challenged, stretched, and inspired to truly live for Jesus. It’s messy, difficult, and at times frustrating…but it’s so worth it.

All true, though I would tend to credit the Holy Spirit, filling me with God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control toward others, over the mere fact of being in community with them. Pastor Sonksen wasn’t referring to the communities most of us actually live and work in, however. (Admittedly, my community is more transient and geographically dispersed than most.) His plea was to the once a week, twice a week, thrice a week meetings (ἐπισυναγωγὴν, a form of ἐπισυναγωγή) of a contemporary church for the purpose of encouraging (παρακαλοῦντες, a form of παρακαλέω), inciting (παροξυσμὸν) one another on to love and [beautiful] (καλῶν, a form of καλός) works.^[12]

One hopes that a pastor lives in that eternal life of knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent, buoyed up in God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control by the Holy Spirit and his own immersion in scripture. As such, he may be the last to recognize that the church he pastors enforces—by its rituals and traditions, by the way things are done, by the relatively mindless taken-for-granted-ness of the reality of everyday life within its walls—a lesser form of spirituality than being led by the Holy Spirit.

I don’t know Pastor Sonksen or South Hills Church. I can’t say this is the case there. I’m recognizing the possibility from my own past. But it is the wish dream of every pastor that God will make his congregation completely holy and keep their spirit and soul and body entirely blameless through the well-ordered operation of the church he pastors.

The similarity between the atonement of Aaron and his sons to consecrate and to set them apart and our atonement is that it required no work on Aaron’s part or of his sons, only submission to God’s word (Exodus 29) and Moses’ ministry of that word (Leviticus 8). The difference is clearly stated in the text (Exodus 29:1b-3 NET):

Take a young bull and two rams without blemish; and bread made without yeast, and perforated cakes without yeast mixed with oil, and wafers without yeast spread with oil – you are to make them using fine wheat flour. You are to put them in one basket and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.

We are no longer made holy, consecrated or set apart by bulls or rams or bread or cakes or wafers without yeast, mixed with oil or spread with oil (Hebrews 10:1-10 NET).

For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality (εἰκόνα, a form of εἰκών) itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect (τελειῶσαι, a form of τελειόω) those who come to worship. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness (συνείδησιν, a form of συνείδησις) of sin? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away (ἀφαιρεῖν, a form of ἀφαιρέω) sins. So when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.

“Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.

“Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’”

When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away (ἀναιρεῖ, a form of ἀναιρέω) with the first to establish (στήσῃ, a form of ἵστημι) the second. By his will we have been made holy (ἡγιασμένοι, another form of ἁγιάζω) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

So the finished work of Christ is that we have been made holy through the offering of [his] body…once for all. The ongoing work the God of peace…will in fact do because He is trustworthy seems to be the breaking down of my resistance (Hebrews 12:5-13) to Him and his will and the truth of his word, filling me instead with faith in Him and his word, so that the holiness I have been made through the offering of his body once for all is manifest to me, and to others, here and now. That God will do (ποιήσει, a form of ποιέω) this is quite evocative of the doer (ποιηταὶ, a form of ποιητής) of the law and of the one who practices the truth [who] comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done (εἰργασμένα, a form of ἐργάζομαι) in God.^[13]

A table comparing Hebrews 10:1-10 in the NET and KJV follows. If the parallel Greek of the NET differs from the Stephanus Textus Receptus or the Byzantine Majority Text I broke the table to highlight that difference.

Hebrews 10:1-9 (NET)	Hebrews 10:1-9 (KJV)
For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.	For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin?	For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.	But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.	For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
So when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.	Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
“Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.	In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
“Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’”	Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law),	Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

Net Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀνώτερον λέγων ὅτι θυσίας^[14] καὶ προσφορὰς^[15] καὶ ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἠθέλησας οὐδὲ εὐδόκησας (αἵτινες κατὰ νόμον προσφέρονται)	ανωτερον λεγων οτι θυσιαν^[16] και προσφοραν^[17] και ολοκαυτωματα και περι αμαρτιας ουκ ηθελησας ουδε ευδοκησας αιτινες κατα τον νομον προσφερονται	ανωτερον λεγων οτι θυσιαν και προσφοραν και ολοκαυτωματα και περι αμαρτιας ουκ ηθελησας ουδε ευδοκησας αιτινες κατα τον νομον προσφερονται

then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second.

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Net Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τότε εἴρηκεν· ἰδοὺ ἥκω τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα σου. ἀναιρεῖ τὸ πρῶτον ἵνα τὸ δεύτερον στήσῃ	τοτε ειρηκεν ιδου ηκω του ποιησαι ο θεος το θελημα σου αναιρει το πρωτον ινα το δευτερον στηση	τοτε ειρηκεν ιδου ηκω του ποιησαι ο θεος το θελημα σου αναιρει το πρωτον ινα το δευτερον στηση

Hebrews 10:10 (NET)	Hebrews 10:10 (KJV)
By his will we have been made holy (ἡγιασμένοι,^[18] another form of ἁγιάζω) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.	By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Net Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν ᾧ θελήματι ἡγιασμένοι ἐσμὲν διὰ τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐφάπαξ	εν ω θεληματι ηγιασμενοι εσμεν οι^[19] δια της προσφορας του σωματος του^[20] ιησου χριστου εφαπαξ	εν ω θεληματι ηγιασμενοι εσμεν οι δια της προσφορας του σωματος ιησου χριστου εφαπαξ

Atonement, Part 3

Back to Atonement, Part 4

Back to Atonement, Part 5

Back to Atonement, Part 9

Back to Atonement, Part 10

Back to Atonement, Part 11

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 1

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

^[1] Exodus 28:43 (NET)

^[2] Exodus 29:1a (NET)

^[3] John 7:17 (NET)

^[4] “Christ alone” is so much better an expression than “faith alone” with its scriptural association to dead faith: But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected (ἐτελειώθη, a form of τελειόω) by works. And the scripture was fulfilled (ἐπληρώθη, a form of πληρόω) that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead [Table] (James 2:20-26 NET).

^[5] “All finite provinces of meaning are characterized by a turning away of attention from the reality of everyday life. While there are, of course, shifts in attention within everyday life, the shift to a finite province of meaning is of a much more radical kind. A radical change takes place in the tension of consciousness. In the context of religious experience this has been aptly called ‘leaping’. It is important to stress, however, that the reality of everyday life retains its paramount status even as such ‘leaps’ take place.”

Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, “The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge,” 1966, p. 39

^[6] “Compared to the reality of everyday life, other realities appear as finite provinces of meaning, enclaves within the paramount reality marked by circumscribed meanings and modes of experience. The paramount reality envelops them on all sides, as it were, and consciousness always returns to the paramount reality as from an excursion.”

Ibid., p. 39

^[7] “Closest to me is the zone of everyday life that is directly accessible to my bodily manipulation. This zone contains the world within my reach, the world in which I act so as to modify its reality, or the world in which I work. In this world of working my consciousness is dominated by the pragmatic motive, that is, my attention to this world is mainly determined by what I am doing, have done or plan to do in it. In this way it is my world par excellence.”

Ibid., p. 36

^[8] “The reality of everyday life is taken for granted as reality. It does not require additional verification over and beyond its simple presence. It is simply there, as self-evident and compelling facticity. I know that it is real. While I am capable of engaging in doubt about its reality, I am obliged to suspend such doubt as I routinely exist in everyday life. This suspension of doubt is so firm that to abandon it, as I might want to do, say, in theoretical or religious contemplation, I have to make an extreme transition. The world of everyday life proclaims itself and, when I want to challenge the proclamation, I must engage in a deliberate, by no means easy effort.”

Ibid., p. 37

^[9] Solomon’s Wealth, Part 4; A Monotonous Cycle, Part 2; A Monotonous Cycle, Part 3; A Monotonous Cycle, Part 5; Who Am I? Part 1; Torture, Part 4

^[10] John 17:3 (NET)

^[11] Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)

^[12] Hebrews 10:24, 25 (NET)

^[13] John 3:21 (NET)

^[14] Accusative plural feminine form of θυσία

^[15] Accusative plural feminine form of προσφορά

^[16] Accusative singular feminine form of θυσία

^[17] Accusative singular feminine form of προσφορά

^[18] Perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine form of ἁγιάζω

^[19] https://greekdoc.github.io/lexicon/oi.html

^[20] https://greekdoc.github.io/lexicon/to.html#tou

To Make Holy, Part 5

Posted on June 26, 2018 by admin

The next form of ἁγιάζω I want to consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.^[1] But I’m making a slow pilgrimage through his prayer because I believe I can know his holiness here. I have revealed your name, Jesus prayed, to the [people] you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed (τετήρηκαν, a form of τηρέω) your word.^[2]

Jesus came into the world to be despised and rejected by people.^[3] And though the Greek word κόσμου (a form of κόσμος), translated of the world, does not exclude the larger Gentile world necessarily, at this particular time He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel^[4] rather than Gentile sinners. You people are from your father the devil,^[5] Jesus said of Israel’s religious leaders. A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher^[6] serves as a fair assessment of those who followed Israel’s teachers. You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves^[7] is certainly more explicit. This gives me some context, how precious the people you gave me out of the world were to Jesus.

He came to what was his own (ἴδια, a form of ἴδιος), but his own people (ἴδιοι, another form of ἴδιος) did not receive him.^[8] He knew this would happen. Isaiah prophesied it: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.^[9] And in a very real sense their rejection was part of the plan and purpose of salvation (Romans 11:11-33 NET).

I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles (ἔθνεσιν, a form of ἔθνος), to make Israel jealous. Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles (ἐθνῶν, another form of ἔθνος), how much more will their full restoration bring?

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles (ἔθνεσιν, a form of ἔθνος). Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles (ἐθνῶν, another form of ἔθνος), I magnify my ministry, if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the first portion of the dough offered is holy (ἁγία, a form of ἅγιος), then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy (ἁγία, a form of ἅγιος), so too are the branches.

Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief (ἀπιστίᾳ), but you stand by faith (πίστει, a form of πίστις). Do not be arrogant, but fear! For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even they – if they do not continue in their unbelief (ἀπιστίᾳ)– will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles (ἐθνῶν, another form of ἔθνος) has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you were formerly disobedient (ἠπειθήσατε, a form of ἀπειθέω) to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience (ἀπειθείᾳ), so they too have now been disobedient (ἠπείθησαν, another form of ἀπειθέω) in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all people to disobedience (ἀπείθειαν, a form of ἀπείθεια) so that he may show mercy to them all.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!

I’m ignoring for the moment the more traditional interpretation of this verse, the importance and instrumentality of the eleven apostles carrying on Jesus’ message and building the church, in favor of the comfort God the Father gave to Jesus on a mission of rejection. My current focus is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She comforted Him in a way the apostles could not.

She has kept it for the day of my burial,^[10] Jesus said of the three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard^[11] she had “wasted” on his feet. She had sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said^[12] and apparently believed Him while the eleven (all twelve, in fact) were still full of their own understanding, hoping for (or fearing) the overthrow of the Roman government and their own domination of the world. Taking Jesus at his word is still a great comfort in a world full of rejection as He draws all to Himself.

They belonged to you (KJV: thine they were), Jesus’ prayer continued. I don’t want to speculate too much about this beyond Jesus’ own words: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.^[13] Most translators have understood the next clause καμοὶ αὐτοὺς ἔδωκας as a reiteration of people the Father gave to Jesus. But consider the following table:

King James Version	Darby Bible Translation	American King James Version
…and thou gavest them me…	…and thou gavest them me…	…and you gave them me…

Here it sounds reciprocal: the Father also gave Jesus to them. But I admit it is possible, probably likely, that this is just King James’ English for a reiteration of the Father gave them to Jesus. You gave them to Me, the NKJV reads. The Greek word καμοὶ (and me, me also) is a dative pronoun according to the Koine Greek Lexicon as is μοι (me) in the phrase you gave me out of the world:

Dative Case
The dative is the case of the indirect object, or may also indicate the means by which something is done. The dative case also has a wide variety of uses, with the root idea being that of “personal interest” or “reference”. It is used most often in one of three general categories: Indirect object, Instrument (means), or Location. Most commonly it is used as the indirect object of a sentence. It may also indicate the means by which something is done or accomplished. Used as a dative of location, it can show the “place”, “time”, or “sphere” in which something may happen.
For example: (Indirect object): “Jesus said to them“, or “he will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask” (Luke 11:13).
(Instrument or Means): “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by (by means of) prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). In this sentence, there is a single Greek word translated into the phrase “by prayer” showing the means by which to let our requests be made known to God.
(Location): “… and on the third day He will be raised up” (Matt 20:19). The phrase “the third day” is in the dative case, showing the time in which Jesus will be raised. In this sentence, there is no Greek word present that is translated into the English word “on”; it is added to show the meaning of the dative of location.

The Greek word αὐτοὺς (them) is an accusative pronoun as is οὓς the untranslated relative pronoun which precedes you gave in the prior phrase:

Accusative Case
The accusative case is the case of the direct object, receiving the action of the verb. Like the other cases, the accusative has a wide variety of uses, but its main function is as the direct object of a transitive verb. The direct object will most often be in the accusative case.
For example: “As newborn babes, long for the guiless milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2). The word “milk” is in the accusative case and is functioning as the direct object of the transitive verb “long for” (or “desire”).

The only reason I want this giving to be reciprocal is to make it clearer that God the Father gave them Jesus and thus they have kept^[14] his word, rather than too appear as if they obeyed his word so God the Father gave them to Jesus.

Now they understand, Jesus’ continued, that everything you have given me comes from you.^[15] In other words, Jesus relied on his Father’s supply, not his own godliness. And those who had been given to Him knew (ἔγνωκαν, a form of γινώσκω; translated understand) this. The verb ἔγνωκαν is in the perfect tense: “The basic thought of the perfect tense is that the progress of an action has been completed and the results of the action are continuing on, in full effect. In other words, the progress of the action has reached its culmination and the finished results are now in existence.”^[16] And though it is obvious to me here and now that everything you have given me comes from you means that Jesus relied on his Father’s supply rather than his own godliness, it just became obvious to me here and now.

“It’s axiomatic to me,” I wrote in another essay, “that Jesus didn’t utilize his own godliness, but trusted the Holy Spirit that descended like a dove from heaven, and…remained on him.^[11] Otherwise, Jesus’ invitation and command, Follow me,^[12] is little more than a cruel joke.”

“As I’ve written before it is axiomatic to me that the way Jesus loved us,” I wrote in another essay, “was through that same love He received from the Holy Spirit that descended like a dove from heaven, and…remained on him.^[43] He prayed as much to his Father if one has ears to hear: I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love (ἀγάπη) you have loved (ἠγάπησας, a form of ἀγαπάω) me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”^[44]

“As I’ve written before,^[20] it is axiomatic to me that Jesus’ holiness was from the Holy Spirit rather than his own divine nature” I wrote elsewhere. “Otherwise, his command and invitation, Follow me, would be meaningless to sinful human beings.”

I acknowledged that my axiom in the beginning was little more than a confidence that “Jesus wasn’t commanding us to follow Him somewhere we couldn’t go…Over time,” I confessed, “my ‘axiom’ has come to mean so much more: When I am anything less than Christlike I no longer think: ‘Oh, He is God and I am not.’ Instead, I know that I am living according to the flesh (Romans 8:5-11), that I’ve fallen away from grace. One would think I would know better by now but apparently I do not. It alerts me that it is time to stop relying on myself and get back to trusting Jesus, relying on his Spirit. But that weight deserves something weightier than an axiom.”^[17] But when did it become axiomatic? It wasn’t axiomatic when I turned again to obey his rules in my own strength.

I asked a friend I knew from church to sing this prayer as a demo after I had set it to music. It was beyond his vocal ability. Twice in the piece Jesus strikes a dissonant pedal tone until the rest of the music resolves and conforms to that note. My friend recommended a better trained singer, a younger man nearer my age. And he did this without criticizing my living arrangements or commenting on my unworthiness to write an opera about Jesus.

As this younger more skilful singer and I rehearsed we talked. I acknowledged the trouble I was having not sinning. He said that whatever was too difficult for him became easy when he “turned it over to the Lord.” It was apparent to me that he was describing actual experience, but I failed to ask what he meant by turning it over to the Lord. I assumed he meant prayer. When I prayed for Jesus’ help to overcome my sin I got nothing. (Or I got everything one reads about in these essays.) At the time I assumed I wasn’t holy enough to merit God’s help.

So I strove with all my might to make myself holy enough to earn his blessing, by which I meant becoming a famous (and hopefully rich) composer. I clearly didn’t grasp that since Jesus is holy everyone who abides (John 15:1-8) in Him is holy (Romans 11:16-24). I saw my task as one of becoming holy rather than one of allowing Jesus’ holiness to shine through me; namely, the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that is the fruit of his Holy Spirit.^[18] And I didn’t understand that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit.

In my ignorance I attempted to use Him as my personal demon to achieve my own purposes. I was a lot like Nikolai (Adam Brody), the lead singer of the band Low Shoulder, in Jason Reitman’s and Diablo Cody’s movie Jennifer’s Body. “Do you know how hard it is to make it as an indie band these days?” he asked Jennifer (Megan Fox). “There’s so many of us, and we’re all so cute, and it’s like, if you don’t get on Letterman or some retarded soundtrack, you’re screwed, okay? Satan is our only hope. We’re in league with the beast now, and we have to make a really big impression on him. And to do that, we’re going to have to butcher you and bleed you.” And he does.

Granted, I tried to make an impression on Jesus by attempting to obey his laws in my own strength, laws that included not butchering or bleeding young women. So what would I say to myself now about overcoming sin by turning it over to the Lord?

It was a bit like being caught in Devil’s Snare from the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Hermione (Emma Watson), who “pays attention in Herbology” at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, recognizes the plant and knows how to escape it. “Stop moving, both of you,” she yells to Ron (Rupert Grint) and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe). “You have to relax. If you don’t, it will only kill you faster.”

For when we were in the flesh, (as opposed to being led by the Holy Spirit) Paul wrote believers in Rome, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.^[19] My striving to obey rules only strengthened sin’s hold on me: the power of sin is the law.^[20] Rather than living in the flesh, striving to obey laws, I should have given more heed to Paul’s explanation: So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God.^[21]

In the movie Ron doesn’t respond well to Hermione’s words: “Kill us faster?” he exclaims. “Oh, now I can relax.” But Hermione relaxes and falls through the bottom of the plant. Harry is able to follow her example and disappears as well. Poor Ron is left alone, struggling, thinking his friends have been swallowed whole by the Devil’s Snare.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen (gôy, בגוים; Septuagint: ἔθνεσιν, a form of ἔθνος), I will be exalted in the earth.^[22] In that quiet place of trust I began to find that seemingly inexhaustible supply of God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control like a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.^[23] Ironically, even my striving to obey laws was fueled by his Holy Spirit channeled through my own ignorance of Him, my ignorance of the Bible which reveals Him to all who have ears to hear.

To Make Holy, Part 6

^[1] John 17:17 (NET)

^[2] John 17:6 (NET)

^[3] Isaiah 53:3a (NET)

^[4] Matthew 15:24 (NET)

^[5] John 8:44a (NET)

^[6] Luke 6:40 (NET)

^[7] Matthew 23:15b (NET)

^[8] John 1:11 (NET)

^[9] Isaiah 53:3 (Tanakh)

^[10] John 12:7b (NET)

^[11] John 12:3 (NET)

^[12] Luke 10:39b (NET)

^[13] John 6:44 (NET)

^[14] I have written enough about forms of τηρέω (τετήρηκαν is a form of τηρέω) elsewhere: Everyone Fathered by God Does Not Sin; Antichrist, Part 2; Son of God – 1 John, Part 3; Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 3; My Deeds, Part 1; My Deeds, Part 2; My Deeds, Part 3

^[15] John 17:7 (NET)

^[16] https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm#TENSE

^[17] Who Am I? Part 6

^[18] Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)

^[19] Romans 7:5, 6 (NET)

^[20] 1 Corinthians 15:56b (NET)

^[21] Romans 7:4 (NET)

^[22] Psalm 46:10 (Tanakh)

^[23] John4:14b (NET)

Cobwebs

Posted on May 27, 2018 by admin

I think I can finally wipe some sticky filaments of ideas from my face and roll them up into something like a little cotton candy ball:

I have dual citizenship in the rarefied and pampered world of resort hotels, both as a guest and as a servant working along with those who make the resort conference experience what it is. As a servant I’m expected to express love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And since I’m never a paying guest, the fruit of the Holy Spirit maintains my dual citizenship in this world.

I frequent the backrooms and service corridors of venues often enough to know that sometimes the expression of these “virtues” is less than genuine. In other words, it’s the work of actors, hypocrites. But then I walk out again into a ballroom where a keynote speaker extols the value of some aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit for effective servant-leadership. Of course, no one calls it the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Hotel management and keynote speakers alike expect servants and effective leaders to generate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control out from themselves, on their own, or with tips and techniques that have been developed and written about in books for sale in the lobby. None offers a fountain of water springing up to eternal life,^[1] though all seem to recognize that even an actor’s imitation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is what makes resort life viable.

A friend called a while back seeking my opinion on the idea that Jesus was an alien lifted up by some sort of tractor beam into a spacecraft hidden in the clouds. I get it, I suppose. If Jesus is a magical being from another planet no one can expect us to be anything like Him.

Believing that God has provided us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence,^[2] does pose an immediate and insistent question: Why am I not more like Him? My go-to answer is that my faith in, measured as a function of my reliance upon, his supply is not all it might be. But that really chafes since I claim to believe that this faith, or faithfulness, is also supplied through his Holy Spirit.

In April this year, working almost every day, I began to earn my two-month-long Christmas vacation. If I wasn’t working I was driving to the next show. I put a little over 6,000 miles on my company vehicle. While driving I listened to some sermons on the radio. One in particular rang “true” and familiar, similar to sermons I had heard before. The gist was: “God has supplied everything you need for salvation in Jesus Christ. All he requires from you is faith and obedience.”

In the past I resolved the irrationality of these statements by assuming that everything didn’t mean everything. So I set out to supply my own faith and my own obedience by hearing and obeying rules.

May grace and peace be lavished on you, Peter wrote, as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord! I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.^[3] The Greek word translated everything was πάντα (a form of πᾶς). The definition of πᾶς in the NET contains an excerpt from a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon:

…”the whole world has gone after him” Did all the world go after Christ? “then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan.” Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem, baptized in Jordan? “Ye are of God, little children”, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one”. Does the whole world there mean everybody? The words “world” and “all” are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture, and it is very rarely the “all” means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts — some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile … (C.H. Spurgeon from a sermon on Particular Redemption)

I grew up in the same religious milieu as the translators of the NET. I, too, thought God had bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness except faith and obedience. What was that everything? After all, that seems to be Spurgeon’s point, to look for the limitations implicit in the text. In my case everything was a second chance^[4] to become the best Pharisee I could be, another opportunity to have my own righteousness derived from the law.^[5] But at what point does this obsessive caution in interpretation reduce forms of πᾶς from the pen of the New Testament writers to the written equivalent of uh or uhm?

So did Peter mean everything? Well, even he had a long list of things for me to add to my faith in God through Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11 NET):

For this very reason, make every effort to add (ἐπιχορηγήσατε, a form of ἐπιχορηγέω) to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. But concerning the one who lacks such things – he is blind. That is to say, he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin. For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be richly provided (ἐπιχορηγηθήσεται, another form of ἐπιχορηγέω) for you.

According to the Koine Greek Lexicon ἐπιχορηγήσατε is an aorist active imperative 2^nd person plural verb. The primary definition in the lexicon is “to furnish, provide for (at one’s own expense).” So I can’t fault the translators here. And I find no discrepancy in the Greek texts.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δὲ σπουδὴν πᾶσαν παρεισενέγκαντες ἐπιχορηγήσατε ἐν τῇ πίστει ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρετήν, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὴν γνῶσιν	και αυτο τουτο δε σπουδην πασαν παρεισενεγκαντες επιχορηγησατε εν τη πιστει υμων την αρετην εν δε τη αρετη την γνωσιν	και αυτο τουτο δε σπουδην πασαν παρεισενεγκαντες επιχορηγησατε εν τη πιστει υμων την αρετην εν δε τη αρετη την γνωσιν

Granted, Peter may have admonished me to add these things in or by (ἐν) my faith rather than to it. Faith here is πίστει (a form of πίστις), a noun in the dative case which “may also indicate the means by which something is done.”^[6] But in English translation I’m left with the disconcerting conclusion that the Holy Spirit wanted to wear me out striving to obey Peter until my ears were opened to hear Paul and then, at last, Jesus (Matthew 11:25-30 NET):

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides (βούληται, a form of βούλομαι) to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”

In another essay I referenced John Piper’s essay “A Whole World Hangs on a Word” without any reference to opposing views. So I typed “faith is not a gift Ephesians 2” into Google to consider some. Wayne Jackson’s essay “Is Faith the Gift of Ephesians 2:8?” on Christian Courier was top of the list.

My purpose here is not to pick on Wayne Jackson. He had a particular point of contention with followers of John Calvin. My own relationship with John Calvin ended abruptly at Chapter 13 of the Institutes when the paperback copy of the book dented the wall of my apartment. Something about his discussion of the “essence” of God so early in his book irritated me, and I’ve never looked back (except for today to recall how far I’d gotten). Now, of course, if he meant God is love, my apologies to John Calvin and my landlord. If not, it still seems pretentious to me. Admittedly, I was reading in English translation with little appreciation for how problematic that might be.

What Wayne Jackson has done for me is to remind me how arguments against faith as a gift of God’s grace go. Below is a table quoting two paragraphs from his essay under the heading: “God’s Sovereignty Does Not Negate Man’s Free Will.”

…since God is a Being of absolute truth (Dt. 32:4; “faithfulness,” ASV), he cannot do that which would violate his own nature, e.g., practice lying. It thus is impossible for God to lie (Num. 23:19; Tit. 1:2; Heb. 6:18). The Lord’s sovereignty is not compromised by his inability to lie. His sovereignty is limited, however, by his own holy nature.

Similarly, if it is the case that the Almighty granted man the ability to exercise free will, then the divine requirement that this free will be exercised responsibly (requiring obedience) is not a violation of Heaven’s sovereignty; rather, it is an example of the exercise thereof.

I didn’t quote these paragraphs to engage Mr. Jackson in philosophical debate but simply to highlight the contrast between them: One is stated with confidence, conviction and Bible references, the other (quite honestly, I think) is more speculative in nature with no Bible references. I am well aware that something inhibits and impedes my expression of Christ-likeness, but is there any practical value to calling it free will over, say, the old human or sin in my flesh?

I realize that those who promote free will do so more positively, as the proximate cause of both faith and obedience. If anyone wants (θέλῃ, a form of θέλω) to do God’s will (θέλημα), he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority.^[7] Notice what Jesus did not say: If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will succeed thereby. My failure to accomplish God’s will in my own strength was part of the confirmation that it was, in fact, God’s will rather than my own. Jesus’ own attitude was not my will (θέλημα) but yours be done.^[8] But I don’t want to invalidate Mr. Jackson’s point entirely because Jesus’ called those who are weary and burdened.

I worked the hardest to will myself into doing God’s will when I turned Paul’s definition of love into rules I repeated as a mantra so as to obey them. The highest achievement of that effort was that I didn’t murder my wife in her sleep. It’s not much of a righteousness résumé but it is still a world removed from “I murdered my wife in her sleep.” Perhaps I should patent this technique, so to speak, by writing it in a book as a kind of crisis intervention for those who are considering taking high-powered weapons to school to murder their classmates.

But the moment I consider how to market such a book to the young men I imagine them to be is also the moment I wonder if I haven’t overindulged my will even in this. Some life-changing work had already been accomplished in me that I even cared enough to treat Paul’s definition of love as rules to obey. And life-changing is a very poor way to characterize what Paul wrote the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:1-10 NET Table):

And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing (ἐνεργοῦντος, a form of ἐνεργέω) the sons of disobedience (ἀπειθείας, a form of ἀπείθεια), among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest…

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! – and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

Love is patient, but did I by my will alone believe it to be true and obey it more or less as a commandment—thou shalt be patient—with a wife who wanted to divorce me? Love is kind, but did I by my will alone believe it to be true and obey it more or less as a commandment—thou shalt be kind—when her daily existence rejecting me was like a knife twisting in my heart?

Or was God, the Father, according to the wealth of his glory granting me to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ was dwelling in my heart through faith, so that, because I had been rooted and grounded in love, I would be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that I could be filled up to all the fullness of God^[9] because I had a pastor who taught and prayed this prayer?

Is that what was really happening as I invented a rather stupid rationalization about turning definitions into rules to obey in my own strength? Yeah, I think so. As Paul wrote believers in Philippi, continue working out your salvation with awe (φόβου, a form of φόβος) and reverence (τρόμου, a form of τρόμος), for the one bringing forth (ἐνεργῶν, another form of ἐνεργέω) in you both the desire (θέλειν, another form of θέλω) and the effort (ἐνεργεῖν, another form of ἐνεργέω) – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.^[10]

But I’m not sure I could have gotten from there to here without that rationalization and its utter refutation by my persistent sinful behavior. And I’m certain I couldn’t have gotten here apart from the overwhelming power of the indwelling Holy Spirit who has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. And here is no way station from which to backslide but an excellent place from which to strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,^[11] not in my own strength but in the faith and obedience that flow from his Holy Spirit, that fountain of water springing up to eternal life that Jesus promised the Samaritan woman^[12] at Jacob’s well (John 4:4-42).

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 6

Back to Atonement, Part 2

Back to Psalm 22, Part 2

Back to Who Am I? Part 11

Back to Who Am I? Part 13

^[1] John 4:14b (NET)

^[2] 2 Peter 1:3 (NET)

^[3] 2 Peter 1:2, 3 (NET)

^[4] Who Am I? Part 3; Jesus the Leg-breaker, Part 1; Romans, Part 55

^[5] Philippians 3:9 (NET)

^[6] See Dative Case on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek

^[7] John 7:17 (NET)

^[8] Luke 22:42b (NET)

^[9] Ephesians 3:16-19 (NET)

^[10] Philippians 2:12b, 13 (NET)

^[11] Philippians 3:14b (NET)

^[12] My Reasons and My Reason, Part 6; Fear – Exodus, Part 9

Believers

Posted on May 18, 2018 by admin

I tend to use the word believers for ἐκκλησία primarily because the word church had become a not-for-profit corporation managed and operated by believers. It helps me study the Bible as if it pertains to me, rather than as a search for bylaws and provisions for the charter of a local not-for-profit corporation. But suddenly the line I wrote in another essay jumped out at me—“I kneel before the Father, he wrote believers in Ephesus”—and caused me to wonder.

Was I fooling myself? Did Paul really mean that individual believers may be filled up to all the fullness of God? Or did he mean the ἐκκλησία corporately? If so, was that the ἐκκλησία universally or locally?

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians^[1] was addressed to the saints (ἁγίοις, a form of ἅγιος).^[2] These were individuals designated by two plural adjectives, holy and faithful (πιστοῖς, a form of πιστός) in Jesus Christ. But it was through the singular church (ἐκκλησίας,^[3] a form of ἐκκλησία) that the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.^[4]

Ephesians 3:10-12 (NET)	Ephesians 3:10-12 (KJV)
The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.	To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God…
This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord…	According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
…in whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness.	In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ προσαγωγὴν ἐν πεποιθήσει διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ.	εν ω εχομεν την παρρησιαν και την προσαγωγην εν πεποιθησει δια της πιστεως αυτου	εν ω εχομεν την παρρησιαν και την προσαγωγην εν πεποιθησει δια της πιστεως αυτου

The Greek word πίστεως (a form of πίστις), translated faithfulness (NET) and faith (KJV), is a genitive singular feminine noun according to the Koine Greek Lexicon online. The Greek word αὐτοῦ (a form of αὐτός), translated of Christ’s (NET) and of him (KJV), is a genitive singular masculine / neuter personal pronoun according to the same lexicon. I assume the NET translators assumed that his faith (or, faithfulness) meant Christ’s faith or faithfulness because Christ Jesus our Lord (τῷ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν) is the nearest antecedent. But the fruit of the Spirit is… πίστις,^[5] translated faithfulness (NET) and faith (KJV), a nominative singular feminine noun according to the Koine Greek Lexicon.

This faith or faithfulness is not my doing but neither is it so alien to me that I can ignore it to pursue my fleshly desires as if it weren’t given to me. It is an aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit given to those who are led by the Spirit, the children of God, the holy and faithful (πιστοῖς, a form of πιστός) in Jesus Christ. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.^[6]

Ephesians 3:13 (NET)	Ephesians 3:13 (KJV)
For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.	Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
διὸ αἰτοῦμαι μὴ ἐγκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν δόξα ὑμῶν.	διο αιτουμαι μη εκκακειν εν ταις θλιψεσιν μου υπερ υμων ητις εστιν δοξα υμων	διο αιτουμαι μη εκκακειν εν ταις θλιψεσιν μου υπερ υμων ητις εστιν δοξα υμων

So was Paul addressing a singular church or plural individuals? The first you (NET) and ye (KJV) were implied by the verbs ἐγκακεῖν (a form of ἐκκακέω) or εκκακειν (another form of ἐκκακέω) both of which are infinitives according to the Koine Greek Lexicon, not clearly singular or plural. But Paul was suffering for individuals: ὑμῶν (a form of ὑμείς), translated you and your (NET, KJV), is plural.

Ephesians 3:14 (NET)	Ephesians 3:14 (KJV)
For this reason I kneel before the Father…	For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατα μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα	τουτου χαριν καμπτω τα γονατα μου προς τον πατερα του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου	τουτου χαριν καμπτω τα γονατα μου προς τον πατερα του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου

Ephesians 3:15, 16 (NET)	Ephesians 3:15, 16 (KJV)
…from whom every family in heaven and on the earth is named.	Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…
I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person…	That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον	ινα δωη υμιν κατα τον πλουτον της δοξης αυτου δυναμει κραταιωθηναι δια του πνευματος αυτου εις τον εσω ανθρωπον	ινα δωη υμιν κατα τον πλουτον της δοξης αυτου δυναμει κραταιωθηναι δια του πνευματος αυτου εις τον εσω ανθρωπον

Paul prayed for individuals: ὑμῖν is also plural. The Greek word δῷ (a form of δίδωμι) is a verb in the subjunctive mood according to the lexicon, hence the translation he may grant (NET). But since it was a result^[7] of Paul’s prayer and the wealth of God’s glory I wonder if the may might be dropped. The word translated he would grant (KJV) δωη (another form of δίδωμι), however, could be in the optative or subjunctive moods depending on diacritical marks that are absent from the texts of the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text I’m using.

Ephesians 3:17 (NET)	Ephesians 3:17 (KJV)
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love…	That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love…

The verb translated may dwell, κατοικῆσαι (a form of κατοικέω), is an aorist active infinitive verb so I assume the word may is stylistic. The words your hearts are clear and accurate in English translation. The verb ἐρριζωμένοι (a form of ῥιζόω), translated you have been rooted (NET) or being rooted (KJV), is plural as is τεθεμελιωμένοι (a form of θεμελιόω), translated grounded.

Ephesians 3:18 (NET)	Ephesians 3:18 (KJV)
…you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth…	May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height…

The verb translated you may be able (NET) or May be able (KJV) is ἐξισχύσητε the second person plural form of ἐξισχύω. It is subjunctive but as a result clause preceded by ἵνα the word may is more stylistic than accurate. The verb καταλαβέσθαι (a form of καταλαμβάνω), translated to comprehend, is an infinitive. This ability to comprehend is the birthright of all the saints (πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις).

Ephesians 3:19 (NET)	Ephesians 3:19 (KJV)
…and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.	…to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The verb translated to know is γνῶναι the infinitive form of γινώσκω. But πληρωθῆτε (a form of πληρόω), translated you may be filled (NET) or ye might be filled (KJV), is definitely plural. It is also subjunctive but again preceded by ἵνα. It is a result clause. One could argue that this entire passage should be translated with more conviction. As one of the believers who has found it difficult to “understand or experience…the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives,”^[8] I suppose I can understand why it was not.

Even now, knowing that Paul addressed individual believers and that all the fullness of God (πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ) was limited here to knowledge and love, I still have some incredulity. It’s time to drown out that incredulity in the praise of Him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20, 21 (NET)	Ephesians 3:20, 21 (KJV)
Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think…	Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…
…to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.	Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

When Paul wrote of the ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ (love of Christ) I think the Holy Spirit meant the fruit of the Spirit since the definition of God’s love entails every aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NET)	1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (KJV)
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.	Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.	Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.	Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.	Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Love never ends.	Charity never faileth:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει	η αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει	η αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει

The iffy part of Paul’s prayer is not the wealth of God’s glory, the power of the Holy Spirit or the love of Christ. The iffy part is my faith. But then I don’t want to rely on my faith. I want the faith that comes from the fruit of the Spirit, the faith of Jesus Christ, because He “had the faith to stand on the water and hold Peter (Matthew 14:25-33) up as well.” And Peter wrote:

2 Peter 1:2, 3 (NET)	2 Peter 1:2, 3 (KJV)
May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!	Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.	According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ὡς πάντα ἡμῖν τῆς θείας δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν καὶ εὐσέβειαν δεδωρημένης διὰ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς \|ἰδίᾳ δόξῃ \| καὶ \|ἀρετῇ\|	ως παντα ημιν της θειας δυναμεως αυτου τα προς ζωην και ευσεβειαν δεδωρημενης δια της επιγνωσεως του καλεσαντος ημας δια δοξης και αρετης	ως παντα ημιν της θειας δυναμεως αυτου τα προς ζωην και ευσεβειαν δεδωρημενης δια της επιγνωσεως του καλεσαντος ημας δια δοξης και αρετης

2 Peter 1:4 (NET)	2 Peter 1:4 (KJV)
Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire.	Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
δι᾿ ὧν τὰ τίμια καὶ μέγιστα ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλματα δεδώρηται, ἵνα διὰ τούτων γένησθε θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως ἀποφυγόντες τῆς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ φθορᾶς.	δι ων τα μεγιστα ημιν και τιμια επαγγελματα δεδωρηται ινα δια τουτων γενησθε θειας κοινωνοι φυσεως αποφυγοντες της εν κοσμω εν επιθυμια φθορας	δι ων τα τιμια ημιν και μεγιστα επαγγελματα δεδωρηται ινα δια τουτων γενησθε θειας κοινωνοι φυσεως αποφυγοντες της εν κοσμω εν επιθυμια φθορας

To know (γινώσκωσιν, another form of γινώσκω) the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent^[9] is eternal life. To know his love to be filled up to all the fullness of God may require some patience as well. Fortunately, love is patient (μακροθυμεῖ, a form of μακροθυμέω) and the fruit of the Spirit is…patience (μακροθυμία).

Back to Romans, Part 90

Back to Cobwebs

Back to Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 6

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 2

^[1] According to a note (2) in the NET this “was an encyclical letter, intended for more than one audience.” In other words there was a blank space to be filled in by the receiving church: “this letter would first come to Ephesus, the port of entry, then to Laodicea, then Colossae.”

^[2] Ephesians 1:1 (NET)

^[3] Here ἐκκλησίας would be genitive and singular rather than accusative and plural.

^[4] Ephesians 3:10 (NET)

^[5] Galatians 5:22 (NET)

^[6] Ephesians 2:8-10 (NET) John Piper probably explained these verses the best I have heard in his essay, “A Whole World Hangs on a Word,” on Desiring God online.

^[7] “However if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action.” From Resources for Learning New Testament Greek

^[8] Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 3

^[9] John 17:3 (NET)

Atonement, Part 1

Posted on February 20, 2018 by admin

I plan to begin a slow pilgrimage through kâphar, which will at a minimum include surveying kôpher and kippûr. The first occurrences of kâphar and kôpher according to Strong’s Concordance are found in, Make rooms in the ark, and cover (kâphar, וכפרת; Septuagint: ἀσφαλτώσεις, a form of ἀσφαλτόω) it with pitch (kôpher, בכפר: Septuagint: ἀσφάλτῳ, a form of ἄσφαλτος) inside and out.^[1] But I’m going to set that aside.

The note (48) in the NET reads:

The Hebrew term כָּפָר (kafar, “to cover, to smear” [= to caulk]) appears here in the Qal stem with its primary, nonmetaphorical meaning. The Piel form כִּפֶּר (kipper), which has the metaphorical meaning “to atone, to expiate, to pacify,” is used in Levitical texts (see HALOT 493-94 s.v. כפר). Some authorities regard the form in v. 14 as a homonym of the much more common Levitical term (see BDB 498 s.v. כָּפָר).

I think homonym was used here as I have used homograph:^[2] “a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear ‘to carry; support’ and bear ‘animal’ or lead ‘to conduct’ and lead ‘metal;’ a homograph.”^[3] A table showing the translations of the occurrences of kôpher from Genesis 6:14 – Numbers 35:32 in the KJV, NET and the Septuagint follows:

Form of kôpher	Reference	KJV	NET	Septuagint
כפר	Exodus 21:30	If there be laid on him a sum of money…	If a ransom is set for him…	λύτρα, a form of λύτρον
	Exodus 30:12	…then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul…	…then each man is to pay a ransom for his life…
	Numbers 35:31	…ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death:	…you must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death…
	Numbers 35:32	…ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge…	…you must not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a town of refuge…
בכפר	Genesis 6:14	…and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.	…and cover it with pitch inside and out.	ἀσφάλτῳ, a form of ἄσφαλτος

Clearly kôpher (כפר) in Exodus 21:30; 30:12; Numbers 35:31 and 32 is a homograph for kâphar (כפר) in Exodus 29:33 (NET): They are to eat those things by which atonement (kâphar, כפר) was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy. I am more than content to assume that the homographs translated, and cover it with pitch, have next to nothing to do with atonement. John wrote (1 John 1:5-7 NET):

Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

I can appreciate that something like asphalt smeared inside and outside of a wooden vessel that preserved people through a judgment of water bears a vague similarity to atonement that will preserve people through a judgment of fire (2 Peter 3:5-7). But and cover it with pitch sounds more like Achan burying a nice robe from Babylon, two hundred silver pieces, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels^[4] in the ground right in the middle of [his] tent.^[5] It sounds like David calling Uriah home from the front and saying, “Go down to your home and relax.”^[6] When Uriah’s loyalty to his comrades-in-arms proved such that he was useless in David’s attempt to cover his sin with pitch, the king sent him back to the front carrying a letter to his commanding officer that read: “Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed (nâkâh).”^[7]

In both circumstances y^ehôvâh brought these pitch-covered-sins to light (Joshua 7:10-26; 2 Samuel 12:1-14). Thinking atonement was a covering of pitch for sin probably had a lot to do with my conclusion that the Gospel was more a mind trick God played on Himself than something of value for me.

Achan and his family were stoned and burned for theft. David’s sins of adultery and murder^[8] were forgiven or passed over. I can’t pass by here without at least considering this moral calculus in some way beyond the obvious, that David was a king and Achan’s only claim to fame was the spectacle of his execution.

All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord (y^ehôvâh, ליהוה), Joshua commanded. They must go into the Lord’s (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) treasury.^[9] If I hear this with an unbelieving heart it’s easy to see why Friedrich Nietzsche considered Judaism (and not only Judaism) a religion concocted by weak, power-hungry priests.

The ‘law’, the ‘will of God’, the ‘holy book’, ‘inspiration’ – All these are just words for the conditions under which priests come to power and maintain their power, – these concepts can be found at the bottom of all priestly organizations, all structures of priestly or philosophical-priestly control. The ‘holy lie’ – this is common to Confucius, the law book of Manu, Mohammed, and the Christian church: and it is not absent from Plato either. ‘The truth is there ‘: wherever you hear this, it means that the priest is lying.

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ (1888), 55.

An article, “The Hebrew Bible in Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion,” by Jaco Gericke offers an interesting overview on this subject. My affection for Nietzsche comes from long hours spent with him and Jesus. Nietzsche, of course, is dead and had no opportunity for rebuttal. It’s difficult to say how much that difference alone encouraged and maintained my faith in Jesus. Still I hesitate either to censor Nietzsche’s writings or to promote them as a test of spiritual manhood. Consider Jaco Gericke.

In “Confessions of a Died-Again Christian,” an interview hosted by Robert M. Price online, Professor Gericke gave his testimony, a born-again Christian who became first a “died-again” Christian then an atheist while studying to become a missionary. After I listened to it I spent the rest of the day pouting. That’s what I do now rather than throwing a hissy fit or trying to muscle on in my own strength.

“Either one of these men,” I prayed, “could have been better at this than I am.”

Professor Gericke never described the Bible as the product of lying priests (or preachers, as the case may be). He described “the system”:

The system has everything covered. So whatever your problem is, there’s an answer for that somewhere out there…
And you recognize how religion, how the system has controlled you and told you stories about the way things work, and you see the system for what it is…
You also understand how the system, with apologetics, has everything covered. So to get out is really as close to a miracle as you can get.

He went to the university originally “to become a missionary to share the joy I found [after a conversion experience] with other people.” Over time that desire was replaced by another, to be “academically respectable.” Eventually he read Beyond Fundamentalism by James Barr. “It focuses so much on the Bible and the text,” he described the experience of reading Barr, “that in the end what happens is that your Christian ethics destroys your Christian dogma because you just follow the truth and you do introspection.” Mr. Price concurred: “The all important personal relationship with Jesus, the sole point of the Bible according to most of these guys [e.g., top notch evangelical…scholars], never occurs in the Bible.”

True enough, the words personal relationship with Jesus do not occur in the Bible. The hope and promise of the new covenant reads (Jeremiah 31:34 NET Table):

“People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה). “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to [Jesus] (John14:22-24 NASB):

“Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep (τηρήσει, a form of τηρέω) My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep (τηρεῖ, another form of τηρέω) My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Professor Gericke’s testimony wasn’t a tale of following Yahweh/Jesus through the scriptures to know Him and his Father. Rather, it was a proxy war he conducted in his own mind between his favorite fundamentalist apologists and the writings of Julius Wellhausen, David Strauss, biblical criticism, the philosophy of religion and the history of Yahweh, along with James Barr. His fundamentalist champions didn’t measure up, so the “truth” set him free (John 8:31, 32 NET).

Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth (ἀλήθειαν, a form of ἀλήθεια), and the truth (ἀλήθεια) will set you free.”

Even if Jesus alluded to a stoic maxim (as Mr. Price asserted) truth was not an abstract concept to Him, certainly not the writings of Julius Wellhausen, David Strauss, biblical criticism, the philosophy of religion and the history of Yahweh, along with James Barr. Set them apart in the truth (ἀληθείᾳ, another form of ἀλήθεια), He prayed to his Father, your word is truth (ἀλήθεια).^[10] By word (λόγος) Jesus may have alluded to Himself—I am the way, and the truth (ἀληθείας, another form of ἀλήθεια), and the life^[11]—but He was born a human baby and socialized into all of the rabbinic lore of his time. He grew to become the person I know and love by preferring a collection of writings remarkably similar to the Old Testament I read today, which He called τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:13; Luke 8:21; Luke 11:28) or ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (Luke 8:11; John 10:35). Both were translated the word of God.

After his resurrection He said to his disciples (Luke 24:44-49 NET):

“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled” [Table]. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” [Table].

His devotion to the truth of those writings was so fierce it terrified Peter and the other disciples (Matthew 26:52-56 NET):

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword [Table]. Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now? How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?” At that moment Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Unqualified or not I will get up each morning, take whatever faithfulness I am given and follow Jesus through the scriptures. I desire to do this to know Him and his Father. He has given me a hunger and thirst for his righteousness. And I need to do this lest the sin in my flesh overtake me. Who would have thought of my sinfulness, my utter inability to do righteousness apart from the fruit of the Spirit, as my advantage over Jaco Gericke or Robert Price? I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,^[12] Jesus answered the Pharisees and their experts in the law.

Admittedly, it takes some faith to find any coherent knowledge of God in his seemingly disparate judgments of Achan and David, but I think they are consistent with Jesus’ command: Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.^[13]

Achan was part of the army that had judged/condemned Jericho: They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.^[14] David sent out Joab with his officers and the entire Israelite army. They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem.^[15] Both were judged accordingly.

“This is what the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) says,” Nathan said to David, “‘I am about to bring disaster on you from inside your own household! Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. He will have sexual relations with your wives in broad daylight! Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.’”^[16]

Despite Nathan’s warning David was merciful to his sons Amnon (2 Samuel 13:1-21) and Absalom (2 Samuel 14:21-33), though that mercy was perhaps the most immediate cause^[17] of the prophecy’s fulfillment. Absalom parlayed Amnon’s death (2 Samuel 13:23-37) into a credible political argument that he was the law and order choice for king (2 Samuel 15:1-6). I have thought at times that David—the chief law enforcement official in Israel—if he had been strict with his sons, if he had at least left Absalom in self-imposed exile, may have avoided the consequence of Nathan’s prophecy. But Jesus said in a parable (Matthew 18:32-35 NET):

“Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave (ἀφῆκα, a form of ἀφίημι) you all that debt because you begged me! Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive (ἀφῆτε, another form of ἀφίημι) your brother from your heart.”

Paul quoted David from the Septuagint: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered…^[18] The original word in Hebrew was not kâphar or kôpher from Genesis 6:14, and cover it with pitch. David chose kâsâh (כסוי): The waters completely inundated the earth so that even all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered (kâsâh).^[19] Two forms of kâsâh occur in this Psalm (32:1-6 Tanakh):

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (kâsâh, כסוי) [Table]. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile [Table]. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid (kâsâh, כסיתי). I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

Therefore you are without excuse, Paul wrote believers in Rome, whoever you are, when you judge someone else (Romans 2:1-8 NET):

For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth (ἀλήθειαν, a form of ἀλήθεια) against those who practice such things. And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! He will reward each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey (ἀπειθοῦσι, a form of ἀπειθέω) the truth (ἀληθείᾳ, another form of ἀλήθεια) but follow unrighteousness.

Near the end of the interview with Jaco Gericke, Robert Price described what he called “Practicing the Absence of God”:

What you use to say was the leading of the Holy Spirit, this internal voice—“Oh, don’t you want to come back? Aren’t you really just trying to escape the implications of the truth?”—you have to eventually regard that as you once did temptations to sin, because intellectually that’s what’s going on. That’s what it is. You have to say, “No, I’m sorry, I know better than that. I’m not going to listen to that. I’m going to go ahead and make a new start.”

Once you have Nietzsche in your head it’s easy to argue that Jesus’ command, Do not judge, was given, not because He is Yahweh come in human flesh but, because He was as desperate for the scriptures to be true as I am, and so, reasoned and argued in a similar manner. He was ignorant of, or confused about, the esoteric knowledge that Jaco Gericke and Robert Price possess. Of course, if Jesus was ignorant or confused, please grant me his ignorance and confusion. For once you have Nietzsche in your head, it’s just as easy to see that Nietzsche raised unbelief to a high art and faithfully followed that art as its reductio ad absurdum.

A table comparing Romans 4:7 and Psalm 32:1 in the Septuagint follows.

Romans 4:7 (NET)

Parallel Greek

Psalm 32:1 (Septuagint)

Psalm 31:1 (NETS)

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered…

μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι

Happy are those whose lawless behavior was forgiven and whose sins were covered over.

Atonement, Part 2

Back to My Deeds, Part 3

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 6

^[1] Genesis 6:14b (NET)

^[2] Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 14; Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 4

^[3] homonym

^[4] Joshua 7:21a (NET) Table

^[5] Joshua 7:21b (NET) Table

^[6] 2 Samuel 11:8a (NET)

^[7] 2 Samuel 11:15 (NET), ונכה

^[8] It is not the same Hebrew word as Exodus 20:13, but Nathan said, You have killed (hârag, הרגת) him with the sword of the Ammonites (2 Samuel 12:9b NET). But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill (hârag, להרגו) him cunningly, y^ehôvâh said, you will take him even from my altar that he may die (Exodus 21:14 NET).

^[9] Joshua 6:19 (NET)

^[10] John 17:17 (NET)

^[11] John 14:6 (NET)

^[12] Luke 5:32 (NET)

^[13] Matthew 7:1, 2 (NET) Table

^[14] Joshua 6:21 (NET)

^[15] 2 Samuel 11:1 (NET)

^[16] 2 Samuel 12:11, 12 (NET) Table1 Table2

^[17] I have written some on this topic: David’s Forgiveness, Part 5; David’s Forgiveness, Part 6; David’s Forgiveness, Part 7; David’s Forgiveness, Part 8; David’s Forgiveness, Part 9; David’s Forgiveness, Part 10 ; David’s Forgiveness, Part 11; David’s Forgiveness, Part 12; David’s Forgiveness, Part 13

^[18] Romans 4:7 (NET)

^[19] Genesis 7:19 (NET), ויכסו

To Make Holy, Part 4

Posted on January 14, 2018 by admin

The next form of ἁγιάζω I’ll consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.^[1] But I plan to crawl through his prayer on my knees because I believe I can know his holiness here.

I have revealed your name, Jesus prayed, to the men you gave me out of the world.^[2] Though the Greek word translated men is masculine, I’m not convinced that justifies (note 15) translating ἀνθρώποις (a form of ἄνθρωπος) men in the 21^st century. John didn’t use ἄρσενες (a form of ἄῤῥην) for instance, as Paul did when his intent was to distinguish male from human. But from the beginning of creation, Jesus said, he made them male (ἄρσεν, another form of ἄῤῥην) and female.^[3] And God made humankind (ἄνθρωπον, another form of ἄνθρωπος); according to divine image he made it; male (ἄρσεν, another form of ἄῤῥην) and female he made them.^[4]

Also the Greek word translated I have revealed was not a form of ἀποκαλύπτω but Ἐφανέρωσα (a form of φανερόω). So I think Jesus meant something more than calling God πάτερ, even something more than the mere fact that y^ehôvâh has a Father. Jesus revealed (ἐφανέρωσεν, another form of φανερόω) his glory^[5] by turning water to wine (John 2:1-11). He revealed (ἐφανέρωσεν, another form of φανερόω) himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias^[6] after he was raised from the dead^[7] by telling them where to cast their net to catch fish and by having a charcoal fire ready to prepare their breakfast (John 21:1-14). Jesus had revealed his Father’s name by demonstrating who the Father is by his own relationship to Him (John 14:8-10 NET).

Philip said, “Lord, show (δεῖξον, a form of δεικνύω) us the Father, and we will be content.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds.

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat ^[8] as they made their way,^[9] rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.^[10] We may misunderstand this story because we live in a different world. Most seed farmers sow today is dead, purchased from agribusinesses. It will not grow a crop that produces viable seed. We think it is wrong to walk through a farmer’s field to eat without payment the crop he purchased and labored over.

The grain Jesus’ disciples ate was alive, fully able to grow another crop and produce another harvest. It was from God who provides seed for the sower and bread for food,^[11] from God who said to Moses: When you go into the ripe grain fields of your neighbor you may pluck off the kernels with your hand, but you must not use a sickle on your neighbor’s ripe grain.^[12] But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”^[13]

They weren’t wrong (Exodus 16:4, 5; 20:8-11 NET):

Then the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them. Will they walk in my law or not? On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.”

Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord (y^ehôvâh, ליהוה) your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. For in six days the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

But Jesus defended his disciples’ from the Pharisees accusation by citing hunger as a commonly known exception: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry – how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest,^[14] took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any to eat but the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?”^[15]

His next argument might have been a bit more opaque to the Pharisees: Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty (ἀναίτιοι, a form of ἀναίτιος)?^[16] This becomes clearer with Peter’s teaching, one of the men to whom Jesus revealed his Father’s name (1 Peter 2:4-10 NET):

So as you come to [Jesus], a living stone rejected by men but chosen and priceless in God’s sight, you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and priceless cornerstone, and whoever believes (πιστεύων, a form of πιστεύω) in him will never be put to shame.” So you who believe (πιστεύουσιν, another form of πιστεύω) see his value, but for those who do not believe (ἀπιστοῦσιν, a form of ἀπιστέω), the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey (ἀπειθοῦντες, a form of ἀπειθέω; disbelieve) the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim (ἐξαγγείλητε, a form of ἐξαγγέλλω) the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Isaiah prophesied y^ehôvâh’s description of my chosen people as the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise (t^ehillâh, תהלתי; Septuagint: διηγεῖσθαι, a form of διηγέομαι) me.^[17] How we praise and proclaim Him is important. Are we filled with his own ἀρετὰς (a form of ἀρέτη; translated virtues), his love, his joy, his peace, his patience, his kindness, his goodness, his faithfulness, his gentleness and his self-control, or are we bitter and resentful as we grudgingly strive in our own strength to obey rules that others apparently ignore with impunity? Malachi prophesied (3:13-18 NET):

“You have criticized me sharply,” says the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה), “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord (y^ehôvih, יהוה) who rules over all? So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. In fact, those who challenge (bâchan, בחנו; Tanakh, tempt) God escape!’”

Then those who respected (yârêʼ, יראי) the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) spoke to one another, and the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected (yârêʼ, ליראי) the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) and honored his name. “They will belong to me,” says the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) who rules over all, “in the day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.”

I tell you that something greater than the temple is here,^[18] Jesus continued. I turn here to Hebrews, not as the thoughts of some anonymous disciple but, as the teaching that was foremost in Jesus’ mind between his resurrection and ascension (Hebrews 12:18-24 NET):

For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does.

If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent (ἀναιτίους, another form of ἀναίτιος),^[19] Jesus continued. Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. For this reason the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”^[20] It was not wrong to capitalize Son of Man, for Jesus certainly meant Himself, but clearly not Himself exclusively.

If I pay attention, He has given me a beautiful contrast between how the disobedient and unbelieving picture God and judge others according to their own image, and how the obedient and believing see Him. Actually everything Jesus said and did confronting the Pharisees and teachers of the law offers this contrast and reveals his Father’s name, but I’ll consider only one other slightly different example in this essay:

Matthew 15:21-28 (NET)

Mark 7:24-30 (NET)

After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

Matthew 15:21

After Jesus left there, he went to the region of Tyre.

Mark 7:24a

A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed (δαιμονίζεται, a form of δαιμονίζομαι)!” But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.” So he answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Matthew 15:22-24

When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but he was not able to escape notice.

Mark 7:24b

But she came and bowed down before him…

Matthew 15:25a

Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean (ἀκάθαρτον, a form of ἀκάθαρτος) spirit (πνεῦμα) immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet.

Mark 7:25

The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin.

Mark 7:26a

…and said, “Lord, help me!”

Matthew 15:25b

She asked him to cast the demon (δαιμόνιον) out of her daughter.

Mark 7:26b

He said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for…

Mark 7:27a

“It is not right (καλὸν, a form of καλός) to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” he said.

Matthew 15:26

…it is not right to take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.”

Mark 7:27b

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Matthew 15:27

She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Mark 7:28

Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you.”

Matthew 15:28a

Then he said to her, “Because you said this, you may go. The demon (δαιμόνιον) has left your daughter.”

Mark 7:29

And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Matthew 15:28b

She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon (δαιμόνιον) gone.

Mark 7:30

It is too easy to miss Jesus’ demonstration of his Father here. When I obsess about what He called the woman I miss that He said, Woman, your faith is great, and honored her request when she accepted his description of her as a dog. Mark described her socially and genealogically as Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. Matthew described her lost soul as a Canaanite (1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NET).

Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons (δαιμονίοις, a form of δαιμόνιον) and not to God [Table]. I do not want you to be partners with demons (δαιμονίων, another form of δαιμόνιον). You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons (δαιμονίων, another form of δαιμόνιον). You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons (δαιμονίων, another form of δαιμόνιον). Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?

The word translated pagans (εθνη, a form of ἔθνος) doesn’t occur in the parallel Greek of the NET online. It is found however in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority Text.

1 Corinthians 10:20 NET Parallel Greek	1 Corinthians 10:20 Stephanus Textus Receptus	1 Corinthians 10:20 Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι ἃ θύουσιν^[21] , δαιμονίοις καὶ οὐ θεῷ [θύουσιν]· οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς κοινωνοὺς τῶν δαιμονίων γίνεσθαι	αλλ οτι α θυει^[22] τα εθνη δαιμονιοις θυει και ου θεω ου θελω δε υμας κοινωνους των δαιμονιων γινεσθαι	αλλ οτι α θυει τα εθνη δαιμονιοις θυει και ου θεω ου θελω δε υμας κοινωνους των δαιμονιων γινεσθαι

After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes,^[23] y^ehôvâh commanded Moses to Speak unto the children of Israel.^[24] Moses knew Israel would not obey y^ehôvâh’s statutes and prophesied in song (Deuteronomy 32:16, 17 Tanakh):

They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations (tôʽêbah, בתועבת; Septuagint: βδελύγμασιν, a form of βδέλυγμα) did they provoke Him [Table]. They sacrificed unto demons (shed, לשדים; Septuagint: δαιμονίοις, a form of δαιμόνιον), no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not [Table].

With this fresh in my mind I get a better picture of what was going on: Jesus came to town and a demon worshiper complained to Him that her daughter was demon-possessed. It’s a vivid picture of the iniquity of the mother (in this case) being visited upon her daughter, whether we regard that visitation as punishment from God or the expected result of consorting with demons. Jesus fully intended to ignore the Canaanite woman because He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It is how He understood his mission from his Father. It is what He taught his disciples (Matthew 10:5-8 NET):

Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them as follows: “Do not go to Gentile (ἐθνῶν, another form of ἔθνος) regions and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

Could there be anything more cruel than casting out a demon from the daughter of a demon worshiper?

Matthew 12:43-45 (NET)

Luke 11:24-28 (NET)

“When an unclean (ἀκάθαρτον, a form of ἀκάθαρτος) spirit (πνεῦμα) goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it.

Matthew 12:43

“When an unclean (ἀκάθαρτον, a form of ἀκάθαρτος) spirit (πνεῦμα) goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any.

Luke 11:24a

Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.

Matthew 12:44

Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.

Luke 11:24b, 25

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits (πνεύματα, a form of πνεῦμα) more evil (πονηρότερα, a form of πονηρός) than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first.

Matthew 12:45a

Then it goes and brings seven other spirits (πνεύματα, a form of πνεῦμα) more evil (πονηρότερα, a form of πονηρός) than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Luke 11:26

It will be that way for this evil (πονηρᾷ, another form of πονηρός) generation as well!”

Matthew 12:45b

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!”

Luke 11:27

But he replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear (ἀκούοντες, a form of ἀκούω) the word of God and obey (φυλάσσοντες, a form of φυλάσσω) it!”

Luke 11:28

Jesus’ disciples couldn’t tolerate the woman’s loud persistence, so Jesus engaged her. Still she persisted. More to the point she accepted Jesus’ description of her as one of the dogs: She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” (The Pharisees by contrast wouldn’t even accept Jesus’ description of them as actors.^[25]) And so Jesus, contrary to his own understanding of his mission from the Father and his own teaching to his own disciples, healed the woman’s daughter because of this woman’s one simple act of faith, believing his description of her as a dog. Perhaps that faith would lead to more faith in more things Jesus taught and turn this Canaanite woman and her daughter from their faith in demons.

This all reminds me of y^ehôvâh’s repentance: And the LORD (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) repented (nâcham, וינחם; Septuagint: ἱλάσθη, a form of ἱλάσκομαι) of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.^[26] How can y^ehôvâh/Jesus repent of his own covenant, his own understanding or his own teaching, except by submitting his own will to that of his Father? Who is his Father?

God is love,^[27] wrote another of the men to whom Jesus revealed his Father’s name. Not, Love is god. This isn’t pagan worship of an idea or ideals achieved by human desire or exertion. It is rather a shorthand for the name of the Father Jesus revealed to his disciples by his every word and deed. Paul’s definition of love is the way He, in fact, loves and fills believers with Himself (1 Corinthians 13:1-8a NET):

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have God, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have God, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have God, I receive no benefit.

God is patient, God is kind, He is not envious. God does not brag, He is not puffed up. He is not rude, He is not self-serving, He is not easily angered or resentful. He is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. God never ends.

And Jesus said (Matthew 7:21-23; John 3:7; Matthew 12:33a NET):

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’ [Table] Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’

Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good…

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God,^[28] Paul wrote believers in Rome. The Gospel harmony I created to write this essay follows.

Matthew 12:1-8 (NET)

Mark 2:23-28 (NET)

Luke 6:1-5 (NET)

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath.

Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἐπορεύθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς σάββασιν διὰ τῶν σπορίμων

Matthew 12:1a

Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath…

Καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς σάββασιν |παραπορεύεσθαι| διὰ τῶν σπορίμων

Mark 2:23a

Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath…

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν σαββάτῳ διαπορεύεσθαι αὐτὸν διὰ σπορίμων

Luke 6:1a

His disciples were hungry…

οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπείνασαν

Matthew 12:1b

…and they began to pick heads of wheat…

καὶ ἤρξαντο τίλλειν στάχυας

Matthew 12:1c

…and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat…

καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἤρξαντο … τίλλοντες τοὺς στάχυας

Mark 2:23b

…and his disciples picked some heads of wheat…

καὶ ἔτιλλον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ … τοὺς στάχυας

Luke 6:1b

as they made their way.

ὁδὸν ποιεῖν

Mark 2:23c

…rubbed them in their hands…

ψώχοντες ταῖς χερσίν

Luke 6:1c

…and eat them.

καὶ ἐσθίειν

Matthew 12:1d

…and ate them.

καὶ ἤσθιον …

Luke 6:1d

But when the Pharisees saw this…

οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἰδόντες

Matthew 12:2a

…they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did…

εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ἰδοὺ οἱ μαθηταί σου ποιοῦσιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν ποιεῖν ἐν σαββάτῳ. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησεν Δαυὶδ

Matthew 12:2b, 3a

So the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did…

καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον αὐτῷ· ἴδε τί ποιοῦσιν τοῖς σάββασιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν; καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησεν Δαυὶδ

Mark 2:24, 25a

But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David did…

τινὲς δὲ τῶν Φαρισαίων εἶπαν· τί ποιεῖτε ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν τοῖς σάββασιν; καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς· οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀνέγνωτε ὃ ἐποίησεν Δαυὶδ

Luke 6:2, 3a

…when he was in need…

ὅτε χρείαν ἔσχεν

Mark 2:25b

…when he and his companions were hungry – how he entered the house of God…

ὅτε ἐπείνασεν καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ

Matthew 12:3b, 4a

…and he and his companions were hungry – how he entered the house of God…

καὶ ἐπείνασεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, |πῶς| εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ

Mark 2:25c, 26a

…when he and his companions were hungry – how he entered the house of God…

ὅτε ἐπείνασεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ [ὄντες], [ὡς] εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ

Luke 6:3b, 4a

…when Abiathar was high priest…

ἐπὶ Ἀβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως

Mark 2:26b

…took…

λαβὼν

Luke 6:4b

…and they ate the sacred bread, which was against the law…

καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγον, ὃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἦν

Matthew 12:4b

…and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law…

καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν, οὓς οὐκ ἔξεστιν

Mark 2:26c

…and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful…

καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως … ἔφαγεν … οὓς οὐκ ἔξεστιν

Luke 6:4c

…for him or his companions to eat…

αὐτῷ φαγεῖν οὐδὲ τοῖς μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ

Matthew 12:4c

…but only for the priests?

εἰ μὴ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν μόνοις

Matthew 12:4d

…for any but the priests to eat…

φαγεῖν εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἱερεῖς

Mark 2:26d

…for any to eat but the priests alone…

… φαγεῖν εἰ μὴ μόνους τοὺς ἱερεῖς

Luke 6:4d

…and also gave it to his companions?”

καὶ ἔδωκεν καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ οὖσιν

Mark 2:26e

…and gave it to his companions?”

καὶ ἔδωκεν τοῖς μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ

Luke 6:4e

Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

ἢ οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὅτι τοῖς σάββασιν οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τὸ σάββατον βεβηλοῦσιν καὶ ἀναίτιοι εἰσιν; λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι τοῦ ἱεροῦ μεῖζον ἐστιν ὧδε. εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν, οὐκ ἂν κατεδικάσατε τοὺς ἀναιτίους

Matthew 12:5-7

Then he said to them…

καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς

Mark 2:27a

Then he said to them…

καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς

Luke 6:5a

“The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. For this reason…

τὸ σάββατον διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐγένετο καὶ οὐχ ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὸ σάββατον· ὥστε

Mark 2:27b, 28a

For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

κύριος γάρ ἐστιν τοῦ σαββάτου ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

Matthew 12:8

…the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

κύριος ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ τοῦ σαββάτου.

Mark 2:28b

“The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

κύριος ἐστιν τοῦ σαββάτου ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

Luke 6:5b

To Make Holy, Part 5

Back to Who Am I? Part 8

Back to Hypocrisy

^[1] John 17:17 (NET)

^[2] John 17:6a (NET)

^[3] Mark 10:6 (NET) Table

^[4] Genesis 1:27 (NETS)

^[5] John 2:11b (NET)

^[6] John 21:1 (NET)

^[7] John 21:14b (NET)

^[8] Matthew 12:1a (NET)

^[9] Mark 2:23b (NET)

^[10] Luke 6:1b (NET)

^[11] 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NET)

^[12] Deuteronomy 23:25 (NET)

^[13] Matthew 12:2 (NET)

^[14] Mark 2:25, 26a (NET)

^[15] Luke 6:4b (NET)

^[16] Matthew 12:5 (NET)

^[17] Isaiah 43:20b, 21 (NET)

^[18] Matthew 12:6 (NET)

^[19] Matthew 12:7 (NET)

^[20] Mark 2:27, 28 (NET)

^[21] A form of θύω

^[22] θυει another form of θύω

^[23] Leviticus 18:3 (Tanakh) Table

^[24] Leviticus 18:2a (Tanakh)

^[25] Romans, Part 9; Romans, Part 10; Romans, Part 12; Romans, Part 26; Romans, Part 49; Romans, Part 60; Romans, Part 71; Romans, Part 83; Sowing to the Flesh, Part 2; My Deeds, Part 1

^[26] Exodus 32:14 (KJV)

^[27] 1 John 4:8b (NET)

^[28] Romans 8:14 (NET)

To Make Holy, Part 3

Posted on November 2, 2017 by admin

When I began to study the Bible I thought Paul wrote Hebrews.^[1] The more I studied, the more I began to know Paul’s other writings, the more I began to suspect that Paul did not write Hebrews. Someone who knew Paul and his writings must have written it. But I thought that Romans was the literary parent and Hebrews the literary child until Andrew Schlafly’s entry on Conservapedia—“Mystery: Did Jesus Write the Epistle to the Hebrews?”—flipped me out of the rut I was in.

It’s probably more prudent to say that the Holy Spirit flipped me out of my rut with Mr. Schlafly’s writing, but I want to be sure to share my gratitude with him since I reject his main point: “Jesus spent 40 days on Earth between the Resurrection and the Ascension, and it is implausible that He did not continue His ministry in an effective way. Writing (or distributing) an Epistle is most plausible activity, given what had transpired.”^[2] After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, the writer of Hebrews began, in these last days he has spoken to us in a son…^[3]

The words to us aren’t an artifact of translating Greek to English. It is ἡμῖν penned by the author. Did Jesus write that God spoke to Jesus in a son? The Son [who] is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and [who] sustains all things by his powerful word?^[4] The writer of Hebrews continued, so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.^[5] Did Jesus write that He was on earth writing Hebrews and sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high simultaneously? Or did He mean that He was someone distinct from this mysterious Son? “Sit on my right” the Septuagint reads. The author of Hebrews changed κάθου (a form of κάθημαι; second person present tense) to ἐκάθισεν (a form of καθίζω; third person past tense).

All in all it seems simpler to conclude that Jesus did not write Hebrews personally and that it was written after his ascension (Acts 1:9-11). But what has grabbed me and won’t let go is Mr. Schlafly’s insight: “this sermon appears identical to the sermon given by Jesus on the road to Emmaus…”^[6] I have carped at Cleopas and the other disciple^[7] almost every time I’ve read their story, “Don’t tell me how you felt. Who cares how you felt!? Tell me what He said!” I was utterly unable to hear Hebrews as Jesus’ teaching on the Emmaus road because I was stuck thinking it was a late development dependent upon Paul’s theology in Romans.

This “Epistle was written before any physical persecution of the disciples: ‘In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.’ (12:4) Stephen was martyred around A.D. 37, merely a few years after the Crucifixion of Jesus, so this Epistle was written before then.”^[8] Was Hebrews one of the scrolls or parchments Paul prized? Was it the literary parent of Romans?

I’ll approach the next occurrence of ἁγιάσῃ (a form of ἁγιάζω) with this possibility in mind, not hearing the scratching of Jesus’ pen perhaps, but listening for the teaching that was foremost in his mind during the forty days between his resurrection and ascension (Hebrews 13:9-16 NET):

Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them. We have an altar that those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat from. For the bodies of those animals whose blood the high priest brings into the sanctuary as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore, to sanctify (ἁγιάσῃ, a form of ἁγιάζω) the people by his own blood, Jesus also suffered outside the camp (πύλης; literally, gate). We must go out to him, then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he experienced. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Revelation 21:9-27). Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

To sanctify the people by his own blood, Jesus also suffered outside the camp. We must go out to him, then, outside (ἔξω) the camp (παρεμβολῆς, a form of παρεμβολή)… The anonymous author of “Sacrifice Outside the Camp” concluded: “So just as Christ went outside the camp, the readers are also to go outside the camp and thus bear reproach by abandoning the established fellowship and ordinances of Judaism.” That’s what I thought, too. In fact, I thought that would be the point of this essay when I thought Hebrews was a late development from the mind of some unknown disciple. Considering Hebrews as Jesus’ teaching during the forty days between his resurrection and ascension pushes me harder.

I assume that going out to Jesus, outside the camp, is a result of being sanctified by his own blood as opposed to its cause, though the NET translation (We must go out) of ἐξερχώμεθα (a form of ἐξέρχομαι; KJV: Let us go forth) sounds more like a prerequisite. Are we to go outside the Israelite camp only to join the Roman Catholic camp, the Greek Orthodox camp, the Lutheran camp, the Baptist camp, the Presbyterian camp, the Pentecostal camp or the name-your-favorite-religion camp? It got me thinking about y^ehôvâh.

He wasn’t a big fan of law or religion, at least it wasn’t his first choice. Yet, when he got down to it He spent a good deal of verbiage establishing a legal/religious category called outside (chûts, מחוץ) the camp (machăneh, למחנה), ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς in the Septuagint. It caused me to wonder if going outside the camp (see table below) meant anything more than trading in one legal/religious system for another.

I thought outside the camp was equivalent to not the camp. But outside the camp was as much a part of the Israelite camp as the Holy of Holies. It moved with Israel in total (or in part with its army). It was a place of execution (Leviticus 24:14, 23; Numbers 15:36). Or do you not know, Paul wrote the Romans, that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.^[9]

It was a place for the unclean (Leviticus 13:46; 14:3), including every leper, everyone who has a discharge (Deuteronomy 23:10), and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse^[10] (Numbers 5:3, 4). Those who are well don’t need a physician, Jesus answered the Pharisees, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.^[11]

Latrines were there outside the camp (Deuteronomy 23:12). If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials (σαρκί, a form of σάρξ), I have more, Paul wrote believers in Philippi: I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! – that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness – a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.^[12]

The bodies of Nadab and Abihu were carried off there (Leviticus 10:4, 5). In him you also were circumcised, Paul wrote the Colossians, not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ. Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead. And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.^[13]

But it was not a lawless place (Leviticus 17:3-5 NET).

Blood guilt will be accounted to any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp, but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to present it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people. This is so that the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the Lord.

Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.^[14] For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.^[15] Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.^[16]

It was a place of purification. The red heifer was slaughtered outside the camp (Numbers 19:3) and its ashes were kept there (Numbers 19:9). They must be kept for the community of the Israelites for use in the water of purification – it is a purification for sin.^[17] It was a way station for soldiers returning from battle (Numbers 31:19), the spoils of war (Numbers 31:11-13) and Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her^[18] (Joshua 6:23). Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel (NET note 46 Heb “in the midst of Israel”) to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.^[19]

For the grace of God has appeared, Paul wrote Titus, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.^[20]

It was above all else the place where the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a friend^[21] and where Joshua lived (Exodus 33:7-11 NET):

Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone seeking the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.

And when Moses went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand at the entrance to their tents and watch Moses until he entered the tent. And whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.

Just as the Father has loved me, Jesus said, I have also loved you; remain in my love. If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. This I command you – to love one another.^[22]

More than a geographical location or an institutional affiliation to go to Jesus outside the camp seems like a state of the believing heart and mind. The Spirit is the one who gives life, Jesus said, human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.^[23] To go to Jesus outside the camp is integrally associated with sanctification, but doesn’t appear to be something one does once, rather continually, maybe even progressively until like Joshua one resides there permanently. Jesus said (John 14:23-26 NET):

If anyone loves me, he will obey (τηρήσει, a form of τηρέω) my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. The person who does not love me does not obey (τηρεῖ, another form of τηρέω) my words. And the word you hear (ἀκούετε, a form of ἀκούω) is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me. I have spoken these things while staying with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.

Reference	NET	Hebrew – outside	Hebrew – the camp	Septuagint
Exodus 29:14	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Exodus 33:7	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Exodus 33:7	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 4:12	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 4:21	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 6:11	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 8:17	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 9:11	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 10:4	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 10:5	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 13:46	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 14:3	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 16:27	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 17:3	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 24:14	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Leviticus 24:23	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 5:3	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 5:4	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 15:35	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	Both are in verse 36
Numbers 15:36	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 19:3	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 19:9	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 31:13	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Numbers 31:19	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Deuteronomy 23:10	he must leave the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Deuteronomy 23:12	outside the camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Joshua 6:23	outside the…camp	מחוץ	למחנה	ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς

To Make Holy, Part 4

Back to Romans, Part 89

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 12