To Make Holy, Part 7

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.  Jesus prayed (John 17:9 NET):

I am praying on behalf of them.  I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you.

Translating ἐρωτῶ pray (KJV) at a time when I pray thee was a more natural way to make a request sounds different to my ear than I am praying today.  But now I ask (ἐρωτῶ, a form of ἐρωτάω) you, lady (not as if I were writing[2] a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning), that we love one another.[3]  Yes,[4] I say (ἐρωτῶ, a form of ἐρωτάω) also to you, true companion, help them.  They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.[5]  So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg (ἐρωτῶ, a form of ἐρωτάω) you, father—send Lazarus to my father’s house.[6]

Jesus’ request was made on behalf of those you have given me, those who understood and had actively received the words He gave them.  They were further designated here as belonging to the Father.  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, Jesus had said, and I will raise him up at the last day.[7]

Growing up it seemed natural for me to assume that these people (τοῖς ἀνθρώποις) were given to Jesus because God knew they would believe that He had sent Him, they would accept the words He gave to them and really understand that Jesus came from the Father.  And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.[8]

Now it seems just as natural to assume that they believed that God had sent Jesus, accepted the words He gave to them and really understood that He came from the Father because God predestined them to be conformed to the image of his SonAnd those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.[9]  This new assumption became natural as I heard Paul’s answer to his own rhetorical question: You will say to me then, “Why[10] does he still find fault?  For who has ever resisted his will (βουλήματι, a form of βούλημα)?”[11]

At first, I was so certain that Paul would (or should) mount a spirited defense of human desire and exertion, human faith and human obedience predicated on human willpower (θέλοντος, a form of θέλω), that I misunderstood his answer (Romans 9:20, 21 NET):

But who indeed are you—a mere human being—to talk back to God?  Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?”  Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?

Pastor J.D. Farag told a story about a woman who approached him at a conference:

She thanked me for the ABC’s of salvation.  She said, “I led my friend to Christ using the ABC’s of salvation.” 

And by the way, it’s not the only way.  It’s just a simple way.  If I can do it, you can do it.  It’s a simple way to share how to be saved. 

So she shares with me how that she was able to lead this friend to Christ.  And then after she got saved she went to church with her on a Sunday.  The very next day her husband murdered her and then killed himself. 

She’s with the Lord.  Maybe I’m just saying I’m never going to stop sharing the gospel and the ABC’s of salvation, because you just don’t know.

Though we called the “ABC’s of salvation” the “four spiritual laws,”[12] this story reminded me of my understanding growing up in church.  The woman’s faith in Christ made her a vessel for special use (KJV: vessel unto honour).  Her husband sealed his own fate as a vessel for ordinary use (KJV: unto dishonour) by murdering his wife and then killing himself.  (Had he lived he, too, may have repented and believed the four spiritual laws or the ABC’s of salvation.)  But behind these human desires and exertions[13] was another: the first woman’s decision to share the ABC’s of salvation with her friend and the nagging regret that she didn’t do so with her friend’s husband.  Though Pastor Farag didn’t go there, I remember fearing that one would answer for this failure and this lost soul at the judgment seat of Christ: Woe[14] to me if I do not preach the gospel![15]

With these beliefs Paul’s description of God as a potter with the right (ἐξουσίαν, a form of ἐξουσία) to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use seemed mostly irrelevant, if not altogether cruel or evil.  Paul continued (Romans 9:22-24 NET):

But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction?[16]  And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Before I could appreciate the consistency of Paul’s answer I needed to be persuaded that salvation was wholly a work of God—Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever[17]—not of human effort so that no one can boast.[18]  To perceive the wisdom of the Holy Spirit’s answer to Paul’s rhetorical question I needed much more persuasion that the righteousness revealed in the gospel, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ,[19] was a gift to be received, not a curse to endure as I mourned the lost “joys” and past “glories” of sin, or chafed at those around me who still “enjoyed” their sins.

Let’s face it, I needed a radical renewing of my mind before I could appreciate how God’s right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel (σκεῦος) for special use and another for ordinary use (ἀτιμίαν, a form of ἀτιμία) is the rationale for a salvation that begins with the temporary housing of an entirely new creation within sinful condemned flesh (2 Corinthians 5:17; 4:7; 1 Corinthians 15:42b-44a).

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come![20]

But we have this treasure in clay jars (σκεύεσιν, another form of σκεῦος), so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor (ἀτιμίᾳ), it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

It bears mentioning that though the NET translators seemed to distinguish between a vessel for special use, objects of wrath or mercy and clay jars, all are forms of σκεῦος.

Reference NET KJV Greek
Romans 9:21 one vessel for special use one vessel unto honour σκεῦος
Romans 9:22 objects of wrath vessels of wrath σκεύη, a form of σκεῦος
Romans 9:23 objects of mercy vessels of mercy σκεύη, a form of σκεῦος
2 Corinthians 4:7 clay jars earthen vessels σκεύεσιν, another form of σκεῦος

Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, Jesus’ prayer continued, and I have been glorified by them.[21]  The KJV reads: And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified (δεδόξασμαι, a form of δοξάζω) in them.[22]  I’m reasonably convinced that the translators of the KJV assumed that Jesus referred still to the men you gave[23] me out of the world.[24]  Before I studied σκεῦος I was less sure that was the NET translators’ assumption.  The addition of the word thing (Everything) reminded me of a song we sang when I was young:

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,

The wealth in every mine;

He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,

The sun and stars that shine.

Wonderful riches, more than tongue can tell –

He is my Father so they’re mine as well;

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills –

I know that He will care for me.

Now I can see that this listing of wealth was intended as a demonstration of God’s ability to care for me.  I didn’t understand it that way then.  As a child of the King I thought I was supposed to believe that He would express his care for me as a share of that wealth.  I can’t say how often I actually believed that versus how often I thought it was just wishful thinking.  It did set the tone, what I thought I should believe, if and when I tried to be a “true” believer.  He worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator[25] may be a fair characterization of my religious youth.

Paul amplified how Jesus could be glorified by or in those who “really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me[26] (2 Corinthians 3:1b-3 NET):

We[27] don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we?[28]  You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone, revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.

Paul contrasted the glory of the ministry of the law to that of the ministry of the Spirit (διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος), describing the former as the ministry that produced death (διακονία τοῦ θανάτου; KJV: ministration of death) or the ministry that produced condemnation (διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως; KJV: ministration of condemnation), and the latter as the ministry that produces righteousness (διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης; KJV: ministration of righteousness):

But if the ministry that produced death—carved in letters on stone tablets—came with glory (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα), so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses[29] because of the glory (δόξαν, another form of δόξα) of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), how much more glorious (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα) will the ministry of the Spirit be?  For if there was glory (δόξα) in the[30] ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in[31] glory (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα)!  For indeed, what had been glorious (δεδοξασμένον, another form of δοξάζω) now has no[32] glory (δεδόξασται, another form of δοξάζω) because of[33] the tremendously greater glory (δόξης, another form of δόξα) of what replaced it.  For if what was made ineffective came with glory (δόξης, another form of δόξα), how much more has what remains come in glory (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα)![34]

I am no longer in the world, Jesus continued, but they[35] are in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that[36] you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.[37]  The KJV reads: keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.  These appear to be the extremes of translating the same Greek text in the former verse to keep consistent with the differences in the next verse:

John 17:12 (NET)

John 17:12 (KJV)

When I was with them I kept them safe and[38] watched over them in your name that[39] you have given me.  Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled. While I was with them in the world,[40] I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

The singular pronoun (NET: that) was rendered that you have given me and was assumed to refer to your name, where the plural pronoun ους (KJV: those) was translated those that thou gavest me and was assumed to refer to the people God gave to Jesus.  I’ll begin to consider the lost son of perdition in another essay.  The point here as far as I’m concerned was that Jesus asked his Father to give the Holy Spirit to those who accepted Jesus’ words (John 17:13 NET):

But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves.

Jesus’ joy was χαρὰν (a form of χαρά) in Greek.  But the fruit of the Spirit isjoy (χαρὰ).[41]  The oneness He asked for those who believed that God had sent Jesus, accepted the words He gave to them and really understood that He came from the Father because God predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son, comes through this same indwelling Holy Spirit, as each is led to acknowledge (Galatians 2:20, 21 NET):

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

A note (39) in the NET indicated that Romans 9:20b was a quote from Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9.  Tables comparing the English translations from the Masoretic text and Septuagint follow:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint
Isaiah 29:16 (Tanakh) Isaiah 29:16 (NET) Isaiah 29:16 (NETS)

Isaiah 29:16 (Elpenor English)

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Your thinking is perverse!  Should the potter be regarded as clay?  Should the thing made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?  Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”? Shall you not be regarded as the potter’s clay?  Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not form me,” or the thing made to the one who made it, “You made me with no understanding”? Shall ye not be counted as clay of the potter? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Thou didst not form me? or the work to the maker, Thou hast not made me wisely?

Masoretic Text

Septuagint
Isaiah 45:9 (Tanakh) Isaiah 45:9 (NET) Isaiah 45:9 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:9 (Elpenor English)

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger, one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground!  The clay should not say to the potter, “What in the world are you doing?  Your work lacks skill!” What better thing have I formed like potter’s clay?  Shall the plowman plow the earth?  Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing, since you are not working, nor do you have hands”? What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the potter? Will the ploughman plough the earth all say? shall the clay say to the potter, What art thou doing that thou dost not work, nor hast hands? shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?

I compared the Greek of Romans 9:20b to Isaiah 29:16b below:

Romans 9:20b (NET Parallel Greek)

Isaiah 29:16b (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 29:16b (Septuagint Elpenor)

μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως μὴ ἐρεῗ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι αὐτό· οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας; ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι· οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας

Romans 9:20b (NET)

Isaiah 29:16b (NETS)

Isaiah 29:16b (English Elpenor)

Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not form me,” or the thing made to the one who made it, “You made me with no understanding”? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Thou didst not form me? or the work to the maker, Thou hast not made me wisely?

Tables comparing Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables of 2 John 1:5; Philippians 4:3; Romans 9:19; 1 Corinthians 9:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 3:1; 3:7; 3:9, 10 and John 17:11, 12 comparing the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 29:16 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 29:16 (KJV)

Isaiah 29:16 (NET)

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Your thinking is perverse!  Should the potter be regarded as clay?  Should the thing made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?  Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?

Isaiah 29:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 29:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε μὴ ἐρεῗ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι αὐτό· οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας; ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι· οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας

Isaiah 29:16 (NETS)

Isaiah 29:16 (English Elpenor)

Shall you not be regarded as the potter’s clay?  Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not form me,” or the thing made to the one who made it, “You made me with no understanding”? Shall ye not be counted as clay of the potter? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Thou didst not form me? or the work to the maker, Thou hast not made me wisely?

Isaiah 45:9 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 45:9 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:9 (NET)

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger, one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground!  The clay should not say to the potter, “What in the world are you doing?  Your work lacks skill!”

Isaiah 45:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:9, 10a (Septuagint Elpenor)

ποῗον βέλτιον κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως μὴ ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μὴ ἐρεῗ ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῗ τί ποιεῗς ὅτι οὐκ ἐργάζῃ οὐδὲ ἔχεις χεῗρας Ποῖον βέλτιον κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως; μὴ ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν; μὴ ἐρεῖ ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῖ· τί ποιεῖς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐργάζῃ οὐδὲ ἔχεις χεῖρας μὴ ἀποκριθήσεται τὸ πλάσμα πρὸς τὸν πλάσαντα αὐτό

Isaiah 45:9 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:9 (English Elpenor)

What better thing have I formed like potter’s clay?  Shall the plowman plow the earth?  Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing, since you are not working, nor do you have hands”? What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the potter? Will the ploughman plough the earth all say? shall the clay say to the potter, What art thou doing that thou dost not work, nor hast hands? shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?

2 John 1:5 (NET)

2 John 1:5 (KJV)

But now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning), that we love one another. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

καὶ νῦν ἐρωτῶ σε, κυρία (οὐχ ὡς ἐντολὴν |καινὴν| γράφων σοι  ἀλλὰ ἣν εἴχομεν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς), ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους και νυν ερωτω σε κυρια ουχ ως εντολην γραφω σοι καινην αλλα ην ειχομεν απ αρχης ινα αγαπωμεν αλληλους και νυν ερωτω σε κυρια ουχ ως εντολην γραφων σοι καινην αλλα ην ειχομεν απ αρχης ινα αγαπωμεν αλληλους

Philippians 4:3 (NET)

Philippians 4:3 (KJV)

Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them.  They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ναὶ ἐρωτῶ καὶ σέ, γνήσιε σύζυγε, συλλαμβάνου αὐταῖς, αἵτινες ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ συνήθλησαν μοι μετὰ καὶ Κλήμεντος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συνεργῶν μου, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς. και ερωτω και σε συζυγε γνησιε συλλαμβανου αυταις αιτινες εν τω ευαγγελιω συνηθλησαν μοι μετα και κλημεντος και των λοιπων συνεργων μου ων τα ονοματα εν βιβλω ζωης ναι ερωτω και σε συζυγε γνησιε συλλαμβανου αυταις αιτινες εν τω ευαγγελιω συνηθλησαν μοι μετα και κλημεντος και των λοιπων συνεργων μου ων τα ονοματα εν βιβλω ζωης

Romans 9:19 (NET)

Romans 9:19 (KJV)

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault?  For who has ever resisted his will?” Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault?  For who hath resisted his will?

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Ἐρεῖς μοι οὖν τί [οὖν] ἔτι μέμφεται; τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκεν ερεις ουν μοι τι ετι μεμφεται τω γαρ βουληματι αυτου τις ανθεστηκεν ερεις ουν μοι τι ετι μεμφεται τω γαρ βουληματι αυτου τις ανθεστηκεν

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NET)

1 Corinthians 9:16 (KJV)

For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I am compelled to do this.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ γάρ μοί ἐστιν ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίσωμαι εαν γαρ ευαγγελιζωμαι ουκ εστιν μοι καυχημα αναγκη γαρ μοι επικειται ουαι δε μοι εστιν εαν μη ευαγγελιζωμαι εαν γαρ ευαγγελιζωμαι ουκ εστιν μοι καυχημα αναγκη γαρ μοι επικειται ουαι δε μοι εστιν εαν μη ευαγγελιζωμαι

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις· τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδοὺ γέγονεν καινά ωστε ει τις εν χριστω καινη κτισις τα αρχαια παρηλθεν ιδου γεγονεν καινα τα παντα ωστε ει τις εν χριστω καινη κτισις τα αρχαια παρηλθεν ιδου γεγονεν καινα τα παντα

2 Corinthians 3:1 (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:1 (KJV)

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?  We don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we? Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Ἀρχόμεθα πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάνειν; μὴ χρῄζομεν ὥς τινες συστατικῶν ἐπιστολῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐξ ὑμῶν αρχομεθα παλιν εαυτους συνιστανειν ει μη χρηζομεν ως τινες συστατικων επιστολων προς υμας η εξ υμων συστατικων αρχομεθα παλιν εαυτους συνιστανειν ει μη χρηζομεν ως τινες συστατικων επιστολων προς υμας η εξ υμων συστατικων

2 Corinthians 3:7 (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:7 (KJV)

But if the ministry that produced death—carved in letters on stone tablets—came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην ει δε η διακονια του θανατου εν γραμμασιν εντετυπωμενη εν λιθοις εγενηθη εν δοξη ωστε μη δυνασθαι ατενισαι τους υιους ισραηλ εις το προσωπον μωσεως δια την δοξαν του προσωπου αυτου την καταργουμενην ει δε η διακονια του θανατου εν γραμμασιν εντετυπωμενη εν λιθοις εγενηθη εν δοξη ωστε μη δυνασθαι ατενισαι τους υιους ισραηλ εις το προσωπον μωυσεως δια την δοξαν του προσωπου αυτου την καταργουμενην

2 Corinthians 3:9, 10 (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:9, 10 (KJV)

For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

εἰ γὰρ |τῇ| διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει ἡ διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης δόξῃ ει γαρ η διακονια της κατακρισεως δοξα πολλω μαλλον περισσευει η διακονια της δικαιοσυνης εν δοξη ει γαρ η διακονια της κατακρισεως δοξα πολλω μαλλον περισσευει η διακονια της δικαιοσυνης εν δοξη
For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης και γαρ ουδε δεδοξασται το δεδοξασμενον εν τουτω τω μερει ενεκεν της υπερβαλλουσης δοξης και γαρ ου δεδοξασται το δεδοξασμενον εν τουτω τω μερει ενεκεν της υπερβαλλουσης δοξης

John 17:11, 12 (NET)

John 17:11, 12 (KJV)

I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.  Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰσίν, καγὼ πρὸς σὲ ἔρχομαι. πάτερ ἅγιε, τήρησον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι σου δέδωκας μοι, ἵνα ὦσιν ἓν καθὼς ἡμεῖς και ουκ ετι ειμι εν τω κοσμω και ουτοι εν τω κοσμω εισιν και εγω προς σε ερχομαι πατερ αγιε τηρησον αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ους δεδωκας μοι ινα ωσιν εν καθως ημεις και ουκετι ειμι εν τω κοσμω και ουτοι εν τω κοσμω εισιν και εγω προς σε ερχομαι πατερ αγιε τηρησον αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ω δεδωκας μοι ινα ωσιν εν καθως ημεις
When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that you have given me.  Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ὅτε ἤμην μετ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐγὼ ἐτήρουν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι σου δέδωκας μοι, καὶ ἐφύλαξα, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπώλετο εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ οτε ημην μετ αυτων εν τω κοσμω εγω ετηρουν αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ους δεδωκας μοι εφυλαξα και ουδεις εξ αυτων απωλετο ει μη ο υιος της απωλειας ινα η γραφη πληρωθη οτε ημην μετ αυτων εν τω κοσμω εγω ετηρουν αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ους δεδωκας μοι εφυλαξα και ουδεις εξ αυτων απωλετο ει μη ο υιος της απωλειας ινα η γραφη πληρωθη

[1] John 17:17 (NET)

[2] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had γράφων here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had γραφω (KJV: wrote).

[3] 2 John 1:5 (NET)

[4] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ναὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had και (KJV: And).

[5] Philippians 4:3 (NET)

[6] Luke 16:27 (NET)

[7] John 6:44 (NET)

[8] Romans 8:28, 29 (NET)

[9] Romans 8:30 (NET)

[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὖν (not translated in the NET) following Why.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[11] Romans 9:19 (NET)

[12] “In 1952, [Bill Bright] wrote The Four Spiritual Laws, an evangelistic Christian tract.  In the booklet he outlines his view of the essentials of the Christian faith concerning salvation. It is summarized as four spiritual laws or principles that govern what he sees as human beings’ relationship with God.  The booklet ends with a prayer of repentance.”

[13] I think the fact that this woman attended church once before she died gave Pastor Farag the confidence to assume that she had truly Admitted she was a sinner, really Believed that Jesus is Lord and fully intended to Call (ἐπικαλέσηται, a form of ἐπικαλέω) upon Him; and so he said, “She’s with the Lord.”

So then, it does not depend on human desire (θέλοντος, a form of θέλω) or exertion (τρέχοντος, a form of τρέχω), but on God who shows mercy (Romans 9:16 NET).  [W]e must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run (τρέχωμεν, another form of τρέχω) with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1b, 2a NET).  [F]or the one bringing forth in you both the desire (θέλειν, another form of θέλω) and the effort (ἐνεργεῖν, a form of ἐνεργέω)—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God (Philippians 2:13 NET).

[14] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γάρ (not translated in the NET) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: yea)

[15] 1 Corinthins 9:16b (NET)

[16] NET note 44: Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizō) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

[17] Matthew 6:13b (NASB) Table

[18] Ephesians 2:9b (NET)

[19] Romans 3:22a (NET) Table

[20] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τα παντα (KJV: all things) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[21] John 17:10 (NET)

[22] John 17:10 (KJV)

[23] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔδωκας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δεδωκας (KJV: gavest).

[24] John 17:6a (NET) Table

[25] Romans 1:25 (NET)

[26] John 17:8b (NET)

[27] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had (not translated in the NET) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ει (KJV: or).

[28] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had συστατικων (KJV: commendation) repeated here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[29] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Moses was spelled Μωϋσέως, and μωσεως in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[30] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τῇ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had η.

[31] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[32] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had οὐ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had ουδε.

[33] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἵνεκεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ενεκεν (KJV: by reason of).

[34] 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 (NET)

[35] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτοὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτοι (KJV: these).

[36] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the singular pronoun here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the plural ους (KJV: those).

[37] John 17:11 (NET)

[38] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καὶ here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[39] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the singular pronoun here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural ους (KJV: those).

[40] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν τω κοσμω (KJV: in the world) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[41] Galatians 5:22a (NET) Table

A Door of Hope, Part 1

The essay Jedidiah, Part 1 was written days before I began to compare Old Testament quotations in the New Testament to the Septuagint, and years before I checked all of the Masoretic text against the Septuagint.  I thought of Achan’s confession as the door or opportunity of/for hope promised in Hosea, and related it to John’s letter (1 John 1:5-2:2 NET Table):

Now this is the gospel (NET note 13) message (NET note 14) 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.  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 (ὁμολογῶμεν, a form of ὁμολογέω) 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.

Revisiting the essay to make Old Testament comparison tables I discovered that the Septuagint was a bit different.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint
Hosea 2:15 (Tanakh) Hosea 2:15 (NET) Hosea 2:15 (NETS)

Hosea 2:17 (Elpenor English)

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope.”  There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt. And from there I will give her her estates and the valley of Achor, to open up her understanding.  And there she will be brought low as in the days of her infancy and as in the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt. And I will give her possessions from thence, and the valley of Achor to open her understanding: and she shall be afflicted there according to the days of her infancy, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

As I began the word studies for this essay I heard a sermon (Hebrews 6:4-6 NET):

For it is impossible (Ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt.

The preacher wanted to comfort his hearers, persuading them they were not of this kind.  He described the kind of person the writer intended.  It was a fairly accurate description of my life, except that I can’t recall having tastedthe miracles of the coming age before I became an atheist.  I realized, especially in retrospect, that the Holy Spirit wanted to focus my attention on the fact that I had been renewed again to repentance, but I began to wonder if that renewal might be suspect.

I imagined standing before Jesus.  He determined that for the sake of the veracity of Hebrews 6:4-6 it would be best if I spent eternity in the lake of fire.  I was disappointed but willing that his word be true: Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail[1] when you are judged.”[2]  That reaction, so uncharacteristic of the old human (παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον; Ephesians 4:22-24), calmed my suspicions about my renewed repentance for the moment.  I also recalled, but didn’t study, for God all things are possible.  I will consider it more thoroughly here (Matthew 19:23-26 NET):

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!  Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”  The[3] disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?”  Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for mere humans, but for God all things are[4] possible (δυνατά, a form of δυνατός).”

And again (Mark 10:27 NET):

Jesus[5] looked at them and replied, “This is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for mere humans, but not for God;[6] all things are[7] possible (δυνατὰ, a form of δυνατός) for God.”

Though my main concern is the contrast between human ἀδύνατον and God’s δυνατὰ, I’ll consider the context here a moment.  My Dad told me the story of a small night gate in Jerusalem called “The Needle’s Eye,” but he never showed me any pictures of it.  The NET note (32) explained:

The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (Although the story of a small gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” has been widely circulated and may go back as far as the middle ages, there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26) intervenes.

The difficulty a camel would have passing through The Needle’s Eye—“stooped and…its baggage removed”—reinforces Jesus’ point about divesting oneself of (excess?) possessions (ὑπάρχοντα), while the fantastical image of a camel passing through the eye of a sewing needle distracts the rich (and anyone else) from taking Him seriously.  Others disagree.  But no one of means wants to hear, If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the[8] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.[9]  Then come, follow me.[10]

Anyway, I left on a road trip without studying the problem that nagged at me directly.  As I drove I began to think about the preacher who taught on Hebrews 6:4-6.  In another sermon he had made a fairly serious interpretation mistake, making his own point rather than that of the Scripture.  My mind began to argue against his right to confront me with Hebrews 6:4-6.  I turned on the radio to drown out my thoughts.  Aside from being unloving and unkind, ad hominem arguments aren’t an effective bolster to faith.

What little time I had for study I devoted to לפתח (pethach), translated διανοῖξαι (a form of διανοίγω) in the Septuagint (Table2 below).  I was a little embarrassed that it had just occurred to me to search forms of διανοίγω in the Septuagint to see what Hebrew words they translated in the Masoretic text.  I wanted to finish the table and move on.  The unattended challenge of Hebrews 6:4-6 continued to fester.

While the idea of spending eternity in the lake of fire was unpleasant, it was made bearable if I could face it with Jesus, sustained by his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  But I define the lake of fire as the place where the omnipresent God is not.  If Jesus ripped his Holy Spirit from me, though I wouldn’t be left with anything I care very much about, I realized in a long sleepless night that I really didn’t want to spend eternity there.  I began to question the nature and validity of my renewed repentance again.

In the morning it all seemed like a trick to get me frustrated or angry so I would run off, abandon Jesus and live in sin.  Heaven or hell aside, I want to be done with sin.  It’s not good for me or anyone around me.  I began to wonder if my renewed repentance was part of God’s eternal punishment for crucifying the Son of God for [myself] all over again and holding him up to contempt: He gave me this brief taste of eternal life only to snatch his Spirit away at the most inopportune moment.

I deserve it, no question about that, but it doesn’t sound like God to me (John 3:16-18 NET):

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his[11] one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his[12] Son into the world to condemn (κρίνῃ, a form of κρίνω) the world, but that the world should be saved through him.  The one who believes in him is not condemned (κρίνεται, another form of κρίνω).  The one who does not believe has been condemned (κέκριται, another form of κρίνω) already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

To think of God’s love (ἠγάπησεν, a form of ἀγαπάω) as primarily a feeling,[13] a kind of affection for the world, confuses the Scripture.  God’s feeling for the world is very clear from the beginning, in the Masoretic text (Table3 below) at least:[14] The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.[15]  Unlike the Billy Joel song God doesn’t pretend to “want you just the way you are.”[16]

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  He delivered us [who have faith in Christ Jesus] from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves (ἀγάπης, a form of ἀγάπη), in whom we have redemption,[17] the forgiveness of sins.[18]  For this is the way God loved the world: those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image (εἰκόνος, a form of εἰκών) of his Son,[19] that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.[20]  “Sit at my right hand,” He promised the Son he loves, “until I put your enemies under your feet”’?[21]  All of this is the grace of God received through faith, the faith (πίστις) that is an aspect of the fruit of his Holy Spirit; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.[22]

Jesus is the way God loved the world, not because of a positive emotion but because God is love (ἀγάπη).[23]  God (ἀγάπη) is patient, God (ἀγάπη) is kind, He is not envious.  God (ἀγάπη) 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.  He (ἀγάπη) never ends.[24]  For this is the way God loved—and demonstrated his joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control[25] to—the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 

I had a week between work assignments.  It was more convenient to drive to my mother’s house than all the way back to my own home.  On the drive I began to wonder: if Jesus snatched his Spirit from me, would the new human (καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; Ephesians 4:22-24) cling to his Holy Spirit and bid the chaff of the old human godspeed and good riddance into the lake of fire?  I finally decided that this obsession with Jesus snatching his Holy Spirit from me needed to be confronted directly.  I planned to look into ἀδύνατον, the Greek word translated impossible in Hebrews 6:4, during the week I spent with my mother.

For God achieved what the law could not (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) do, Paul wrote believers in Rome, because it was weakened (ἠσθένει, a form of ἀσθενέω) 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.[26]

In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath, so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for God to lie.[27]

This proved to be the dull spot in my sword of the Spirit.  I was uncertain whether the infinitive ἀνακαινίζειν (to renew) was impossible for God as well as for human beings.  That’s why I had difficulty resting even as the Holy Spirit drew me back to the fact that I had been renewed to repentance.  But the writer of Hebrews was not shy about stating explicitly that something was impossible for God when the Holy Spirit meant that something was impossible for God.  What is impossible (ἀδύνατα, another form of ἀδύνατος) for mere humans, Jesus said according to Luke’s Gospel narrative, is possible (δυνατὰ, a form of δυνατός) for God.[28]

I’ll quote the final occurrences of ἀδύνατον for completeness: For it is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.[29]  Now without faith it is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.[30]

It would have been much easier to have taken the few moments this study required in the first place rather than face a week of nagging uncertainty.  I’ll trust that this essay will serve as a preface to the word studies to come in A Door of Hope.

Tables comparing Hosea 2:15 and Genesis 6:6 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Hosea 2:15 (2:17) and Genesis 6:6 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  Following those are tables comparing Romans 3:4; Matthew 19:25, 26; 19:21; Mark 10:27; John 3:16, 17; Colossians 1:14 and 1 Corinthians 13:8 in the NET and KJV.

Hosea 2:15 (Tanakh)

Hosea 2:15 (KJV)

Hosea 2:15 (NET)

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope.”  There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt.

Hosea 2:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 2:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ δώσω αὐτῇ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῆς ἐκεῗθεν καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα Αχωρ διανοῗξαι σύνεσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐκεῗ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας νηπιότητος αὐτῆς καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναβάσεως αὐτῆς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ δώσω αὐτῇ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῆς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα ᾿Αχὼρ διανοῖξαι σύνεσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐκεῖ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας νηπιότητος αὐτῆς καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναβάσεως αὐτῆς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.

Hosea 2:15 (NETS)

Hosea 2:17 (English Elpenor)

And from there I will give her her estates and the valley of Achor, to open up her understanding.  And there she will be brought low as in the days of her infancy and as in the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt. And I will give her possessions from thence, and the valley of Achor to open her understanding: and she shall be afflicted there according to the days of her infancy, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

Genesis 6:6 (Tanakh)

Genesis 6:6 (KJV)

Genesis 6:6 (NET)

And it repented HaShem that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.

Genesis 6:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 6:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ διενοήθη καὶ ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ διενοήθη

Genesis 6:6 (NETS)

Genesis 6:6 (English Elpenor)

then God considered that he had made humankind on the earth, and he thought it over. then God laid it to heart that he had made man upon the earth, and he pondered [it] deeply.

Romans 3:4 (NET)

Romans 3:4 (KJV)

Absolutely not!  Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.” God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

μὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, |καθὼς| γέγραπται ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαι σε μη γενοιτο γινεσθω δε ο θεος αληθης πας δε ανθρωπος ψευστης καθως γεγραπται οπως αν δικαιωθης εν τοις λογοις σου και νικησης εν τω κρινεσθαι σε μη γενοιτο γινεσθω δε ο θεος αληθης πας δε ανθρωπος ψευστης καθως γεγραπται οπως αν δικαιωθης εν τοις λογοις σου και νικησης εν τω κρινεσθαι σε

Matthew 19:25, 26 (NET)

Matthew 19:25, 26 (KJV)

The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο σφόδρα λέγοντες· τίς ἄρα δύναται σωθῆναι ακουσαντες δε οι μαθηται αυτου εξεπλησσοντο σφοδρα λεγοντες τις αρα δυναται σωθηναι ακουσαντες δε οι μαθηται αυτου εξεπλησσοντο σφοδρα λεγοντες τις αρα δυναται σωθηναι
Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.” But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἐμβλέψας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο ἀδύνατον ἐστιν, παρὰ δὲ θεῷ πάντα δυνατά εμβλεψας δε ο ιησους ειπεν αυτοις παρα ανθρωποις τουτο αδυνατον εστιν παρα δε θεω παντα δυνατα εστιν εμβλεψας δε ο ιησους ειπεν αυτοις παρα ανθρωποις τουτο αδυνατον εστιν παρα δε θεω παντα δυνατα εστιν

Matthew 19:21 (NET)

Matthew 19:21 (KJV)

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.” Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησον σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δὸς [τοῖς] πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι εφη αυτω ο ιησους ει θελεις τελειος ειναι υπαγε πωλησον σου τα υπαρχοντα και δος πτωχοις και εξεις θησαυρον εν ουρανω και δευρο ακολουθει μοι εφη αυτω ο ιησους ει θελεις τελειος ειναι υπαγε πωλησον σου τα υπαρχοντα και δος πτωχοις και εξεις θησαυρον εν ουρανω και δευρο ακολουθει μοι

Mark 10:27 (NET)

Mark 10:27 (KJV)

Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.” And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἐμβλέψας αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ παρὰ θεῷ· πάντα γὰρ δυνατὰ παρὰ |τῷ| θεῷ εμβλεψας δε αυτοις ο ιησους λεγει παρα ανθρωποις αδυνατον αλλ ου παρα τω θεω παντα γαρ δυνατα εστιν παρα τω θεω εμβλεψας δε αυτοις ο ιησους λεγει παρα ανθρωποις αδυνατον αλλ ου παρα θεω παντα γαρ δυνατα εστιν παρα τω θεω

John 3:16, 17 (NET)

John 3:16, 17 (KJV)

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾿ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου

Colossians 1:14 (NET)

Colossians 1:14 (KJV)

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν εν ω εχομεν την απολυτρωσιν δια του αιματος αυτου την αφεσιν των αμαρτιων εν ω εχομεν την απολυτρωσιν δια του αιματος αυτου την αφεσιν των αμαρτιων

1 Corinthians 13:8 (NET)

1 Corinthians 13:8 (KJV)

Love never ends.  But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει· εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται· εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται· εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται η αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει ειτε δε προφητειαι καταργηθησονται ειτε γλωσσαι παυσονται ειτε γνωσις καταργηθησεται η αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει ειτε δε προφητειαι καταργηθησονται ειτε γλωσσαι παυσονται ειτε γνωσις καταργηθησεται

[1] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had νικήσεις in the future tense and indicative mood here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had νικησης in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood (KJV: mightest overcome).  For reference purposes all agree on δικαιωθῇς (NET: will be justified; KJV: mightest be justified) in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood.

[2] Romans 3:4 (NET)

[3] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου (KJV: his) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[4] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εστιν (KJV: is/are) repeated here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[5] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And Jesus) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[6] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article τω preceding God.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[7] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the verb of being εστιν here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[8] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the article τοῖς here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[9] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the plural οὐρανοῖς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the singular ουρανω.

[10] Mathew 19:21 (NET)

[11] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[12] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[13] When Jesus met Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, for the first time (Luke 7:36-50), He told his host, Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved (ἠγάπησεν, a form of ἀγαπάω) much; but the one who is forgiven little loves (ἀγαπᾷ, another form of ἀγαπάω) little (Luke 7:47 NET).  There is no way I can look at this story and say that the meaning of ἀγαπάω excludes the complex layering of emotions Mary felt, though Jesus focused primarily on what she did to him (Luke 7:44-46).  Crying over, kissing and anointing, Jesus’ feet may have flowed directly from Mary’s emotions, though Jesus said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (John 6:44a NET).

I thought my love and gratitude for Jesus’ salvation were supposed to lead to a life of obedience.  My love and gratitude weren’t up to the task.  His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, the fruit of his Holy Spirit, received by faith, is turning the tide.  His love [not my emotions] is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10b NET).  Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:20, 21 NET).

[14] The Septuagint is less clear (Table4 above).

[15] Genesis 6:6 (NET)

[16]Just the Way You Are

[17] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δια του αιματος αυτου (KJV: through his blood) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.  NET note 26.

[18] Colossians 1:13, 14 (NET)

[19] He is the image (εἰκὼν) of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation… (Colossians 1:15 NET)

[20] Romans 8:29 (NET)

[21] Matthew 22:44b (NET) Table

[22] Ephesians 2:9 (NET)

[23] 1 John 4:8b (NET)

[24] 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NET)  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πίπτει here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εκπιπτει (KJV: faileth).

[25] Galatians 5:22, 23a (NET) Table

[26] Romans 8:3, 4 (NET) Table

[27] Hebrews 6:17, 18 (NET) Table

[28] Luke 18:27 (NET)

[29] Hebrews 10:4 (NET) Table

[30] Hebrews 11:6 (NET)