Romans 2:17-24 Romans: Romans 2:17-Three Jewish Privileges As we have been noting in our study of Romans chapter two, this chapter contains twelve principles regarding God’s judgment of mankind. The twelfth and final principle of divine judgment is contained in Romans 2:17-29, namely, that God judges according to reality and without regard of racial background or religious profession. The Jews erroneously, presumptuously and arrogantly thought that they would enter the kingdom of heaven because of their racial background as Jews and circumcision as well as the privileges that God had given to them such as possessing the Law given to Moses. In Romans 2:17-29, Paul destroys their false security, which was based upon six privileges God had given to them: (1) Security in their Racial Heritage: “Jew” (Romans 2:17) (2) Security in Being the Recipients of the Law: “Rely upon the Law” (Romans 2:17) (3) Security in their Relationship with God Obtained through the Covenant Promises to the Patriarchs: “Boast in God” (Romans 2:17). (4) Security in their Knowledge of the Will of God Obtained through the Law: “Know His will” (Romans 2:18). (5) Security in their Awareness of Spiritual Essentials that they Obtained through the Law: “Approve the things that are essential” (Romans 2:18). (6) Security in Being Instructed out of the Law: “Being instructed out of the Law” (Romans 2:18). These privileges did not produce obedience in the Jews but rather arrogance towards their relationship with the Gentiles. This arrogance was manifested in four pretensions according to Paul in Romans 2:19-20. A “pretension” is the laying of a claim to something, a claim to dignity, importance or merit. In Romans 2:19-20, the apostle Paul lists four Jewish pretensions that were in response to the privileges listed in Romans 2:17-18: (1) They believed they were a guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles: “Are confident that you yourselves are a guide to the blind” (Romans 2:19). (2) They believed they were a light to the Gentiles who were in spiritual darkness: “A light to those who are in darkness” (Romans 2:19). (3) They believed they were instructors of the foolish Gentiles: “A corrector of the foolish” (Romans 2:20). (4) They believed they were teachers of the spiritually immature: “A teacher of the immature” (Romans 2:20). In Romans 2:17, the apostle Paul presents three privileges that were three reasons for Jewish pride and self-righteousness: (1) “If you bear the name ‘Jew’”: They were the elect nation of God (Romans 2:17a). (2) “Rely upon the Law”: They felt secure because they were given the Law (Romans 2:17b). (3) “Boast in God”: They bragged about their specific favor and relationship with God (Romans 2:17c). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Romans 2:17, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God.” “But” is the “transitional” use of the post-positive conjunction de (deV), which introduces a new topic of discussion, transitioning from Paul’s teaching in Romans 2:11-16 to his teaching concerning the failure of the Jews to live up to the revelation and privileges given to them by God in Romans 2:17-29. In Romans 2:1-16, Paul, without naming his opponent, establishes the principles of divine judgment by which the Jew is clearly condemned, thus the Jews are as guilty as the pagan Gentiles and will likewise receive the wrath of God. Then, the conjunction de in Romans 2:17 introduces a new paragraph in which Paul explicitly addresses the self-righteous unregenerate Jew explaining to them how the Law condemns them, thus they should not possess confidence in the fact that as a race and nation, they were given the Law through Moses. Therefore, this conjunction is actually introducing a new paragraph and should be translated “now,” which the New American Standard fails to do and yet the New International Version does. In Romans 2:1-16, Paul addressed his Jewish readers as indicated in that his discussion of the Law in Romans 2:12-16 would have been more meaningful to a Jew than to a Gentile since the Law was given to the Jew. Also, in Romans 2:17, Paul addresses the reader as “a Jew,” which would be a strange way to address his readers if in the first half of the chapter he were addressing Gentiles. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul referred to the Gentiles in the third person meaning “they” or “them” but in Romans 2, he does not use the third person. If he were addressing directly the Roman Christians, he would have used the second person plural meaning “all of you” but in Romans 2, he does not. Rather, Paul employs a literary style called “diatribe” in which the writer attempts to get his point across by engaging in an imaginary debate with a student or opponent. This style involves posing frequent questions to his conversation partner or by the conversation partner as well as emphatic rejections of possible objections to a line of argument using me genoito, “may it never be!” and the direct address of one’s conversation partner or opponent. Therefore, if Paul is not speaking to the Gentiles or the Roman Christians, then he must be addressing the Jews. Also, in Romans 2, Paul is using the figure of “apostrophe,” which is a rhetorical figure in which a speaker or writer suddenly stops in his discourse and turns to address pointedly some person or thing, either present or absent. In Romans 2, Paul suddenly stops in his discourse from addressing the conduct of the heathen Gentiles to addressing pointedly the self-righteous Jew. In Romans 2:1-3:8, the apostle Paul will address the sin of the Jews and will do so in three stages: (1) Without naming his opponent, but establishes the principles 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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of divine judgment by which the Jew is clearly condemned, thus the Jews are as guilty as the pagan Gentiles and will likewise receive the wrath of God (Romans 2:1-16). (2) Paul explains how the Law condemns (2:17-29). (3) Paul adds a parenthetical response to possible misconceptions of what he has said (3:1-8). Therefore, we can see that the first paragraph in this section that deals with the Jews need for salvation like the Gentiles is contained in Romans 2:1-16. Thus, we can see that the conjunction de in Romans 2:17 introduces a new paragraph and explicitly addresses the self-righteous unregenerate Jew explaining to them how the Law condemns them. In Romans 3:9-10, Paul summarizes his statements made in Romans 2:1-3:8 that he has made clear that God has declared not only the Gentile guilty but also He has declared the Jew guilty before Him and thus is in need of salvation like the Gentile. In the first paragraph of this section in Romans 2:1-3:8, Paul taught the following: In Romans 2:1, Paul addresses the self-righteous attitude of the Jews towards the Gentiles and in the process presents the first of twelve principles regarding the judgment of God, namely, that they will be judged according to the standards which they set for the Gentiles. Then, in Romans 2:2, Paul presents a second principle of divine judgment, namely, that God judges men according to truth. The third principle of divine judgment appears in Romans 2:3, which contends that God’s judgment is inescapable. Next, in Romans 2:4, we have the fourth principle that God’s judgment is delayed because of His kindness, tolerance and patience towards men in desiring that they might be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. The fifth principle appears in Romans 2:5 and states that God’s judgment is measured out according to the accumulation of guilt. The sixth principle of divine judgment appears in Romans 2:6, which is that God judges men according to their works. The seventh principle is that man reaps what he sows in the sense that obedience to God on the part of the believer results in rewards whereas disobedience on the part of the unbeliever results in eternal condemnation (Romans 2:7-10). Romans 2:7 teaches that according to the believer’s perseverance, which produces work that is divine in quality, he will be rewarded with glory, honor and immorality at the Bema Seat by the Lord for diligently and tenaciously pursuing eternal life, i.e. Christ-likeness. In Romans 2:8, the apostle Paul teaches that the unbeliever who is motivated by inordinate selfish ambition and disobeys the truth while obeying unrighteousness will be the recipient of God’s righteous indignation at the Great White Throne Judgment of all unbelievers throughout history. Romans 2:9 teaches that in addition to being the recipient of the righteous indignation of 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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God, the unbeliever, whether Jew or Gentile will also receive tribulation and distress of soul for rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior. In Romans 2:10, Paul teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ will reward the believer who produces divine good with glory, honor and peace at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church. The eighth principle of divine judgment appears in Romans 2:11 and deals with the fact that God judges mankind without respect to persons because He is impartial. In Romans 2:12, the apostle Paul presents an illustration of this principle by teaching that the Gentiles are condemned without being exposed to the written form of the moral code of the Mosaic Law since they have it written in their hearts by God and is manifested through the function of the conscience of man. Also, the Gentile will receive eternal condemnation because they rejected God’s revelation of Himself in creation. Romans 2:12 teaches that the Gentile is condemned without the Law and the Jew is condemned under the Law whereas Romans 2:13 teaches that only the doers and not the hearers of the Law will be justified before God. In Romans 2:13, Paul continues the illustration of God’s impartiality that he began in Romans 2:12 by noting that the doers of the Law and not the hearers of the Law will be justified in the sense of being approved by God. Therefore, the ninth principle of divine judgment emerges in Romans 2:12-13, which is that God judges according to obedience and not knowledge. Then, we studied the tenth principle, which appears in Romans 2:14-15, and states that God judges men in direct proportion to the divine revelation that they have been exposed to in life. Romans 2:14 teaches that the Gentiles inherently possess a law that is manifested when they obey the principles that appear in written form of the Mosaic Law. Romans 2:15 teaches that the manifestation of the inherent law of the Gentiles is through the function of the conscience. The paragraph concludes with Romans 2:16, which presents the eleventh principle that God will condemn the secret selfish motives of unregenerate mankind through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the conjunction de in Romans 2:17 begins a new paragraph continuing Paul’s teaching concerning the sin of the Jews and their need for salvation and the righteousness of God, which is received as a gift of God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The conjunction introduces a new paragraph in which Paul explains how the Law condemns the Jew rather than provides them salvation (2:17-29). Romans 2:17, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God.” Next, we will note that the apostle Paul uses a first class conditional sentence, which he introduces with the conditional particle ei (ei)) (i), “if.” The conditional 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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sentence in ancient Greece was used as a debater’s technique to win a debate regardless of the side you took. It was the technique of the premise and conclusion, dating back 2500 years ago. The premise is called the “protasis” and the conclusion is called the “apodasis.” The “protasis” is the cause that states the supposition or the premise whereas the “apodasis” is the cause that states the conclusion derived from the premise. If the logic between the premise and the conclusion is accurate and correct, the debater makes his point and wins his debate regardless of which side he takes. Winning a debate does not mean that the truth wins. Winning a debate to the Greeks was one of the greatest pleasures and they were more interested in great debates than anything else. The key to this debating technique is the selection of a premise that suits you, which results in the conclusion necessary to win the debate. Conditional sentences can be defined “structurally” or “semantically.” “Structurally” a conditional sentence has two parts: (1) an “if” part and (2) a “then” part. “If” is the protasis and “then” is the apodosis. “Semantically,” conditions can be defined semantically in terms of the overall construction as well as the individual components. There is often a tacit assumption that the protasis of a condition indicates the cause and the apodosis tells the effect, however, this is not the only relation the two can have. Actually, there are three basic relations that a protasis can have to an apodosis: (1) Cause-effect (2) Evidence-inference (3) Equivalence. The first relation the two parts can have is that of cause and effect: “If” = cause; “then” = effect. An example of cause and effect would be, “If you put your hand in the fire, you will get burned.” The second relation the protasis can have to the apodosis is that of ground, or evidence, to inference in which the speaker infers something (the apodosis) from some evidence meaning he makes an induction about the implications that a piece of evidence suggests to him. An example of evidence and inference would be, “If she has a ring on her left hand, then she’s married.” The third relation the two parts can have to one another is one of equivalence meaning: “If A, then B” means the same thing as “A = B.” An example of equivalence would be, “If you are Henry’s son, then Henry is your father.” The “apodosis” is grammatically independent, but semantically dependent. That is, it can stand on its own as a full-blown sentence (e.g., “If I die, I die”), but it depends for its “factuality” on the fulfillment of the protasis (“If he wins this race, he’ll be the new champion”). On the other hand, the “protasis” is grammatically dependent, but semantically independent, which means, that it does not form a complete thought (“If I go swimming tomorrow, I’ll catch a cold”), but its fulfillment is independent of whether the apodosis is true.

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Only the protasis is the conditional element, that is, the contingency lies with the “if,” not the “then.” If the protasis is fulfilled, the apodosis is also fulfilled. As far as it is presented, although sometimes the apodosis may be true without the protasis being true, the apodosis must be true when the protasis is true. That is to say, as far as portrayal is concerned, if the protasis is fulfilled, the apodosis is true. Thus, “If you put your hand in the fire, you will get burned” is saying that if you fulfill the condition, the consequence is true. Conditional statements refer to the “portrayal of reality” rather than to reality itself. However, within these parameters the following can be said: (1) If A, then B [not =] if B, then A (the converse not necessarily true). (2) If A, then B [not =] if non-A, then non-B (reverse not necessarily false) (3) If A, then B does not deny if C then B (condition not necessarily exclusive or condition not necessarily causal). There are two ways to convey a conditional sentence: (1) Implicitly: without formal structural markers (e.g. ei or an). (2) Explicitly: with a formal structural marker (e.g. ei or an). Sometimes there is an incomplete condition where there may be an absence of either the protasis or the apodasis, which is a form of ellipsis or aposiopesis and is common to all languages. Wallace lists the following types of conditional sentences (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament): (1) 1st Class Condition: Assumed true for arguments sake. (2) 2nd Class Condition: Contrary to Fact (3) 3rd Class Condition: Uncertain of fulfillment, but still likely to occur (4) 4th Class Condition: Possible condition in the future, usually a remote possibility. A.T. Robertson has termed these four kinds of conditional sentences as follows: (1) Reality (Determined as fulfilled): Assumes the condition to be a reality and the conclusion follows logically and naturally from that assumption. (2) Unreality (Determined as Unfilled): The premise is assumed to be contrary to fact. The thing itself may be true, but it is treated as untrue. (3) Probability (Undetermined, but with the Prospect of Determination): Uses in the condition clause the mode of expectation, the subjunctive. It is not determined as is true of the 1st and 2nd class conditions. (4) Possibility (Remote Prospect of Determination): Uses optative in the protasis denoting that the condition is undetermined with less likelihood of determination than is true of the 3rd class with the subjunctive. He states, “The point about all four classes to note it that the form of the condition has to do only with the statement, not with the absolute truth or certainty of the matter…We must distinguish always therefore between the fact and the statement of fact. The conditional sentence deals only with the statement” (A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research page 1005). Supposition from the viewpoint of reality: (1) The protasis of a condition may present one fact as conditioning another. (2) In one form of condition there is nothing implied as to whether or not this fact actually exists. (3) This we call the 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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simple condition. (4) In another form of condition it is implied that this fact has not been realized, and therefore does not exist. This we call contrary to fact condition. Supposition from the viewpoint of probability: (1) The protasis may imply that the fact suggested as a condition is a probability. (2) Sometimes it is implied that there is considerable probability of its fulfillment. This we call the more probable future condition. Again the protasis may not contain any special implication of the fulfillment of the condition, viewing it merely as a possibility. This we call the less probable future condition. Thus we find that there are four classes of conditional sentences: (1) 1st class condition: Premise as a supposition from the viewpoint of reality, or premise based on fact. (2) 2nd class condition: Premise, which is contrary to fact. (3) 3rd class condition: Premise which is more probable future, premise of probability. (4) 4th class condition: Premise of less probability in a future condition often the information contained in the premise is a wish without any implication. The apodasis may have any tense, any mode and may be the following: (1) Statement (2) Prediction (3) Command (4) Prohibition (5) Suggestion (6) Question. Hence the apodasis may be in the: (1) Indicative (2) Subjunctive (3) Imperative. Wallace makes the following comments regarding the 1st Class Condition (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament), he writes, “The first class condition indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument. The normal idea, then, is if-and let us assume that this is true for the sake of argument-then….This class uses the particle eij with the indicative (in any tense) in the protasis. In the apodosis, any mood and any tense can occur. This is a frequent conditional clause, occurring about 300 times in the NT. There are two views of the first class condition that need to be avoided. First is the error of saying too much about its meaning. The first class condition is popularly taken to mean the condition of reality or the condition of truth. Many have heard this from the pulpit: ‘In the Greek this condition means since.’ This is saying too much about the first class condition. For one thing, this view assumes a direct correspondence between language and reality, to the effect that the indicative mood is the mood of fact. For another, this view is demonstrably false for conditional statements: (a) In apparently only 37% of the instances is there a correspondence to reality (to the effect that the condition could be translated since) (b) Further, there are 36 instances of the first class condition in the NT that cannot possibly be translated since. The force of the indicative mood, when properly understood, lends itself to the notion of presentation of reality. In the first class condition the conditional particle turns such a presentation into a supposition. This does not mean that the condition is true or means since! But it does mean that as far as the portrayal is concerned, the point of the argument is based on the assumption of reality. First, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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even in places where the argument is apparently believed by the speaker, the particle eij should not be translated ‘since.’ Greek had several words for since, and the NT writers were not opposed to using them (e.g., ejpeiv, ejpeidhv). There is great rhetorical power in if. To translate eij as since is to turn an invitation to dialogue into a lecture. Often the idea seems to be an encouragement to respond, in which the author attempts to get his audience to come to the conclusion of the apodosis (since they already agree with him on the protasis). It thus functions as a tool of persuasion. Second, how can we tell whether a speaker would actually affirm the truth of the protasis? Context, of course, is the key, but a good rule of thumb is to note the apodosis: Does the logic cohere if both protasis and apodosis are true? Often when a question is asked in the apodosis, the author does not embrace the truth of the protasis. These are only simple guidelines. Where in doubt, check the broader context. Not infrequently conditional sentences are used rhetorically in a way that goes beyond the surface structure. Hence, on one level the structure might indicate one thing, but on another level, an entirely different meaning is in view. For example, suppose a mother says to her child, ‘If you put your hand in the fire, you'll get burned.’ We could analyze the condition on a structural or logical level. These ought not to be ignored. But the pragmatic meaning of the statement is, ‘Don't put your hand in the fire!’ It is, in effect, a polite command, couched in indirect language. Wallace makes the following comments regarding the 2nd Class Condition (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament), he writes, “The second-class condition indicates the assumption of an untruth (for the sake of argument). For this reason it is appropriately called the ‘contrary to fact’ condition (or the unreal condition). It might be better to call it presumed contrary to fact, however, since sometimes it presents a condition that is true, even though the speaker assumes it to be untrue (e.g., Luke 7:39). In the protasis the structure is eij + indicative mood with a secondary tense (aorist or imperfect usually). The apodosis usually has a)n (but some examples lack this particle), and a secondary tense in the indicative mood. There are about 50 examples of the second-class condition in the NT. There are two types of second-class conditions: present contrary-to-fact and past contrary-to-fact. The present contrary-to-fact condition uses the imperfect in both the protasis and apodosis. It refers to something that is not true in the present time (from the speaker’s portrayal). A typical translation would be If X were … then Y would be (as in ‘If you were a good man, then you would not be here right now’). The past contrary-to-fact uses the aorist in both the protasis and apodosis. It refers to something that was not true in the past time (from the speaker’s portrayal). A typical translation would be If X had been …

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then Y would have been (as in ‘If you had been here yesterday, you would have seen a great game’). Wallace makes the following comments regarding the 3rd Class Condition (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament), he writes, “The third class condition often presents the condition as uncertain of fulfillment, but still likely. There are, however, many exceptions to this. It is difficult to give one semantic label to this structure, especially in Hellenistic Greek (note the discussion below). The structure of the protasis involves the particle ejan v followed by a subjunctive mood in any tense. Both the particle (a combination of eij and the particle a)n) and the subjunctive give the condition a sense of contingency. The apodosis can have any tense and any mood. This is a common category of conditional clauses, occurring nearly 300 times in the NT. The third class condition encompasses a broad semantic range: (a) a logical connection (if A, then B) in the present time (sometimes called present general condition), indicating nothing as to the fulfillment of the protasis; (b) a mere hypothetical situation or one that probably will not be fulfilled; and (c) a more probable future occurrence. Technically, the subjunctive is used in the third class condition as well as the fifth class condition. Structurally, these two are virtually identical: The fifth class condition requires a present indicative in the apodosis, while the third class can take virtually any mood-tense combination, including the present indicative. Semantically, their meaning is a bit different. The third class condition encompasses a broad range of potentialities in Koine Greek. It depicts what is likely to occur in the future, what could possibly occur, or even what is only hypothetical and will not occur. In classical Greek the third class condition was usually restricted to the first usage (known as more probable future), but with the subjunctive’s encroaching on the domain of the optative in the Hellenistic era, this structural category has expanded accordingly. The context will always be of the greatest help in determining an author’s use of the third class condition. The fifth class offers a condition the fulfillment of which is realized in the present time. This condition is known as the present general condition. For the most part this condition is a simple condition; that is, the speaker gives no indication about the likelihood of its fulfillment. His presentation is neutral: ‘If A, then B.’ Because of the broad range of the third class condition and the undefined nature of the fifth class, many conditional clauses are open to interpretation. But for the most part, the present general condition addresses a generic situation in the present time (broadly speaking), while the more probable future addresses a specific situation in the future time. Wallace makes the following comments regarding the 4th Class Condition (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament), he writes, “The fourth class condition indicates a possible condition in the future, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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usually a remote possibility (such as if he could do something, if perhaps this should occur). The protasis involves eij + the optative mood. The optative is also used in the apodosis along with a)n (to indicate contingency). Because of the increasing use of the subjunctive and decreasing use of the optative in Hellenistic Greek, it should come as no surprise that there are no complete fourth-class conditions in the NT. Sometimes the conditional clause is mixed, with a nonoptative in the apodosis (e.g., Acts 24:19). On two other occasions, there is an apodosis, but a verbless one (1 Pet 3:14, 17). On other occasions, no apodosis is to be supplied, the protasis functioning as a sort of stereotyped parenthesis (e.g., 1 Cor 14:10; 15:37). The semantic significance of the fourth class condition, even though it is never complete in the NT, must not be overlooked. As we have pointed out, the subjunctive has increasingly encroached on the domain of the optative in Koine Greek, Thus, the subjunctive’s semantic domain has broadened. But this does not mean that there is overlap in both directions; the optative still functions within its more narrow confines. This is due to the principle that when an author chooses the rarer form (in this case, the optative), he does so consciously. In Romans 2:17, the apostle Paul employs the first class condition, which indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument. He conveys the first class condition “explicitly” employing the conditional particle ei, “if” with the indicative mood of the verb eponomazo (e)ponomavzw) (ep-on-om-ad-zo), “bear the name” in order to introduce the protasis, which appears in Romans 2:17-20. However, the apodasis appears in Romans 2:21-23 in the form of five rhetorical questions and is introduced by the inferential use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), “therefore.” In Romans 2:17-23, the basic relation that the protasis has to the apodasis is “evidence-inference.” The apostle Paul infers in the apodasis of Romans 2:21-23 that the self-righteous Jew does not live up to the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew, which he presents as evidence in the protasis in Romans 2:17-20. Dan Wallace makes the following insightful comment regarding first class condition statement, he writes, “There are two views of the first class condition that need to be avoided. First is the error of saying too much about its meaning. The first class condition is popularly taken to mean the condition of reality or the condition of truth. This is saying too much about the first class condition. For one thing, this view assumes a direct correspondence between language and reality, to the effect that the indicative mood is the mood of fact. For another, this view is demonstrably false for conditional statements: (a) In apparently only 37% of the instances is there a correspondence to reality (to the effect that the condition could be translated since). (b) Further, there are 36 instances of the first class condition in the NT that cannot possibly be translated since. This can be seen especially with two opposed conditional statements. Because of the compelling evidence that the 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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first class condition does not always correspond to reality, some scholars have assumed that it is just a simple condition. This view goes back to a classical scholar, W. W. Goodwin: ‘When the protasis simply states a particular supposition, implying nothing as to the fulfillment of the condition, it has the indicative with eij.’ The first class condition, in this view, is sometimes called the ‘simple condition,’ ‘condition of logical connection,’ or ‘neutral condition.’ One might call this the ‘undefined condition’ in that nothing can be said about the reality of the supposition. But this view says too little. At bottom, it assumes a point of meaning for a syntactical structure, ignores the mood used (the indicative means something), and makes no distinction between the various conditions. All conditions can be said to make a logical connection between the two halves This is the nature of conditions in general, not just the first class condition. The question is not how little the first class condition says, but how much. What are its distinctives? The force of the indicative mood, when properly understood, lends itself to the notion of presentation of reality. In the first class condition the conditional particle turns such a presentation into a supposition. This does not mean that the condition is true or means since! But it does mean that as far as the portrayal is concerned, the point of the argument is based on the assumption of reality” (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament) Therefore, the idea behind the first class condition in Romans 2:17 is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument, then...” This would encourage Paul’s Jewish audience to respond and come to the conclusion of the apodosis since they already agreed with him on the protasis. Therefore, Paul is employing the first class condition as a tool of persuasion with his Jewish audience. Therefore, in Romans 2:17-23, Paul is in effect saying, “if-and let us assume that this is true for the sake of argument you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, then you, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” We will translate the conditional particle ei, “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument.”

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Therefore, we can see that in the protasis, which appears in Romans 2:17-20, Paul presents his premise, listing six privileges of the Jews: (1) Security in their Racial Heritage: “Jew” (Romans 2:17) (2) Security in Being the Recipients of the Law: “Rely upon the Law” (Romans 2:17) (3) Security in their Relationship with God Based upon the Covenant Promises Made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: “Boast in God” (Romans 2:17). (4) Security in their Knowledge of the Will of God Obtained through the Law: “Know His will” (Romans 2:18). (5) Security in their Awareness of Spiritual Essentials that they Obtained through the Law: “Approve the things that are essential” (Romans 2:18). (6) Security in Being Instructed out of the Law: “Being instructed out of the Law” (Romans 2:18). Paul’s premise also included a list of four pretensions that were in response to the six privileges: (1) They believed they were a guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles: “Are confident that you yourselves are a guide to the blind” (Romans 2:19). (2) They believed they were a light to the Gentiles who were in spiritual darkness: “A light to those who are in darkness” (Romans 2:19). (3) They believed they were instructors of the foolish Gentiles: “A corrector of the foolish” (Romans 2:20). (4) They believed they were teachers of the spiritually immature: “A teacher of the immature” (Romans 2:20). Paul’s Jewish audience would totally agree with his statements in Romans 2:1718 in which he lists six privileges that the Jews received from God and would give him no argument on. They would also agree with his statements in Romans 2:1920 in which he lists the attitude of superiority that the Jews had towards their relationship with the Gentiles and they would not give Paul an argument on these as well. However, in Romans 2:21-23, Paul presents five rhetorical questions that expose Jewish hypocrisy. Thus, revealing to the Jews through persuasion that even though they were a privileged race and nation, they had not lived up to these privileges and responsibilities and were therefore, no better than the Gentiles whom they thought they were superior to. Paul describes the Jews’ privileged status in Romans 9:1-5. Romans 9:1-5, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” In Philippians 3, Paul describes his pre-salvation distinctions as a Jew and then describes in his post-salvation attitude towards them.

2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Philippians 3:1-14, “From now on, my brothers, all of you begin rejoicing and continue doing so because of the Lord: writing these same things for all of you is in fact never bothersome for me but safe for all of you. Beware of those dogs, beware of those evil workers, beware of the mutilation because we are the circumcision those who are serving (God the Father) by means of the Spirit of God, who are priding themselves in the nature of Christ Jesus, who have no confidence in the flesh. Although I myself having confidence in the flesh, if anyone of the same race (i.e., Jewish) claims to have confidence in the flesh and some claim to have confidence in the flesh, I more. With respect to circumcision: eighth day, descended from the nation of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew speaking parents), legalistically: a Pharisee, zealously persecuting the church, self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably! Nevertheless, what pre-salvation distinctions were assets for me, these I have come to regard as a liability because of the Christ. Furthermore in fact, yes without a doubt, I continue to regard each today as a liability because of the incomparable knowledge pertaining to Christ Jesus, my Lord because of whom I have renounced all of them, even regarding all of them as piles of excrement in order that I might gain Christ-likeness. So that I might be identified with Him, not by possessing my own legalistic righteousness, but rather faithful Christ-likeness, the divine righteousness based upon doctrine that I come to know Him experientially and the power from His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings by my becoming like Him with respect to His death. If somehow (by becoming like Him with respect to His death), I may attain to the exit-resurrection, namely, the one out from the (spiritually) dead ones. (I am) not (saying) that I have already achieved this, or I have already been brought to completion, but rather I am sprinting, if (by sprinting) I also may have captured the prize for which I also have been captured by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not evaluate myself to have captured the prize, but I am in fact continually concentrating on one thing, namely, by forgetting the past and by extending myself forward towards the future, bearing down upon the objective. I am sprinting towards the finish line for the prize, which is God the Father’s invitation to privilege residing in the Person of Christ Jesus.” Romans 2:17, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God.” “You” is the nominative (subject) 2nd person singular personal pronoun su (suv), which emphasizes that Paul is addressing the self-righteous Jew in this new paragraph since in Romans 1:1-17, Paul uses the 2nd person plural to address the Roman believers and when referring to the Gentiles he uses the third person plural, thus through the process of elimination we know that Paul is speaking to the Jew. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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“Bear the name” is the 2nd person singular present middle indicative form of the verb eponomazo (e)ponomavzw) (ep-on-om-ad-zo), which is a compound word composed of the preposition epi, “upon, over,” and the verb onomazo, “to give a name, call,” thus the word literally means, “to apply a name to, surname, call by name, to classify oneself by means of a name.” The present tense is a “gnomic present,” which describes something as true “any” time and “does” take place. Therefore, the “gnomic” present of the verb eponomazo describes the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as identifying themselves with the designation “Jew” as something that “does” take place among them. The middle voice is a “direct” middle meaning that the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob act upon themselves by calling themselves Jews. The indicative mood is a “conditional” indicative meaning that it is used with the conditional particle ei, “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument” in order to form a first class conditional statement, which is the assumption of truth for the sake of argument. We will translate the verb eponomazo, “do identify yourself by the name.” “Jew” is the proper name Ioudaios ( )Ioudai~o$) (ee-oo-dah-yos), which refers to those members of the human race who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and members of the nation of Israel and thus, denotes nationality distinguishing the Jew from the Gentile. There are three titles used in Scripture for the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: (1) Hebraios ( E ( brai€o$) (heb-rah-yos), “Hebrew” (2) Ioudaios ( )Ioudai~o$) (ee-oo-dah-yos), “Jew” (3) Israelite (’Israhlivth$) (is-rah-ale-ee-tace), “Israelite.” The first title, “Hebrew” distinguishes a Hebrew-speaking Jew from a Greekspeaking one and this is illustrated by Paul when describing his pre-salvation distinctions in Philippians 3:5. Philippians 3:4-5, “Although I myself having confidence in the flesh, if anyone of the same race (i.e., Jewish) claims to have confidence in the flesh and some claim to have confidence in the flesh, I more. With respect to circumcision: eighth day, descended from the nation of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew speaking parents), legalistically: a Pharisee, zealously persecuting the church, self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably! Nevertheless, what pre-salvation distinctions were assets for me, these I have come to regard as a liability because of the Christ.” The second title, “Jew” distinguishes a Jew from a Gentile and denotes nationality, which Paul applies here to his audience in Romans 2:17.

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The third title, “Israelite” speaks of the fact that the Jew is a member of a theocracy and is the heir of the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name was later changed by the Lord to “Israel.” Paul employs this term in Romans 11:1. Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” Prior to the first century, the most common terms used for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were “Hebrew” and “Israelite.” However, by the first century, the term “Jew” had become the most common designation for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “Jew” is from “Judah,” (“praise”) and was one of the twelve tribes descended from Jacob’s son Judah and was also a designation for the southern half of Solomon’s kingdom after his death. From the time of the Babylonian captivity, the whole race bore this title. James Orr commenting on the term, writes, “‘Jew’ denotes originally an inhabitant of Judah (2 Kings 16:6 applies to the two tribes of the Southern Kingdom), but later the meaning was extended to embrace all descendants of Abraham. In the Old Testament the word occurs a few times in the singular. (Esther 2:5; 3:4, Jeremiah 34:9; Zechariah 8:23); very frequently in the plural in Ezra and Nehemiah, Esther, and in Jeremiah and Daniel. The adjective in the Old Testament applies only to the ‘Jews language’ or speech (2 Kings 18:26, 28 parallel Nehemiah 13:24; Isaiah 36:11, 13). ‘Jews’ (always plural) is the familiar term for Israelites in the Gospels (especially in John), Acts, Epistles, etc. ‘Jewess’ occurs in 1 Chronicles 4:18; Acts 16:1; 24:24. In Titus 1:14 note a warning is given against ‘Jewish fables’ (in Greek the adjective is found also in Galatians 2:14). The "Jews' religion" (Ioudaismos) is referred to in Galatians 1:13-14. (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia) Our corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:17: “Now, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument-you do identify yourself by the name ‘Jew.’” So we see that the first privilege listed by Paul that the Jews placed their confidence in to gain them entrance into the kingdom of heaven was their racial heritage as designated by the term “Jew.” The use of this term “Jew” expresses the Jews’ self-righteousness and arrogant pride and attitude of superiority over the Gentile nations. The Jews thought arrogantly and presumptuously that their racial background would provide them security from receiving eternal condemnation. Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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John the Baptist addressed the self-righteous attitude of the Jew who thought their racial background and relationship to Abraham would guarantee their entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 3:5-9, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’ Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ;We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” The Lord Jesus Christ also addressed this self-righteous attitude of the Jews. Matthew 8:11-12, “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” John 8:34-45, “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.’ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father. They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham.’ But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father. They said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.’ Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.” Romans 2:17, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God.” “And” is the “connective” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which connects the first privilege that the Jews prided themselves in and found security in with the second privilege. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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“Rely upon” is the 2nd person singular present (deponent) middle indicative form of the verb epanapauo (e)panapauvw) (ep-an-ah-pow-om-i), which is a compound word composed of the preposition epi, “upon” and the verb anapauomai, “to rest,” thus the word literally means, “to rest upon” something or someone. In Romans 2:17, the verb literally means that the Jew “rested upon” the Law meaning he relied upon the Law of Moses to provide him with a secure standing before God. The national identity of the Jews was inextricably bound up with the Mosaic Law. The verb describes finding “comfort” through confident dependence on something, and thus means, “trust in.” The present tense is again a “gnomic present,” which is used to describe something that is true “any” time and “does” take place. Therefore, the “gnomic” present says that the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob “do” rely upon the Law. It says that this “does” take place. The middle voice is “deponent” meaning that the verb has a middle voice form but an active meaning. The active voice meaning is “stative” meaning that the self-righteous Jew “exists in the mental attitude state” of relying upon the Mosaic Law to provide him with a secure standing before God. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion by Paul as an unqualified statement of fact. We will translate the verb epanapauo, “do rely upon.” “The Law” is the articular dative masculine singular form of the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), which is a reference to the Mosaic Law. The definite article preceding the noun nomos is “monadic” meaning that this Law is “well-known” to Paul’s Jewish readership. In context, Paul is saying that the Jew “trusted in” the Law but because as Paul established in Romans 2:13 that they were not doers of it, this verb epanapauo pictures the Jew as having a blind and mechanical reliance on the Mosaic Law. It is important to understand the attitude of the Jews in the first century in that before the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the three pillars of Jewish society were the following: (1) Land (2) Law (3) Temple. The Jews put undo emphasis upon these three things. The Holy Spirit through the prophet Jeremiah condemned the Jews for trusting in the Temple in their day and yet did not obey Him. Jeremiah 7:1-11, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, ‘Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house and proclaim there this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!’ Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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‘Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!' -- that you may do all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," declares the LORD.’” Our corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:17: “Now, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument-you do identify yourself by the name ‘Jew’ and you do rely upon the Law.” So we see that the second privilege listed by Paul that the Jews placed their confidence in and thought would get them automatically into the kingdom of heaven was that they were the recipients of the Law. They erroneously and arrogantly and presumptuously thought that being the possessors of the Mosaic Law would give them security against God’s righteous judgment and eternal condemnation. The Lord Jesus condemned the Jews for not keeping the Law. John 7:19, “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” In Romans 2:11-13, Paul refutes this attitude and will do so again in Romans 2:21-23. Romans 2:11-13, “For there is as an eternal spiritual truth absolutely never any partiality in the presence of God. For as many as have sinned without the Law have caused themselves to be destroyed without the Law and as many as have sinned under the jurisdiction of the Law will be condemned by means of the Law. For you see, the hearers of the Law are, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely never righteous before God but rather the doers of the Law will, as an eternal spiritual truth, be justified.” Romans 2:21-23, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?”

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The Jew’s erroneously and arrogantly believed that God gave them the Law based upon their own merits or that they were better than the Gentile nations. As we noted in our studies of the noun nomos, “Law” in Romans 2:12-13, the term is used with such terms as the prophets, and writings, as a title for the entire Old Testament Scripture, but in this way it looks at them in their division (Luke 24:27, 44). It is especially used of the first five books of the Old Testament or the Mosaic Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). (Compare Luke 2:23; John 8:5; 1 Corinthians 9:9; Galatians 3:10). The term is used of the entire specific Mosaic code given to the nation Israel to govern and guide their moral, religious and secular life, and covers parts of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 4:8, 44-45) and is used of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17). Though part of the Law was mediated by angels, God is the origin and source of the Mosaic Law, which stems from the eternal and holy character of God, which is true even of the natural law written in the heart or conscience of man (Exodus 31:1b; Acts 7:53; Romans 2:1416; Hebrews 2:1-2). It is common to divide the Mosaic Law into three parts, but though this is helpful for analysis and the study of the Mosaic Law and the way it functions, such a division is never stated as such in Scripture but rather it is seen as a unit. Part 1: The Moral Law or the Ten Commandments. This part of the Law governed the moral life giving guidance to Israel in principles of right and wrong in relation to God and man (Exodus 20:1-17). Part 2: The Ordinances or the Ceremonial Law. This was the spiritual portion of Law, which guided and provided for Israel in her worship and spiritual relationship and fellowship with God. It included the priesthood, tabernacle and sacrifices (Exodus 25-31: Leviticus). Part 3: The Judgments, or the Social Law. This part of the Law governed Israel in her secular, social, political, and economic life (Exodus 21:1–23:13). Though the Law is usually divided into three parts, as described above, it is important to see that it was an indivisible unit. The Jews did not view the Law as having a three-fold division but rather they divided the 613 commandments of the Law into twelve families of commandments which were then subdivided into twelve additional families of positive and twelve additional families of negative commands. The Law was never designed to be a permanent rule of life but rather was simply a tutor or guardian to guide Israel and reveal her need for the Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:7, 11; Galatians 3:23-24; Romans 10:4). Galatians 3:24, “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

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The Mosaic Law is weak because it is dependent on sinful man’s ability and is especially weak when adopted as a system of merit (Romans 8:3) and stands in contrast to the grace of God as now manifested in the coming of Christ (Romans 6:14; 7:6; 8:3; Galatians 3:12). The Mosaic Law was given only to Israel (Exodus 19:3; Leviticus 26:46; Romans 3:19; 9:4) and was not given to the Gentiles of the Old Testament or the Church (Acts 15:5; 15:24; Romans 8:14; Galatians 2:19) and it cannot justify an individual before God (Romans 3:20-28; Galatians 2:16) and could not provide eternal salvation for men (Galatians 3:21-26). The Mosaic Law could not provide the Holy Spirit and could not solve the problems of the old sin nature (Romans 8:2-3) and it could not make perfect, or permanently deal with sin (Hebrews 7:19) nor could it sanctify (Galatians 3:21; 5:5; Romans 8:3). However, Israel approached the Law as a system of merit, shifting from a faith basis to a works basis (Exodus 19:8; Romans 10:3). The Word of God emphatically teaches us that the Law brings a curse (Galatians 3:10-12), brings death (2 Corinthians 3:6-7; Romans 7:9-10), brings condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9), makes offenses abound (Romans 5:10; 7:7-13), declares all men guilty (Romans 3:19), and holds men in bondage to sin and death (Galatians 4:3-5, 9, 24; Romans 7:10-14). All this is because man possesses an old Adamic sin nature that can never fulfill the righteousness of the Law, especially in the spirit of the Law and thus, mankind always falls short and condemned guilty before a Holy God (Romans 3:19). Several passages of Scripture clearly establish that the coming of Christ has brought an end to the Mosaic Law. Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Christ fulfilled the Ten Commandments by living a perfect and sinless life and so when man trusts in Christ as his Savior, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to that individual so we have justification (Romans 4) resulting in the fact that the Law can’t condemn us (Romans 8:1; 7:1-6; Romans 5:1; 4:4-8). Christ fulfilled the ceremonial ordinances, the shadows and types of His person and work, by dying on the cross for us and in our place, which demonstrated that God was also perfect justice and sin must be judged, but God provided His Son, the precious Lamb of God. The penalty, which the Law exercised, was paid in full at the Cross and so there is no condemnation because the believer is “in Christ” (Col. 2:14; Romans 3:2425). Church age believers are not under the Mosaic law, but many of its principles have been carried over and are part of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Romans 8:2) or the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2). In this, some 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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of the former commands are carried over (Romans 13:9), some new commands and guidelines are added (Ephesians 4:11f; 1 Timothy 3:1f; 4:4), and some have been revised, as in the case of capitol punishment, which is to be exercised by human government (Romans 13:4). The Law is still good from the standpoint of its main function and purpose (1 Timothy 1:8-10; James 2:1-10; Galatians 5:1-3; 6:1), which is how James uses the Law, to reveal sin (James 2:9), to get believers out of self-righteous legalism, and move them into a walk by faith in a living Savior. The believer is never saved by keeping the Law (Galatians 2:21) and he is not under the Law as a rule of life, i.e., sacrifice, Sabbath keeping, tithing (Rev. 6:14; Acts 15:5, 24). Therefore, he does not walk by the Law but by the Spirit, which is the new law for the New Testament saint (Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:5), which is law of liberty through faith in the power of God. The believer is dead to the Law (Rom. 7:1-6; Gal. 2:19) by virtue of his identification with Jesus Christ in His death, who fulfilled the Law and he is to fulfill the righteousness of the Law as seen in Christ’s words in Matthew 10:37-40 love for God, and love for one’s neighbor (James 2:9). But this can only be fulfilled through the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit who furnishes the believer the power or ability needed to live the Christian life according to the eternal moral law of God. Therefore, church age believers are under God’s new law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2-4). Romans 2:17, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God.” Once again, we have the “connective” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), “and,” which connects the second privilege that the Jews prided themselves in and found security in with the third privilege. “Boast in” is the 2nd person singular present (deponent) middle indicative form of the verb kauchaomai (kauxavomai) (kow-khah-om-i), which means, “to express an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy,” thus, “to boast.” In classical Greek the verb kauchaomai is found from Sappho onwards (Fr., 26 [Diehl, I, 338]), Pindar and Herodotus is proved by the comic dramatists to be an everyday word in Attic Greek. Homer uses instead euchomai, “pray, ask, wish,” and the tragedians and orators use aucheo, “boast, plume oneself.” The philosophers employ the verb occasionally in (Aristotle, Pol., V, 10, p. 1311b, 4). The Stoics avoid it, though it occurs in Philodem. Intransitively, kauchaomai means “to boast, vaunt oneself, be proud.” With prepositions en, epi, peri, huper, eis, or kata, it means “to boast of a person or thing.

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The verb kauchaomai appears 32 times in the LXX, of which 10 are noncanonical. Rudolph Bultmann commenting on the usage of the kauchaomai word group in the LXX, writes, “In the OT there are many proverbs against self-glorying or boasting (1 Kings 20:11; Prov. 25:14; 27:1; cf. 20:9), though place is also found for justifiable pride (Prov. 16:31; 17:6). Self-glorying, however, is not merely a casual fault. In many passages it is regarded as the basic attitude of the foolish and ungodly man (Psa. 52:1; 74:4; 94:3). For in it we see that man desires to stand on his own feet and not to depend on God, that he builds on that which he himself can accomplish and control. Hence ‘to boast’ (llhjh) can be synonymous with ‘to trust’, Psa. 49:7. God, however, is the Almighty before whom all human boasting is to be stilled, Judg. 7:2; 1 Sam. 2:2f.; cf. Jer. 50:11; Ezek. 24:25). Paradoxically there is opposed to self-confident boasting the true boasting which consists in selfhumbling before God (Jer. 9:22f.) who is the praise of Israel (Deut. 10:21) and who deals with Israel to His own glory (Deut. 26:19; Jer. 13:11; Zeph. 3:19f.). Hence the righteous, or the cultic community, can boast of acts of divine succor (Psa. 5:11; 32:11; 89:17f.; 1 Chron. 16:27f.; 29:11; Deut. 33:29; Jer. 17:14). Hence ‘to boast’ (kauchaomai in the LXX) can have the same cultic sense as verbs like ‘to rejoice, to exult,’ with which it is often combined. But occasionally it also has eschatological significance, since this glorying is finally actualized in the time of salvation (Zech. 10:12; Psa. 149:5; 1 Chron. 16:33). A constituent element in all such glorying is that of confidence, joy and thanksgiving, and the paradox is that the one who glories thus looks away from himself, so that his glorying is a confession of God” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 3, pages 646-647). Bultmann makes the following comment regarding self-glorying, he writes, “The true sin of self-glorying is man’s failure to acknowledge God as the Author and Lord of all being and Giver of all good things. It is his forgetfulness of God and ungrateful usurpation of His glory. It is the opposite of eusebeia; it is astheotes; in it we see man’s desire to be as God. The righteous man avoids such boasting. He seeks to serve God alone, for he knows himself, his astheneia, and he realizes that he is dust and ashes. He recognizes God as the Lord of life and death, and he knows that he has received his soul and all that he has only as a loan entrusted to him by the Creator. In this humble submission he attains to God’s grace and true glory, for the humble stand high with God; He is their glory” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 3, pages 647-648). The verb kauchaomai is often used to translate such Hebrew words as: (1) Halal (llh) (verb), “to praise; hithpael: boast” (1 Kings 20:11 [21:11], Psa. 49:6 [48:6], Jer. 9:23). (2) `Alaz (zlu) (verb), “to exult, rejoice” (Psa. 94:3 [93:3], Psa.

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149:5). (3) `Alats (Jlu) (noun), “exult” (Psa. 5:11). (4) Ravah (hvr) (verb), “cause to be great”; hiphil: “talk” (1 Sm. 2:3). (5) Ranan (wnr) (noun), “Hiphil: shout for joy” (Psa. 32:11 [31:11]). (6) Shavach (jkv) (noun), “Hithpael: glory in” (1 Chron. 16:35). The verb kauchaomai appears 35 times in the Greek New Testament and of its 35 appearances 33 belong to Paul and only 2 are found in James. The word is used extensively in 1 and 2 Corinthians. Bauer, Gingrich and Danker list the following meanings (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, page 425426): (1) Intransitive: boast, glory, pride oneself in or about a person or thing (2) Transitive: boast about, mention in order to boast of, be proud of something. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following meanings (page 342): (1) To glory (2) To glory on account of a thing (3) To glory in a thing (4) To glory in God, i.e., the knowledge of God, intimacy with Him, His favors, etc. (5) To one’s advantage, to the praise of one (on one’s behalf), as though standing in his presence. Moulton lists the following (The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised, page 226): (1) To glory, boast (2) To boast of a person or thing, to undertake an laudatory testimony to. Louw and Nida define the verb, “to express an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy-‘to boast.’ (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, volume 2, page 431). The verb is most often intransitive and means boast, the context indicating whether taking pride in a positive sense or boasting in the negative sense of bragging. The negative meaning of boasting or bragging is determined only by the object. When the verb is transitive it can be translated boast about. Only rarely is the intransitive verb used in an absolute sense (1 Co. 4:7 [13:3]; 2 Co. 11:18b, 30a; 12:1, 6; Eph. 2:9). The verb is most often defined more precisely, normally with a prepositional phrase. Most frequently the preposition en is employed with dative, instrumental or locative. The following is a list of objects or basis of boasting or expressing a total confidence in: (1) God (Rm. 2:17; 5:11) (2) Mosaic Law (Rm. 2:23). (3) Adversities (Rm. 5:3). (4) The Lord (1 Co. 1:31; 2 Co. 10:17). (5) Mankind (1 Co. 3:21). (6) Corinthian believers (2 Co. 9:2). (7) Labors (2 Co. 10:15). (8) Old sin nature (2 Co. 11:18; Gal. 6:13). (9) Illnesses (2 Co. 12:5, 9). (10) Christ Jesus (Phlp. 3:3). (11) Thessalonian believers (2 Th. 1:4). (12) Achievements performed through the old sin nature (Jam. 4:16). (13) Cross (Gal. 6:14).

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The verb appears significantly often in imperatives and prohibitions (1 Co. 1:31; 3:21; 2 Co. 10:17; Jam. 1:9). It appears frequently in final or consecutive constructions such as in hina clauses (1 Co. 1:31 [13:3]; 2 Co. 5:12; 11:16; Gal. 6:13; Eph. 2:9). In the same way the verb appears in typical recurring constructions that express certain semantic relationships, thus it is almost always found in contrasts (2 Co. 5:12; 10:12f., 16f.; cf. Phlp. 3:3; Eph. 2:8f.; Jam. 1:9f.), in relationships of correspondence (with kai, 2 Co. 1:14; 11:16, 18; cf. 8:24), in expressions of limitation (with ei me, 2 Co. 12:5; Gal. 6:14), or in expressions of surpassing quality (Rm. 5:3, 11). Kauchaomai appears with particular frequency in polemical passages. In the same manner that Paul attacks the Judaizers doctrine of justification by works, so he opposes the closely related habit of human self-praise, based on the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law (Rm. 3:27). The Scriptures clearly state that all human self-praise which originates from the function of the arrogance skills of the old sin nature is worthless before God and no basis for boasting before Him (Is. 64:6; Eph. 2:8-9). Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The worthlessness of human boasting, when based on the law, is exposed in the context of Romans 2:23 (cf. Rm. 4:2). Paul also rejects the glory attached to proselytizing (Gal. 6:13). Galatians 6:13-14, “For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” He attacks just as strongly the self-confidence of the Greeks, who boast of their human wisdom (sophia), which is cosmic viewpoint (1 Co. 1:29; cf. 1 Co. 3:21). All these forms of boasting in the old sin nature (2 Co. 11:18), and include the following: (1) Arrogance of Gentile Christians to the non-Christian Jews (Rm. 11:17f.). (2) False bragging (1 Co. 4:7; cf. Jam. 3:14; 2 Co. 5:12; 12:6). They are in fact various forms of evil which originates from Satan (Jam. 4:16; cf. 1 Co. 5:6). James 4:16, “But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” They all conflict with the one and only appropriate and justified form of boasting, cited by Jer. 9:24 in 1 Cor. 1:31, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord” (cf. 2 Co. 10:17). Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.” 1 Corinthians 1:17-31, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not {come to} know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.’” 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond {our} measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; not boasting beyond {our} measure, {that} {is}, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, {and} not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.

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For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.” This is the only appropriate, justified form of boasting of the Christian: to boast of God through the unique Person, Work and Life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Rm. 5:11; Phlp. 3:3). Romans 5:11, “And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Philippians 3:1-3, “From now on, my brothers, all of you begin rejoicing and continue doing so because of the Lord: writing these same things for all of you is in fact never bothersome for me but safe for all of you. Beware of those dogs, beware of those evil workers, beware of the mutilation because we are the circumcision those who are serving (God the Father) by means of the Spirit of God, who are priding themselves in the nature of Christ Jesus, who have no confidence in the flesh.” This glorying has thus as its object something before which all self-praise disappears. Thus, the only form of appropriate and justified form of boasting is that of the work of the Father through the unique Person, Finished Work and Prototype Spiritual Life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Romans 2:17, the verb kauchaomai is used intransitively and in the deponent middle voice with the prepositional phrase en theo, “in God.” The verb kauchaomai is used to express the Jews unusually high degree of confidence in their unique relationship with God based on the covenant promises made to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their being the recipients of the Law through Moses. The word refers to the Jew priding himself in his relationship to God based on the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, New and Mosaic Covenants and is used to express the Jew’s total and absolute confidence in and dependence upon his relationship with God. Psalm 135:4, “For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession.” The Jews thought erroneously and arrogantly and presumptuously that their relationship with God, which was established through the covenant promises made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would provide them security from eternal condemnation. C.E.B. Cranfield commenting on this Jewish boasting in their relationship with God, writes, “to boast or glory in God is a thoroughly good thing, if it is the sort of boasting in Him, which truly gives Him the glory, a truly humble boasting in His goodness and mercy; but it is an altogether different matter, if it is the sort, which is a self-centered boasting in Him as a basis for one’s own self-importance.” (Romans, A Shorter Commentary, page 55)

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The present tense is again a “gnomic present,” which says that the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob “do” boast of their unique covenant relationship with God. It says that this “does” take place. The middle voice is “deponent” meaning that the verb has a middle voice form but an active meaning. The active voice meaning is “stative” meaning that the selfrighteous Jew “exists in the mental attitude state” of boasting in his unique covenant relationship to God to provide him with a secure standing before God and protect him from eternal condemnation. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion by Paul as an unqualified statement of fact. We will translate the verb kauchaomai, “do boast.” Our corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:17: “Now, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument-you do identify yourself by the name ‘Jew’ and you do rely upon the Law and do boast.” Romans 2:17, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God.” The object of the self-righteous Jew’s boasting is identified for us by the apostle Paul with a prepositional phrase, which is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the dative masculine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$), “God.” The preposition en is a marker of “association” and thus denotes the unique covenant relationship to God that the Jew claimed, which was based upon the covenant promises made to the patriarchs as well as their possession of the Mosaic Law. The noun theos, “God” is a reference to the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The figure of “metonymy” applies to the noun meaning that God is put for a relationship with Him. The noun theos is a dative of association indicating that the self-righteous Jew claims to possess an “association” or “relationship” with God through the covenant promises made to the patriarchs and their possession of the Mosaic Law. We will translate the prepositional phrase en theo, “a relationship with God.” Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:17: “Now, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument-you do identify yourself by the name ‘Jew’ and you do rely upon the Law and do boast in a relationship with God.” So we see that the third privilege listed by Paul that the Jews erroneously assumed would get them automatically into the kingdom of heaven and protect them from eternal condemnation was that they were given a covenant relationship with God by virtue of the promises that God gave to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They erroneously, arrogantly, and presumptuously thought that because their forefathers received covenant promises from God that this would provide them with security and protect them from eternal condemnation. They

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arrogantly assumed that this covenant relationship was based upon the merits of the patriarchs when in reality it was based upon God’s grace, love and faithfulness.

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Romans: Romans 2:18-Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Jewish Privileges We continue with our study of Romans chapter two by noting Romans 2:18, which presents to us the fourth, fifth and sixth of these Jewish privileges that produced arrogance and self-righteousness in them. Romans 2:18, “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” “And” is the “connective” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which connects the third privilege with the fourth privilege that the Jews arrogantly and presumptuously thought, would provide them security from receiving eternal condemnation. “Know” is 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb ginosko (ginwvskw) (ghin-oce-ko), which in context means, “to come to a knowledge of something or someone through learning or instruction with the implication of being an expert on a person or thing.” Ginosko denotes in Koine Greek the intelligent comprehension of an object or matter, whether this comes for the first time, or comes afresh, into the consideration of the one who grasps it (“to come to know, to experience, to perceive”) or whether it is already present (“to perceive”). The ingressive aspect of the act of comprehension is originally emphasized but faded into the background and the meaning can be simply “to know,” or “to understand.” The original form gignosko is found from Homer on. The shortened form ginosko was Aeolic and Ionic, but appears in common Greek from Aristotle (384322 B.C.) and both these words are formed from the root gno-. Ginosko and its related terms were a part of the vocabulary of religion, philosophy, and ethics, especially in the Hellenistic period. A distinct characteristic of ginosko in ancient Greek thought was that it accented to a certain extent the idea of understanding what is known in contrast to experiencing something to acquire knowledge. Ginosko means to see things as they truly are and to the Greeks knowledge attained through observation with one’s own eyes was more reliable than hearing which is less tangible. It basically means to notice, perceive, or recognize a thing, person, or situation through the senses, particularly sight. This leads to an intelligent ordering in the mind of what has been perceived in the world of experience. Thus the verb also means experience, learn, get to know: what has been experienced becomes known to the one who has experienced it. Liddell and Scott list the following classical meanings for the word (page 350): (1) to come to know, perceive (2) to know by reflection (3) to know by observation (4) to discern, distinguish, recognize (5) to form a judgment, think (6) to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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understand (7) to judge, determine, to decree that (8) to be pronounced of a sentence or a judgment (9) to be judged guilty (10) to know carnally (11) to make known, celebrate. Ernst Dieter Schmitz lists the following secular Greek meanings for the word (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, volume 2, page 392): (1) to notice, perceive, or recognize a thing, person, or situation through the senses, particularly sight (Homer Odyssey 15, 532 and 24, 217). (2) to distinguish, for experience or recognition of a phenomenon among similar or different ones may lead to this (cf. Homer Iliad, 5, 128, 182). (3) to know in a personal way (Heracles Frag. 97), to understand (already in Homer Odyssey 16, 136), to know (Democ. Frag. 198; used par. with oida), to be acquainted with, to be expert (gnostos, an expert, Plato, Republic 1, 347d), and to judge (Demosthones 658, 23). (4) to recognize as a friend, love as a friend (Xenophon Cyr. 1, 4, 27). (5) to reflect, judge, investigate by logical thought-processes. (6) to be judged. (7) to gain insight, to perceive intuitively. The Greek’s usage of the word contrasts with the Hebrew mind in the Old Testament, which placed more emphasis upon hearing since the perception of doctrine came through hearing as recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel.” In the LXX, ginosko replaces 14 different Hebrew expressions as well as variations of these: (1) `amar (rma), to say (Jgs. 6:29) (2) bin (wyb), Qal: perceive, understand (Prov. 24:12; Is. 40:21); hiphil: perceive (Job. 9:11); hithpoel: understand (Jer. 30:24 [37:24]). (3) de`ah (hud), knowledge (Is. 11:9). (4) da`ath (jud), knowledge (Gen. 2:176, Prov. 22:17, Is. 44:19). (5) chazah (hzj), see (Is. 26:11). (6) yadha` (udy), Qal: know (Ex. 16:12, 2 Sm. 3:25, Jon. 1:12); niphal: be made known (Lev. 4:14, Jgs. 16:9, Ps. 48:3 [47:3] ); hiphil: make known (Hb. 3:2); hophal: made known (Lev. 4:23, 28); hithpael: make oneself known (Nm. 12:6). (7) yedha` (udy), know (Dn. 2:9, 4:17 [4:14] - Aramaic); learn (Ezr. 4:15 Aramaic). (8) ya`adh (udy), appoint; niphal: meet (Ex. 29:42, 30:6, Nm. 17:4). (9) ya`ats (Juy), advise, counsel; niphal: consult together (Is. 45:21). (10) laqach (jql), take (1 Sm. 17:18). (11) matsa (aXm), find (Jgs. 14:18). (12) naghadh (dgn), hiphil: declare (Is. 48:6). (13) nakhar (rbn), Hiphil: regard (Dt. 33:9); recognize (1 Kgs. 20:41 [21:41] ). (14) ra`ah (har), see (Nm. 11:23, Jgs. 2:7); consider (Ex. 33:13). (15) shama` (umv), hear (Neh. 4:15, Is. 48:8). (16) takhan (wbh), Qal: consider (Prv. 24:12); piel: measure (Is. 40:12 [40:13] ). One term clearly predominates as the correspondent to ginosko which is yadha`, “to know.” While the Greeks were concerned with detached knowledge and a speculative interest in the metaphysical nature of things, the Old Testament regards knowledge as something which continually arises from personal encounter.

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Schmitz list the following meanings for ginosko in the LXX (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology volume 2, page 395): (1) to notice, experience, observe (e.g. Gen. 3:7; 41:31; Jdg. 16:20; Eccl. 8:5; Is. 47:8; Hs. 5:3), then the observing of things like good and bad (2 Sm. 19:35 [MT 19:36]) or right and left (Jon. 4:11) leads to distinguishing between them. (2) to distinguish between (3) to know by learning (Prov. 30:3) (4) to know by observation (5) to know how to do something (1 Kg. 7:14 [LXX 7:2]; cf. Gen. 25:27; 1 Sm. 16:16, 18; Is. 47:11). (6) to concern oneself with, care for, trouble oneself with, or their negatives (e.g. Prov. 27:23; Ps. 1:6; 37:18 [LXX 36:18]; 119:79 [LXX 118:79], and to want to do with (or its negative) (e.g. Dt. 33:9). (7) to have sexual relations with (Gen. 4:1; 19:8; cf. 2:23). (8) to have a personal and confidential relationship with another person (e.g. Dt. 34:10). (9) man’s knowledge of God, i.e., of his grateful and obedient recognition. In the Greek New Testament, ginosko is quite significant in that it occurs in 20 of its 27 books a total of 222 times. It is not found in 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 3 John, and Jude. The New Testament usage presupposes the idea of “to know” in the LXX and Hebrew Old Testament. The basic sense of “to know, to understand” as an intellectual process is contained throughout the New Testament Scriptures (Matt. 6:3; 9:30; Mark 13:28; Luke 12:47; Acts 1:7; 1 Corinthians 13:9, 12 etc.). Johannes Behm lists the following NT meanings for the verb (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament volume 1, page 703): (1) to detect (Mk. 5:29; Lk. 8:46) (2) to note (Mk. 8:17; 12:12; Mt. 26:10; 2 Cor. 2:4; Jn. 5:42; 8:27). (3) to recognize (Lk. 7:39; Mt. 12:15; 22:18; Gal. 3:7; Jam. 2:20; Jn. 4:1; 5:6; 6:15). (4) to learn (Mk. 5:43; 15:45; Lk. 9:11; Ac. 17:13, 19; Phlp. 1:12; 2:19; Jn. 11:57; 12:9). (5) to confirm (Mk. 6:38; 13:28 f.; Lk. 1:18; 1 C. 4:19; 2 Cor. 13:6; Jn. 4:53; 7:51). (6) to know in the sense of awareness or acquaintance (Mt. 24:50 and par.; Lk. 2:43; 16:4; Hb. 10:34; Rev. 3:3; Jn. 2:24 f.; 7:27; 1 Jn. 3:20). (7) to know in the sense of acquaintance (Mt. 25:24; Lk. 12:47 f.; 16:15; Ac. 1:7; R. 2:18; 7:1; 2 C. 5:16; Jn. 1:48; 7:49). (8) to know in the sense of understanding (Lk. 18:34; Ac. 8:30; Jn. 3:10). Bauer, Gingrich and Danker list the following meanings for the word (A GreekEnglish Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature pages 160-162): (1) know, come to know (a) with accusative of the thing (b) with personal object (c) with hoti following (2) learn (of), ascertain, find out (a) with accusative as object (b) with hoti following (c) abstract (3) understand, comprehend (a) with accusative following (b) abstractly (4) perceive, notice, realize (a) with accusative (b) with hoti following (c) euphemistically of sex relations (5) have come to know, know (a) with the accusative of the thing (b) with accusative and infinitive (c) with hoti following (d) with indirect question (e) with 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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adverb modifier (f) abstractly (6) acknowledge, recognize as that which one is or claims to be. Louw and Nida list the following usages (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains volume 2): (1) to possess information about - to know, to know about, to have knowledge of, to be acquainted with, acquaintance’ (page 334). (2) to acquire information by whatever means, but often with the implication of personal involvement or experience - ‘to learn, to find out’ (page 326). (3) to learn to know a person through direct personal experience, implying a continuity of relationship - ‘to know, to become acquainted with, to be familiar with’ (page 328). (4) to come to an understanding as the result of ability to experience and learn - ‘to come to understand, to perceive, to comprehend’ (page 382). (5) to indicate that one does know - ‘to acknowledge’ (page 369). (6) to have sexual intercourse with’ (page 258). (7) (an idiom, probably an adage or traditional saying, literally, ‘do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’) an admonition to do something without letting people know it - ‘to do something secretly, to do something without letting the public know’ (page 344). Walter Schmithals lists the following NT usages (Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament volume 1, pages 250-251): (1) One learns or comes to know a fact from information (2) One notices or observes a hidden intent (3) One ascertains or seeks to learn through investigation, inquiry and discovery (4) One knows (about) on the basis of experience (5) Of persons: know someone; someone is or becomes known felt/sensed, perceived, decided, understood (6) sexual relations (7) to be skilled at, be able, command of (a language). Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words states that ginosko signifies “‘to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, understand,’ or ‘to understand completely,’ e. g., (Mark 13:28,29; John 13:12; 15:18; 21:17; 2 Cor. 8:9; Heb. 10:34; 1 John 2:5; 4:2,6) (twice), (7,13; 5:2,20); in its past tenses it frequently means ‘to know in the sense of realizing,’ the aorist or point tense usually indicating definiteness, (Matt. 13:11; Mark 7:24; John 7:26); in (10:38) ‘that ye may know (aorist tense) and understand, (present tense)’; (19:4; Acts 1:7; 17:19; Rom. 1:21; 1 Cor. 2:11) (2nd part), (14; 2 Cor. 2:4; Eph. 3:19; 6:22; Phil. 2:19; 3:10; 1 Thes. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:19; Jas. 2:20; 1 John 2:13) (twice), (14; 3:6; 4:8; 2 John 1; Rev. 2:24; 3:3,9). In the passive voice, it often signifies ‘to become known,’ e. g., (Matt. 10:26; Phil. 4:5). In the sense of complete and absolute understanding on God's part, it is used, e. g., in (Luke 16:15; John 10:15) (of the Son as well as the Father); (1 Cor. 3:20). In (Luke 12:46), KJV, it is rendered ‘he is... aware.’ In the NT ginosko frequently indicates a relation between the person ‘knowing’ and the object known; in this respect, what is ‘known’ is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relationship, e. g., especially of God's ‘knowledge,’ (1 Cor. 8:3), ‘if any man love God, the same 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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is known of Him’; (Gal. 4:9), ‘to be known of God’; here the ‘knowing’ suggests approval and bears the meaning ‘to be approved’; so in (2 Tim. 2:19); cf. (John 10:14,27; Gen. 18:19; Nah. 1:7); the relationship implied may involve remedial chastisement, (Amos 3:2). The same idea of appreciation as well as ‘knowledge’ underlies several statements concerning the ‘knowledge’ of God and His truth on the part of believers, e. g., (John 8:32; 14:20,31; 17:3; Gal. 4:9) (1st part); (1 John 2:3-13,14; 4:6,8, 16; 5:20); such ‘knowledge’ is obtained, not by mere intellectual activity, but by operation of the Holy Spirit consequent upon acceptance of Christ. Nor is such ‘knowledge’ marked by finality; see e. g., (2 Pet. 3:18; Hos. 6:3), RV. The verb is also used to convey the thought of connection or union, as between man and woman, (Matt. 1:25; Luke 1:34). Vine commenting on the distinction between ginosko and oida, writes, “The differences between ginosko (No. 1) and oida demand consideration: (a) ginosko, frequently suggests inception or progress in "knowledge," while oida suggests fullness of ‘knowledge,’ e. g., (John 8:55), ‘ye have not known Him’ (ginosko), i. e., begun to ‘know,’ ‘but I know Him’ (oida), i. e., ‘know Him perfectly’; (13:7), ‘What I do thou knowest not now,’ i. e. Peter did not yet perceive (oida) its significance, ‘but thou shalt understand,’ i. e., ‘get to know (ginosko), hereafter’; (14:7), ‘If ye had known Me’ (ginosko), i. e., ‘had definitely come to know Me,’ ‘ye would have known My Father also’ (oida), i. e., ‘would have had perception of’: ‘from henceforth ye know Him’ (ginosko), i. e., having unconsciously been coming to the Father, as the One who was in Him, they would now consciously be in the constant and progressive experience of ‘knowing’ Him; in (Mark 4:13), ‘Know ye not (oida) this parable? and how shall ye know (ginosko) all the parables?’ (RV), i. e., ‘Do ye not understand this parable? How shall ye come to perceive all...’ the intimation being that the first parable is a leading and testing one; (b) while ginosko frequently implies an active relation between the one who ‘knows’ and the person or thing ‘known’ (see No. 1, above), oida expresses the fact that the object has simply come within the scope of the ‘knower's’ perception; thus in (Matt. 7:23) ‘I never knew you’ (ginosko) suggests ‘I have never been in approving connection with you,’ whereas in (25:12), ‘I know you not’ (oida) suggests ‘you stand in no relation to Me.’” Thayer’s New Greek-English Lexicon lists the following meanings (page 117118): (1) To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of; pass. To become known (2) To know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of (3) By a Hebraistic euphemism to have sex (4) To become acquainted with, to know. Moulton’s Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised lists the following (pages 79-80): (1) To know, whether the action be inceptive or complete and settled (2) To perceive (3) To mark, discern (4) To ascertain by examination (5) To understand (6) To acknowledge (7) To resolve, conclude (8) To be assured (9) To be skilled, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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to be a master of a thing (10) To know carnally (11) From the Heb. To view with favor. Ginosko denotes the attainment or the manifestation of knowledge and is used for the following: (1) where there is reference to some earlier state of ignorance, or to some prior facts on which the knowledge is based. (2) where the ideas of thoroughness, familiarity or of approbation are involved. Both ideas arise out of the stress ginosko lays on the process of reception. In Romans 2:18, the verb ginosko means, “to come to a knowledge of something or someone or acquire knowledge of someone or something through learning with the implication of being an expert on the person or thing.” The direct object of the verb ginosko is the articular form of the noun thelema, “His will.” Therefore, in Romans 2:18, the apostle Paul is reporting that the selfrighteous unregenerate Jew is claiming to have acquired a knowledge of the will of God through the process of learning or instruction with the implication that they considered themselves an expert on the subject. In Romans 2:18, the verb ginosko means, “to acquire information through the process of instruction” regarding the will of God as it was revealed to the Jews through 613 commands (365 prohibitions and 248 commands) that appear in the Mosaic Law, which was another great privilege that the Jews possessed. Deuteronomy 4:7-8, “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?” Nehemiah 9:13-14, “Then You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments. So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, and laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, through Your servant Moses.” Psalm 147:19-20, “He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the LORD!” The Jews would learn through instruction the will of God from their parents in their homes and their rabbis in their synagogues in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner. However, they did not apply what they learned about the will of God since they did not obey the commands and prohibitions of the Old Testament Scriptures, which was reflected in that they committed the same sins that the unregenerate Gentiles committed according to Romans 2:1. Romans 2:1, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The present tense of the verb ginosko in Romans 2:18 is a “perfective present,” which is used to emphasize that the results of a past action are still continuing. Therefore, the “perfective present” tense “emphasizes the results” of the unregenerate, self-righteous Jew being knowledgeable regarding the will of God “as a result of” learning about it through instruction from their parents in their homes and from their rabbis in their synagogues. The “perfective present” also says that this knowledge is still continuing meaning that the self-righteous unregenerate Jew contends that knowledge of the will of God that he possesses is a present reality in his life. Although they possessed information or knowledge of the will of God as it was revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures, they did not apply or obey it but instead became arrogant because of it. Jeremiah 9:3, “‘They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 4:22, “For My people are foolish, they know Me not; They are stupid children and have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know.” Their knowledge of the will of God was not in an experiential sense meaning they did not obey His will but rather, they became arrogant as a result of this knowledge. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” James 4:17, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” The active voice means that the self-righteous unregenerate Jew produces the action of learning through instruction the will of God as it was revealed in the Old Testament. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion by the unregenerate Jew as reported by Paul as an unqualified statement of fact. We will translate ginosko, “know through instruction.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:18: “And know through instruction.” Romans 2:18, “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” “His will” is the articular accusative neuter singular form of the noun thelema (qevlhma) (the-lay-mah), which refers to what God directly required of the Jews.

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By far the most common Greek noun for “will” in the LXX and NT is thelema meaning, “will, desire, determination, purpose.” The noun thelema is attested from Antiphon the Sophist onwards but is used very rarely in secular Greek, correspondingly the word denotes “intention, wish,” then predominately it means “will.” The word appears almost 50 times in the LXX. Of these 25 are canonical. It is used to translate the following Hebrew words: Chaphets (21 times, as a verb and adjective) and ratson (9 times). It is used of the will of God in Psalm 103:21 (LXX: 102:21) and Isaiah 44:28. Thelema is used in the LXX especially for doing the will of God in Psalm 103:21, 143:10. It is interesting that in the non-canonical writings of 2nd and 4th Maccabees that doing God’s will or desire becomes an important theological theme. It appears 64 times in the Greek New Testament. The noun thelema is a theologically significant word in the Greek New Testament. The theological emphasis lies primarily in Paul and the writings of John. The noun thelema is used predominately in the Greek New Testament for the Father’s will. In classical Greek, the term thelema is rare and means “purpose” or “wish, desire.” The word is also used for the sexual desire of the male. In the LXX, thelema appears almost 50 times and of these, 25 are canonical. This word is used to describe human desires or wishes in the LXX. It can be used in the positive sense of man’s “desire” to obey the will of God or in the negative sense of man’s desire to rebel against it. Thelema is used with reference to the will of God. Obedience to the will of God is of course a major theme in the Old Testament as it is in the New. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament gives the following definitions of the word (volume 2, page 137): (1) Represents both (objectively) what is willed and (subjectively) the act of willing. (2) Refers to male sexual desire (3) The will of God (4) The will of Christ (5) The will of the devil (6) The human will. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon gives the following definitions for thelema (page 285): (1) One what one wishes or has determined shall be done (objectively, thing willed) (2) Of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ (3) Plural, commands, precepts (4) Act of willing, will, choice (5) Inclination, desire. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature provides the following definitions (page 354): (1) Objective, what is willed, what one wishes to happen (2) What one wishes to bring about by one’s own action, since one has undertaken to do what he has willed (3) What one wishes to bring about by the activity of others, to whom one assigns a task, predominately of God, of persons (4) Subjective, will, the act of willing or desiring, of the human will, as a rule of the will of God. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised lists the following meanings for the noun thelema (page 192): (1) Will, inclination, bent (2) Resolve (3) Will, purpose, design (4) Will, sovereign pleasure, behest. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains gives the following definitions for thelema (volume 2): (1) That which is desired or wished for – ‘wish, desire’ (page 289). (2) That which is purposed, intended, or willed – ‘will, intent, purpose, plan’ (page 358). (3) Desire for sexual gratification – ‘sexual desire, physical desire’ (page 292). In Romans 2:18, the noun thelema refers to what God directly required of the citizens of Israel, which was revealed through 613 commands (365 prohibitions and 248 commands) of the Mosaic Law. These 613 commands were summarized by the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself. Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” The Law expressed God’s rule over Israel and His demands upon the lives of those He graciously called His own. Israel was to be holy as God was holy (Leviticus 19:2; cf. 20:7) and the Law provided the standard and expectations of God for His covenant people and outlined the blessings that resulted from obedience and the curses that would come from disobedience and rebellion. The Mosaic Law was God’s system of rules by which He showed and instructed Israel regarding His will. The noun thelema functions as an “accusative direct object” meaning it is receiving the action of the verb ginosko. The definite article preceding the noun thelema as a “possessive” pronoun since possession is obviously implied here with God’s will and should be translated accordingly as “His.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:18: “And known through instruction His will.” Romans 2:18, “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” “And” is the “connective” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which connects the fourth privilege with the fifth privilege that the Jews arrogantly and presumptuously thought, would provide them security from receiving eternal condemnation. “Approve” is the 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb dokimazo (dokimavzw) (dok-im-ad-zo), which means, “to approve after examining.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The verb dokimazo means “to try to learn the genuineness of something by examination and testing, often through actual use,” thus “to test, to examine, to try to determine the genuineness of, testing.” In classical Greek, dokimazo was used for testing the genuineness of metals and coins as well as of the approval of candidates for the degree of medicine. Therefore, it refers to the act of testing or examining something for the purpose of approving it. Dokimazo comes from the dokimos word group and means, “to test, to accept as proved, to approve.” The stem word for this word group is doke (dokh), “watching.” Dokimos as an adjective both of person and object denotes one who is “tested in battle, reliable, trustworthy.” Persons could be put to the test or scrutinized, and if this person were approved, dokimazo could also describe that state of acceptance. The LXX used dokimazo with reference to the testing of precious metals. It most often represents the Hebrew bachan (wjb), “test for genuineness by fire.” It was transferred to God, who tests men. In the Psalms, the prayer that God may test the one who is praying is an expression of complete trust. The Greek New Testament usage of dokimazo was influenced by its LXX usage and appears 24 times in the Greek New Testament and was used mostly by Paul. In Luke 12:56, dokimazo meant, “to interpret” the signs of Israel’s impending fifth cycle of divine discipline. It is used in reference to the confession of sin and meant, “to examine oneself” (1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5). The believer’s works will be “tested” by fire at the Bema Seat Judgment (1 Cor. 3:13). The believer’s divinelove is also “tested” (2 Cor. 8:8). Bible doctrine resident in the hearts of believers is said to be “tested” (1 Thess. 2:4; 1 Pet. 1:7). In several passages, dokimazo means, “to choose” in the sense that believers are “to choose” God’s will, purpose and plan for the church, which is being conformed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:18; 12:2; Eph. 5:10; Phil. 1:10). Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Ephesians 5:7-10, “Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), choosing what is pleasing to the Lord.” Philippians 1:9-10, “Now, this I make it a habit to pray that your divinelove might continue to flourish yet more and more by means of a total discerning experiential knowledge so that all of you might continue to choose

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the essentials in order that all of you might be sincere and without offense for the day of Christ.” A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature gives the following definitions for the verb dokimazo (page 202): (1) To put to the test, examine (2) With reference to the result of the examination, prove by testing, accept as prove, approve. The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised lists the following meanings of the verb (105): (1) To test, assay metals (2) To prove, try, examine, scrutinize (3) To put to the proof, tempt (4) To approve after trial, judge worthy, choose (5) To decide upon after examination, judge of, distinguish, discern. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Dictionary gives the following meanings (page 154): (1) To test, examine, prove, scrutinize (2) To recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy. The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains gives the following meanings for the verb dokimazo (volume 2): (1) To try to learn the genuineness of something by examination and testing, often through actual use (page 332) (2) To regard something as being worthwhile or appropriate (page 362) (3) To regard something as genuine or worthy on the basis of testing (page 364). Vine writes, “Dokimazo, primarily, of metals (e. g., the Sept. of Prov 8:10; 17:3), signifies ‘to prove,’ e. g., 1 John 4:1, more frequently to prove with a view to approval, e. g., Rom 1:28, KJV, ‘they did not like to retain God in their knowledge’; RV, ‘they refused’; marg., ‘did not approve,’ the true meaning. Their refusal was not the outcome of ignorance; they had the power to make a deliberate choice; they willfully disapproved of having God in their knowledge. In the next chapter, the apostle speaks of the Jew as ‘approving things that are excellent,’ 2:18. The Jew knew God's will, and mentally ‘approved’ of the things in which God had instructed him out of the Law. In Rom 14:22, he is said to be happy who ‘judgeth not himself in that which he approveth’; that is to say, in that which he ‘approves’ of after having put the matter to the test. The KJV "alloweth" has not now this meaning. As to the gifts from the church at Corinth for poor saints in Judea, those who were ‘approved’ by the church to travel with the offering would be men whose trustworthiness and stability had been proved, 1 Cor 16:3 (the RV margin seems right, ‘whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters’); cf. 2 Cor 8:22. In Phil 1:10 the apostle prays that the saints may ‘approve the things that are excellent’ or ‘things that differ,’ i. e., ‘approve’ after distinguishing and discerning. In 1 Thess 2:4, the apostle and his fellow missionaries were ‘approved of God to be entrusted with the Gospel’ (not ‘allowed,’ KJV). Not permission to preach, but divine ‘approval’ after divine testing is intended. (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers) 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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In Romans 2:18, the verb dokimazo means, “to discern,” which means, “to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect, to recognize, apprehend clearly, to distinguish mentally, recognize as distinct or different, discriminate.” The verb is used in relation to the articular form of the verb diaphero, “the essentials.” As we will note, “the essentials” refers to the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself, which summarize the teaching of the Old Testament, the Torah. The word is also used in relation to the unregenerate, self-righteous Jew who was exposed to the teaching of the Mosaic Law and is “not” used in relation to the believer. Therefore, in Romans 2:18, the verb dokimazo refers to the fact that the unregenerate, self-righteous Jew claimed to be able to “discern” the essentials, which refers to the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself. They claimed to “discern” the essentials in the sense that they perceived by their intellect and recognized, apprehended clearly and could distinguish mentally what the essentials were after being instructed orally in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner in their homes from their parents and synagogues from their rabbis. The present tense is a “gnomic present,” which describes something that “does” take place and is true “any” time.” Therefore, Paul is reporting that the Jews claim that they “can” discern the essentials. The active voice meaning is “stative” meaning that the self-righteous unregenerate Jew “exists in the mental attitude state” that he can discern the essentials of the Law. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion of the Jews, which Paul reports them saying, as an unqualified statement of fact. We will translate dokimazo, “can discern.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:18: “And know through instruction the Law and can discern.” Romans 2:18, “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” “The things that are essential” is composed of the articular accusative neuter plural present active participle form of the verb diaphero (diafevrw), which means, “the essentials.” In classical Greek diaphero has a variety of meanings: (1) “to differ” (2) “to be different” (3) “to carry over or across” (4) “to go through” (5) “to bear” (6) “to endure” (7) “to spread” (8) “to separate” (9) “to differentiate oneself” (10) “that which is important or essential.”

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Thucydides and Plato used the participle diaphero as a noun meaning “difference, mark of difference, what is useful, what is important or significant, what is essential.” Diaphero means “to be of considerable value, in view of having certain distinctive characteristics-to be valuable, to have worth.” It is found 17 times in the LXX as the translation of the Hebrew shenah and is found 13 times in the NT. Ta diapheronta means, “that which really matters, that which is important, that which is essential in life, important, excellent, of consequence, superior” and is a reference to something, which has number one priority. In relation to the church age believer, “the essentials” refers to obeying the commands to love God and all men, especially believers as Christ loved the believer, which results in an experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ. “The essentials” and the will of God for the church age believer are directly related to each other since obeying the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself and one’s fellow believer as Christ loved all men constitutes obeying the will of God since these commands reveal the will of God. In relation to the Jew under the Mosaic Law, “the essentials” referred to the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself and summarized the teaching of the Old Testament. “The essentials” and the will of God are directly related to each other since obeying the command to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself constitutes obeying the will of God since these commands reveal the will of God. When speaking to an unsaved Jew, the Lord Jesus Christ taught that “the essentials” were the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself since these two commands summed up the teaching of the Old Testament, which was designated by the expression “the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:34-36, “But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’” The scribes had determined that the Jews were obligated to obey 613 precepts in the Mosaic Law, 365 negative precepts and 248 positive. Regarding these 613 precepts, there was constant debate over which was the most important. Some claimed it was the positive commands and others said the negative prohibitions were more important and as a result, the Pharisees were always describing the law in terms of light and heavy, and small and great.

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The idea was that if your good deeds outweighed the bad, God would accept you, but if not, well, there was no way to get rid of the bad, no way to truly experience God’s forgiveness. Consequently, they taught that people needed to keep the weightier commandments because with obedience to these they would get more points with God. Matthew 22:37-40, “And He said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Notice that the Lord teaches unregenerate Jews that the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself summarizes the teaching of the Law and the Prophets, which is a reference to the Old Testament Scriptures. Now, in Romans 2:18, Paul is also addressing unregenerate self-righteous Jews as the Lord Jesus did in Matthew 22:34-40. Therefore, this expression ta diapheronta, “the essentials” pertains to the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself, which summarizes the teaching of the Old Testament or Torah, “Law.” Further supporting this interpretation is that Paul is speaking within the context of the Jews boasting of their possession of the Mosaic Law. They presumptuously thought that they had received the Law because they merited it and arrogantly thought that God gave them the Law through Moses because they were better than the other Gentile nations. However, they failed to see that it was by the grace of God that they received it through Moses. Romans 2:17-20, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” Further indicating that “the essentials” are the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself is that in Romans 2:21-23, Paul asks five rhetorical questions to his Jewish audience regarding their relationship to God and their fellow human being. Romans 2:21-23, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The fact that “the essentials” refer to the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself is further supported by the context of the book of Romans, whose theme is the righteousness of God. As we noted in our studies of Romans chapter one, the noun dikaiosune, “righteousness” refers to fulfilling one’s obligations to love both God and men, doing right to both God and men, which demands obedience to the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself. In Romans 2:1-3:8, Paul teaches that the unregenerate Jews do not possess the righteousness of God as manifested in that they do not love God with their entire being and their neighbor as themselves. Therefore, these unsaved, self-righteous Jews needed the righteousness of God since they did not love God with their entire being and their neighbor as themselves since they did not obey these commands to do so as Paul points out in Romans 2:21-23. In John 14:15, the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples that if they loved Him, they would obey His commands. John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Therefore, these unsaved, self-righteous Jews that Paul is addressing in Romans chapter two, did not love God with their entire being and their neighbor as themselves as they were commanded in the Law to do and this is pointed out to them by Paul in Romans 2:21-23. The accusative articular participle form of the verb diaphero functions as the direct object of the verb dokimazo. The participle functions as a “substantive” since the definite article preceding it functions as a substantiver meaning it converts the participle into substantive and should be translated accordingly as “the essentials.” The present tense is diminished since the context is not emphasizing durative action. Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:18: “And know through instruction His will and can discern the essentials.” Romans 2:18, “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” “Being instructed” is the nominative 2nd person masculine singular present passive participle form of the verb katecheo (kathxevw) (kat-ay-kheh-o), which is a compound word composed of the preposition kata, “down” and the verb echeo, “to sound, ring out,” thus the word literally means, “to sound down or into the ears.” From this literal meaning, the derived meaning is “to inform” or “to instruct orally.” The idea involved is to re-sound, to re-echo, to teach by persistent repetition into the ears.

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The verb katecheo is where we get our English term “catechism.” Those men doing the teaching were called “catechists” and those receiving it were called “catechumens.” Marvin Vincent writes that the word referred to “Systematically through catechetical and synagoguic instruction. This formal instruction is the basis of the critical discrimination.” (from Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft) The verb katecheo conveys the idea of teaching by word of mouth, to teach in systematic or detailed manner, to indoctrinate and denotes drilling teaching into another, which as alluded to can imply learning by repetition. Therefore, the verb is used of teaching someone in a systematic or detailed manner. This word originated late and appears only rarely in literature before the Christian era and does not appear in the LXX. In Koine Greek, the term developed two meanings: (1) To report or inform someone (2) To teach or instruct someone about the basic or essential aspects of a topic or activity. These usages are reflected in the Greek New Testament where it appears only eight times (Luke 1:4; Acts 18:25; 21:21, 24; Romans 2:18; 1 Corinthians 14:19; Galatians 6:6 twice). Luke 1:1-4, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.” Acts 18:24-25, “Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John.” Acts 21:18-24, “And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.” 1 Corinthians 14:18-19, “I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.” Galatians 6:6, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” In Romans 2:18, the verb katecheo refers to the fact that the Jews were instructed orally in a systematic detailed manner by their rabbis in their synagogues and their homes by their parents concerning the essentials of the Mosaic Law. The Jews were taught the will of God and the essentials that would enable them to execute the will of God, which were the commands to love God with one’s entire being and one’s neighbor as oneself. However, they did not obey these commands and thus did not accomplish the will of God even though they were drilled regarding them and heard them repeating many times. In Nehemiah chapter eight, Ezra is recorded as having read from the Law to the Jewish people and the priests translated it from the Hebrew for them since they had had not retain the Hebrew language while in exile. Nehemiah 8:1-8, “And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand. Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’ while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. They 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.” In Romans 2:18, the verb katecheo indicates that the Jews were “catechized” and conveys the idea that they received oral instruction in a systematic and detailed manner concerning the Law and its essentials through repetition. Both at home and in the synagogues, Jewish boys in particular were systematically and thoroughly orally instructed out of the Law. The Law was read and explained every Sabbath. Not only rabbis but also many other Jewish men memorized large portions of the Old Testament, which they often recited in public as a demonstration of reverence for God. It is ironic that ancient Jews considered wisdom to consist of applying the knowledge one had, whereas the Greeks equated wisdom with knowledge. However, by the first century A.D., many Jews had been Hellenized and had in practice, accepted the Greek view of wisdom, especially the religious leaders. The present tense is a “retroactive progressive” present used to signify an action occurred in the past and continues into the present. Therefore, the “retroactive progressive” present tense of the verb katecheo in Romans 2:18 signifies that that the Jews claimed to have received oral instruction “in the past” and “continue to do so up to the time of writing.” In the past, they received instruction in the Law in their homes from their parents and from their rabbis in their synagogues and this instruction in their synagogues continued as adults since they were taught from the Law by the rabbis every Sabbath. The passive voice indicates that the subject receives the action of the verb by either an expressed or unexpressed agency. Therefore, the passive indicates that the Jews received oral instruction in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner in their homes and synagogues concerning the will of God and the essentials from the Law. The agency is expressed by the preposition ek and the genitive form of the noun nomos, “Law.” The participle form of the verb katecheo in Romans 2:18 is a “causal” participle since it answers the question as to “why” these Jews claimed that they possessed knowledge of the will of God and could discern the essentials of obeying God with their entire being and loving their neighbor as themselves. The reason why they claimed they possessed knowledge of the will of God and could discern the essentials was “because” they received oral instruction in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner in their homes from their parents and in their synagogues from their rabbis and this instruction continued up to the time of writing. We will translate the verb katecheo, “because you have received oral instruction in the past in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner and continue to do so.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Romans 2:18, “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” “Out of” is the preposition ek (e)k), which functions with the genitive form of the noun nomos, “Law” as a marker of means constituting a source. “The Law” is the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), which is a reference to the Mosaic Law. The definite article preceding the noun nomos is “monadic” meaning that this Law is “well-known” to Paul’s Jewish readership. The noun nomos functions as a “genitive of means.” A “genitive of means” is where the genitive substantive indicates the means or instrumentality by which the verbal action implicit in the head noun or adjective or explicit in the verb is accomplished and answers the question, “How?” Therefore, as a “genitive of means,” the noun nomos indicates that the Law was “the means by which” the selfrighteous unregenerate Jews claimed to have been instructed orally in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner concerning the will of God and the essentials. Therefore, we will translate the prepositional phrase ek tou nomou, “by means of the Law.” Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:18: “And know His will through instruction and can discern the essentials because you have received oral instruction in the past in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner by means of the Law and continue to do so.”

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Romans: Romans 2:19-Two Jewish Pretensions in Response to Their Privileges In Romans 2:19, Paul presents two Jewish pretensions that were in response to their privileges that are listed by Paul in Romans 2:17-18. Romans 2:19, “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” “And” is the enclitic particle te (tev), which appears in all types of Greek literature and is used most frequently as a conjunction meaning “and, both” joining phrases, clauses or sentences (Liddell-Scott). “Enclitic” means that it is a word closely connected with the preceding word and not having an independent accent or phonological status. The word appears approximately 200 times in the Greek New Testament and appears in a number of combinations. It can stand alone or be followed by another te or by kai or be joined with another particle. When it stands alone it can join equal parts of the same sentence or connect complete sentences. A.T. Robertson states that the word introduces “something additional but in intimate relation with the preceding.” (A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, page 1178) Therefore, in Romans 2:19, the enclitic particle te stands alone connecting Paul’s previous statements in Romans 2:17-18 with the ones to follow in Romans 2:19-20. The word thereby indicates a close relationship between Paul’s statements in Romans 2:17-18 with his statements to follow in Romans 2:19-20. It introduces something in addition to Paul’s previous statements in Romans 2:17-18 regarding Jewish privileges but in intimate relation with them. There is a close relationship and intimate relation between these statements since the six privileges that the Jews enjoyed that are mentioned by Paul in Romans 2:17-18 evoked an arrogant response from the Jews that manifested itself in four pretensions, which are mentioned by Paul in Romans 2:19-20. Therefore, we will translate the enclitic particle te with the English adverb “moreover” since it denotes “beyond what has been said.” “Are confident” is the 2nd person singular perfect active indicative form of the verb peitho (peivqw) (pay-tho), which is used in the active sense and means, “to be confident.” The stem peith has the basic meaning of trust, which also the basis of the formation with pist-, the root of pisteou. Trust can refer to a statement, so that it has the meaning to put faith in, to let oneself be convinced, or to a demand, so that it gets the meaning of obey, be persuaded. The original intransitive active meaning of peitho was “to trust,” which later became transitive meaning “to convince, persuade” (already in the time of Homer), 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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first through the passive (be convinced, persuaded). The meaning to trust was taken over with both the above mentioned branches from the middle passive peithomai. Only the second perfect pepoitha retains in the act the original intransitive meaning (strictly, to have taken hold of trust with the effect continuing into the present). It has the present meaning of trusting firmly, relying upon. The middle passive of the 1st perfect pepeismai (strictly, to have convinced, or to have convinced oneself) likewise means to be convinced. The noun pepoithesis (trust, confidence) derived from pepoitha is late Greek. Liddell and Scott list the following classical meanings for the verb (pages 13531354): (1) active: prevail upon, persuade, believe, prevail on by treaty, talk over, mislead (2) passive: to be prevailed upon, won over, persuaded, comply, listen to, obey, yield, succumb, believe, trust in, trust, rely on, confidence. The active meaning convince, persuade is especially characteristic of Greek thought where it was regarded as a goddess. Peitho came to mean to have faith in another such as God. “I will obey God rather than you” (Plato, Apol., 29d). Meanings of Peitho: (1) Active: to persuade, to cause belief in a thing, to make friends of, win one’s favor, gain one’s good will, to seek to win one, strive to please one, to conciliate by persuasion, to tranquillize, to persuade unto, ie. move or induce one by persuasion to do something (2) Passive and Middle: to be persuaded, to suffer one’s self to be persuaded, to be induced to believe, to have faith in a thing, to believe, to be persuaded of a thing concerning a person, to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with (3) Intransitive: to trust, have confidence in, be confident. The original intransitive active meaning of peitho was “to trust,” which later became transitive meaning “to convince, persuade.” The active meaning, “convince, persuade” is especially characteristic of Greek thought where it was regarded as a goddess. Peitho came to mean to have faith in another such as God. The verb’s versatility was carried over into the LXX where the translators used it to render 10 different Hebrew words. The Greek idea of persuading was foreign to Semitic thought and thus is virtually non-existent in the LXX, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The verb peitho is consistently used in the LXX to translate batach, “to trust, put confidence in, inspire trust” (2 Kin. 18:19; Job 39:11; Prov. 11:28). Peitho is the term selected by the translators of the LXX to describe “putting one’s confidence in” God (Psa. 2:12; Prov. 16:20; 28:25; 29:25). Proverbs 16:20, “He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.”

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Proverbs 28:25, “An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.” Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.” Israel was not to put their confidence in idols (Psa. 114:8 in the LXX; Prov. 134:18 in the LXX, nor in riches (Psa. 48:6 in the LXX; Prov. 11:28), or political personages (Psa. 145:3 in the LXX). In the LXX, peitho is a critical term used to describe Israel’s covenant relationship or lack thereof to God. If Israel did not put their confidence in the Lord, they were putting it in someone or something else, which constituted idolatry and was totally unacceptable (Ex. 20:3). Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Peitho in the LXX and pisteuo, “to trust, to believe in, to have faith in,” are very close in meaning to each other. The verb peitho appears 55 times in the Greek New Testament and employs the LXX usage of “to trust, to put one’s confidence in God” is used often in the Pauline epistles (Rom. Rom. 8:38; 14:14; Gal. 5:10; Phil. 1:6, 25; 2:24; 2 Thess. 3:4). Romans 8:38-39, “For I am confident (peitho) that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 2 Thessalonians 3:4, “We have confidence (peitho) in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.” Peitho is found six times in the Philippian epistle with the meaning of having confidence in someone or something (1:6, 14, 25; 2:24; 3:3-4). Philippians 1:6, “I am confident of (peitho) this very same thing, namely that, the One (God the Holy Spirit) who began in all of you a good work that is divine in quality and character, will bring it to completion up to the day of Christ who is Jesus.” Philippians 1:14, “Now I want all of you to know brothers that my circumstances have resulted rather for the advancement of the Gospel so that my imprisonment because of Christ has become well-known among the entire Praetorian Guard and all the others. Even, the majority of the brothers are confident (peitho) in the Lord because of my imprisonment, increasingly daring, fearlessly communicating the Word of God.” Philippians 1:25, “Nevertheless, to remain on (the earth) in the flesh is essential for all of you and having this confidence (peitho), I know (without a doubt) that I will remain (alive) and I will continue (to live) with all of you for your joyful advancement from doctrine.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Philippians 2:24, “Now therefore, this one I confidently expect to be able to send immediately as soon as I have ascertained my state of affairs and I am totally confident (peitho) because of the Lord that I myself will also be coming shortly.” Philippians 3:2-4, “Beware of those dogs, beware of those evil workers, beware of the mutilation because we are the circumcision those who are serving (God the Father) by means of the Spirit of God, who are priding themselves in the nature of Christ Jesus, who have no confidence (peitho) in the flesh. Although I myself having confidence in the flesh, if anyone of the same race (i.e., Jewish) claims to have confidence (peitho) in the flesh and some claim to have confidence in the flesh, I more.” Moulton lists the following New Testament meanings for peitho (The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised page 314): (1) to persuade, seek to persuade, endeavor to convince, to influence by persuasion (2) to incite, instigate (3) to appease, render tranquil, to quiet (4) to strive to conciliate, aspire to the favor of (5) to pacify, conciliate, win over (6) to be persuaded of, be confident of (7) to suffer one’s self to be persuaded, be confident of, to be induced (8) to be convinced, to believe, yield belief (9) to assent, listen to, obey, follow (10) to be assured, be confident (11) to confide in, trust, rely on, place hope and confidence in. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following NT meanings (pages 497-498): (1) Active: to persuade, to cause belief in a thing, to make friends of, win one’s favor, gain one’s good will, to seek to win one, strive to please one, to conciliate by persuasion, to tranquillize, to persuade unto, ie. move or induce one by persuasion to do something (2) Passive and Middle: to be persuaded, to suffer one’s self to be persuaded, to be induced to believe, to have faith in a thing, to believe, to be persuaded of a thing concerning a person, to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with (3) Intransitive: to trust, have confidence in, be confident. Bauer, Gingrich and Danker list the following NT meanings (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature pages 639640): (1) active, except for 2 perfect and pluperfect: convince, persuade, appeal to, also in a bad sense cajole, mislead, induce, win over, strive to please, conciliate, pacify, set at ease, rest (2) 2 perfect (with pluperfect) has present meaning: depend on, trust in, put one’s confidence in, believe in, be convinced, be sure, certain (3) passive except for the perfect: be persuaded, be convinced, come to believe, believe abstractly, obey, follow, be persuaded by someone, take someone’s advice or obey, follow someone (4) perfect passive: be convinced, certain, be convinced of something concerning someone, be sure of a thing. Louw and Nida list the following (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains volume 2): (1) to convince someone to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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believe something and to act on the basis of what is recommended - ‘to persuade, to convince’ (page 423). (2) to believe in something or someone to the extent of placing reliance or trust in or on - ‘to rely on, to trust in, to depend on, to have (complete) confidence in, confidence, trust’ (page 376). (3) (an idiom, literally ‘to convince the heart’) to exhibit confidence and assurance in a situation which might otherwise cause dismay or fear - ‘to be confident, to be assured’ (page 307). In Romans 2:19, the verb peitho is used in relation to the Jew’s “confidence” that they were spiritual guides to the Gentiles who were spiritually blind. The idea behind the word is to come to a settled persuasion concerning something or to be persuaded and to not move from it. It means to be so convinced that one puts confidence in something or someone. Therefore, the verb peitho in Romans 2:19 indicates that these self-righteous unsaved Jews had come to a settled persuasion that they were spiritual guides for the Gentiles who were spiritually blind and they could not be moved from this position. They were so convinced that they were that they became confident in themselves. This verb implies the idea not only of superiority but of selfcomplacency. The Jews possessed an attitude of superiority when dealing with the Gentiles and were also self-complacent because they possessed the Law and the Gentiles did not. The perfect tense of the verb peitho in Romans 2:19 is a “perfect with a present force” demonstrating little distinction between the act and its results since the verb is a “stative” verb emphasizing a state. For example the result of knowing is knowing. This usage of the perfect occurs especially with verbs where the act slides over into the results. They are resultative perfects to the point that the act itself has virtually died; the results have become the act (Dan Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, page 581). Therefore, the perfect tense of the verb peitho in Romans 2:19 emphasizes the self-righteous, unregenerate Jew’s state of confidence in his ability to be a spiritual guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles, and which confidence is the result of persuading himself that this is so because he is in possession of the Mosaic Law. The active voice is “stative” emphasizing that these Jews “exist in this state of self-confidence” because they have been instructed in the Mosaic Law. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this Jewish assertion as an unqualified statement of Bible doctrine. We will translate peitho, “you are confident in.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:19: “Moreover, you are confident that.” Romans 2:19, “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.”

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“You yourself” is the accusative (direct object) 2nd person masculine singular form of the reflexive pronoun seautou (seautou~) (she-ow-too), which indicates that the subject is also the object of the action of the verb and is used to highlight the participation of the subject in the verbal action, as direct object, indirect object, intensifier, etc. Therefore, in Romans 2:19, the reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” indicates that the subject, the self-righteous unregenerate Jew is also the object of the action of the verb peitho, “you are confident in” and highlights their self-confidence. The reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” is in the accusative case and functions as the “direct object” of action of the verb peitho, “you are confident in” meaning that it is receiving the action of this verb. In fact, it is functioning as the “object” in an object-complement double accusative construction. This means that the accusative noun hodegos, “a guide” is complementing the accusative form of the reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” indicating that Paul is reporting the selfrighteous, unsaved Jews’ assertion that he is a spiritual guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles. Also, seautou is functioning as the “subject of the infinitive” form of the verb eimi, “are.” We will translate seautou, “yourself.” “Are” is the present active infinitive form of the verb eimi (ei)miv) (i-mee), which is einai (ei@nai), which means, “to possess a certain inherent characteristic,” thus Paul is reporting that the self-righteous unsaved Jew is claiming to possess inherently the characteristic of being a spiritual guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles. The infinitive form of the verb eimi functions as an “appositional infinitive” meaning that it stands in apposition to Paul’s previous that the self-righteous, unsaved Jews is confident in themselves, “defining” what Paul means by this statement. Also, it is uniting the reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” with the noun hodegos, “a guide.” The reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” functions as the subject of the infinitive form of the verb eimi, “are” and the accusative form of the noun hodegos, “a guide” stands in predicate relation to seautou, “yourself” and thus makes an assertion about it. Therefore, this construction indicates that Paul is reporting the self-righteous, unsaved Jew’s assertion that he is a spiritual guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles. The present tense is a “stative,” which describes the self-proclaimed confident “state” of the Jews who claim that they were guides to the spiritually blind Gentiles because they had received in the past oral instruction in the Law and this attitude continued up to the time of writing.

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The active voice is “stative” emphasizing that the self-righteous unsaved Jew “exists in this mental attitude state of superiority” of claiming to be a guide for the spiritually blind Gentiles. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this Jewish assertion as an unqualified statement of truth. We will translate einai, “namely that you are.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:19: “Moreover, you are confident in yourself, namely that you are.” Romans 2:19, “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” “A guide” is the accusative masculine singular form of the noun hodegos (o(dhgov$) (hod-ayg-os), which is from the noun hodos, “way” and the verb hegeomai, “to lead,” thus the word literally means, “a leader on the way.” In secular literature, hodegos is used of someone or something that guides such as a goddess or even a pilot boat. A hodegos is the person who helps someone go from one place to another but says nothing about the manner of the movement meaning how one gets from one place to another. The word appears only five times in the Greek New Testament (Matthew 15:14; 23:16, 24; Acts 1:16; Romans 2:19). In Romans 2:19, hodegos is used of the Jew who arrogantly presumes that he is a “guide” to the spiritually blind Gentiles in the sense that he could lead them to salvation and truth since he has been instructed in the Law. Instead of being a light to those living in the darkness of heathenism, the Jewish nation had withdrawn from other cultures. The Lord Jesus Christ used the noun hodegos in condemning the Pharisees who were the leaders of the nation of Israel during His First Advent calling them “blind guides (hodegos).” Matthew 15:1-14, “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ And He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God, he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, ‘Hear and understand. It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.’ Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?’ But He answered and said, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.’” Matthew 23:13-24, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” The accusative form of the noun hodegos, “a guide” stands in predicate relation to the accusative form of the reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” and they are united by the infinitive form of the verb eimi, “are.” The fact that the accusative form of the noun hodegos, “a guide” stands in predicate relation to the accusative form of the reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” means that Paul is reporting that the self-righteous, unsaved Jew is making the “assertion” that he is a spiritual guide to the spiritually blind Gentiles. In an object-complement double accusative construction the two accusatives can be translated with “as,” “to be,” or “namely” between them. In Romans 2:19, we will supply “as” between the accusatives seautou, “you yourself” and hodegos, “a guide” when we translate them. We will translate hodegos, “as a guide.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:19: “Moreover, you are confident in yourself, namely that you are as a guide.”

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Romans 2:19, “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” “To the blind” is the genitive masculine plural form of the adjective tuphlos (tuflov$) (toof-los), which is used in a figurative sense for spiritual blindness. In classical Greek, the adjective tuphlos denotes the inability to see in both a literal and figurative sense. One can be “blind” intellectually or spiritually as well as physically. In the LXX, tuphlos translates the Hebrew term `iwwer. In the Old Testament, blindness was considered to be divine judgment against sinners (Deuteronomy 28:28f). Deuteronomy 28:28-29, “The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart and you will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, with none to save you.” Israelites, who were blind enjoyed special protection under the law of Israel (Leviticus 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:18). God both gives sight to the blind and blinds the seeing (Exodus 4:11). A unique feature of Old Testament messianic prophecies is that the blind will receive their sight (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). On many occasions “blindness” refers to spiritual or intellectual blindness. Spiritual blindness is the inability to see or understand the truth and can be God’s judgment against those who choose to harden themselves against the Word of God (Isaiah 6:10; 29:9f.). Isaiah 6:8-10, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.’” In the Greek New Testament, the adjective tuphlos was used also in both a literal and figurative sense. The legalism, which pervaded Judaism in the first century perverted the Biblical attitude toward the blind, which was especially true among the Pharisees. An example of this is the harsh treatment the Pharisees gave to a man that was blind that Jesus healed: “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” In order to make their theological system consistent they had to view blindness as punishment, either for the sins of one’s parents or for one’s own sins. When they met a blind person, they cold heartedly recited the formula, “Blessed be the truthful judge!” (Graber, “Blind” Colin Brown 1.219)

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Although many Jewish synagogues were not so harsh, we can see how far this judgmental attitude had spread by looking at the Qumran since in that community excluded the blind from their fellowship. Jesus confronted and challenged their merciless attitudes head-on. Concerning the man born blind, Jesus said that neither the sins of the man nor of his parents were responsible for his blindness. He did not simply say it was the result of misfortune in this world but rather He taught that this blindness had a function in God’s divine plan: “in that the works of God should be manifest him” (John 9:3). By healing the blind man Jesus revealed Himself as the Light of the World (John 9:5). Jesus also confronted the spiritual blindness of the unsaved, selfrighteous Pharisees who rejected the witness of the Holy Spirit that testify He was the Messiah through His miracles. John 9, “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.’ When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, ‘Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?’ Others were saying, ‘This is he,’ still others were saying, ‘No, but he is like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the one.’ So they were saying to him, ‘How then were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is He?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, ‘He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’ Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, ‘This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others were saying, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, ‘What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?’ And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’ The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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he now see?’ His parents answered them and said, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’ So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, ‘Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.’ He then answered, ‘Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ So they said to him, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?’ They reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.’ The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?’ So they put him out. Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.’ And he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.’ Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, ‘We are not blind too, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.’” John 12:27-43, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came out of heaven: ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.’ But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. The crowd then answered Him, ‘We have heard out of the Law 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.’ These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: ‘LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?’ For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ‘HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.’ These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” This spiritual blindness among the unregenerate Jews in Jesus’ day and among all men, both Jew and Gentile is the result of being deceived by Satan and his cosmic system. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Spiritual blindness is not only found among unbelievers but it is also a condition that is prevalent among believers who are distracted by the cosmic system and living in their old sin nature and are not obeying the Word of truth. The Lord Jesus rebuked the Laodicean church calling them spiritually blind. Revelation 3:14-22, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Peter warns believers about being spiritually blind. 2 Peter 1:2-9, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” The apostle John teaches that believers who hate their fellow believer are spiritually blind. 1 John 2:10-11, “The one who at any time does divinely love his spiritual brother is abiding in the light. Furthermore, there is unequivocally no cause of stumbling in him. But the one who at any time does hate his spiritual brother is mentally in the darkness. Consequently, he is living in the darkness. Furthermore, he unequivocally, does not know for certain where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” In 1 John 2:11, the apostle John employs the word in relation to believers who hate their fellow believer and thus do not know where they are going in life because the spiritual darkness of Satan’s cosmic system has blinded their soul. The believer’s rejection of the Lord Jesus’ command to love one another as He has loved all men results in the believer being out of fellowship and having no direction in life. In 1 John 2:11, John employs the cognate verb of the adjective tuphlos, which is tuphloo, which means, “to blind” in the sense of causing the believer to no longer have the capacity to understand and execute the Father’s will. Like the adjective tuphlos, the verb tuphloo is used of blindness in the figurative and spiritual sense. The believer who disobeys the Lord’s command to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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love one another as Christ loved is living in spiritual darkness of Satan’s cosmic system and does not know where he is going in life because the spiritual darkness of Satan’s cosmic system has blinded his soul. Spiritual darkness is sin and hate and is the absence of love. Spiritual darkness is also independence from God who is light in the sense that He is holy. The code of conduct of the kingdom of darkness is hate, which constitutes spiritual darkness. The code of conduct for the royal family of God is love, which constitutes spiritual light and life. Spiritual darkness is also the rejection of truth and in particular the command to love one another as Christ loved. It is living according to the lies of Satan’s cosmic system. Spiritual darkness for the unbeliever is having no relationship with God whereas for the believer it is not appropriating by faith one’s eternal union with Christ and as a result it is failing to experience fellowship with God. Those who reject truth are handed over to the lies of Satan’s cosmic system. This principle is taught by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 in relation to the unbeliever and applies to the believer as well. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12, “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” So rejecting truth and accepting lies constitutes living in spiritual darkness. There is no other alternative to truth but only lies from Satan. You are either obedient to truth or not. Spirituality is an absolute meaning you are either in fellowship with God or not, obeying God or not, loving one’s fellow believer or you are not. In 1 John 2:11, this verb tuphloo is used in relation to believers. It is also used with he skotia, “the darkness” as the subject, which refers to Satan’s cosmic system. Satan’s cosmic system has deceived the believer into hating his fellow believer. The believer has been deceived by the cosmic system of Satan into disobeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one’s fellow believer as He has loved all men. The believer who hates his fellow believer is living in the spiritual darkness of Satan’s cosmic system and as a result he does not know where he is going in life. He has no direction in life or capacity to enjoy life because he has been blinded by the cosmic system of Satan. He does not know where he is 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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going in life in the sense that he is not living according to the Father’s will, which is to love one another as Christ loved all men. He is ignorant of the whole nature of spirituality or, in other words, love for one’s fellow believer, which sums up the Scriptures (Rm. 13:8-10). Just as literal darkness results in disorientation to objects around you so spiritual darkness results in disorientation to the will of God the Father and consequently, disorientation to life itself and people. Spiritual darkness involves having no capacity for life and relationships. It is having no ability to enjoy the spiritual phenomena that is revealed in the Word of God by the Spirit. The only solution to spiritual blindness for the unbeliever is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (Jn. 3:16-17; Acts 16:31). The only solution to spiritual blindness for the believer is the confession of sin (1 Jn. 1:9) and then immediately bringing every thought into obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Obedience to the will of the Father as revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God is the only solution to spiritual darkness. Specifically, obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one another as He has loved all men will solve the problem of spiritual darkness. So Satan and his cosmic system seek to blind the unbeliever to prevent them from receiving eternal salvation. Satan and his cosmic system seek to blind the believer by distracting him from hearing and obeying the Word of truth in order to prevent the believer from fellowshipping with God and doing damage to Satan’s kingdom. So the believer who hates his fellow believer has been deceived by Satan and his cosmic system. He has accepted the lies of Satan and his cosmic system. If the unbeliever in spiritual darkness does not accept Christ he will be sent to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15). If the believer does not confess his sins, he will be under divine discipline, which is an expression of God’s love. The believer who obeys the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one’s fellow believer as He has loved all men will receive direction in life and will bear fruit to God meaning he is enabling the Holy Spirit to reproduce the character of Christ in his life. The believer who disobeys this command will have no direction in life and will not bear fruit to God meaning he is preventing the Holy Spirit to reproduce the character of Christ in his life. The disobedient believer has been blinded by hatred whereas the obedient believer has responded to God’s love for him. The person blinded by hatred thinks he knows God’s will but he is actually blinded by the darkness of hatred, which is the cosmic system’s code of conduct. He causes trouble in churches. He thinks he is advanced and spiritually mature with great understanding of the Word of God when in reality he is a spiritual child with very little spiritual perception. He may

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study his Bible and pray but if he has hatred in his heart, he is living a lie. He is deceiving himself. Therefore, hating one’s fellow believer will result in a meaningless existence. It will result in a life of confusion and disillusionment. The one loving his fellow believer will have a fulfilling, meaningful and productive life. Just as literal darkness prevents one from finding one’s way in a room so spiritual darkness from disobedience and hate prevents one from finding one’s way in life and doing God’s will. Therefore, in Romans 2:19, the adjective tuphlos is used to describe the unsaved Gentiles who were spiritually blind meaning that he had absolutely no relationship with God and had no capacity to understand the things of God. The apostle Paul is reporting the claims of the Jewish unbelievers who were self-righteous and yet claimed that they spiritual guides for the spiritually blind Gentiles because they were instructed in the Mosaic Law. The adjective tuphlos, “blind” functions as an “objective genitive” meaning it functions semantically as the direct object of the verbal idea that is implicit in the noun hodegos, “guide.” Also, the adjective tuphlos functions as a substantive since it is used independently of a noun. We will translate the word, “for the blind.” “A light” is the accusative neuter singular form of the noun phos (fw~$) (foce), which Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:19: “Moreover, you are confident in yourself, namely that you are as a guide for the blind.” Romans 2:19, “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” “A light” is the accusative neuter singular form of the noun phos (fw~$) (phoce), which refers to the Jews as those to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who are presumably living according to such truth and demonstrating the holiness of God in their lives. The noun phos was originally phaos but later by the tragedians to its Attic form phos. The word appears as early as the 8th century B.C. in the writings of Homer. Its basic meaning of light, brightness, also covers the following nuances among others: sunlight, daylight, torch, fire, and eyesight. Figuratively in poetic writings phos means, “the light of life,” i.e. life itself, which is highly valued as something bright, and as being comparable with salvation, happiness or military triumph. The bringer of such salvation can also be referred to as phos. Light further represents intellectual “illumination,” or it can stand for physical “sight.”

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Metaphorically, phos denotes “victory, deliverance,” and thus “happiness.” Phos, “light,” was of course naturally the antithesis to skotos, “darkness.” Relatively early in Greek usage phos in contrast with skotos, “darkness” came to mean the sphere of ethical good, whereas wrongdoing are said to take place in darkness. Hence, it is the task such as a judge to bring hidden things “to light.” Theological Dictionary of the New Testament lists the following meanings for the noun phos (volume IX, page 312): (1) Daylight (2) Sunlight (3) Brightness (4) Shining of lights (5) Lights, lamps. Light is not just a medium of sight according to Plato but also its object (Resp. VI, 508a). This completely distinguishes the Greeks from Orientals. The basic connection between light and vision may be seen in phrases like “light of the eyes” (Pindar Nem. 10, 40f.), “the eyes” (Homer Odyssey 16, 15), “the bright eyes” (Zeus, Iliad, 16:645). To the Greeks, light is the possibility of grasping and hence of mastering the world. Seeing light is life and separation from it is death (Homer Iliad 18, 61, 442; 18, 10). Plato uses phos to denote well-being in general. Light is the world of the gods according to Homer (Odyssey 6, 43ff.). The deliverer appears as light (Iliad 17, 615). Light accompanies the manifestation of the divine (Euripides Ba. 1082f). The terms phos and skotos were common in the vocabulary of philosophy, religion, ethics and epistemology, which is the investigation into the origin, nature and limits of knowledge. Among the Pythagoreans light and darkness are among the 10 antithetical principles. Plato developed a definite metaphysics of light. Light is not just a figure for true being but true being is light, hence it can shine and man maintains illumination by ascent to being. In his work the Republic (Book VII, section 517b, 521c) he speaks of an ascent of light. Knowledge presupposes that ideas are light and knowledge illumines being. Plato’s comparison of the idea of the good with sunlight (Rep. 507e-509b) is deeply significant for the history of ideas. For Aristotle the nous, “mind” is compared to a light and illumines a thing. By entering the sphere of epistemology, phos became greatly enriched in its range of connotation. A context such as this can emphasize its illuminating qualities, while another can emphasize its function as a healer, for even in the Greek world there was a connection between the notion of sin and the image of darkness and the notion of a redemption and salvation from evil and the image of light (J. Stenzel, Die Antike, I, 1925, 256; cf. R. Bultmann, The Gospel of John, 1971, 42; cited by Hahn in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, page 490). Light possesses powers essential to true life. Hence, “to be in the light” comes to mean, “to live” whereas to be Hades is to be in darkness.

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In the Greek as in other religions the metaphor of light has a certain importance. The gods are said to live in a world of brightness. Torch races were held as part of the cultic veneration of the gods, and in certain mystery cults the cleansing and refining effect of fire like that of water played a major part. Light in the cults was said to drive out demons. But Greek religion never became a religion of light in the strict sense of the term. This came about in later Hellenism. Phos quite naturally denotes good whereas skotos denoted evil. As a figure of life itself, phos contrasts the darkness of death. In addition, light illuminates, thus it represents knowledge, insight and understanding. According to Bauer, in Gnosticism and in the Qumran community or in later Hellenistic Judaism the duality of light and darkness became even more exploited in an effort to communicate theology (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, pages 871-872). Gnosticism marked the climax of this process. It saw a basic, essential difference between light and darkness which stood over against each other as hostile powers, each being sovereign within its own sphere. Man, who by nature is in darkness, needs to liberate the elements of light within his own soul, and free them from earthly matter so that they may be re-united with the supernatural world to which they really belong and so attain to true life. Light and life are inseparably connected. In Gnosticism light and spirit were considered essentially one. Light is the matter of the other world, which flows on him who is willing to receive it and imports divine powers. Light, life, and later knowledge are interchangeable concepts (Oepke, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 4, page 20). Manichaeism and Mandaeism carried on the Gnostic religion of light. The noun phos was used to translate the following Hebrew terms: (1) `or (rw)a), “light” (Gen. 1:3ff. Job 18:5f. Is. 60:19f.) (2) `ur (rWa), “light” (Is. 50:11). (3) `orah (hr*wa ) ), “light, happiness” (Est. 8:16). (4) ma’or (rw)am*), “lamp” (Ex. 27:20; 35:14 [35:16]; 39:37 [39:17]). (5) nevreshah (hv*rb | n#), “lampstand” (Dn. 5:5Aramaic). (6) noghahh (Hg^n)) , “something flaming, light” (Is. 4:5; 50:10). (7) nehir (ryh!n)% , “light” (Dn. 2:22-Aramaic). (8) nir (ryn!), “fallow ground” (Hos. 10:12). (9) ner (rn@), “lamp” (Prv. 13:9; 20:27). Light has 2 categorical usages in the Scriptures: (1) Literal (2) Figurative or metaphorical. Light is associated with the following: (1) Heavenly bodies (Ps. 136:7; Jer. 4:23). (2) Lightning (Ps. 77:18). (3) Dawn (1 S. 14:36). (4) A lamp (Ex. 27:20). (5) Pillar of Fire (Ex. 13:21).

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In Scripture, light has two usages when used in relation to God: (1) Physical light as related to the manifestation of God’s glory and presence. (2) Spiritual light as related to His perfect holiness or character. The Lord Jesus Christ created out of nothing the stellar universe and planet earth (Gen. 1:1; Jn.1: 3; Col. 1:16-17; Hb. 1:3). God the Holy Spirit restored it on the 4th day (Gen. 1:2, 14-19). Light was not created since physical light is a manifestation of the glory of God and His presence. Darkness on the other hand was created and this is indicated in Isaiah 45:7 where the verb yatsar, “to make something out of existing material,” rather than bara, “to create out of non-existing material.” Isaiah 45:7, “The One Who forms (yatsar, “to create out of existing material” and not bara) light and the Creator (bara) of darkness, the Maker of prosperity and the Creator of misfortune, I, the Lord, the One who performs all these things.” Nowhere is Scripture is light said to be bara, “created out of nothing,” but it is said to be yatsar, “to restored.” The glory of God manifested or in other words, His presence manifested is the source of light, both physical and spiritual light. This also clearly indicated in the New Heavens and New Earth and New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:22-27, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Revelation 22:5, “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” God’s manifested glory or in other words, His presence manifested will be the source of light in the New Heavens and New Earth and New Jerusalem. That God Himself would be the Light of the city is entirely fitting with the rest of Scripture (John 1:7-9; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35; 1 John 1:5; Rom. 13:12; Heb. 1:3). This refers to both physical and spiritual light. Remember that in the earthly tabernacle and temple there was artificial lighting in the holy place, the seven-branched lampstand, which spoke of Christ as the Light of the world. Yet, even in the Holy of Holies, there was no such lighting because the Shekinah glory of God gave it its light, the light of God’s own presence. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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In the eternal city, the entire city will be the temple, the dwelling place of God with the radiance of God’s glory radiating throughout the city in all its transparent beauty. Light is eternal and existed before the creation of the stellar universe since God’s manifested glory and presence is the source of light in the creation 1 John 1:5-7, “And this is the promise which we have heard from Him and proclaim to all of you that God is light and there is no darkness in Him, none. If we should say that we keep on having fellowship with Him and we should keep on walking in the darkness, we lie, and do not practice the doctrine. But if we should keep on walking in the light as He always exists in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son purifies us from all sin.” In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ states emphatically that He is the Light of the cosmos meaning the stellar universe, which includes the earth. John 8:12, “Therefore, Jesus addressed them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world (cosmos). The one who keeps on obeying me (as a lifestyle) shall no never walk in the darkness, but will possess the light of life.” Everything in the universe exists because of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:4-5). John 1:4-5, “By means of Him (Christ, the Word), life exists and this Life (Christ) is the light of humanity and this Light (Christ) keeps on shining in the (kingdom of) darkness and the darkness never overcomes it (the Light, Christ).” The account in Genesis 1:3-4 was a restoration of light by God to the universe since light was removed from the universe by God as a result of His judgment for the Satanic rebellion but then God restored it and this account of its restoration appears in Genesis 1:3-2:3. Genesis 1:1-2:3, “In eternity past, God created out of nothing the heavens and the earth. However the earth became an empty desolation, and darkness was upon the surface of the raging ocean depths. Now, the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And then, God commanded, ‘let there be light,’ and so there was light. And then, God observed that in essence the light was perfect, then God caused a division between the light and the darkness. And then, concerning the light, God designated the name day but concerning the darkness, He designated the name night and so it was evening and so it was morning, the first day. Next, God commanded, ‘let there be an atmosphere in the middle of the waters, and let it be a cause of division between waters from waters.’ Consequently, God restored the atmosphere and thus He caused a division between the waters, which were below the atmosphere and the waters, which were above the atmosphere, thus it became a reality as previously described. And then, concerning the atmosphere, God 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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designated the name ‘heavens,’ and so it was evening and so it was morning, the second day. Next, God commanded, ‘Let the waters beneath the heavens be gathered together into one place and as a result, let the dry land appear,’ thus it came to pass as previously described. And then, concerning the dry land, God designated the name earth, however, concerning the collected mass of waters, He designated the name seas and then He observed that it was perfect. Next, God commanded, ‘let the earth produce vegetation: plant life, which produces seed, fruit trees, which reproduce fruit according to their own species whose seed is in itself, upon the earth,’ thus it came to pass as previously described. Consequently, the execution of this command caused the earth to bring forth vegetation: plant life, which reproduces seed according to their own species, and trees, which reproduce fruit, fruit whose seed is in itself according to their own species and then God observed that it was perfect and so it was evening and so it was morning, the third day. Next, God commanded, ‘let there be luminaries located in the space region of the heavens in order to cause a division between the day and the night so that they will be permanently for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years.’ Consequently, they will permanently be for luminaries located in the space region of the heavens and as a result they will be a cause of illumination upon the earth, thus it came to pass as previously described.’ Next, God restored the two great luminaries, the greater luminary in order to rule the day and the lesser luminary in order to rule the night. Also He restored the stars. Consequently, God placed them permanently in the space region of the heavens so that as a result they would be a cause of illumination upon the earth and with the result that they rule over the day and the night and with the result that they cause a division between the light and the darkness and then God observed that it was perfect and so it was evening and so it was morning, the fourth day. Next, God commanded, ‘let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures. However, let the birds fly back and forth above the earth across the face of the atmosphere region of the heavens.’ Next, God created out of nothing the great reptiles. Also, He created out of nothing each and every living creature: those, which crawl, those, which the waters teem with, each of them according to their own species. Also, He created out of nothing each and every winged bird according to their own species and then God observed that it was perfect. Next, God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the various bodies of water. However, let the birds multiply on the earth,’ and so it was evening and so it was morning, the fifth day. Next, God commanded, ‘Cause the earth to bring forth living creatures according to their own species: domestic animals and creeperscrawlers and non-domestic (wild) animals according to their own species, thus 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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it came to pass as previously described.’ Consequently, God (the Holy Spirit) produced non-domestic or wild animals from the earth according to their own species. Also, He produced the domestic animals according to their own species. Also, He produced each and every creeper-crawler on the ground according to their own species and then He (preincarnate Christ) observed that it was perfect. Next, God decreed let Us model man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Consequently, they will rule over the fish in the various bodies of water and over the birds in the earth’s atmosphere and over the animal kingdom and over the entire earth and over each and every creeper-crawler, those, which crawl upon the earth. Consequently, God created out of nothing the essence of man in His own image. In the image of God, He created him out of nothing. Male and female, He created them out of nothing. Next, God blessed them and then, God commanded them for their benefit, ‘both of you, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish in the various bodies of water and over the birds in the earth’s atmosphere and over each and every living creature, those which crawl upon the earth.’ Next, God said, ‘I have given for the benefit of both of you each and every plant, which produces seed, those, which are on the surface of the entire earth and in addition each and every tree, those trees, which have fruit on them, those, which produce seed. They will be food for the benefit of both of you.’ Also, for the benefit of each and every living creature whose habitat is on the earth, specifically, each and every bird whose habitat is the earth’s atmosphere as well as for the benefit of each and every one, which crawls upon the earth, those creatures, which have soul life in them, I have given each and every green plant for food. Thus, it came to pass as previously described. Next, God (the Son) observed each and everything, which He had done. Now behold, it was absolutely perfect! And so it was evening and so it was morning, the sixth and final day. Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed and all their systems and organizations. Consequently, God (the Son) brought to completion His work by the seventh day, which He had done. Consequently, He ceased by the seventh day from all His work, which He had accomplished. Next, God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because during it (the seventh day), He ceased from all His work in which God both created out of nothing and restored.” The fact that physical light was absent signifies God refusing to manifest His glory and His presence in creation as a result of Satan’s rebellion. Therefore, the restoration of physical light signified the restoration of God’s manifested presence and glory. The original language of Genesis 1:1-2 along with a comparison of Scripture with Scripture (cf. Isa. 45:18; Jer. 4:23-25; Ezek. 28:12-18; Isa. 14:12-14) clearly 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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indicates between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 the earth and the stellar universe along with the angels were judged for the Satanic rebellion. The Lord Jesus Christ did not create the earth and the stellar universe to be an empty desolation and enveloped with darkness but rather He created it to have light and life. The absence of light signifies disaster (Jer. 4:23; Ezek. 32:7f.) and darkness is the abode of the wicked who operate at night (Jb. 24:14-17). It signifies the absence of the presence of God and the ocean signifies judgment (cf. Gen. 6-9; Ex. 14-15). Therefore, the earth and all of creation have undergone 3 phases: (1) Creation: Inhabited solely by the angels (Gen. 1:1) (2) Chaos: The result of God’s judgment of the Satanic rebellion in eternity past (Between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2; cf. Isa. 14:1214; 45:18; Ezek. 28:12-18; Job 4:18) (3) Restoration: The result of God granting Satan’s appeal and the creation of mankind to resolve the conflict between God and Satan (Gen. 1:2b-2:4). The Lord Jesus Christ formed light out of existing material as indicated by the verb yatsar in Isaiah 45:7, which means, “to create out of existing material.” The verb bara, “to create something out of non-existing material,” which appears in Genesis 1:1 but does not appear in Genesis 1:3-4. Of course, the OT constantly associates light with God. It is said to be in an anthropopathic sense His garment (Ps. 104:2) and it lives with Him (Dn. 2:22). His brightness is like light (Hab. 3:4). The Psalmist says, “the Lord is my light” (Ps. 27:1; cf. 2 S. 22:29). Darkness is said to not triumph over light (Job 38:19, 24). In creation, the Lord is said to do the following in Jeremiah 31:35, “Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name.” Serving God is described as walking in His light (Is. 2:5). His servant is a “light” to others (Is. 42:6; 49:6; 60:3; cf. 51:4). Light is often used as a symbol of divine favor, goodness, uprightness and blessing (Ps. 97:11). The path of the righteous is “like the light of the dawn” that continually grows brighter (Prov. 4:18). The failure to recognize the light is the most serious perversion. Those who do so “call evil good and good evil” and “put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Is. 5:20). A light was kept burning continually at night before the veil in the wilderness Tabernacle (Ex. 27:20-21; Lev. 24:2). It was a symbol of the presence of the Shekinah Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the sovereign Lord of light and darkness. Philo used phos with reference to knowledge. Under Plato’s influence Philo saw the noetic as playing a part in a man’s appropriation of salvation, but since, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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like others in the history of religion, he viewed salvation in terms of light, it is easy to see why he used the metaphor of light for epistemological concepts. The Logos is light, similarly the human nous or understanding. By describing conscience as phos, Philo indicates the connection between knowledge and ethical behavior, a connection already assumed as self-evident by Plato (Deus Imm. 135; Jos. 68). He considers God the first light and the archetype of every other light (Som. 1, 75). In the OT, light is often used in the figurative sense to describe the perfect character of God. His garment is said to be light (Ps. 104:2). God’s presence is indicated by light (Ex. 13:21; Neh. 9:12; Dan. 2:22). The Lord is seen often in terms of light and salvation (Psa. 4:6). The Word of God is said to be light (Ps. 119:105; cf. Prov. 6:23), thus wisdom is described as light in the soul of a person because it is God’s viewpoint. Just as the pillar of fire-marked Israel’s route at the time of the Exodus (Ex. 13:21f.), so the law show how a man is to walk in the light, i.e. how a spiritual Israelite ought to live. According to Genesis 1:14-19, the “luminaries or celestial bodies of light” in the stellar universe surrounding the earth were to serve a 5-fold purpose: (1) Separate the day from the night on the earth. (2) Signs (3) Seasons (4) Days (5) Years. In astronomy the stellar universe is referred to as the cosmos. The branch of learning that deals with phenomena at the scale of many millions of light-years is called cosmology. Cosmology is, in effect, the study of the universe at large. The cosmos contain the entire physical universe consisting of all objects and phenomena observed and postulated. The principal components of the universe are as follows: (1) Planetary systems: Sun, planets, satellites, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. (2) Stars (3) Galaxies (4) Quasars (5) Cosmic rays and magnetic fields (6) Microwave background radiation (7) Intergalactic gas (8) Low-energy neutrinos (9) Gravitational waves. Every visible star is a sun in its own right. Some stars are intrinsically brighter than our sun; others, fainter. Much less light is received from the stars than from the sun because the stars are all much farther away. Indeed, they appear densely packed in the Milky Way only because there are so many of them. The actual speculations of the stars are enormous, so large that it is conventional to measure their distances in units of how far light can travel in a given amount of time. The speed of light (in a vacuum) equals 3 X 10 to the 10th power cm/sec (centimeters per second); at such a speed, it is possible to circle the earth 7 times in a single second. Thus in terrestrial terms the sun, which lies 500 light-seconds from 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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the earth, is very far away; however, even the next closest star, Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4.3 light-years (4.1 X 10 to the 18th power cm), is 270,000 times farther yet. The stars that lie on the opposite side of the Milky Way from the sun have distances that are on the order of 100,000 light-years, which is the typical diameter of a large spiral galaxy. The nearest galaxies to the Milky Way system are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, 2 irregular satellites of the Galaxy visible to the naked eye in the Southern Hemisphere. The Magellanic Clouds are relatively small (containing roughly 10 to the 9th power stars) compared to the Galaxy (with some 10 to the 11th power) stars), and they lie at a distance of about 200,000 lightyears. The nearest large galaxy comparable to the Galaxy is the Andromeda galaxy (also called M31 because it was the 31st entry in a catalog of astronomical objects compiled by the French astronomer Charles Messier in 1781), and it lies at a distance of about 2,000,000 light-years. The Magellanic Clouds, the Andromeda galaxy, and the Milky Way system all are part of an aggregation of the 2 dozen or so neighboring galaxies known as the Local Group. The largest members of this group are M31 and the Galaxy, which are both spiral galaxies. The most luminous and brightest galaxies however are not spiral galaxies but rather super giant ellipticals (also called cD galaxies by astronomers for historical reasons that are not particularly illuminating). Elliptical galaxies have roundest shapes rather than the flattened distributions that characterize spiral galaxies, and they tend to occur in rich clusters (those containing thousands of members) rather than in the loose groups favored by spirals. The brightest member galaxies of rich clusters have been detected at distances exceeding several thousand million light-years from the earth. Astronomers are observing objects, as they existed during a time when the universe was much younger than it is today. Many of celestial bodies or luminaries that we observe at night are light years away from us. Light is electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. In terms of wavelength, electromagnetic radiation occurs over an extremely wide range, from gamma rays with a wavelength of 3 X 10-14 centimeter to long radio waves measured in millions of kilometers. In that spectrum the wavelengths visible to humans occupy a very narrow band, from about 7 X 10 to the negative 5th power centimeter (red light) down to about 4 X 10-5 (violet). The spectral regions adjacent to the visible band are often referred to as light also, infrared at the one end and ultraviolet at the other. The speed of light in a vacuum is a fundamental physical constant, the currently accepted value of which is 299,792,458 meters per second or 186 miles per second. A light-year in astronomy is the distance traveled by light moving in a vacuum in

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the course of 1 year, at its velocity of 186,282 miles per second. A light-year equals about 5.878 x 10,000,000,000,000 miles, or 63,240 astronomical units. Two properties of light are, perhaps, more basic and fundamental than any others. The first of these is that light is a form of energy conveyed through empty space at high velocity (in contrast, many forms of energy, such as the chemical energy stored in coal or oil, can be transferred from one place to another only by transporting the matter in which the energy is stored). The unique property of light is, thus, that energy in the form of light is always moving, and its movement is only in an indirect way affected by motion of the matter through which it is moving. When light energy ceases to move, because matter has absorbed it, it is no longer light. The second fundamental property is that a beam of light can convey information from one place to another. This information concerns both the source of light and also any objects that have partly absorbed or reflected or refracted the light before it reaches the observer. The sun, planets and their moons or satellites as wells comets, galaxies and quasars are all examples of luminescent light sources. Luminescence is a process by which some materials emit light when they are relatively cool. Familiar examples of luminescence are the light emissions from electronically excited gases in neon lamps, lightning, tiny inorganic crystals used as coatings in luminescent watch dials, television, radar kinescopes, fluorescent lamps, x-ray fluoroscope screens, certain organic materials undergoing oxidation in fireflies and glowworms, aurora borealis. In all these phenomena, light emission does not result from the material being above room temperature, and so luminescence is often called cold light in order to distinguish it from the temperature-dependent light emitted by incandescent sources. When hot materials become luminous and radiate light, a process called incandescence, the atoms of the material are in a high state of agitation. Examples of incandescent sources: burning wood, coal, molten iron, and wire heated by an electric current. The practical value of luminescent materials lies in their capacity to transform invisible forms of energy into visible light. Luminescence is the emission of light not caused by incandescence and occurring at a temperature below that of incandescent bodies. Incandescence is the emission of visible light by a body, caused by its high temperature. An object that is luminous is one that is radiating or reflecting light. A luminary is a celestial body such as the sun or moon. The noun phos appears 73 times in the Greek New Testament. It is used to denote for the following in the Greek New Testament: (1) Person of Christ in relation to salvation and His doctrine (Mt. 4:16; Lk. 2:42; Jn. 1:5, 7, 8, 9; 3:19, 20, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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21; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9; 12:35, 36; 12:46; 13:47; Acts 26:13; 1 Jn. 2:8). (2) Function of believer’s spiritual life, i.e. applying the doctrines of Christ (Mt. 5:14; Rm. 13:12; 1 Jn. 2:9-10). (3) Soul life (Mt. 6:23; Lk. 8:35; 11:35). (4) Divine viewpoint (Mt. 10:27; Jn. 11:10; 26:18; Eph. 5:13; 1 Jn. 1:7). (5) Translucent nature of Christ’s garment at the transfiguration (Mt. 17:2). (6) Fire (Mk. 14:54; Lk. 22:56). (7) Physical light (Lk. 8:16; 12:3; Acts 9:3; 12:7; 16:29; 26:13; Rev. 18:23; 22:5). (8) Light of Christ’s resurrection body (Acts 22:6, 9). (9) Believer’s (Lk. 16:8; 2 Co. 6:14; Eph. 5:8; Col. 1:12; 1 Th. 5:5; Jam. 1:17) (10) Eternal life of Christ (Jn. 1:4). (11) John the Baptist message of repentance (Jn. 5:45). (12) Salvation to the Gentiles (Rm. 2:19). (13) Restoration of physical light to the stellar universe signifying the presence of God (2 Co. 4:6). (14) Counterfeit nature of Satan (2 Co. 11:14). (15) Perfect character of Christ (1 Tim. 6:16) (16) Presence of God indicating fellowship (1 Pet. 2:9; 1 Jn. 2:9). (17) Perfect character of God (1 Jn. 1:5). (18) Presence of Christ in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:24). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (pages 871-872): (1) Literal, general; by metonymy that which gives light, light, that which is illuminated by light (2) Element and sphere of the Divine (3) Figurative, light that illuminates the spirit and the soul of man is generally the element in which the redeemed person lives, rich in blessings without and within; Messianic salvation, the gospel; to be filled with Christian truth means: bearers or bringers of this kind of light; by metonymy the one who is illuminated or filled with such light or who stands in it. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (pages 662-663): (1) Properly; heavenly light; by metonymy anything emitting light; a heavenly illuminary; fire; a lamp or torch; light, i.e. brightness (2) Appellation of God, i.e. as by nature incorporeal, spotless, holy; in a state of supreme sanctity; a figure describing His nature as alike of consummate majesty and inaccessible to human comprehension; used of that heavenly state, consummate and free from every imperfection, to which the true disciples of Christ be exalted (3) Used to denote truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity congruous with it (4) The saving truth embodied in Christ and by His love and effort imparted to mankind; by metonymy used of one in whom wisdom and spiritual purity shine forth, and who imparts the same to others, of Jesus and His disciples (5) Christians (6) By figure used of that which is exposed to the view of all, openly, publicly (7) Reason, mind; the power of understanding especially moral and spiritual truth. The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (page 432): (1) Light (2) Daylight, broad day (3) Radiance, blaze of light (4) An instrument or means of light, a light (5) A fire (6) From the Hebrew, the light of God’s presence (7) Metonymy the light of Divine truth, spiritual illumination (8) A source or dispenser of spiritual light (9) Pure radiance, perfect brightness. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (volume 2): (1) Light, in contrast with darkness, usually in relationship to some source of light such as the sun, moon, fire, lamp, etc. – ‘lamp’ (page 173). (2) A pile or heap of burning material – ‘fire, bonfire’ (page 20). (3) A stick or bundle of sticks carried about as a light – ‘torch’ (page 66). (4) Pertaining to what is widely known in view of the events in question having taken place in public – ‘in public, publicly’ (page 343). (5) Persons to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who are presumably living according to such truth – ‘sons of the light, children of the light, people of God’ (page 123). Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “phos, akin to phao, ‘to give light’ (from roots pha-- and phan--, expressing ‘light as seen by the eye,’ and, metaphorically, as ‘reaching the mind,’ whence phaino, ‘to make to appear,’ phaneros, ‘evident,’ etc.); cf. Eng., ‘phosphorus’ (lit., ‘light-bearing’). Primarily light is a luminous emanation, probably of force, from certain bodies, which enables the eye to discern form and color. Light requires an organ adapted for its reception Matt 6:22. Where the eye is absent, or where it has become impaired from any cause, light is useless. Man, naturally, is incapable of receiving spiritual light inasmuch as he lacks the capacity for spiritual things, 1 Cor 2:14. Hence believers are called 'sons of light,' Luke 16:8, not merely because they have received a revelation from God, but because in the New Birth they have received the spiritual capacity for it. "Apart from natural phenomena, light is used in Scripture of (a) the glory of God's dwelling place, 1 Tim 6:16; (b) the nature of God, 1 John 1:5; (c) the impartiality of God, James 1:17; (d) the favor of God, Ps 4:6; of the King, Prov 16:15; of an influential man, Job 29:24; (e) God, as the illuminator of His people, Isa 60:19,20; (f) the Lord Jesus as the illuminator of men, John 1:4,5,9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35,36,46; Acts 13:47; (g) the illuminating power of the Scriptures, Ps 119:105; and of the judgments and commandments of God, Isa 51:4; Prov 6:23, cf. Ps 43:3; (h) the guidance of God Job 29:3; Ps 112:4; Isa 58:10; and, ironically, of the guidance of man, Rom 2:19; (i) salvation, 1 Peter 2:9; (j) righteousness, Rom 13:12; 2 Cor 11:14,15; 1 John 2:9,10; (k) witness for God, Matt 5:14,16; John 5:35; (1) prosperity and general well-being, Est 8:16; Job 18:18; Isa 58:8-10.” (From Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine pp. 159, 160) As we noted in our study of phos in the LXX, light has 2 usages when used in relation to God: (1) Physical light as related to the manifestation of God’s glory and presence. (2) Spiritual light as related to His perfect holiness or character. It is constantly associated with God and with His servants in the Greek New Testament. The apostle John employs phos to describe the perfect character of the Trinity (1 Jn. 1:5). Light represents the kingdom of God, led by the Lord Jesus Christ and darkness represents the kingdom led by Satan (Jn. 1:4-5; 3:18-21; 12:35-36). Light 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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is also the symbol of ultimate victory since it cannot co-exist or yield to darkness (Jn. 1:4-5). In respect to God, light will signify source rather than emanation of rays but even so radiance is inseparable from its source (Heb. 1:3). The cosmos composed of the stellar universe (2nd heaven), the earth and its atmosphere (1st heaven) serve as the theater of military operations for the angelic conflict pitting the kingdom of God against the kingdom of Satan which are described in Scripture as light and darkness respectively. The voluntary substitutionary spiritual death of the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union at the cross 2000 years ago was a great strategic victory over Satan in the angelic conflict (John 12:31; 16:8-11; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14). His strategic victory has paved the way for other tactical victories by church age believers. The church age believer is involved in spiritual warfare with the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 6:12-16; Phil. 1:27-30). The church age believer is described as a “soldier” in Scripture (1 Cor. 9:7; Phil. 2:25; 2 Tim. 3-4). The church age is the intensive stage of the angelic conflict. God has provided the believer the means to fight in this intensive stage of the angelic conflict. Satan and the kingdom of darkness would easily destroy the believer if he were left to his own devices using his own human power. God has provided the believer the power to overcome his spiritual adversary, Satan and the kingdom of darkness through the Spirit and the Word (1 John 4:4). The kingdom of darkness will employ fear and intimidation tactics to get the believer to go AWOL (Absent without Official Leave) from the Plan of God (Phil. 1:28; Heb. 2:15; 1 Pet. 5:1-9). Fear is a contradiction to the believer’s spiritual life, which is a lifestyle of wisdom and confidence (2 Tim. 1:7). In the same way that light overcomes darkness in the natural realm; the divine omnipotence of the believer’s 2 Great Divine Provisions (Word and the Spirit) overcomes Satan and his invisible army. The execution of the prototype spiritual life by the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union set all precedence for the believer in the church age as to how he is to glorify God the Father. All precedence for glorifying God the Father during the church age is derived from the dispensation of the hypostatic union. The execution of the operational type spiritual life by the church age believer will achieve tactical victory over Satan and the kingdom of darkness in the angelic conflict. The soldier of Christ Jesus who achieves the objective of executing the plan of God for the church age appears as a luminary or a light in the cosmic system of Satan exposing his deceitful schemes and defeating him in his own territory (Phil. 2:15).

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Light is employed in the Greek New Testament in a figurative sense for the spiritual life of the believer (Mt. 5:16; Rm. 13:12; 1 Jn. 1:7) and signifies fellowship with God. Light is also used figuratively for salvation for the unbelievers who are living in the darkness of Satan’s cosmic system (Mt. 4:16; Acts 13:47; 26:17-18; Eph. 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:9). The light of the Gospel penetrates our hearts and grants us insight and knowledge (2 Cor. 4:4, 6). Light is sometimes used metaphorically in the Scripture for the function of the believer’s royal ambassadorship in the cosmic system of Satan in communicating the good news of our Lord’s voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on the cross, which provided salvation for all mankind and defeated Satan in the angelic conflict. The believer is sometimes depicted as a luminary or a light in the cosmic system of Satan meaning that in the same way that a luminary reflects light so the believer is to reflect Christ who is the light of the cosmos (Dn. 12:3; Mt. 5:14-16; Jn. 8:12; 12:35-36; Eph. 5:7-14; Phlp. 2:14-15; 1 Pet. 2:9, 12). The believer’s responsibility is to clearly present the Gospel message to the unbeliever and the rest depends upon the convincing ministry of God the Holy Spirit. The church age believer as a member of the Royal Family of God represents his King, the Lord Jesus Christ, on official business which is the communication of the Gospel or the Good News that Jesus Christ died for every sin committed in the human race-past, present and future and has reconciled us to God the Father with His death. The communication of witnessing occurs in 2 ways: (1) The example of your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3; Phil. 2:14-15). (2) The words of your lips (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 6:2; 1 Thess. 1:4-5). The good news of our Lord’s finished work and victory at the cross and resurrection are like a light for the unbeliever whose soul is in darkness as result of being enslaved to the old sin nature and the cosmic system of Satan. Every church age believer at the moment of salvation has been given 2 royal commissions: (1) Priesthood (1 Pt. 2:5, 9): Directed toward God. (2) Ambassadorship (2 Cr. 5:21): Directed toward mankind. The church age believer represents the absent Lord Jesus Christ under his ambassadorship whereas he represents himself before God under his priesthood. There are 2 categories of witnessing: (1) Individual: Believer (2) Corporate: Local assembly. The Lord Jesus Christ during His 1st Advent describes Himself as the Light of the cosmos (cosmos) (Mt. 5:14-16; Jn. 3:18-21; 12:35-36; 2 Co. 4:5-7). He is the Light of the entire creation since He is its Creator. The impeccable Person and Finished Work of the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union was like a light 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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shining in the darkness. His impeccable Person and Finished Work on the cross brought light to the souls of the entire human race who are born physically alive but spiritually dead and enslaved to the Satan and his cosmic system, which is governed by his policy of evil. Anyone who believes in Him receives eternal life and at least 59 other irrevocable things. The one who believes in Christ for salvation has been freed from enslavement to the old sin nature and Satan’s cosmic system. The one who believes in Christ for salvation now becomes a son of light as a result of his 1 shot non-meritorious decision. The soul of the unbeliever is in total darkness but the soul of the believer has been enlightened by Christ Who is the Light of the world. Light is synonymous with revelation and the enlightened man becomes light (Ps. 34:5; Mt. 5:14). What God has said supports what He has already accomplished. Agents of revelation become light. The Scriptures also characterize the Word of God as a light to the soul of the believer (Job 24:13; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23; Mt. 5:14-16; Jn. 8:12; 2 Co. 4:5-7; Eph. 5:7-14). Bible doctrine is divine viewpoint and God’s objective is that the believer possess divine viewpoint in his soul (Mt. 6:19-24). Jesus Christ is the Living Word and Bible Doctrine is the Written Word of God. All Scripture is theopneustos, “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). The doctrine of inspiration contends that, “God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human authors of Scripture, that without destroying their individuality, their literary style, their personal interests, their vocabulary, God’s complete and connected thought towards man was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture.” The original languages of Scripture contain the very words of God, and therefore, bear the authority of divine authorship. The original languages of Scripture are the exact record, the mind and will of God. God the Holy Spirit provided the inhale of the contents of the Bible and the human authors exhaled it in writing. Bible Doctrine is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Bible Doctrine, the words of our Lord are spirit and our life (John 6:63). The written Word of God is the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). The Word of God is God (John 1:1-2) and holds the universe together (Heb. 1:3). The Word of God will live forever (1 Pet. 1:24; Isa. 40:6-8). Doctrine can judge the thoughts and intentions of man (Heb. 4:12; John 12:48) and tells us that everything was created by the Word of God (Heb. 11:3). Bible Doctrine is the most powerful weapon the believer possesses (Heb. 4:12; 2 Cor. 6:7). The Word of God is likened to a sword, which was the most powerful and dangerous weapon in the ancient world (Eph. 6:17; 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Heb. 4:12). To know the living Word, you must know the written Word. Bible Doctrine is the believer’s spiritual food (Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3; Psa. 119:103; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 3:1-3; 1 Cor. 10:3). The Word of God is more necessary than your physical food (Job 23:12; Matt. 4:4). The Word of God, Bible Doctrine provides the believer with spiritual energy needed to live the Christian way of life. The Christian way of life is a supernatural way of life and demands a supernatural means of execution. Light enables us to see where we are going. In the same way that the pillar of fire provided light and guided the Exodus generation through the darkness of the desert so the Spirit provides light for the church age believer’s soul in order to guide him through the darkness of the cosmic system. When we sin, we are extinguishing the light that the Spirit provides in our soul when we are in fellowship. 1 John 1:5, “Now, this is the proclamation, which we have heard issue forth from Him and we are imparting at this particular time for the benefit of all of you, namely that God (the Father) is light. In fact, there is absolutely no darkness inherent in Him, none.” 1 John 1:6, “If, any of us enters into making the claim that we have been experiencing fellowship with Him and yet we have been living in the darkness (of the cosmic system of Satan), then we do lie to ourselves and furthermore, we unequivocally do not obey the truth.” 1 John 1:7, “On the other hand, if any of us does at any time live in the light (in the presence of the Father by living according to the standards of His holiness) just as He Himself is in essence that light (holy), then, we do experience fellowship with one another (with the Father) and furthermore, the blood of Jesus, His Son does cause us to be purified from each and every sin.” Job 29:3, “When His lamp shone upon my head by His light I walked through darkness (of the cosmic system).” Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation Whom I will respect.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5, “In fact, all of you are sons of light and son of the day. We are never of darkness or of night. So then we should never sleep as the rest but we should keep on being alert and keep on being sober-minded.” Not only are we depriving ourselves the guidance and direction of the Spirit when we sin but we are also hindering the Spirit’s work of manifesting the light of Christ in our physical bodies while we live in the midst of the darkness of the cosmic system of Satan. The light of Christ is the Person of Christ or more accurately, the life and character of Christ. When we are out of fellowship, the light of Christ, which refers to the life and character of the Person of Christ, cannot be manifested in our physical bodies.

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Remember what the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 8:12, “Therefore, Jesus addressed them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world (kosmos). The one who keeps on obeying me (as a lifestyle) shall no never walk in the darkness, but will possess the light of life.” The Spirit’s job during the church age is always to mediate and manifest the light of Christ through the body of Christ. The responsibility of us as members of the body of Christ is to manifest the Person of Christ. The Spirit enables us to, but this is hindered and brought to a complete stop when we sin and are out of fellowship. Paul exhorts the Roman believers to put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12, “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” When we are filled or influenced by means of the Spirit, we can discern the lies from the cosmic system of Satan. Ephesians 5:13, “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” So the church’s function as the body of Christ is to manifest, and reflect the Person of Christ or in other words, the Light of Christ. This is why Paul desired that Christ would be manifested in his physical body in Philippians 1:21. Philippians 1:19-21, “In fact, I know without a doubt that this (situation) will result for my benefit in (soul) prosperity through your supportive prayer by means of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. According to my confident anticipation that I will be put to shame in nothing but with all courage, as always, even now, Christ will be glorified in my body whether by life or by death because as far as I am concerned to keep on living is Christ and to have died is profit.” This is why Paul exhorts the Philippians in the following manner: Philippians 2:14-16, “Continue performing all activities without murmurs resulting from doubts so that you might demonstrate yourselves to be uncensurable and uncontaminated, students of God (the Holy Spirit), virtuous in the midst of a corrupt and depraved generation. Among whom you yourselves keep on appearing as luminaries in the cosmos by all of you continuing to exhibit the Word of life as a boast for me on the day of Christ because I have not run in vain, nor have I worked diligently in vain.” When we sin and get out of fellowship we are in effect hindering the Spirit’s work of manifesting the Light or the virtuous character of Christ in our physical bodies! Remember what Paul said in Galatians 4:19, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until the character of Christ is formed in all of you.” The fruit of the Spirit is the production of Christ-like character.

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Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is divine-love, contentment, soul prosperity, patient-endurance, integrity, generosity, faithfulness, humility, discipline, against such things there is no law.” Fruit bearing talks about building Christ-like character. Ephesians 5:9, “(for the fruit of the Light {consists} in all goodness and righteousness and truth).” Philippians 1:11, “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which {comes} through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Colossians 1:10, “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please {Him} in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Hebrews 12:11, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” James 3:18, “And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Light also emphasizes the glory and magnificence of God as well as His veracity and purity. It also stresses the self-communicative nature of God where it is His nature to impart Himself without limit. As we noted the unique property of light is that energy in the form of light is always moving, and its movement is only in an indirect way affected by motion of the matter through which it is moving, thus, light emphasizes the action of God for man and for his salvation. Furthermore, light stresses God’s activity in empowering. Light not only emphasizes the action of God for man’s salvation but also enables him to perform the will of God. It also reveals the presence of God. In Genesis 1:2 we noted that the earth was covered with darkness, which signifies the absence of the presence of God. So light always signifies the presence of God whether in the world or in the believer who is experiencing fellowship with God. Light has the character of a demand meaning man must adjust to the character of God and this is accomplished by the unbeliever expressing faith alone in Christ alone and by the believer by experiencing fellowship with God. In Romans 2:19, the noun phos, “A light,” which was a term that the selfrighteous, unsaved Jew attributed to himself and describes him as one who is an agent of revelation from God or to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who is presumably living according to such truth and thus reflecting the holiness of God in their lives. This was a lie since they committed the same sins as the unsaved Gentiles according to Romans 2:1.

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However, this was exactly what God wanted the Jews to be for the Gentiles. God had elected the nation of Israel to the privilege of providing spiritual light to the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:6, “I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.” The Lord promised Abraham that in his descendants, the nation of Israel, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” according to Genesis 12:3. However, the Jews failed in this throughout history and yet they won’t in the future during the Tribulation period (Revelation 7) and the millennial reign of Christ. The noun phos, “a light” functions as an “accusative of simple apposition” meaning that the word piggy-backs the accusative direct object seautou, “yourself” and presents to the reader another pretension of the self-righteous, unsaved Jew. Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:19: “Moreover, you are confident in yourself, namely that you are as a guide for the blind, a light.” Romans 2:19, “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” “To those who are” is the genitive masculine plural form of the definite article ho (o() (ho), which functions as a “substantiver” meaning it nominalizes (i.e. converts to a noun) the prepositional phrase en skotei, “in darkness” and thus we can translate it with the noun phrase “to those.” “In darkness” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the dative neuter singular form of the noun skotos (skovto$) (skot-os), “darkness.” The noun skotia is related to the noun skotos and denotes “darkness, gloom.” In classical Greek, the word was used both literally and figuratively. It was used especially as a symbol of death. The noun skotos, “darkness” appears in classical from the writings of Homer onward (Iliad, 5, 47; Odyssey 19, 389). The feminine form of skotos, which is skotia has the same meaning as skotos and is of Hellenistic origin (Apoll. Rhod. 4, 1698). In classical Greek darkness implies primarily to the state characterized by the absence of light (phos) without any metaphysical overtones. The thought is chiefly of the effect of darkness upon man. In the dark man gropes around uncertainly (Plato, Phaedo, 99b), since his ability to see is severely limited. Thus, man who can see may become blind in the darkness and no longer know which way to turn. Hence, darkness appears as the “sphere of objective peril and of subjective anxiety.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 7, page 424). The skotos word group is also employed in secular Greek in a metaphorical sense. It is used to describe human life and conduct. The word can describe a 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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man’s seclusion and obscurity or indicate secrecy, deceitfulness of his actions, the abstruseness of his words as well as lack of enlightment, insight and knowledge. Skotos “does not attain to high conceptual rank in philosophy…Mention of darkness serves to set off light; it has no philosophical content of its own” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 7, page 425f.). This is not the case in Gnosticism where the concept of darkness goes beyond the purely relative, to become an independent force, seen as the unlimited ruler of the earthly world. This world is permeated with darkness that even its luminaries are but skoteinon phos, “dark light.” In a complete and drastic contrast to the cosmos of darkness shines the transcendent cosmos, the priority of which is emphasized in Gnostic literature where is said to be endowed with a soul coming from a spark of light. It is man’s task by means of gnosis, “knowledge” to attain enlightment. Therefore, in direct antithesis with gnosis darkness has the character of agnoia, the sphere of ignorance, which keeps man from his salvation. The very fact of possessing a body involves the natural man in this sphere. The contrast between the cosmos of light and the cosmos of darkness results in a demand to metanoia, “change one’s mind.” The decision to turn from darkness of the earth-bound and bodily to the light and life. This dualism that demands for a decision between the light, which contains salvation and darkness, which means death, is developed to its most consistent conclusion in the metaphysical systems of the Mandaeans and of Manichaeism. Liddell and Scott (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, page 1615): (1) Darkness, gloom (2) In architecture, a sunken molding, so called from the dark shadow it casts (3) Epith. Of Apophrodite in Egypt. The noun skotia is used in the LXX to translate the following Hebrew terms: (1) `Ophel (lp#a)) , “darkness” (Jb. 28:3). (2) Chashakh (R)vt ^ )* , “be dark” (Mi. 3:6). Skotia is employed in the OT in both a literal and figurative sense and is used of literal darkness meaning the absence of physical light. The word is used figuratively of evil, sin and the absence of divine viewpoint and the presence of God. Darkness in Scripture often relates to the absence of divine viewpoint and thus the absence of the presence of God. Ephesians 5:8, “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Colossians 1:13, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment.” I John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 2:10-11, “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” Jude 1:6, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” James 1:17, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Revelation 21:22-25, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed.” Acts 26:18, “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness.” Darkness in the Bible is associated with evil and the kingdom of darkness. In Genesis 1:2, the description of earth as an empty desolation and having darkness over the surface of the ocean depths paints a very negative picture. Genesis 1:1, “In eternity past, God created out of nothing the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:2a, “However the earth became an empty desolation and darkness was upon the surface of the raging ocean depths.” This picture is not one of blessing, but of cursing instead. We would expect that when God creates there would be light and life but this is not described here in verse 2. God did not create the earth to be an empty desolation but it became that because of God’s judgment of the angels in eternity past before mankind was created. As a result of Satan's activities on the original earth, God judged that the 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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original created world and the earth was cursed by association with Satan's sin (just as the restored earth would later be cursed for its association with Adam's sin: Gen.3:17-19; Rom.8:19-22). One of the results of that judgment was that God plunged the original earth (and universe, for that matter) into darkness. In this and other instances, we may say that in addition to being symbolic of evil, the darkness is also very real, inflicted in literal fashion as part of the judgment of God (cf. Is.5:30; 8:22; Ezek.32:7-8; Acts 13:11): Darkness was one of the ten plagues upon Egypt which demonstrated God's power over Pharaoh (Ex.10:21-29; cf. Ps.105:28). The darkness was apparently horrible, a palpable curse which constituted the worst of all the plagues, to be followed by the death of the Egyptian first-born (Ex.11). A similar divine blotting out of all light occurs at Exodus 14:20. Here the cloud of God's presence creates a supernatural darkness for the purpose of restraining the Egyptian army, yet at the same time it provides light to the Israelites (cf. Josh.24:7). In Scripture, Egypt is a picture of the cosmic system of Satan. Just as the Passover lamb, which portrayed the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ dying as a Substitute for all of us, was commanded to be slaughtered “between the evenings [pl.],” (i.e., twilight: Ex.12:6; 29:39-41), so Christ's death on behalf of all mankind was destined to be accompanied by an analogous, yet supernatural darkness. The three synoptic gospel writers all record this darkness (lasting approximately three summertime hours: Matt.27:45-54; Mk.15:33-39; Lk.23:44-49), with Luke adding the important detail that “the sun gave out” (literally “eclipsed”). Immediately following this period of unprecedented darkness, the veil of the temple is split miraculously in two, and our Lord breathes His last - until His resurrection. Thus the supernatural darkness of the cross is likewise a sign of divine judgment - our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf submitting to the Father's judgment upon all our sins and dying in our place. He endured this terrible darkness and all that it entailed that we might forever live in the light with Him (Mt. 27:45-54). Prior to the return of our Lord (the Second Advent), earth will undergo the most terrible period of her history, the Great Tribulation (Dan.12:1; Matt.24:21 and 29; Mk.13:19 and 24; Rev.7:14). A period of supernatural darkness is prophesied as one of the final events immediately preceding Christ's return at the 2nd Advent, where there is a judgment from God upon antichrist and his kingdom (Is.13:9-13; 34:4; 60:1-2; Ezek.32:7-10; Joel 2:2, 2:10, 2:31; 3:15; Zeph.1:15-18; Zech.14:6-7; Matt.24:29; Mk.13:24-25; Acts 2:17-21; Rev.6:12-13; 16:10).

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There is also the supernatural darkness of the Lake of Fire (Is.66:15-16 and 24; Dan.7:9-11; Matt.3:11-12; 5:22; 18:8-9; 25:41; Mk.9:43 and 48; Jas.3:6; Rev.19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8). Just as the darkness of the Exodus plague (Ex.10:21) and the bowl judgment of Revelation (Rev.16:10-11) are tangible, this too will be a palpable, painful darkness (Matt.8:12; 22:13; 25:30). Even now, this particular type of supernatural darkness and fire exists in Torments (for unbelieving humans: Lk.16:24; 2 Pet.2:17; Jude 13) and Tartarus (for certain of the fallen angels: 2 Pet.2:4; Jude 6), although the ultimate “lake of fire” has yet to receive its first inhabitants (Rev.19:20; 20:10). Therefore, from everything we know about the use and meaning of darkness elsewhere in the Bible, to describe the universe as dark and without light (as Genesis 1:2 does) is to describe a status quo of cursing, rather than blessing, and of divine judgment, rather than original, miraculous creation. The fact that God is Lord over darkness does not automatically diminish the threat of this hostile force to man. Although God allows darkness to exercise a certain power even exposing the righteous to its terrors (Ps. 88:6; Job 19:8; 30:26), and although He wraps Himself in impenetrable darkness (1 K. 8:12; Ps. 18:9ff.), the promise remains that the people who walked in darkness (unbelievers) will see a great Light (Christ) (Is. 9:2), however, there will be those who will hide from the light of God (Is. 29:15). God will be the darkness of sin out into the light (Job 12:22), hence, the prophets proclaim that the day of the Lord will be a day of darkness and judgment (Joel 2:2, 10; Amos 5:20; 8:9). The noun skotia appears 17 times in the Greek New Testament and is used predominately by the apostle John where 14 of the 17 occurrences of the word in the Greek New Testament appear in Johannine literature. The other 3 occurrences of the word are found in Luke 12:3 and Matthew 4:16 and 10:27. As in the Hebrew OT Scriptures, darkness has both a literal and figurative usage in the Greek New Testament. The word is used of literal darkness meaning the absence of sunlight in John 6:17 and 20:1 and is used of figurative for the spiritual darkness of the unbeliever (Mt. 4:16; Jn. 12:35, 46). It is used of secrecy in Matthew 10:27 and Luke 12:3 and is used of Satan and the fallen angels in John 1:5 and 1 John 2:8. The word is used to describe the believer who is out of fellowship with God (1 Jn. 2:9, 11). It is used to indicate that there is no moral imperfection in the character of God (1 Jn. 1:5). Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “skotia is used (a) of physical darkness, "dark," John 6:17, lit., "darkness had come on," and 20:1, lit., "darkness still being"; (b) of secrecy, in general, whether what is done therein is good or evil, Matt 10:27; Luke 12:3; (c) of spiritual or moral "darkness," emblematic of sin, as a

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condition of moral or spiritual depravity, Matt 4:16; John 1:5; 8:12; 12:35,46; 1 John 1:5; 2:8-9,11.” The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (page 370): (1) Darkness (2) Privacy (3) Metaphorical, moral or spiritual darkness. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (page 757): (1) Literal, darkness, gloom (2) Figurative of the darkening of the mind or spirit, of ignorance in moral and religious matters; Especially in Johannine usage as a category including everything that is at enmity with God, earthly or demonic. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (page 580): (1) Darkness, properly the darkness due to want of daylight (2) Unseen, secret (3) Metaphorically, used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness and resultant misery. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (volume 2): (1) A condition resulting from the partial or complete absence of light – ‘darkness’ (page 176). (2) The realm of sin and evil – ‘evil world, realm of evil, darkness’ (page 756). (3) Pertaining to not being able to known by the public but known by some in-group or by those immediately involved – ‘in secret, in private, secretly, privately’ (page 344). In Romans 2:19, the noun skotos means, “darkness” and is used in a figurative sense describing the unsaved Gentiles living in the spiritual darkness of Satan’s cosmic system and the sin nature, implying that they possess no relationship with God and were not living according to the standards of God’s holiness. The noun skotos is a “dative locative of sphere” meaning that the Gentiles were living in the sphere or realm of the cosmic system of Satan and sin. The preposition en is a marker of sphere denoting that the cosmic system of Satan and sin is the “sphere” in which the unsaved Gentiles lived their lives and by implication were living according to the standards of Satan’s kingdom. Completed corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:19: “Moreover, you are confident in yourself, namely that you are as a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness.”

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Romans: Romans 2:20-The Third and Fourth Jewish Pretensions in Response to Their Privileges Romans 2:20 presents to us the third and fourth of these Jewish pretensions. Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “Corrector” is the accusative masculine singular form of the noun paideutes (paideuthv$) (pahee-dyoo-tace), which refers to “one who provides instruction for the purpose of proper behavior,” thus an “instructor, trainer, teacher, educator.” In classical Greek, paideutes denotes an “instructor” or “teacher” and on occasion possessed the added meaning of “discipline” by correction. Georg Bertram commenting on the word group related to paideutes, writes that it “denotes the upbringing and handling of the child, which his growing up to maturity and which thus needs direction, teaching, instruction and a certain measure of compulsion in the form of discipline or even chastisement.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 5, pages 596) Kenneth Wuest commenting on the word, writes, “The word was used by the Greeks of a slave who had charge of a young child, taking him to school and bringing him home again. He had the moral and ethical supervision of the child also. Our word, “pedagogue” comes from this word. The word is used here of a corrector or chastizer as in Hebrews 12:9.” (Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament; pages 47; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans) In the LXX, the word appears only once in the canonical writings (Hosea 5:2) in which the nation of Israel was under divine discipline for their apostasy. In the Greek New Testament, paideutes appears only twice (Romans 2:20; Hebrews 12:9). In Hebrews 12:9, it is used with reference to believers who received divine discipline from the Lord, which is an expression of God’s love for His children. The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ becomes a child of God at the moment he exercised faith alone in Christ alone. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” God the Father expressed His great love for us by making us His children at the moment of salvation. 1 John 3:1, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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There are two categories of divine discipline that are an expression of God’s love: (1) Negative: God expresses His love for His children by disciplining them in the sense that He “punishes” them when they are disobedient to His will. (2) Positive: God expresses His love for His children by disciplining them in the sense of “training” them when they are obedient to His will and in fellowship. Both categories of divine discipline are designed to keep the believer on track in executing the Father’s will by becoming like Christ. The Word of God is employed in both positive and negative categories of discipline. Hebrews 4:12, “The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, and of the joints and the marrow, and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” The Holy Spirit disciplines the disobedient child of God by rebuking them with the Word of God as it is communicated by the pastor-teacher in the local assembly and the purpose of such rebuke is to conform the believer to the will of his heavenly Father, which results in blessing and true happiness. Jeremiah 32:33, “They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction.” The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the pastor-teacher who is the delegated authority in the local assembly, to reprove and rebuke the children of God from the pulpit with the Word of God as an expression of His love. 2 Timothy 4:1-4, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” God disciplines His disobedient children by permitting adversity, trials, and irritations to come into their lives that are beyond their capacity to handle in order to get their attention and to focus upon their number one priority in life as children of God, which is to conformity to the Father’s will. God disciplines His disobedient children by permitting them to reap the fruits of their bad decisions so that they might learn that conformity to His will is the only way to true joy and happiness and blessing in life (Ezek. 16:43; Gal. 6:7-8). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Hosea 8:7, “For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind.” There are three categories of divine discipline (punishment) for the disobedient child of God: (1) Warning (Rev. 3:20; James 5:9) (2) Intense (Ps. 38:1; 2 Th. 2:11). (3) Dying (Jer. 9:16; 44:12; Phlp. 3:18-19; Re. 3:16; Ps. 118:17-18; 1 Jo. 5:16). This is illustrated in 1 Corinthians 11:28-30. 1 Corinthians 11:28-30, “But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak (warning) and sick (intensive), and a number sleep (dying).” God disciplines His “obedient” children in a positive sense by training them through repetition in the Word of God, which serves as a protection for their souls. Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.” 2 Timothy 2:11, “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him.” 2 Timothy 2:12-14, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.” 2 Peter 1:12-15, “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.” God disciplines His “obedient” children through adversity and underserved suffering in order to build the believer’s confidence in his relationship with God and to get him to depend on God for his security and protection rather than money and human relationships. God disciplines His “obedient” children through adversity and underserved suffering in order to demonstrate to the believer the sufficiency of God’s Word in handling any problem or difficulty in life. For the believer who is obedient, there are 3 categories of underserved suffering, which God the Father employs to discipline or train the obedient believer: (1) Providential preventive suffering: Experienced by the believer at the 1st stage of spiritual adulthood, spiritual self-esteem and is designed to advance the believer to the 2nd stage of spiritual adulthood, spiritual autonomy (2 Cor. 12:7-10). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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2 Corinthians 12:9: “And He has said to me for my benefit and it still has application at the present time, my grace is as an eternal truth sufficient for you, for my power as an eternal truth finds its consummation in human impotence. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2) Momentum testing: Experienced by the believer in the 2nd stage of spiritual adulthood, spiritual autonomy and is designed to advance the believer to the 3rd stage of spiritual adulthood, spiritual maturity. 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10 teaches the principle of momentum testing, which comes in 4 categories: (1) “In slanders”: People Testing (2) “In pressures”: Thought Testing (3) “In persecutions”: System Testing (4) “In stresses”: Disaster Testing. (3) Evidence Testing: Experienced by the believer in the 3rd stage of spiritual adulthood, spiritual maturity and is the privilege of the believer to become a witness for the Prosecution in the rebuttal phase of Satan’s appeal trial (Job). The Lord Jesus Christ disciplines the believer in the sense that He rebukes, punishes and trains the believer because He personally and affectionately loves the believer. Revelation 3:14-19, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this, ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.’” “Love” is the verb phileo (filevw), which means, “to personally and affectionately love someone” and expresses the Lord Jesus Christ’s personal affection, care and concern for the believer by disciplining him whether for training when obedient or punishment when disobedient. “Reprove” is the verb elencho (e)levgxw), “to reprove, chasten” and “convict” of sin in order to “instruct” the believer and restore him to fellowship. “Discipline” is the verb paideuo (paideuvw) and was commonly used in Greek literature to mean the “upbringing” and “teaching” and “disciplining” of children. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Such “upbringing” consisted of teaching general knowledge and various kinds of training aimed at developing discipline and character. The Lord reproves us because He is trying to develop His character in us. Revelation 3:20-22, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22 teaches that the Lord disciplines us not only because He loves us and but also because He wants to reward us. Just as any good father disciplines his children because he loves them, so God the Father disciplines His children because He loves them. If God did not train us when we are obedient and punishes us when we are disobedient, then we would be illegitimate children, thus divine discipline in the sense of punishment and training is the mark of a child of God. Hebrews 12:1-13, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin and you have forgotten the exhortation, which is addressed to you as sons, ‘MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM. FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Hebrews 12:10 teaches us that ultimately, God disciplines us because He wants us to share in His character and integrity, which is meant by the phrase “share His holiness.” We are not to get angry or bitter when God disciplines us through the Word, or adversity and underserved suffering but rather we are to listen to what God is trying to say to us and to learn the lesson that He is teaching us so that we might acquire the character of our heavenly Father. Ecclesiastes 7:14, “In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider -- God has made the one as well as the other so that man will not discover anything that will be after him.” In order to receive discipline without getting bitter and complaining, the believer must recognized and submit to the authority of the Word of God, the delegated authority of the pastor-teacher and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ who controls history and therefore our circumstances. Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof, for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” Job 5:17-18, “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.” Proverbs 15:32-33, “He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.” In Romans 2:20, the noun paideutes is used with reference to the unsaved Jews who considered themselves as those who could provide the unsaved Gentiles with instruction for the purpose of proper behavior, thus, they considered themselves as instructors, trainers, teachers, or educators of the unsaved Gentiles. Of course, they failed in this in that they conducted themselves just as the Gentiles did according to Romans 2:1. Romans 2:1, “For this very reason, you are, as an eternal spiritual truth, without excuse O man, each and everyone of you without exception who as a lifestyle judge as guilty for by means of that which you as a lifestyle judge as guilty the other person, you, as an eternal spiritual truth condemn yourself for you, who as a lifestyle judge as guilty, make it a habit to practice the same things.” This pretension was based on the fact that the Jews were given the Old Testament Scriptures and were educated by their parents while growing up and by their rabbis in their synagogues every Sabbath as adults according to Romans 2:19. Romans 2:17-19, “Now, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument-you identify yourself by the name ‘Jew’ and you rely upon the Law and boast in a 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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relationship with God. And know His will through instruction and can discern the essentials because you have received oral instruction in the past in a detailed, systematic and repetitious manner by means of the Law and continue to do so. Moreover, you are confident in yourself, namely that you are as a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness.” This word expresses the unsaved, self-righteous Jew’s attitude towards the unsaved Gentiles in that they considered the Gentiles spiritual babes, who needed upbringing and handling like children in order for them to grow up to spiritual maturity. Thus, the Jews believed that the unsaved Gentiles needed direction, teaching, instruction and a certain measure of discipline from them for maturity to become a reality in a Gentile. The noun paideutes, “a corrector” functions as an “accusative of simple apposition” meaning that the word piggy-backs the accusative direct object seautou, “yourself” and presents to the reader another pretension of the selfrighteous, unsaved Jew. We will translate the noun paideutes, “an instructor.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “Of the foolish” is the genitive masculine plural form of the adjective aphron (a&frwn) (af-rone), which is composed of the alpha privative a, “without” and the stem phren-, “understanding,” thus the word literally means, “without understanding.” The adjective describes a person who does not use his understanding, particularly in practical matters as well as people who are ignorant or uneducated. In classical Greek, aphron conveyed the idea of being “senseless” and can refer to statues, a mentally ill person or simply the person who acts silly and foolish. In the LXX, the adjective aphron stands in contrast to the person who is wise. The word describes a person who is “ignorant” or acts contrary to wisdom. The Old Testament teaches that this type of person hates wisdom but loves arrogance. Proverbs 1:22, “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simpleminded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” Aphron is used to describe a person who opposes God and breaks His laws and says in his heart “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1 [LXX 13:1]). In the Greek New Testament, the adjective aphron appears 11 times (Luke 11:40; 12:20; Romans 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:36; 2 Corinthians 11:16 twice, 19; 12:6, 11; Ephesians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:15). It is used in the New Testament to describe an unwise person, the person who acts in ignorance of the will of God as it is revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God. The word describes the one who opposes God or does not understand His ways as found in the Word of God. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Ephesians 5:17, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” The Lord’s will is that we bear fruit meaning we are to become like Christ, having His character produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit, as we are obedient to Him and to do otherwise, would be foolish since we will lose rewards and be disciplined by the Lord. In Romans 2:20, the adjective describes the unsaved Gentiles from the perspective of the Jews, as people who are uneducated or ignorant of matters pertaining to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thus, the Jews considered themselves as being able to educate the Gentiles regarding the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the nation of Israel because they as a people were custodians of the Old Testament Scriptures and educated in them since birth. The adjective aphron, “ignorant” functions as an “objective genitive” meaning it functions semantically as the direct object of the verbal idea that is implicit in the noun paideutes, “instructor.” Also, the adjective aphron functions as a substantive since it is used independently of a noun. We will translate the word “Of the ignorant.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant.” “A teacher” is the accusative masculine singular form of the noun didaskalos (didavskalo$) (did-as-kal-os), which is used with reference to the unsaved Jew describing them as one who systematically imparts their technical of the Old Testament Scriptures to the Gentiles on a regular or sustained basis. The noun didaskalos is derived from the verb didasko, “to teach.” To the Greeks, a didaskalos denoted someone who taught or instructed his pupils. Most often this concerns cognitive learning in a didactic manner rather than practical experience. The teacher might be an educator or he may be a leader of a philosophical school of thought. The noun didaskalos appears only once in the canonical writings of the LXX (Esther 6:1) where it refers to a “reader.” In the Greek New Testament, didaskalos appears 58 times, 41 of which are used with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ as a “teacher” of the Word of God. The vocative form of the word is equivalent to the Hebrew term, rhabbi, “rabbi.” However, despite the fact that didaskalos functions as an equivalent for rhabbi, there is a great difference between the Greek and Hebrew understandings of the role of the “teacher.” Didaskalos should be interpreted in the New Testament especially in light of the place of rhabbi in Judaism (Wegenast, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 3.767). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Those who sat under the teaching of a didaskalos were called mathetes, “disciples.” The word was used of students who lived in close fellowship with their teacher, they traveled with him, ate with him, attended festive occasions with him. The students of a teacher were characterized by complete submission to the authority of the teacher, as well as by a devotion to him which was to surpass devotion to father or mother and which displayed itself in service to the teacher. The teaching or learning method was to sit at the feet of the teacher listening to him. It also involved engaging in a question and answer encounter with the teacher as well as observing the actions of the teacher, especially how he conducted himself in regard to the Law or solved problems of conduct through his knowledge of Law and tradition. After the strenuous studies the student was ordained through the laying on of hands and received the right to be called Rabbi. He then had the responsibility to pass on that which he had learned from his teacher and to make disciples himself. John the Baptist had his disciples (Matt. 9:14), the Pharisees had theirs (Matt. 22:16), even Paul had his (Acts 9:25), and of course, the Lord had many disciples (Luke 6:17). A New Testament disciple is one who is under biblical instruction. The Lord expected discipleship to involve total commitment if one was going to be able to fully follow through as a disciple, but being a disciple and being a believer are not one and the same. Salvation is a free gift but being a disciple means counting the costs. All believers should be disciples, but not all believers actually follow through as disciples. Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. So therefore, when considering this word didaskalos, we must view it from the Jewish perspective of the relationship between the Jewish rabbi and his disciples. The noun was also used in the Greek New Testament for the man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher and emphasizes his responsibility to systematically impart his technical knowledge of the Word of God to his congregation on a regular or sustained basis (Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; James 3:1). In the Gospels, the verb didasko was used of the Lord Jesus Christ “educating, teaching and instructing” His disciples in regards to the kingdom of God. Our Lord was often addressed as the didaskalos, “teacher,” or “Rabbi” (Matt. 8:19; Mark 10:17; Luke 10:25; John 3:2; 20:16). Our Lord was always teaching publicly whether in the Temple in Jerusalem, the synagogues or outside in the open air (Matt. 4:23, 5:2; 9:35; 11:1; 26:55; 28:20; 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Mark 1:21-22; 2:13; 4:1-2; 6:2, 6, 34; 8:31; 9:31; 10:1; 11:17; 12:35; 14:49; Luke 4:15, 31; 5:3, 17; 6:6; 11:1; 13:10, 22; 19:47; 20:1; 21:37; 23:5; John 6:59; 7:14, 28; 8:2, 20; 18:20). Our Lord set the example for the pastor-teacher in the Church Age by teaching daily in the Temple (Matt. 26:55; Mark 14:49; Luke 19:47). The apostles taught in the Temple in the midst of the stiff opposition from the Sanhedrin (Acts 5). Paul taught everywhere throughout the Roman Empire (1 Cor. 4:17). The pastor-teacher’s job is to communicate doctrine and God the Holy Spirit is the believer’s true Teacher or Mentor (John 16:7-11, 13; 6:45; 1 Cor. 2:13). The pastor’s job is to supply the believer with spiritual information or Bible Doctrine (Eph. 4:16). In Romans 2:20, the noun didaskalos is used with reference to the unsaved Jews who considered themselves because of their instruction in the Law as being able to systematically impart their technical knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures to the Gentiles on a regular or sustained basis. The noun didaskalos, “a teacher” functions as an “accusative of simple apposition” meaning that the word piggy-backs the accusative direct object seautou, “yourself” and presents to the reader another pretension of the selfrighteous, unsaved Jew. We will translate the noun paideutes, “a teacher.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “Of the immature” is the genitive masculine plural form of the adjective nepios (nhvpio$) (nay-pee-os), which literally means, “that which does not talk,” namely, “an infant.” This term was used by the Jews to designate proselytes or novices to Judaism. The word appears in 1 Corinthians 3:1, Ephesians 4:13 and Hebrews 5:13 where it is used of a believer who is spiritually immature. 1 Corinthians 3:1, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-16, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors-teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” Hebrews 5:13-14, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” In Galatians 4:1-3, the apostle Paul uses the adjective nepios to describe the spiritual condition of himself as a Jew before salvation while under the Law and his Jewish countrymen who were not saved. In this passage, the word describes the unsaved Jew under the Law as an “immature child” who is under the guardianship of the Law just as a child in the ancient world was under the authority of a servant who taught the child. Galatians 4:1-5, “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” The Law acted as a tutor to lead the unsaved Jew to faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:22-28, “But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Romans 2:20, the adjective nepios is used by Paul from the perspective of the unsaved, self-righteous Jew in a patronizing way of the unsaved Gentiles who were considered by the Jews as immature concerning issues related to God and the worship of Him. It was a word that described the unsaved Gentiles as being “unskilled,” or “untrained” in the Old Testament Scriptures, which would give them knowledge of God and His ways. The reason again for this patronizing attitude on the part of the Jews towards the Gentiles is that they were given the Law and were trained in it from birth. The adjective nepios, “immature” functions as an “objective genitive” meaning it functions semantically as the direct object of the verbal idea that is implicit in the 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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noun didaskalos, “teacher.” Also, the adjective nepios functions as a substantive since it is used independently of a noun. We will translate the word “Of the immature.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “Having” is the 2nd person masculine singular present active participle form of the verb echo (e&xw) (ekh-o), which means, “to hold in one’s possession.” The word’s object is the Law or Old Testament Scriptures. Therefore, the Jews “possessed” the Law in the sense that they were the custodians of the Old Testament Scriptures. In Romans 2:20, the participle form of the verb echo is a “causal” participle since it answers the question as to “why” these Jews were confident that they were guides to the spiritually blind Gentiles and a light to them who dwelled in spiritual darkness, and considered themselves as their instructors and teachers. The causal participle indicates that the Jews were confident “because” they possessed the Old Testament Scriptures or were the custodians of the Old Testament Scriptures. The present tense is “stative” meaning that the Jew is in a “continual state” of being in possession of the Old Testament Scriptures. The active voice is therefore “stative” as well meaning that the Jew “exists in a state of” possessing the Old Testament Scriptures. We will translate the verb echo, “because you are in possession of.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature because you are in possession of.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “The embodiment” is the articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun morphosis (movrfwsi$) (mor-fo-sis), which refers to the fact that in the Old Testament Scriptures, the Jews possessed “in concrete, written form, a body” of knowledge and truth that originated from God. The noun morphosis denotes the activity of forming and shaping such as the “shaping” or training of trees (Liddell and Scott, page 1147). The word does not appear in the LXX and only appears twice in the Greek New Testament (Romans 2:20; 2 Timothy 3:5). The word is used by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:5 where it means, “outward appearance.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” The noun morphosis is related to the noun morphe, which appears in Philippians 2:6-7 and Mark 16:12. In Philippians 2:6, the noun morphe denotes “the expression of the inherent characteristics” of our Lord’s deity and thus refers to His divine essence. Philippians 2:5-6, “Everyone continue thinking this (according to humility) within yourselves, which was also in (the mind of) Christ Jesus who although existing from eternity past in the essence of God, He never regarded existing equally in essence with God an exploitable asset.” The word appears in Philippians 2:7 with reference to our Lord’s human nature in that He came in the “essence” or “nature” of a servant or “characteristic expression of a servant’s existence.” Philippians 2:7, “On the contrary, He denied Himself of the independent function of His divine attributes by having assumed the essence of a slave when He was born in the likeness of men.” The verb morphoo appears in Galatians 4:19 where it refers to the character of Christ being “formed” or “developed” in the believer. Galatians 4:19, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until the character of Christ is formed in all of you.” The compound verb summorphoo appears in Philippians 3:10 where it refers to “becoming like” Jesus Christ with reference to His death. Philippians 3:10, “that I come to know Him experientially and the power from His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings by my becoming like Him with respect to His death.” Louw and Nida define morphosis, “one defines the noun morphosis, “the embodiment of the essential features and qualities of something” (The GreekEnglish Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, volume 1, page 586). The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised defines morphosis in Romans 2:20, “a settled form, prescribed system” (page 273). Walter Bauer defines the word in Romans 2:20, “embodiment, formulation” (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, page 538). Thayer defines morphosis in Romans 2:20, “the form befitting the thing or truly expressing the fact, the very form” (The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, page 419). A.T. Robertson makes the following comment regarding the word, he writes, “Rare word only in Theophrastus and Paul (here and 2 Tim 3:5). Pallis regards it 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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as a Stoical term for education. Lightfoot considers the morphosis as ‘the roughsketch, the pencilling of the morphe, ‘the outline or framework,’ and in 2 Tim 3:5 ‘the outline without the substance.’ This is Paul's picture of the Jew as he sees himself drawn with consummate skill and subtle irony. (Word Pictures in the New Testament; Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft & Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament. Copyright (c) 1985 by Broadman Press) Marvin Vincent commenting on the word, writes, “Not mere ‘appearance,’ but the ‘scheme,’ the correct ‘embodiment’ of the lineaments of truth and knowledge in the law. (Word Studies of the New Testament, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft) Robert Mounce defines the word, “full content” or “embodiment” (The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, volume 27, Romans, page 99). “The Analytical Literal Translation,” “The American Standard Version,” “The 1965 Bible in Basic English,” “The 1889 Darby Bible,” “The English Majority Text Version,” “The Literal Translation of the Holy Bible,” “Revised Version,” “The 1833 Webster Bible,” “The 1898 Young’s Literal Translation,” “The King James,” and “The New King James Bible” translate the noun morphosis in Romans 2:20 as “form.” “The New American Standard Updated Version,” “The New American Standard,” “The Amplified Bible,” “The Revised Standard Version,” and “The New International Version” translate morphosis in Romans 2:20 with the English term “embodiment.” However, “The Good News Bible” and “The International Standard Version” translate the word, “full content” and “The 1912 Weymouth New Testament” translates the word, “outline.” In Romans 2:20, the noun morphosis means, “embodiment” and is used with reference to the Old Testament Scriptures as indicated by the prepositional phase en to nomo, “in the Law” and also is used in relation to the noun aletheia, “truth” and “gnosis, “knowledge,” which is contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The noun morphosis means, “embodiment” in that in the Old Testament Scriptures expressed in “concrete written form a body” of knowledge and truth that originated from God. The definite article preceding the noun morphosis is “monadic” meaning that it emphasizes the “uniqueness” of this embodiment of knowledge and truth contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The article says that from the Jewish perspective the Old Testament Scriptures are “one of a kind,” or in other words, “the only body of literature worth mentioning” and “superior” to other bodies of literature in the Gentile world.

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The noun morphosis, “embodiment” functions as an “accusative of direct object” meaning that it receives the action of the verb echo, “because you are in possession.” We will translate the noun morphosis, “the unique embodiment.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature because you are in possession of the unique embodiment.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “Of knowledge” is the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun gnosis (gnw~si$) (gno-sis), which is used in an objective sense for the content of what is known about the character and nature of God and His will and ways as they are revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures. The noun gnosis (from Heaclitus on) originally expressed the act of knowing through experience. It is knowledge that is derived from the nous, which is the left lobe of the soul and is derived from the verb ginosko (ginw/skw). The concept of knowledge had a central place in Greek philosophical systems. The inscription at Delphi, gnothi sauton, “know yourself,” is a virtual motto and expresses the urge to reach beyond, to know oneself. This drive characterized the Greek people for several centuries. To the Greek mind, knowledge (gnosis) was explicitly linked to knowing the “truth,” aletheia. The question of “truth” chiefly revolved around being able to distinguish between “actual” and “imitation.” Truth was reality rather than something apparent or ostensible and for the Greeks the external object essentially expressed an underlying reality. Gnosis therefore was to know these ideas that belong to a superior realm of reality, a world of timeless realities, which stand unchanged and unaffected by the events around it. To know this truth, this ultimate reality, was significant because the one who possessed insight into this reality also had the ability to control it. Consequently for the philosopher gnosis is an existential knowledge, which is decisive for a person’s life and destiny. Such concepts as these formed the basis or points of contact for the later systems of Gnosticism. In Gnosticism, the noun gnosis connotes knowledge as well as the act of knowing, and it can thus be used in the absolute without any supplementary genitive, though what is meant is not knowledge generally (episteme) but the knowledge of God. E.D. Schmitz states that Gnosticism is a “general term denoting a manner of life which sprang from a denial of the validity of human existence in history and the cosmos. It found expression for its beliefs in a syncretistic mythology, and

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expressed itself in the negation of ethics” (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, volume 2, page 394). Gnosticism was an attitude to life, which expressed itself in a feeling of superiority over all non-Gnostics-in Christian Gnosticism, over all mere believers. In the writings of Plato gnosis in its concern for what really is attains to the divine, in Gnostic sources God is regarded much more exclusively as the self-evident object of gnosis. He is so indeed against the background of a dualism which does not accept the Greek view that the deity is beyond the world of becoming in the sense of a reality that underlies all becoming, but which conceives of this transcendence in terms of an absolute separation from all becoming, so that we cannot discover the Godhead by a “recognitive” contemplation of the world but only by turning away from it. This means, however, that the knowledge with which the Gnostics were concerned, in contrast to that of the Greeks, was distinct from all other kinds of knowledge; and this is in keeping with the restriction of aletheia and ousia to the divine reality. While ginoskein is for the Greeks the cultivated methodical activity of the nous or logos, fulfilled in science and particularly philosophy, the gnosis of the Gnostic, both as process and result, is a charisma which is given by God to man. It is thus radically distinguished from rational thought; it is illumination. From the Greek perspective, God is inaccessible to man as such but he knows men, i.e., the pious, and reveals Himself to them. Such gnosis is ecstatic or mystical vision, and to this extent knowing is still understood as a kind of seeing, though in the sense of mystic vision rather than the older Greek sense. It does not make what is seen a possession of the one who sees. On the contrary, he must pray that he may be kept in gnosis. Not merely the culmination of the divine vision is described as gnosis, but more often the way which leads to it and whose goal is theoria in the sense of ecstatic mystical vision. Since on this way there is imparted a knowledge which can be possessed, a medley of mythological and philosophical tradition penetrates into Gnosticism, and in certain types and strata it is hard to distinguish Gnosticism from philosophical speculation. For Plato gnosis was a dunamis, “power.” In Gnosticism it meant magical power. Gnosis gave the Gnostic exousia, “power, authority” and granted him freedom from emarmene. In this sense gnosis is a possession, though it is always in jeopardy and must be made secure by asceticism. It is so as a mysterious quality of the soul which is regarded as a substance, not as knowledge which in the act of comprehension controls the content of what is comprehended. Gnosis pertains to those things which we experience through the senses of the body.

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Liddell and Scott list the following classical meanings for the word (page 355): (1) Seeking to know by inquiry, investigation, especially judicial (2) Result of investigation, decision (3) Knowing, knowledge (4) Higher, esoteric knowledge (5) Acquaintance with a person (6) Recognizing (7) Means of knowing (8) Being known (9) Fame credit (10) Means of knowing, hence, statement in writing. The noun gnosis appears 59 times in the LXX, of which 15 are non-canonical and is much rarer than the verb ginosko in the LXX. It is used comparatively much more often in a spiritual and ethical sense to denote a revealed knowledge whose author is God or sophia, “wisdom.” God is the God of knowledge. The gnosis of the righteous derives from God and is a spiritual possession resting on revelation (Prov. 24:26). All capacity for spiritual knowledge is denied to the unregenerate mind. True spiritual knowledge is concealed from the wise of this world. Gnosis in the LXX is a technical spiritual term in antithesis to the secular sophos, “wise.” Gnosis and sophia are frequently related, and sophia can even be the superior principle. In the LXX gnosis is divine revelation of an objective character, but under Hellenistic influence there is a plain subjective element of profound spiritual knowledge in the mystical and Gnostic sense. Thus gnosis may be insight into the world plan of God (Dan. 12:4). Gnosis is knowledge concerning God and His work which goes beyond all human comprehension and which is proclaimed for believers by the whole creation. In the LXX, gnosis replaces five different Hebrew terms: (1) de`ah (hud), “knowledge” (1 Sm. 2:3; Ps. 73:11 [72:11]). (2) da`ath (jud), “knowledge” (Prv. 8:9; Hos. 4:6). (3) yadha` (udy), “know” (Josh. 23:13; Jer. 40:14 [47:14]). (4) yedha` (udy), “know” (Dn. 2:30 - Aramaic). (5) ka`as (suk), “grief” (Ecc. 1:18). The noun gnosis appears 29 times in the Greek New Testament. Louw and Nida list the following meanings for gnosis from their research (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains volume 2): (1) To possess information about (page 334). (2) The content of what is known (page 336). (3) Esoteric knowledge (primarily philosophical and religious), with the implication of its being heretical and contrary to the gospel (page 337). (4) To come to an understanding as the result of ability to experience and learn (page 382). The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised gives the following definitions for the noun gnosis (page 80): (1) knowledge (2) knowledge of a special kind and relatively high character (3) More particularly in respect of Christian enlightment.

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Bauer, Gingrich and Danker list the following (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature pages 163-164): (1) Knowledge as an attribute of God and of man (2) Specifically of Christian knowledge (3) Of the heretical gnosis (Gnosticism) The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (page 119): (1) Knowledge (2) Intelligence, understanding (3) Objective knowledge: what is known concerning divine things and human duties. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words states that gnosis, “primarily ‘a seeking to know, an enquiry, investigation’ (akin to A, No. 1), denotes, in the NT, ‘knowledge,’ especially of spiritual truth; it is used (a) absolutely, in (Luke 11:52; Rom. 2:20; 15:14; 1 Cor. 1:5; 8:1) (twice), (7,10,11; 13:2,8; 14:6; 2 Cor. 6:6; 8:7; 11:6; Eph. 3:19; Col. 2:3; 1 Pet. 3:7; 2 Pet. 1:5,6); (b) with an object: in respect of (1) God, (2 Cor. 2:14; 10:5); (2) the glory of God, (2 Cor. 4:6); (3) Christ Jesus, (Phil. 3:8; 2 Pet. 3:18); (4) salvation, (Luke 1:77); (c) subjectively, of God's ‘knowledge,’ (Rom. 11:33); the word of ‘knowledge,’ (1 Cor. 12:8); ‘knowledge’ falsely so called, (1 Tim. 6:20).” There are two categories of gnosis in the Greek New Testament: (1) Anthropocentric (Rm. 2:20; 1 Cor. 8:1; 1 Tm. 6:20) (2) Theocentric or Christocentric (Rm. 11:33; 15:14; 2 Cor. 2:14; 4:6; Eph. 3:19; Phlp. 3:8; 2 Pt. 3:18). The Greek concept of gnosis was anthropocentric whereas the Biblical concept of gnosis is Theocentric or Christocentric. The Christian view of knowledge is thus largely determined by the Old Testament. An obedient and grateful knowledge of the deeds and demands of God is linked with knowledge of God and what He has done and demands. It is in keeping that this Christian knowledge is not a fixed possession but develops in the life of the believer who is positive towards the Word of God and whose soul is influenced by the Holy Spirit. Gnosis is a gift of grace which marks the life of the Christian by determining its expression (1 C. 1:5; 12:8; 2 C. 8:7). Christian knowledge is based upon the absolute truth of the Word of God. In Romans 2:20, the gnosis is used in an objective sense for the content of what is known about the character and nature of God and His will and ways as revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures. The definite article preceding the abstract noun gnosis, “knowledge” “particularizes” this quality contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The noun gnosis is a “genitive of content” specifying the content of the word it stands related to. In Romans 2:20, the noun gnosis, “knowledge” specifies the content of noun morphosis, “embodiment,” which begs to be defined. Therefore, as a “genitive of content” the noun gnosis, “knowledge” specifies that the Old Testament Scriptures “contain” or are “full of” knowledge (of God). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Therefore, we will translate the articular genitive form of the noun gnosis, “of that, which is full of knowledge.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature because you are in possession of the unique embodiment of that, which is full of knowledge.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “And” is the “adjunctive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which presents an additional element that is contained in the Old Testament Scriptures and thus can be translated “as well as.” “Of the truth” is articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun aletheia (a)lhvqeia) (al-ay-thi-a), which is composed of the alpha prefix and the verb lanthano, “to escape notice, to be unknown, unseen, hidden, concealed.” In Romans 2:20, the noun aletheia refers to the truth of God in an objective sense as a body of knowledge containing the revelation of God’s character and nature, His ways and His will for mankind. The noun aletheia is a “genitive of content” specifying the content of the word it stands related to. In Romans 2:20, the noun aletheia, “truth” specifies the content of noun morphosis, “embodiment,” which begs to be defined. Therefore, as a “genitive of content” the noun aletheia, “truth” specifies that the Old Testament Scriptures “contain” or are “full of” the truth (of God). The definite article preceding the abstract noun aletheia, “truth” is “particularizes” this quality that is contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. We will translate the articular genitive form of the noun aletheia, “of that which is full of truth.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature because you are in possession of the unique embodiment of that, which is full of knowledge well as that, which is full of truth.” Romans 2:20, “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” “In the Law” is the composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the dative articular masculine form of the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), “the Law.” In Romans 2:20, the nomos is not referring to the Pentateuch but rather the entire Old Testament Scriptures including the Pentateuch since Paul is emphasizing the entire body of revelation that the Jews received from God in written form. The preposition denotes the “location” in which this knowledge and truth of God appears. The noun nomos is a “dative locative of place” signifying that this

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knowledge and truth of God is “located” in the Law, i.e. the Old Testament Scriptures. The definite article preceding the noun nomos is “monadic” meaning that this Law is “well-known” to the reader and in particular his Jewish readership. Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:20: “An instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature because in the Law you are in possession of the unique embodiment of that, which is full of knowledge well as that, which is full of truth.”

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Romans: Romans 2:21-Two Rhetorical Questions that Expose Jewish Hypocrisy In Romans 2:21, Paul poses two rhetorical questions to the self-righteous, unsaved Jews, which demands a positive response from them since it exposes their hypocrisy. Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?” “Therefore” is the “inferential” use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n), which introduces the apodasis of a first class condition, which indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument. In Romans 2:17, the apostle Paul employed the conditional particle ei (ei)) (i), “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument” in order to introduce the protasis of this first class condition. In Romans 2:17, he conveys the first class condition “explicitly” by employing the conditional particle ei with the indicative mood of the verb eponomazo (e)ponomavzw) (ep-on-om-ad-zo), “bear the name” in order to introduce the protasis, which appears in Romans 2:17-20. However, the apodasis appears in Romans 2:21-23 in the form of five rhetorical questions and is introduced by the inferential use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), “therefore.” In Romans 2:17-23, the basic relation that the protasis has to the apodasis is “evidence-inference.” The apostle Paul “infers” in the apodasis of Romans 2:21-23 that the self-righteous Jew does not live up to the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew, which he presents as evidence in the protasis in Romans 2:17-20. Therefore, the idea behind the first class condition in Romans 2:17 is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument, then...” This would encourage Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience to respond and come to the conclusion of the apodosis since they already agreed with him on the protasis. Therefore, Paul is employing the first class condition as a tool of persuasion with his Jewish audience. So, in the protasis that appears in Romans 2:17-20, Paul presents his premise, listing six privileges of the Jews and four pretensions. Paul’s Jewish audience would totally agree with his statements in Romans 2:17-18 in which he lists six privileges that the Jews received from God and would give him no argument on. They would also agree with his statements in Romans 2:19-20 in which he lists four pretensions that were in response to the privileges that they received from the Lord and they would not give Paul an argument on these as well. However, in Romans 2:21-23, Paul poses five rhetorical questions to his unsaved Jewish audience, which demand a positive response from the Jews. Thus, revealing to the Jews through persuasion that even though they were a privileged race and

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nation, they had not lived up to these privileges and responsibilities and were therefore, no better than the Gentiles whom they thought they were superior to. So in order to introduce the apodasis of the first class condition, Paul employs the inferential use of the post-positive conjunction oun, “then.” The etymology of oun (ou@n) is unknown and is neither illative nor even consequential in Homer and is merely a transitional particle relating clauses or sentences loosely together by way of confirmation. It was common in this sense in Homer, though rare in the Attic writers save in men oun and is never found at the beginning of the sentence since it is post-positive. In our literature it is an inferential and then mainly a transitional conjunction. Its meaning varies with the context and at times it may not be translated. Oun is the commonest inferential conjunction in the Greek New Testament, occurring about 400 times. As an inferential particle oun may also be used in stating a conclusion based upon facts. “Infer” means “to derive by reasoning, conclude or judge from premises or evidence, to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises.” The noun “inference” is defined as “the act of passing from one proposition, statement, or judgment considered as true to another whose truth is believed to follow from that of the former.” When oun is inferential, that inference is expressed by the main verb in the sentence and not by a verb in a subordinate clause nor by an infinitive nor a participle. In Homer and many New Testament passages oun simply carries along the narrative without reference to cause or result. This reflects the ancient fondness for simple connectives that seem redundant to the modern reader but that leave room for subtle nuances and insights. The conjunction oun can have the following usages: (1) Inferential (2) Transitional or continuative (3) Emphatic (4) Adversative Liddell and Scott list the following classical usages and meanings (pages 12711272): (1) Adverbial: certainly, in fact, confirming something frequently in contrast with something which is not confirmed. (2) To continue a narrative: so, then (3) In inferences: then, therefore. Bauer, Gingrich and Danker state that oun is “an inferential and then mainly a transitional conjunction. Its meaning varies with the context and at times may be left untranslated.” They list the following meanings and usages of the word (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature pages 592593): (1) Inferential, denoting that what it introduces is the result of or an inference from what precedes so, therefore, consequently, accordingly, then. (2) In declarative sentences (3) In commands and invitations (4) In questions (5) In 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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historical narrative oun serves: (a) To resume a subject once more after an interruption so, as has been said; (b) To indicate a transition to something new, now then; To indicate a response, in reply, in turn (c) It may be that some traces of the classical usage in which oun is emphatic, certainly, really, to be sure adversatively, but, however with other particles and also with de denoting contrast. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following usages (pages 463-464): (1) A conjunction indicating that something follows from another necessarily. It is used in drawing a conclusion and in connecting sentences together logically, then, therefore, accordingly, consequently, these things being so (2) In exhortations to show what ought now to be done by reason of what has been said, wherefore, now therefore (3) In questions, then, therefore (a) When the question is, what follows or seems to follow from what has been said (b) When it is asked, whether this or that follows from what has just been said (c) When it is asked, how something which is true or regarded as true, or what some one does, can be reconciled with what has been previously said or done (d) In general, it serves simply to subjoin questions suggested by what has just been said (4) In epanalepsis, i.e., it serves to resume a thought or narrative interrupted by intervening matter (5) It is used also when one passes at length to a subject about which he had previously intimated an intention to speak (6) It serves to gather up summarily what has already been said, or even what cannot be narrated at length. (7) It serves to adapt examples and comparisons to the case in hand or to add examples to illustrate the subject under consideration (8) In historical discourse it serves to make the transition from one thing to another, and to connect the several parts and portions of the narrative, since the new occurrences spring from or are occasioned by what precedes (9) With other conjunctions: ara oun, ‘so then;’ eite oun, ‘whether then;’ epei oun, since then; ean oun, ‘if then ever, in case then, therefore if, therefore in case’; hotan oun, ‘when, therefore’; hote oun, ‘when (or after) therefore, so when’; hos oun, ‘when (or after) therefore, as therefore’ Louw and Nida list the following NT meanings (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains volume 2): (1) Markers of result, often implying the conclusion of a process of reasoning - ‘so, therefore, consequently, accordingly, then, so then’ (page 783). (2) Markers of somewhat greater emphasis (in comparison with men, ge, and de) - ‘surely, indeed, then’ (page 812). (3) A marker of relatively weak contrast - ‘but’ (page 794). The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament lists the following usages and meanings for the word (volume 2, page 542): (1) Inferential and connective conjunction in statements (2) Inferential and connective conjunction in commands (3) Inferential and connective conjunction in questions (4) Inferential and connective conjunction in rhetorical questions (5) Resumes the previous train of

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thought after a parenthetical remark: therefore/as was said (6) Introduces something new: since Dana and Mantey list the following usages and meanings for the word (A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament pages 252-258): (1) Inferential: “therefore, so, consequently, then.” (2) Transitional, continuative, or resumptive: “then, now.” Responsive: “in reply, in response, in turn.” (3) Emphatic or intensive: “be sure, to be sure, surely, by all means, indeed, in fact.” (4) Adversative: “however.” In Romans 2:21, the post-positive conjunction oun is used in an inferential sense meaning it introduces five rhetorical questions that demand a positive response, which derive a conclusion from the facts or premise presented in Romans 2:17-20. It introduces five rhetorical questions that expose Jewish hypocrisy. The apostle Paul infers in the apodasis of Romans 2:21-23 that the selfrighteous Jew does not live up to the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew, which he presents as evidence in the protasis in Romans 2:17-20. “Hypocrisy” is “a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not possess; a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.” The unsaved, self-righteous Jews made a pretense of being spiritual, which they were not and they did this in order to receive public approval. The Lord Jesus Christ described the teaching of the Pharisees as “hypocrisy.” Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Luke 12:1b, “He began saying to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’” The Scriptures prohibit the believer from getting involved with hypocrisy. 1 Peter 2:1, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” We will translate oun, “then.” Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?” “You who teach” is the vocative articular masculine singular present active participle form of the verb didasko (didavskw) (did-as-ko), which means, “to teach, to educate, to train, to impart information in a public assembly.”

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In classical Greek, the verb didasko could mean, “to educate” in the sense of imparting information to others or even “to train” as in horsemanship or even warfare. The verb didasko was used “for the impartation of practical or theoretical knowledge,” which was basic to the development of skill of any kind. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon gives the following meanings for the verb (page 144): (1) To hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, deliver didactic discourses (2) To be a teacher; to discharge the office of teacher, conduct one’s self as a teacher (3) To impart instruction, instill doctrine into one; to explain, expound a thing; to teach one something. The word was used typically for the relationship between teacher and pupil, instructor and apprentice. The practice of teaching through example was not intended to elicit imitation of the teacher but rather the aim was to develop the skills and talents of the student without jeopardizing the student’s individuality. The word used in the LXX (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) in relation to God teaching Israel the Law through Moses (Deut. 4:1; 6:1). These ordinances were to be taught by the Israelites to their children (Deut. 11:19) and was also used by David of being trained by the Lord for combat (Ps. 18:34). The verb didasko was used in the Greek New Testament both of the Lord’s teaching, the apostles’ and those whom the apostles appointed as pastor-teachers, such as Timothy and Titus. The word is used often in the Greek New Testament for practical instructions or rulings on the basis of Scriptural interpretation and also in the sense of instructing others in regards to the kingdom of God and the mystery doctrine for the church age. The verb didasko in the Greek New Testament means, “to provide instruction in the Word of God in a local public assembly.” Matthew 4:23, “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching (didasko) in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.” John 18:20, “Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught (didasko) in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.” 1 Corinthians 4:17, “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach (didasko) everywhere in every church.” Colossians 1:28-29, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching (didasko) every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching (didasko) and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” 1 Timothy 4:11-13, “Continue to issue orders in a public assembly regarding these things and continue to teach (didasko). Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” In the Gospels, the verb didasko was used of the Lord Jesus Christ “educating, teaching and instructing” His disciples in regards to the kingdom of God. Our Lord was often addressed as the didaskalos, “teacher,” or Rabbi (Matt. 8:19; Mark 10:17; Luke 10:25; John 3:2; 20:16). Our Lord was always teaching publicly whether in the Temple in Jerusalem, the synagogues or outside in the open air (Matt. 4:23, 5:2; 9:35; 11:1; 26:55; 28:20; Mark 1:21-22; 2:13; 4:1-2; 6:2, 6, 34; 8:31; 9:31; 10:1; 11:17; 12:35; 14:49; Luke 4:15, 31; 5:3, 17; 6:6; 11:1; 13:10, 22; 19:47; 20:1; 21:37; 23:5; John 6:59; 7:14, 28; 8:2, 20; 18:20). Our Lord set the example for the pastor-teacher in the church age by teaching daily in the Temple (Matt. 26:55; Mark 14:49; Luke 19:47). The apostles taught in the Temple in the midst of the stiff opposition from the Sanhedrin (Acts 5). Paul taught everywhere throughout the Roman Empire (1 Cor. 4:17). In Romans 2:21, the verb didasko, which means, “to teach, to educate, to train, to impart information” and is used of the unsaved Jews. The word is used of the relationship between the Jewish teacher and his Gentile pupil. Therefore, the word refers to the unsaved Jewish teachers “teaching, educating, imparting information” to their unsaved Gentile pupils from the Old Testament Scriptures. As we noted in our studies of Romans 2:20, those who sat under the teaching of a rhabbi, “rabbi” were called mathetes, “disciples.” The word was used of students who lived in close fellowship with their teacher, they traveled with him, ate with him, attended festive occasions with him. The students of a teacher were characterized by complete submission to the authority of the teacher, as well as by a devotion to him which was to surpass devotion to father or mother and which displayed itself in service to the teacher. The teaching or learning method was to sit at the feet of the teacher listening to him. It also involved engaging in a question and answer encounter with the teacher as well as observing the actions of the teacher, especially how he conducted himself in regard to the Law or solved problems of conduct through his knowledge of Law and tradition. After the strenuous studies the student was ordained through the laying on of hands and received the right to be called Rabbi. He then had the responsibility to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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pass on that which he had learned from his teacher and to make disciples himself. So all this is contained in the meaning of the verb didasko. This is a “vocative of simple address” meaning that the participle form of the verb didasko is used in direct address to designate the addressee who we have noted in detail are unsaved Jews. The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing the unsaved Jews act of teaching unsaved Gentiles as something that “does” take place, it is a fact. The active voice signifies that these self-righteous, unsaved Jews perform the action of teaching unsaved Gentiles. The participle of the verb didasko functions as a “substantive” since the definite article preceding it functions as a substantiver meaning it converts the participle into substantive. Therefore, the definite article preceding the participle functions as a relative pronoun and should be translated with the English pronoun, “who.” We will translate the articular participle form of the verb didasko, “you who do teach.” “Another” is the accusative (direct object) masculine singular form of the adjective heteros (e^tero$) (het-er-os), which refers to the Gentiles in contrast to the Jews. The word functions as a substantive and as the direct object of the verb didasko. We will translate the word “another person.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:21: “Then, you who do teach another person.” Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?” “Do you teach?” is the 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb didasko (didavskw) (did-as-ko), whose meaning is emphatically negated this time by the emphatic objective negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), “ever.” Thus, Paul is posing this rhetorical question to his unsaved Jewish readership: Don’t you teach or educate yourself? This implies that they don’t ever practice what they teach the Gentiles since their conduct, which corresponds to the Gentiles according to Romans 2:1, does not reflect that they do. The emphatic objective negative adverb ou signifies that this rebuke is emphatic. The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing these unsaved Jews as never practicing what they have been teaching the Gentiles as something that “does” take place. The active voice signifies that the unsaved Jew as the subject as not putting into practice that which he teaches the Gentiles. This is an ‘interrogative” indicative where an “assertion is expected” from the Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience. It indicates that Paul is presenting a rhetorical question that demands a negative response from his unsaved Jewish audience. The 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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unsaved Jew never taught himself what he teaches the Gentiles as reflected in his conduct, which corresponds to the conduct of the Gentiles. We will translate the emphatic objective negative adverb “ever” and the verb didasko we will translate as, “do you teach?” “You yourself” is the accusative (direct object) 2nd person masculine singular form of the reflexive pronoun seautou (seautou~) (she-ow-too), which indicates that the subject is also the object of the action of the verb and is used to highlight the participation of the subject in the verbal action, as direct object, indirect object, intensifier, etc. Therefore, in Romans 2:21, the reflexive pronoun seautou, “yourself” indicates that the subject, the self-righteous unregenerate Jew is also the object of the action of the verb didasko, “you who do teach” which is negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, “ever” and highlights their hypocrisy in that they never practice what they teach the Gentiles. Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:21: “Then, you who do teach another person, do you ever teach yourself?” In Old Testament, God rebuked the Jews for their hypocrisy in practicing the very things they taught the Gentiles not to do. Psalm 50:16-21, “But to the wicked, God says: ‘What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother's son. These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.” The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in not practicing what they taught the Jewish people and the Gentiles. Matthew 23, “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And, ‘whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’” Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?” “You who preach that” is the vocative articular 2nd person masculine singular present active participle form of the verb kerusso (khruvssw) (kay-roos-so), which means, “to publicly proclaim something as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner which commands the respect and attention of those who hear it.” Kerusso emphasizes the manner in which the proclamation or announcement is given and the formal, official and authoritative manner in which the proclamation is given. Usually it is used transitively and describes the activity of the herald in the discharge of his office. Kerusso was the formal official announcement or proclamation of religious festivals, judicial decisions, athletic games, and honors, and of victors. It is employed 30 times in the LXX and is used to translate the Hebrew verb qara (arq), which has many different meanings such as “to proclaim, to invite, to call, to appeal to, name.” It referred to shouts of command (Gen. 41:43; Ex. 36:6), public announcements (Ex. 32:5), or official decrees (2 Chron. 20:3; 24:9; Joel 1:14). Kerusso included a call to assemble (4 Kings 10:20) or a proclamation of award and honor (Esther 6:9, 11). It can be used of a call to battle (Hosea 5:8; Joel 2:1), a warning of the Day of the Lord. Kerusso appears 61 times in the Greek New Testament and occurs 19 times in the Pauline epistles, 9 times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark, 9 times in Luke, 8 times in Acts, once in 1st Peter and Revelation. It was the formal, official and authoritative manner in which the Gospel was proclaimed or announced. In Romans 2:21, the verb kerusso is used for the formal, official and authoritative manner in which the unsaved, self-righteous Jews publicly proclaimed the Old Testament Scriptures to the unsaved Gentiles. Therefore, in Romans 2:21, the verb kerusso refers to these unsaved, self-righteous Jews “publicly proclaiming the Old Testament Scriptures as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner which commands the respect and attention of the unsaved Gentiles who were exposed to it.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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This is a “vocative of simple address” meaning that the participle form of the verb kerusso is used in direct address to designate the addressee who we have noted in detail are unsaved Jews. The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing the unsaved Jews act of publicly proclaiming the Law in a dignified and authoritative manner as something that “does” take place, it is a fact. The active voice signifies that these self-righteous, unsaved Jews perform the action of publicly and authoritatively proclaiming the Law as heralds to the unsaved Gentiles. The participle form of the verb kerusso functions as a “substantive” since the definite article preceding it functions as a substantiver meaning it converts the participle into substantive. Therefore, the definite article preceding the participle functions as a relative pronoun and should be translated with the English pronoun, “who.” We will translate the articular participle form of the verb kerusso, “you who do publicly proclaim (the Law) as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner.” Next, Paul presents the first of four things that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew taught the unsaved Gentiles, namely, not to steal. “One shall not steal” is composed of the present active infinitive form of the verb klepto (klevptw) (klep-to), which is negated by the negative particle me (mhv) (may), “not.” Klepto is the common Greek verb for “steal” and occurs often in Greek literature and has shades of meaning such as “cheat” or “conceal.” The word appears more than twenty-five times in the LXX and twelve times in the Greek New Testament. Stealing was prohibited by the Mosaic Law (Exodus 20:15, Leviticus 19:11 and Deuteronomy 5:19). Exodus 20:15, “You shall not steal.” Leviticus 19:11, “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.” Deuteronomy 5:19, “You shall not steal.” The Greek New Testament teaches that if you love your neighbor as yourself you won’t steal from him. Therefore, stealing is disobedience to the divine command to love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:28-34, “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD AND YOU 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. The scribe said to Him, ‘Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.” In Romans 13, the apostle Paul describes for the Roman believers what loving one’s neighbor means. Romans 13:8-10, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Believers are prohibited from stealing but rather are to work. Ephesians 4:28, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.” By way of contrast, instead of stealing believers are to work with their own hands so that they might be able to share with someone who is in need. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we

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command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” The verb klepto is in the infinitive form and functions as an infinitive of “indirect discourse” meaning it is receiving the action of the verb kerusso. This is the use of the infinitive (or infinitive phrase) after a verb of perception or communication. In Romans 2:21, the infinitive form of the verb klepto comes after the verb kerusso, which of course, is a verb of communication. The controlling verb introduces the indirect discourse, of which the infinitive is the main verb. In Romans 2:21, the controlling verb kerusso introduces the indirect discourse of which the infinitive klepto is the main verb. When an infinitive stands as the object of a verb of mental perception or communication and expresses the content or the substance of the thought or of the communication it is classified as being in indirect discourse. Therefore, in Romans 2:21, the infinitive klepto stands as the object of the verb of communication kerusso and expresses the content or the substance of the communication and is thus classified as being in indirect discourse. The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing this prohibition to not steal is an “eternal spiritual truth” or “spiritual maxim.” The active voice signifies that the unsaved Gentile as the subject is responsible for obeying this prohibition to not steal. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting Paul’s assertion as an unqualified statement of truth that the unsaved Jew taught the unsaved Gentiles that they were not to steal. The negative particle me is subjective, involving will and thought, not fact and statement as ou does. It is the weaker, milder negative denying subjectively and with hesitancy, an unsteady particle, a hesitating negative, an indirect or subjunctive denial, an effort to prevent or prohibit what has not yet happened. It is a negative of will, wish, doubt. The negative ou denies the fact whereas me denies the idea. It leaves the question open for further remarks or entreaty whereas ou would close the door abruptly. Ou denies the thing in itself but me denies the thought of the thing, or the thing according to the judgment, opinion, will, purpose, preference, of some one (hence, as we say technically, indirectly, hypothetically, subjectively). Therefore, the negative particle me is used by Paul to negate the idea of the verb klepto indicating that the prohibition to not steal appeals to the volition of the unsaved Gentile and denies them the thought of doing such a thing. We will translate the negative particle and the verb klepto, “don’t steal.”

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Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:21: “Then, you who do teach another person, do you ever teach yourself? You, who do publicly proclaim (the Law) as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner: don’t steal.” Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?” “Do you steal?” is the 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb klepto (klevptw) (klep-to). Paul poses a second rhetorical question to his unsaved Jewish audience, which demands a positive response and exposes their hypocrisy indicating that they did steal and did not practice what they taught the unsaved Gentiles. The present tense is a “gnomic” present is used in a rhetorical question that demands a positive response and asks “does” this take place? The active voice signifies that the unsaved Jew as the subject is being posed this rhetorical question, which implies a positive response. This is an ‘interrogative” indicative where an “assertion is expected” from the Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience. It indicates that Paul is presenting a rhetorical question that demands a positive response from his unsaved Jewish audience. The unsaved Jew did steal as reflected in his conduct, which corresponds to the conduct of the Gentiles. We will translate klepto, “Do you steal?” Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:21: “Then, you who do teach another person, do you ever teach yourself? You, who do publicly proclaim (the Law) as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner: don’t steal, do you steal?” Even though the Jews were taught by the Law to not steal, stealing was still prevalent throughout their history and the prophets of Israel rebuked them for it. Isaiah 56:11, “And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.” Ezekiel 22:12-13, “In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me, declares the Lord GOD. Behold, then, I smite My hand at your dishonest gain which you have acquired and at the bloodshed which is among you.” Ezekiel 22:27, “Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain.” Amos 8:4-6, “Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying, ‘When will the new moon be over, so that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, to make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, and to cheat with dishonest scales, so as 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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to buy the helpless for money and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?’” Micah 3:9-11, “Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and twist everything that is straight, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with violent injustice. Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, ‘Is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.’” The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked those who bought and sold in the Herodian Temple calling the Temple a “robbers’ den.” Matthew 21:12-13, “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN.’”

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Romans: Romans 2:22-Paul’s Third and Fourth Rhetorical Questions that Expose Jewish Hypocrisy In Romans 2:22, Paul poses a third and fourth rhetorical question that demand a positive response from the self-righteous, unsaved Jews, which exposes their hypocrisy. Romans 2:22, “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” “You who say that” is the articular vocative 2nd person masculine singular present active participle form of the verb lego (levgw). The basic meaning of the root leg- is “to gather, to collect, to pick up, to recount, to speak.” The sense of “to gather” is very common in Homer (Iliad, 23, 239). It is used in the middle voice meaning “to collect for oneself” (Iliad, 24, 793). The verb can also mean, “to count.” The material or mental gathering one after the other of similar things can often be linked with counting. Thus lego can sometimes mean, “to count” (Homer Odyssey 4, 450). In some contexts, the verb lego can mean, “to enumerate,” or to recall from memory things of the same kind with a view to impartation. It can also mean, “to narrate, to say.” Soon after Homer a further step was taken, and the complete enumeration of things or events of the same kind became the narration, depiction or recounting of various matters, and then speaking in general. It is also found in passages that mean “to speak about something,” or “to mean or mention someone or something.” It was used to express the ordinary action of “speaking.” Liddell and Scott list the following basic meanings (1033-1034): (1) Gather, pick up (2) Count, tell (3) Say, speak. The Hebrew word ‘amar, whose general meaning is “to say,” appears nearly 5,000 times in the OT. In the LXX ‘amar is translated by lego more than 1,300 times. Both ‘amar and the Septuagint’s usage of lego required a wide range of translations, as is true with lego in classical and New Testament Greek. The verb lego is used to translate the following Hebrew terms in the Old Testament: (1) `Omer (rmwa), “word, address” (Hb. 3:9). (2) `Amar (rma), Qal: “say” (Gen. 1:22; 1 S. 5:10; Ez. 36:4); niphal: “be said” (Nm. 21:14). (3) `Amar (rma), “say” (Ezr. 5:11; Dn. 2:7; 6:20-Aramaic). (4) Batah (h?b), “speak” (Prov. 12:18). (5) Davar (rbd), Qal: “say” (Ex. 6:29; Nm. 32:27; Jer. 38:20 [45:20] ); piel: “say, speak” (Ex. 12:31; Prov. 23:9; Jer. 25:3). (6) Davar (rbd), “word, command” (Gen. 44:10; Est. 8:14; Job 11:2). (7) Mitswah (hwxm), “command” (Est. 3:3). (8) Mashal (lvm), Qal: “quote a proverb” (Ez. 18:3); piel: “speak a

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parable” (Ez. 20:49). (9) Na’am (san), “say, declare” (Nm. 14:28; 2 K. 22:19; Zech. 12:1). (10) Saphar (rps), Piel: “state” (Is. 43:26). The verb lego appears in the Greek New Testament over 1,300 times as a general verb for “saying” or “telling” both orally and in writing. A distinction must be made between lego and laleo. The latter refers primarily to the actual sound or pronunciation of words, while former has reference to the meaning and substance of the words. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains given the following meanings for the verb lego (volume 2): (1) To speak or talk, with apparent focus upon the content of what is said – ‘to say, to talk, to tell, to speak’ (page 397). (2) To speak of a person or object by means of a proper name – ‘to call, to name’ (page 403). (3) To use an attribution in speaking of a person – ‘to call, to name’ (page 403). (4) To mark the correspondence in the meaning of foreign expressions – ‘to mean’ (page 404). (5) To say something in order to explain more fully the implications or intent of what has been said – ‘to mean, to imply’ (page 404). (6) (An idiom, literally ‘as to speak a word’) an expression used to introduce an alternative form of expression as an interpretation of what has been said – ‘that is, that is to say, so to speak, in a sense’ (page 404). (7) (An idiom, literally ‘to speak to oneself’) to think about something without communicating the content to others – ‘to think to oneself, to say to oneself’ (often used to introduce a direct quotation of one’s thoughts) (page 366). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature lists the following meanings of the verb (pages 468-470): (1) Generally utter in words, say, tell, give expression to orally, but also in writing (2) In the specific sense order, command, direct, enjoin, recommend, assure, assert, maintain, declare, proclaim; speak, report, tell of something, call, name. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “lego, primarily ‘to pick out, gather,’ chiefly denotes ‘to say, speak, affirm,’ whether of actual speech, e. g., (Matt. 11:17), or of unspoken thought, e. g., (Matt. 3:9), or of a message in writing, e. g., (2 Cor. 8:8). The 2nd aorist form eipon is used to supply that tense, which is lacking in lego. Concerning the phrase ‘he answered and said,’ it is a well-known peculiarity of Hebrew narrative style that a speech is introduced, not simply by ‘and he said,’ but by prefixing ‘and he answered’ (apokrinomai, with eipon). In (Matt. 14:27), ‘saying,’ and (Mark 6:50), ‘and saith,’ emphasis is perhaps laid on the fact that the Lord, hitherto silent as He moved over the lake, then addressed His disciples. That the phrase sometimes occurs where no explicit question has preceded (e. g., (Matt. 11:25; 17:4; 28:5; Mark 11:14; 12:35; Luke 13:15; 14:3; John 5:17,19)), illustrates the use of the Hebrew idiom. Note: A characteristic of lego is that it refers to the purport or sentiment of what is said as well as the connection of the words; this is illustrated in (Heb. 8:1), RV, ‘(in the things which) 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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we are saying,’ KJV, ‘(which) we have spoken.’ In comparison with laleo (No. 2), lego refers especially to the substance of what is ‘said,’ laleo, to the words conveying the utterance; see, e. g., (John 12:49), ‘what I should say (lego, in the 2nd aorist subjunctive form eipo), and what I should speak (laleo)’; (v. 50), ‘even as the Father hath said (lego, in the perfect form eireke) unto Me, so I speak’ (laleo); cf. (1 Cor. 14:34), ‘saith (lego) the law’; (v. 35), ‘to speak’ (laleo). Sometimes laleo signifies the utterance, as opposed to silence, lego declares what is ‘said’; e. g., (Rom. 3:19), ‘what things soever the law saith (lego), it speaketh (laleo) to them that are under the law’; see also (Mark 6:50; Luke 24:6). In the NT laleo never has the meaning ‘to chatter.’” The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (page 373-374): (1) To collect, gather; to pick out; to lay with, count with; to enumerate, recount, narrate, describe (2) To speak, to say, to say within one’s self, to set forth in language, make plain, to explain, to unfold, to asseverate, affirm, aver, maintain, to teach, to exhort, advise; to command, direct, asking, entreating, seeking, to point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say, to call by a name, to call, name, to speak out, speak of, mention. Moulton’s Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (pages 248-249): (1) To lay, to arrange, to gather; to say (2) To speak, make an address or speech (3) To mention, speak of (4) To tell, declare, narrate (5) To express (6) To put forth, propound (7) To mean, to intend to signify (8) To say, declare, affirm, maintain (9) To enjoin (10) To term, designate, call (11) To call by a name (12) To be further named, to be surnamed (13) To be explained, interpreted. The verb lego refers to the substance of one of the teachings that the unsaved Jews taught from the Mosaic Law. The substance of the Jews’ teaching is contained in the present active infinitive form of the verb moicheuo, “to commit adultery,” which is negated by the negative particle me, “not.” Therefore, in Romans 2:22, the verb lego means, “to command” since the substance of the Jews’ teaching is in the form of a command, “don’t commit adultery.” This articular participle form of the verb lego is an independent articular substantive participle functioning as a noun or substantive. This is a “vocative of simple address” meaning that the participle form of the verb lego is used in direct address to designate the addressee who we have noted in detail are unsaved Jews. The articular participle form of the verb lego functions as a “substantive” since the definite article preceding it functions as a substantiver meaning it converts the participle into substantive. Therefore, the definite article preceding the participle functions as a relative pronoun and should be translated with the English pronoun, “who.”

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The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing the unsaved Jews act of teaching the Gentiles the prohibition from the Mosaic Law to not commit adultery as something that “does” take place, it is a fact. The emphasis of the present tense is not how often the unsaved Jew teaches the unsaved Gentiles to not commit adultery but rather that it “does” take place, which in turn enables Paul through a rhetorical question to demonstrate to the Jew that he does not practice that which he teaches the unsaved Gentiles. This is a simple active voice indicating that Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience are producing the action of teaching the Gentiles from the Mosaic Law to not commit adultery as expressed by the verb moicheuo, “to commit adultery,” which is negated by the negative particle me, “not.” We will translate the articular participle form of the verb lego, “you, who do command.” Romans 2:22, “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” “One should not commit adultery” is the present active infinitive form of the verb moicheuo (moixeuvw) (moy-khyoo-o), which refers to “sexual intercourse of a man with a married woman other than his own spouse,” and whose meaning is negated by the negative particle me, “not.” Marriage was established by God in the Garden of Eden when He brought the Woman to Adam to be his helpmate (See Genesis 2:18-25). Genesis 2:18-25, “Next, the Lord God said, ‘it is not good for the man to be alone, I will form (out of existing material) for his benefit a helper as his counterpart. Consequently, the Lord God constructed from the ground each and every creature of the field as well as each and every bird of the air. Then, He brought them to the man in order to see what name he would designate to them. Consequently, whatever name the man designated to these living creatures that was its name. Thus, the man designated names to each and every domestic animal and to the birds of the air and to each and every wild animal of the field but for man there was not found a helper as his counterpart. Then, the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, thus he slept and He surgically removed a portion of his side and then He closed up the place with flesh. Then, the Lord God built this portion of his side, which He had surgically removed from the man up into a woman. Then, He brought her to the man. Then, the man said, ‘this now is bone of my bones and flesh from my flesh. For my benefit, this will be designated the name, woman because from man she was surgically removed. Therefore, a man leaves his father and his mother and he is united with his wife and they become one flesh. And they, the two of them, the man and the woman were naked but they were not ashamed.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Therefore, committing adultery would be sin against God because it would violate the divine institution of marriage. The Word of God prohibits adultery. Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” Adultery begins in the heart. Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” The act of adultery takes place when the thought of adultery is acted upon. James 1:13-15, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” Committing adultery is a manifestation of not loving your neighbor as yourself. Romans 13:8-10, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Under the Mosaic Law, both the adulterer and the adulteress received the death penalty. Leviticus 20:10, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” The Lord Jesus Christ taught if you think look lustfully at another man’s wife, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart. Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’ but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” James teaches those Jewish Christians who succumbed to the Judaizers and sought to live under the Mosaic economy taught that if you do not commit adultery but commit murder, you have transgressed the Law since whoever stumbles in one point has become guilty of transgressing all that is taught in the Law. James 2:10-11, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,’ also said, ‘DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.’ Now if you do not

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commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” Both the Old and New Testament Scriptures condemn adultery. Proverbs 1:10, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” Proverbs 6:20-35, “My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life to keep you from the evil woman, From the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids. For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Or can a man walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is the one who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry; But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house. The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it. Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out. For jealousy enrages a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not accept any ransom, nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.” Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” God has ordained sex within the boundaries of marriage in order to perpetuate and protect the human race from disease and emotional trauma, which is brought on by adultery. Adultery was a problem throughout Israel’s history. Jeremiah 7:9-11, “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’ -- that you may do all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:1-6, “Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert a wayfarers' lodging place; That I might leave my people and go from them! For all of them are adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me, declares the LORD. Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor and does not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me," declares the LORD.” Ezekiel 22:1-16, “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations. You shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time will come, and that makes idols, contrary to her interest, for defilement! You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and defiled by your idols which you have made. Thus you have brought your day near and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the lands. Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil. Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood. They have treated father and mother lightly within you. The alien they have oppressed in your midst; the fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you. You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have committed acts of lewdness. In you they have uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in you they have humbled her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity. One has committed abomination with his neighbor's wife and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. And another in you has humbled his sister, his father's daughter. In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me," declares the Lord GOD. Behold, then, I smite My hand at your dishonest gain which you have acquired and at the bloodshed which is among you. Can your heart endure, or can your hands 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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be strong in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken and will act. I will scatter you among the nations and I will disperse you through the lands, and I will consume your uncleanness from you. You will profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will know that I am the LORD.’” In the first century, the Jews were divorcing their women without legitimate Biblical reasons and were thus committing adultery. There are three legitimate grounds for divorce: (1) Failure to be faithful to the marriage partner (Deuteronomy 24:1-5) (2) Failure to provide emotional support in the form of sex (Exodus 21:10-11) (3) Failure to provided material support (Exodus 21:10-11). Therefore, adultery was grounds for divorce since it was the failure to be faithful to the marriage contract. The refusal to have sex with your marriage partner is grounds for divorce since it is a failure to provide sex for your marriage partner under the marriage contract. Physical abuse is grounds for divorce since it is the failure to provide emotional support under the marriage contract. Physical neglect is grounds for divorce since it is the failure to provide material support under the terms of the marriage contract. It is interesting that Moses’ divorced his first wife Zipporah because she was negative to the doctrine of circumcision. The Lord permitted a believer to divorce his wife and remarry is Moses who according to Exodus 18:2 divorced his first wife Zipporah because she refused to obey the Lord’s commandment to circumcise his boys (Ex. 4:25; Lev. 12:2-3) and according to Numbers 12:1, Moses got remarried to a Cushite woman. Many Jewish men tried to circumvent the Mosaic Law command against adultery by divorcing their wives and marrying another woman to whom they were attracted. This practice of divorcing their wives for simply any reason came about because of misinterpreting the meaning of the phrase “indecency” in Deuteronomy 24:1-5. Deuteronomy 24:1-5, “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance. When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the

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army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.” In first century Israel, there were two schools of interpretation concerning Deuteronomy 24:1. There was the “Shammai” school, which was conservative in that they took the word “indecency” literally referring to some form of sexual immorality such as adultery. The second was the “Hillel” school, which was liberal in that they took the word “indecency” and added to it, saying that the word meant “any indecency at all,” thus teaching that a Jewish man could divorce his wife for anything that he didn’t like about her such as she burned the bacon at breakfast. The Lord Jesus Christ condemned this practice of divorcing without a legitimate reason. Matthew 19:1-12, “When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?’ And He answered and said, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE’ and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY? He said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.’ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery. The disciples said to Him, ‘If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.’ But He said to them, ‘Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.’ For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.” The “certificate of divorce” enabled the divorcees to remarry. The directive will of God is that marriage was originally designed to be a life long commitment (Gen. 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6), but the permissive will of God has permitted divorce because of the fallen nature of man and negative volition to the Word of God on the part of one or both partners (Matt. 19:7-8). The victim of adultery has two legitimate choices, forgiveness or divorce.

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Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Recovering from the sin of adultery demands the confession of the sin to the Father and then bringing one’s thoughts in obedience to Christ, which constitutes obeying the commands of Ephesians 5:18 to be influenced by means of the Spirit and Colossians 3:16 to let the Word of Christ richly dwell in your soul. 1 John 1:9, “If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and purifies us from each and every wrongdoing.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Ephesians 5:18: “And do not permit yourselves to get into the habit of being drunk with wine because that is non-sensical behavior, but rather permit yourselves on a habitual basis to be influenced by means of the Spirit.” Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The believer’s love for the Lord is to motivate him to obey God’s will, which prohibits adultery. His love and gratitude to the Lord for all that He had done for him is the secret to withstanding the temptation to commit sin and not just adultery since his love for the Lord and gratitude towards Him will motivate him to obey the laws of God pertaining to adultery. Obedience to the will of God, motivated by his love for God, enables the believer to withstand temptation from the old Adamic sin nature and the cosmic system of Satan. Obedience to the will of God demonstrates our love for God. John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Obedience to the Word of God is motivated by the believer’s love for the Lord and the believer’s love for the Lord is simply the response of the believer to the love God has demonstrated towards the believer through His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross and raising him up and seated him with Christ (See Ephesians 2:1-10). This is why the apostle Paul prayed that the Philippians love for the Lord would continue to grow since love for the Lord serves as a protection from sin and motivation to resist the temptation to sin.

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Philippians 1:9, “Now, this I make it a habit to pray that your divine-love might continue to flourish yet more and more by means of a total discerning experiential knowledge (of the love of God manifested in Christ by the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture).” Therefore, the believer receives the capacity to withstand committing the sin of adultery and all sin by means of his love for the Lord and if the believer loves the Lord it is only because the Lord loved him first. 1 John 4:19, “We love, because He first loved us.” The believer’s love for the Lord is demonstrated by his obedience to the Lord’s commands and his obedience to the Lord’s commands is the response in his soul to the love, which the Lord exercised towards him. Also, the believer’s awareness that God had a plan for his life and his personal sense of destiny will further motivate him to withstand the lusts of the old Adamic sin nature. The Bible not only prohibits adultery but also “spiritual” adultery. Church age believers have been entered into a marriage relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation. Ephesians 5:28-32, “So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” Many believers are committing spiritual adultery with the Lord today forsaking their relationship with the Lord and have committed spiritual adultery by putting idols in their souls such as money, houses, wives, husbands, children, jobs and self. Jeremiah 3:8-10, “And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception," declares the LORD.” James 4:4-10, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Of all the relationships that you have in life, your relationship with God is the most important, but it must be cultivated and matured. At the moment of salvation when you expressed faith alone in Christ alone you were entered into an eternal relationship with God and at the same time given the opportunity to become intimate with God. Galatians 3:26-28, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This relationship with God can never be broken. Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Lord Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to not put any human relationships ahead of their relationship with Him since to do so was tantamount to committing spiritual adultery. Matthew 10:37-39, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” The nation of Israel was guilty of committing spiritual adultery throughout her history. Jeremiah 5:7, “Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me and sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the harlot's house.” Jeremiah 3:6-10, “Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, ‘Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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adultery with stones and trees. Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,’ declares the LORD.” Hosea 1:1-2, “The Word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, ‘Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the LORD.’” Hosea 3:1-5, “Then the LORD said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes. So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. Then I said to her, ‘You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.’ For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.” As was the case with the infinitive form of the verb klepto, “to steal” in Romans 2:21, so the infinitive form of the verb moicheuo functions as an infinitive of “indirect discourse” meaning it is receiving the action of the verb lego. As we noted in our study of the infinitive form of the verb klepto in Romans 2:21, this use of the infinitive comes after a verb of perception or communication. In Romans 2:22, the infinitive form of the verb moicheuo comes after the verb lego, “to say,” which of course, is a verb of communication. The controlling verb introduces the indirect discourse, of which the infinitive is the main verb. In Romans 2:22, the controlling verb lego introduces the indirect discourse of which the infinitive moicheuo is the main verb. When an infinitive stands as the object of a verb of mental perception or communication and expresses the content or the substance of the thought or of the communication it is classified as being in indirect discourse. Therefore, in Romans 2:22, the infinitive moicheuo stands as the object of the verb of communication lego and along with the negative particle me, “not” expresses the content or the substance of the communication and is thus classified as being in indirect discourse. The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing this prohibition to not commit adultery is an “eternal spiritual truth” or “spiritual maxim.” The active voice signifies that the unsaved Gentile as the subject is responsible for obeying this prohibition to not commit adultery.

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The negative particle me is used by Paul to negate the idea of the verb moicheuo indicating that the prohibition to not commit adultery appeals to the volition of the unsaved Gentile and denies them the thought of doing such a thing. We will translate the negative particle and the verb moicheuo, “don’t commit adultery.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:22: “You, who do command: Don’t commit adultery.” Romans 2:22, “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” “Do you commit adultery?” is the 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb moicheuo (moixeuvw) (moy-khyoo-o). Paul poses a third rhetorical question to his unsaved Jewish audience, which demands a positive response and exposes their hypocrisy indicating that they did commit adultery and did not practice what they taught the unsaved Gentiles. The present tense is a “gnomic” present is used in a rhetorical question that demands a positive response and asks “does” this take place? The implication is that they were guilty of committing adultery. The active voice signifies that the unsaved Jew as the subject is being posed this rhetorical question, which implies a positive response. This is an ‘interrogative” indicative where an “assertion is expected” from the Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience. It indicates that Paul is presenting a rhetorical question that demands a positive response from his unsaved Jewish audience. The rhetorical question implies that the unsaved Jew did commit adultery even though they taught the unsaved Gentiles not to do so. We will translate klepto, “Do you commit adultery?” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:22: “You, who do command: Don’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery?” “You who abhor” is the articular vocative masculine singular present (deponent) middle participle form of the verb bdelussomai (bdeluvssomai) (bdeloos-so-my), which means, “to strongly detest something on the basis that it is abominable.” This is a “vocative of simple address” meaning that the participle form of the verb bdelussomai is used in direct address to designate the addressee who we have noted in detail are unsaved Jews. The present tense is a “gnomic” present describing the unsaved Jews act of abhorring idols as something that “does” take place, it is a fact. The deponent middle means that the verb has a middle voice form but an active meaning, thus it signifies that these self-righteous, unsaved Jews perform the action of abhorring idols.

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The participle form of the verb bdelussomai functions as a “substantive” since the definite article preceding it functions as a substantiver meaning it converts the participle into substantive. Therefore, the definite article preceding the participle functions as a relative pronoun and should be translated with the English pronoun, “who.” We will translate the articular participle form of the verb bdelussomai, “you who do abhor.” “Idols” is the articular accusative neuter plural of the noun eidolon (ei&dwlon) (i-do-lon), which refers to an object that resembles a person, animal, god and which is an object of worship. In the LXX, the noun eidolon is primarily a derogatory term for images of the gods or pagan deities. Louw and Nida commenting on this word, write, “The technical distinction between an image and an idol is that an image may merely represent a supernatural being, while an idol not only represents such a being but is believed to possess certain inherent supernatural powers. Images often become idols when they are assumed to possess such powers in an of themselves rather than being mere representations of some supernatural entity. If, for example, various images of a particular supernatural being are supposed to have different healing powers, then what began merely as images or representations of a supernatural power have become idols, in that the different images themselves have acquired special efficacy.” (Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains, volume 1, page 65) In Romans 1:23, Paul condemned the idolatrous practices of the pagan Gentiles. Romans 1:18-23, “For God’s righteous indignation is as an eternal spiritual truth revealed from the third heaven against each and every kind of ungodliness and unrighteousness produced by mankind who as an eternal spiritual truth are characterized by suppressing the truth by means of unrighteousness. Because that which is objectively and experientially known about God, is as an eternal spiritual truth evident within them for God made it evident to them. Because from the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature are as an eternal spiritual truth observed and comprehended by means of that which He has created so that they are without excuse. Because even though, they as an eternal spiritual truth had an objective, experiential knowledge of God, they never worshipped Him as God or gave thanks, but rather they became futile in the realm of their thought process and their ignorant hearts became darkened. It is an eternal spiritual truth that although they profess to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory originating with God, which is immortal for a likeness,

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which is an image of man, which is characterized by corruption as well as birds and four footed creatures and creeping things.” Idolatry is the worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself. Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols. Deuteronomy 32:17, “They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread.” 1 Corinthians 10:20, “No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” Israel was prohibited from practicing idolatry. Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:23, “You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.” Leviticus 26:1, “You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.” Joshua 24:2 states that Abraham’s father served idols. Joshua 24:2, “Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.’” The most noteworthy instance of idolatry in the history of Israel was Aaron’s making of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai (Ex 32:1-4). Exodus 32:1, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’” “Gods” is the masculine plural noun elohim (syh!la$). The noun Elohim is called in Hebrew grammar an intensive “honorific” plural where the referent is a singular individual, which is, however, so thoroughly characterized by the qualities of the noun that a plural is used. Most uses of “honorific” plurals in the Hebrew Bible involve the God of Israel and the most common of these is Elohim, which is used about 2500 times. When used of the God of Israel, this term usually takes a singular agreement and when used of various gods, it takes plural agreement. The substantive Elohim is plural in 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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form and may denote gods, but according to the Hebrew idiom, the meaning need not be plural, and hence, the word is used as the common designation of the true God, thus, it denotes a god, and should be so rendered. “Will go before us” is a military expression and is composed of: (1) 3rd person masculine singular Qal imperfect form of the verb halakh (Il^h)* , “to go” (2) Preposition le (l!) (3) Masculine plural noun panim (syn@P)* (pronounced pah-neem). This same expression is used as a military expression in Exodus 14:19, 23:23, and 32:34 and Deuteronomy 1:30. When the noun panim is employed with the preposition le it functions as a preposition literally meaning, “facing” and often translated “before,” or “in front of.” The noun panim in Exodus 32:1 refers to the front side of an army, which is its usage in Joel 2:20. The mob is demanding that an idol be made to lead them into battle and is thus an expression that is used with reference to military leadership. Exodus 23:23, “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.” Exodus 32:34, “But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” The expression “to go before” definitely conveys the idea of leadership, and it has a military connotation: Deuteronomy 1:30-31, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.” The Israelites were thinking that if they cannot look to Moses to lead them to victory, then they will have a “god” who will “go before them” as they march into Canaan, to possess it. So the people want someone to lead them into battle since they are about to approach Canaan, which they will never enter except their children and Joshua and Caleb and their families. We must remember that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. This victory was viewed as a military victory over the army of Pharaoh (cf. Exod. 15). The idol, which the Israelites demanded was to serve as the nation’s military leader, which would lead them to victory over her enemies. The Israelites had faced the Egyptians and won and they have also been opposed by Amalek at Rephedim (Ex. 17:8-16). They are now facing the conquest of Canaan, which is also a military matter and I believe that the people want a visible symbol, a kind of mascot god, which they can take before them as they proceed on to Canaan. Since Moses was not there to go before them, their idol will be their leader. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Exodus 32:2-4, “Aaron said to them, ‘Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it (the gold) with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” “Calf” is the masculine singular noun `eghel (ln#u)@ . “Molten” is the feminine singular noun massekhah (hk*Sm @ )^ (pronounced: mas-seh-chah), which means, “a cast image.” The word is an Old Testament term for metallurgy, which is the science or technique of separating metals from their ores and is used with respect to the production of objects. The ordinary term for casting metal is masas (ss^m)^ , “to melt, to pour, to cast.” Contexts of several passages in which massekhah is found suggest a method other than casting. The people of the ancient world made their idols with a wooden center and were merely overlaid with gold such as Isaiah 40:19 and 30:22 demonstrate. Isaiah 40:18-19, “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, a goldsmith plates it with gold, and a silversmith fashions chains of silver.” Isaiah 30:22, “And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, ‘Be gone!’” Aaron's molten calf was also made in this way. It was first of all formed of wood, and then covered with gold plate, which is evident from the way in which it was destroyed. The image was first of all burnt, and then beaten or crushed to pieces, and pounded or ground to powder (Deut 9:21); i.e., the wooden centre was first burnt into charcoal, and then the golden covering beaten or rubbed to pieces (v. 20 compared with Deut 9:21). Deuteronomy 9:20-21, “The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. I took your sinful thing, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that came down from the mountain.” The “golden calf” was copied from the Egyptian Apis but for all that, it was not the image of an Egyptian deity. Aaron decided on a calf, or, better, a young bull, as the symbolic representation of God. It was no symbol of the generative or bearing power of nature, but an image of Jehovah.

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For when it was finished, those who had made the image, and handed it over to the people, said, “This is your God, O Israel, who brought thee out of Egypt.” This is the explanation adopted in Ps 106:19-20. Psalm 106:19-22, “They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. Thus they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wonders in the land of Ham and awesome things by the Red Sea.” The children of Israel led by Aaron are exchanging the glory of the incorruptible God for an image a corruptible four-footed creature. Exodus 32:4, “He took this from their hand, and fashioned it (the gold) with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” “This is your god”: Plural demonstrative pronoun `elleh (hL#a)@ , “this” (2) “god” is the masculine (honorific) plural noun Elohim (syh!la$). (3) 3rd person common (neither masculine nor feminine) plural hiphil (causative stem) imperfect form of the verb `alah (hl*u)* , “to cause to be brought up from,” (Egypt). Thus the mob is saying, “this is your god that caused you to be brought up from Egypt.” Exodus 32:5, “Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’” Seeing that the Israelites regarded the image as their “god,” Aaron began to play the priest, solemnizing this idolatrous occasion with “worship” which strikingly mimics the actions of Moses in chapter 24. Aaron built an altar (32:5), just as Moses had (24:4). Aaron proclaimed a feast (a covenant meal?), a “feast to the Lord” (v. 5), just as there was a meal on Mt. Sinai (24:11). Israel’s early rising (v. 6) indicates the zeal with which this “worship” was pursued. Burnt offerings and peace offerings were sacrificed, too, (32:6), just as these had been sacrificed in chapter 24 (v. 5). Aaron in Exodus 32:5 is using the personal and proper name Yahweh rather than the more impersonal Elohim because he is referring to a feast that will be dedicated to the unique personality of the true and living God. Whereas the mob is using Elohim indicating that the mob did not see the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses as their personal God but rather they saw him as the heathen did, as an impersonal God. Although using the more personal, covenant name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Aaron lacked the moral courage that a leader needs to stand up for and defend the character and integrity of Yahweh. Aaron is giving lip service to the Lord and lacks action and the strength of his convictions and thus is only loyal to the Lord in word but not action. Aaron was not alone in his lack of moral courage

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for many of the nation did not get involve in this rebellion but failed to stand up to the mob including Hur who was also given leadership responsibility by Moses over the nation. Yahweh (YHWH) is the personal name of the living God and appears 6,823 times in the Old Testament. It is the redemptive, covenant-keeping name for the living God and is called “the Name” in Leviticus 24:11, 16 and “this glorious and fearful name” in Deuteronomy 28:58. Deuteronomy 28:58-59, “If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.” Because the ancient Hebrews wrote only consonants, not vowels, the pronunciation of word and names was passed down by the parents to the children. Throughout the Old Testament times people used the name freely. The proper name Yahweh was used in many formulas that would describe different aspects of the Person and Work of God. When the rabbis began to add their traditions about 300 B.C. that are now recorded in the Mishna and Talmud, they noted that the Third Commandment forbids misusing the name of Yahweh (Ex. 20:7). Therefore, these rabbis decided it was too holy to pronounce so they quit pronouncing the name, thus YHWH is called the sacred Tetragrammaton Whenever they came to the name in Scripture, they read `adhon, “Lord.” In time, everyone forgot how to pronounce the name. In the LXX, the Greek kurios (kuvrio$), “Lord” is used over 6,700 times for Yahweh. The New Testament also translates Yahweh as kurios. In the sixth and seventh centuries after Christ, Jewish scholars of tradition, the Massoretes, added vowel marks to the Hebrew Bibles to help them remember traditional pronunciation. Wherever they came to YHWH they put vowel marks to remind them to read `adhon, “Lord,” unless the verse had `adhon YHWH. Then they put the vowel marks to remind them to read `Elohim, “God” but later some European scholars wrote JHVH instead of YHWH. Then about 1220 A.D. some of them took the vowels for Lord (modified by Hebrew grammatical rules) and put them with JHVH to come up with Jehovah, which is not a real name for it has the consonants of a proper name and the vowels of a title. Some modern English versions do use Jehovah such as the ASV and NIV because the New Testament uses “Lord” read Lord or God (using small capitals) to represent the Hebrew YHWH.

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In the name Yahweh the Personality of the Supreme and Living God is distinctly expressed. It is everywhere a proper name, denoting the Person of God and Him only whereas Elohim partakes more of the character of a common noun denoting usually, indeed, but not necessarily the Supreme God. The Hebrew may say the Elohim, the true God, in opposition to all false gods but he never says the Yahweh, for Yahweh is the name of the true God only. Therefore, Aaron in Exodus 32:5 is using this personal and proper name Yahweh rather than the more impersonal Elohim because he is referring to a feast that will be for the unique personality of the true and living God. Whereas the mob is using the plural form of Elohim indicating that they don’t consider the God of Moses in a personal sense but rather impersonal. Exodus 32:5, “Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’” This incident in Exodus 32 is mentioned again in Deuteronomy 9, Psalm 106, Nehemiah 9 and Acts 7. Calf worship was repeated throughout Israel’s history and her prophets sent to her by the Lord condemned such idolatry (1 K. 12:25-33; 2 K. 17:7-18; Hos. 8:1-7; 13:1-3). Idolatry originally meant the worship of idols, or the worship of false gods by means of idols, but came to mean among the Old Testament Hebrews any worship of false gods, whether by images or otherwise or the worship of the Lord through visible symbols (Hos 8:5-6; 10:5). Hosea 8:5-6, “He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying, ‘My anger burns against them!’ How long will they be incapable of innocence? For from Israel is even this! A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.” Hosea 10:5, “The inhabitants of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn for it, and its idolatrous priests will cry out over it, over its glory, since it has departed from it.” Idolatry is not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion, which belongs to God alone, but also is putting anything ahead of your relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will (1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3). Ultimately in the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will (1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3). 1 Corinthians 10:14, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 John 5:21, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Idolatry is a manifestation of the old Adamic sin nature. Galatians 5:19-20, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions.” The church age believer is commanded to consider the members of his body as dead to idolatry. Colossians 3:5, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” The believer is to live for the will of God rather than practicing idolatry. 1 Peter 4:1-3, “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.” Although Israel was guilty of idolatry many times during the period of the monarchies, ever since the Babylonian captivity, she did not practice that evil to any significant degree. During the Greek and Roman occupations after their return from Babylon, the Jews developed a strong abhorrence for anything that resembled idolatry, to the extent that they would not handle Roman coins with Caesar’s image on it (Matthew 22:19-21). In Romans 2:22, the noun eidolon functions as an “accusative direct object” meaning it is receiving the action of the verb bdelussomai. The definite article preceding the word indicates that idols are well-know to Paul’s Jewish readers since idolatry was not only prevalent among the Gentiles but also among their own ancestors and they were prohibited from worshipping idols under the Mosaic Law. Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:22: “You, who do command: Don’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who do abhor idols.” Romans 2:22, “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” “Do you rob temples?” is the 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb hierosuleo (i(erosulevw) (heer-er-os-ool-eh-o), which is a compound word composed of the adjective hieron, “temple” and sulao, “to rob,” thus the word literally means, “to rob a temple.” The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised defines the verb hierosuleo, “to despoil temples, commit sacrilege” (page 200).

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A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature define word, “to rob temples” (page 373). The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, “to commit sacrilege, to rob a temple” (pages 299-300). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains lists the following definitions: (1) To take by force or stealth objects from a temple-to rob temples (page 585 (2) To commit sacrilege by doing harm or damage to sacred objects I temples-to commit sacrilege, to desecrate (page 546). Several expositors suggest that the reference to the robbing of temples refers to stealing from the Jewish Temple built by Herod that stood until 70 A.D. Robert Mounce writes, “Josephus reports an incident in which several Jews appropriated for their own use a gift from a recent convert intended for the temple in Jerusalem (Antiquities 18:81-84)” (The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, page 100) Some expositors teach that the robbing of temples should be taken in a figurative sense for the practice of many Jews who failed to pay the Temple tax (Malachi 3:8). Malachi 3:8-12, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,’ says the LORD Almighty.” However, Paul’s reference to the abhorrence of idols indicates that the robbing of temples should be taken in a literal sense since after the Babylonian captivity and under the Roman occupation during the first century, the Jews did not worship idols. Therefore, the verb hierosuleo refers to making personal gain from the idols, which they were prohibited from doing under the Mosaic Law. Deuteronomy 7:25-26, “The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.” This practice of the Jews in making a personal profit from pagan idols was practiced under the monarchies when Israel was conquering Gentile territories. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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However, in the first century, the nation of Israel was subjugated to the Roman Empire and had long ceased conquering Gentile lands. But many Jews did continue to plunder pagan temples rationalizing that doing such a thing was blow to paganism and would please God and do Him a favor. The Jews who robbed pagan temples for personal profit were distorting the second of the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20:4-6. Exodus 20:4-6, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” The practice of the Jews robbing pagan temples is inferred in Acts 19:37. Acts 19:11-37, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’ And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, ‘Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.’ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, ‘Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.’” The town clerk (Acts 19:37) said that these Jews (Paul and his companions) were “not robbers of temples,” demonstrating that the charge was sometimes made against Jews, though expressly forbidden the Jews as recorded by Josephus (Josephus, Ant. IV. 8, 10). Paul’s rhetorical question, “do you rob temples?” condemns this act of hypocrisy since Deuteronomy 7:25 prohibits such practices among the Jews. Paul poses his fourth rhetorical question to his unsaved Jewish audience, which demands a positive response and exposes their hypocrisy implying that many among them stole from pagan temples while at the same time professing abhorrence for idols. The present tense of the verb hierosuleo is a “gnomic” present is used in a rhetorical question that demands a positive response and asks “does” this take place? It implies that the many of the Jews practiced robbing pagan temples for personal profit. The active voice signifies that the unsaved Jew as the subject is being posed this rhetorical question, which implies a positive response. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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This is an ‘interrogative” indicative where an “assertion is expected” from the Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience. It indicates that Paul is presenting a rhetorical question that demands a positive response from his unsaved Jewish audience. The rhetorical question implies that the unsaved Jew robbed pagan, Gentile temples for personal profit even though he professed abhorring idols. We will translate hierosuleo, “Do you rob temples?” Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:22: “You, who do command: Don’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who do abhor idols, do you rob temples.”

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Romans: Romans 2:23-Paul’s Fifth and Final Rhetorical Questions that Exposes Jewish Hypocrisy In Romans 2:23, in which Paul poses a fifth and final rhetorical question to the self-righteous, unsaved Jew, which exposes their hypocrisy. Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” “Who” is the nominative masculine singular form of the relative pronoun hos (o^$) (hos), which agrees in gender and number with its antecedent that appears in Romans 2:22, the articular vocative masculine singular present (deponent) middle participle form of the verb bdelussomai (bdeluvssomai) (bdel-oos-so-my), “you who abhor.” The participle form of the verb bdelussomai, “you who abhor” refers to the unsaved Jew and so therefore, the relative pronoun hos refers to the same ground of individuals. In Romans 2:23, the relative pronoun hos functions as a nominative subject functioning as the subject of the finite verb kauchaomai, “boast.” Thus, indicating that the unsaved Jew is producing the action of boasting in the Law. “You boast” is the 2nd person singular present (deponent) middle indicative form of the verb kauchaomai (kauxavomai) (kow-khah-om-i), which means, “to express an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy,” thus, “to boast.” We noted this word in exhaustive detail in our studies of Romans 2:17 where it appeared in this passage with reference to the unsaved, self-righteous Jew boasting in his unique covenant relationship with God. Romans 2:17, “Now, if-and let us assume for the sake of argument-you do identify yourself by the name ‘Jew’ and you do rely upon the Law and do boast in a relationship with God.” Therefore, since we have noted the word in detail in Romans 2:17, we will only note its usage here in Romans 2:23. In Romans 2:23, the verb kauchaomai is used intransitively and in the deponent middle voice with the prepositional phrase en nomou, “in the Law.” The verb kauchaomai is used to express the Jews unusually high degree of confidence in their being the recipients and custodians of the Old Testament Scriptures, which is designated by the term nomos, “Law.” The word refers to the Jew priding himself in his possession of the Law and is used to express the unsaved Jews’ total and absolute confidence in and dependence upon his possession of the Law. The Jews thought erroneously and arrogantly and presumptuously that their being recipients of the Law would provide them security from eternal condemnation. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The present tense is again a “gnomic present,” which says that the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob “do” boast in their being the recipients and custodians of the Law. It says that this “does” take place. The middle voice is “deponent” meaning that the verb has a middle voice form but an active meaning. The active voice meaning is “stative” meaning that the selfrighteous, unsaved Jew “exists in the mental attitude state” of boasting in his being the recipient and custodian of the Law to provide him with a secure standing before God and protect him from eternal condemnation. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion by Paul as an unqualified statement of fact. We will translate the verb kauchaomai, “do boast.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:23: “You who do boast.” Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” “In the Law” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the dative masculine singular form of the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), “Law.” In Romans 2:23, the noun nomos refers to the entire Old Testament Scriptures and not just the Pentateuch since in context, Paul is mentioning the privileges that God gave the Jews’, which they boasted of. Therefore, their boast would be regarding the entire special revelation they received from God and not just the Pentateuch. The most common Hebrew equivalent of nomos is torah, which was used not only to denote the Pentateuch but also all the writings of the Old Testament are called Torah. The Torah was used with reference to the Word of God spoken by the prophets (Isaiah 1:10; 8:16, 20) and includes other Old Testament teaching and instruction as well (2 Chronicles 17:9; Nehemiah 8). So in Romans 2:23, the term nomos, “the Law” refers to the Old Testament Scriptures. The Old Testament Scriptures had three major divisions: (1) The Torah: Pentateuch (2) The Prophets (Nabhiim) (3) The Writings (Kethubim). The first section contained: (1) Genesis (2) Exodus (3) Leviticus (4) Numbers (5) Deuteronomy. The second section was divided into two sections: (1) The “Former” Prophets” (2) The “Latter” Prophets. The “Former” Prophets included: (1) Joshua (2) Judges (3) Samuel (4) Kings. The “Latter” Prophets were divided into two categories: (1) Major (2) Minor. The “Major” Prophets included: (1) Isaiah (2) Jeremiah (3) Ezekiel. The “Minor” Prophets were also called “the Twelve” because they were all contained one Book: (1) Hosea (2) Joel (3) Amos (4) Obadiah (5) Jonah (6) Micah (7) Nahum ((8) Habakkuk (9) Zephaniah (10) Haggai (11) Zechariah (12) Malachi. The third and final section was called “the Writings”: (1) The Poetical Books: Psalms, Proverbs and Job (2) The Five Rolls 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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(Megilloth): Song of Solomon, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Esther and Lamentations (3) The Historical Books: Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah (1 book) and Chronicles. Technically neither the Psalms nor Isaiah are a part of the Old Testament “law,” but sometimes as we have noted, the term “law” was applied to the entire Old Testament because it constituted God’s special revelation of instruction for Israel and ultimately for man. In the Greek New Testament, the term nomos is used with such terms as the prophets, and writings, again as a title for the entire Old Testament Scripture, but in this way it looks at them in their division (Luke 24:27, 44). It is especially used of the first five books of the Old Testament or the Mosaic Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). (Compare Luke 2:23; John 8:5; 1 Corinthians 9:9; Galatians 3:10). In Romans 2:23, the noun nomos, “Law” is used by way of the figure of “metonymy” where the Law or Old Testament Scriptures are put for the “possession” of them. The preposition en is a marker of an area of activity which bears some relation to something else. In context, Paul is speaking of the Jews’ boasting, which is in relation to the Old Testament Scriptures as indicated by the prepositional phrase en nomo, “in the Law.” Therefore, in Romans 2:23, the preposition en specifies that the unsaved Jews’ possession of the Old Testament Scriptures is the area in which the unsaved Jew boasts. In Romans 2:23, the preposition en is a marker of sphere and the noun nomos is a “locative of sphere” denoting that the Jew boasted “in the sphere” of his being the recipients and custodians of the Law. The Jews presumptuously and arrogantly believed that because they were given the Law and were its custodians that this would enable them to enter the kingdom of heaven. They believed God gave them the Law because they were better than the Gentiles. They believed that somehow they merited being the recipients of the Law when in reality they received it based upon God’s grace policy meaning they didn’t earn it or deserved it. We will translate this prepositional phrase “about (possessing) the Law.” The apostle Paul not only dealt with this arrogance in Israel but also the prophet Jeremiah also had to address this problem among his people in his day. Jeremiah 8:8-9, “How can you say, ‘We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD,’ when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?” When speaking to Jewish Christians in the first century who were raised under the Mosaic economy and were exposed to the legalistic teaching of the Judaizers, James teaches his readers that being in possession of the Law does not please God 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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but rather obedience to the Law does. The Judaizers were both regenerate and unregenerate Jews who taught strict adherence to the oral traditions of the Rabbis (Mk. 7), which are now, documented in the Mishna and the Talmud as well the 613 mandates found in the Mosaic Law. James 1:22-27, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:23: “You who do boast about possessing the Law.” Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” “Through” is the preposition dia (diaV), which is used with the genitive form of the noun parabasis, “breaking” to denote the instrumentality or the means by which the unsaved Jews dishonored God. Therefore, it denotes that the unsaved Jews breaking of the Law was “the means by which” he dishonored God resulting in the Gentiles blaspheming the person of God (See Romans 2:24). “Your breaking” is the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun parabasis (paravbasi$) (par-ab-as-is), which means, “transgression.” The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon gives the following meanings for the noun parabasis in the Greek New Testament (pages 478-479): (1) Properly, a going over (2) Metaphorically, a disregarding, violating (3) Absolutely, the breach of a definite, promulgated, ratified law (4) To create transgressions, i.e. that sins might take on the character of transgressions, and thereby the consciousness of sin be intensified and the desire for redemption be aroused. The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised gives the following meanings (page 300): (1) A stepping by the side, deviation (2) A transgression, violation of law. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature gives the following meanings for the word (pages 611-612): (1) Overstepping, transgression (2) The violation of the law. Richard Chenevix Trench writes, “When seen as the transgressing of a line, sin is termed parabasis” (Synonyms of the New Testament, page 256).

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In the Greek New Testament, this “line” that Trench refers to is the “will of God” as expressed in the Law. Parabasis is not used in the Greek New Testament with reference to sins of omission or ignorance. But rather of those transgressions, which are intentional and done in full awareness that they are violations of commandments and prohibitions in the Law. In Romans 2:23, the noun parabasis means, “transgression” and is used with reference to the “transgression” of the Law by the unsaved, self-righteous Jew. The noun parabasis functions as a “genitive of means” meaning that it indicates the means or instrumentality by which the verbal action explicit in the verb atimazo, “do you dishonor?” is accomplished. It answers the question, “How?” As a “genitive of means” the noun parabasis indicates that the unsaved Jews’ transgression of the Law was “the means by which” or “how” they dishonored God, which resulted in the Gentiles blaspheming God. The definite article preceding the noun parabasis functions as a “possessive” pronoun since possession is obviously implied here with the unsaved Jews’ transgression and should be translated accordingly as “your.” We will translate genitive articular form of the noun parabasis, “by means of your transgression.” “Of the Law” is the genitive masculine singular form of the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), which is a reference to the entire Old Testament Scriptures. The noun nomos functions as an “objective genitive” meaning that it functions as the direct object of the verbal idea implicit in the head noun parabasis, “transgression.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:23: “You who do boast about possessing the Law, by means of your transgression of the Law.” Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” “Do you dishonor?” is the 2nd person singular present active indicative form of the verb atimazo (a)timavzw) (at-im-ad-zo), which is composed of the alpha prefix a, “without” and the verb timao, “to honor,” thus the word literally means, “to cause to be dishonored and disrespected.” The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines the verb atimazo in the Greek New Testament (page 83), “To dishonor, insult, treat with contumely whether in word or deed.” The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised gives the following meanings for the verb (page 300), (1) To dishonor, slight (2) To treat with contumely or in dignity (3) To abuse, debase. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature defines the word (page 120), “Dishonor, treat shamefully, insult.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Louw and Nida give the following definitions for the word: (1) To treat someone in a shameful and dishonorable manner (page 757) (2) To cause someone to have low status involving dishonor and disrespect (page 741). (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, volume 1). Vine writes, “Signifies ‘to dishonor, treat shamefully, insult,’ whether in word, John 8:49, or deed, Mark 12:4; Luke 20:11, RV ‘handled (him) shamefully,’ (RV ‘entreated... shamefully’); Rom 1:24; 2:23, ‘dishonorest; ‘James 2:6, RV, ‘ye have dishonored (the poor),’ (KJV, ‘despised’); in the passive voice, to suffer dishonor, Acts 5:41 (KJV, ‘suffer shame’). (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers) In Romans 2:23, the verb atimazo is used with the articular accusative form of the noun theos, “God” as its direct object. In context, Paul has been addressing the conduct of the unsaved Jew in Romans 2:21-22 with several rhetorical questions that expose their hypocrisy. Romans 2:21, “Then, you who do teach another person, do you ever teach yourself? You, who do publicly proclaim (the Law) as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner: don’t steal, do you steal?” Romans 2:22, “You, who do command: Don’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who do abhor idols, do you rob temples.” The rhetorical questions imply that the Jew did not practice what he taught the Gentiles and did steal, commit adultery and rob pagan temples for personal profit. Therefore, the verb atimazo means, that the unsaved Jews’ transgression of the Law “caused” God “to be dishonored or disrespected” by the Gentiles. The Jews were the elect nation of God who were to represent God and proclaim salvation to the Gentiles and reflect God’s holiness to the Gentiles. Exodus 19:5-6, “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Leviticus 11:44-45, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 20:26, “Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” However, their conduct caused them to fail to reflect God’s holiness in their lives since Paul teaches in Romans 2:1 that they committed the very same sins that the Gentiles were guilty of.

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Romans 2:1, “For this very reason, you are, as an eternal spiritual truth, without excuse O man, each and everyone of you without exception who as a lifestyle judge as guilty for by means of that which you as a lifestyle judge as guilty the other person, you, as an eternal spiritual truth condemn yourself for you, who as a lifestyle judge as guilty, make it a habit to practice the same things.” Therefore, the unsaved Gentiles would say to themselves why follow the God of the Jews when they do not obey Him. The same thing happens during the church age where the believer’s conduct can cause the unsaved to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the believer is commanded to conduct himself properly so that this won’t take place. Colossians 4:5-6, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” 1 Peter 2:12, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” The church age believer is a royal ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ who has the responsibility to reflect the character of Christ to the unbeliever through his words and actions. 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” At the moment of salvation, every church age believer receives two royal commissions: (1) Royal Priesthood representing oneself before God in prayer and the study and application of the Word of God (2) Royal Ambassadorship representing the absent Christ before the unbeliever. An ambassador is a high-ranking minister or member of royalty sent to represent his nation in a foreign country. As spiritual ambassadors, the church age believer represents the Lord Jesus Christ in the devil’s kingdom. The church age believer represents the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ who is now absent from the earth because He sits at the right hand of God representing us before God the Father as our High Priest. As royal ambassadors, believers are responsible for “witnessing” to the unbeliever, which is communicating God’s plan of salvation to unbelievers on a 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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personal basis in two ways: (1) The example of your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3). (2) Your words (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 6:2). Now just like a nation’s ambassador does not support himself; likewise God supports the church age believer in Satan’s kingdom through logistical grace. Logistical grace is a descriptive term based upon military analogy for a Bible Doctrine and is God’s complete provision for the believer’s every physical and spiritual need in the devil’s world in order that they may execute the plan of God for the church age. It is the divine planning, support, provision and blessing for the church age believer to execute the plan of God. Logistical grace provides every believer regardless of spiritual status, Bible teaching, air to breathe, food, shelter, clothing, transportation, friends. Logistical grace is composed of four interrelated categories of blessings: (1) Life support: Sustains and protects our physical life (Ps. 33:18-19) (2) Temporal supply: Food, shelter, clothing, etc. (Mt. 6:19-34) (3) Security provisions: Angelic Protection (Heb. 1:14); Governmental protection (Rm. 13:1-7) (4) Spiritual provisions: Word and Spirit and Union with Christ (Eph. 6:10-18). Just like an ambassador in the natural realm has his instructions in written form so the church age believer’s written instructions are found in the Bible. Just like an ambassador in the natural realm does not belong to the country to which he is sent so church age believers are citizens of heaven, and do not belong to the devil’s world (Phil. 3:20). Philippians 3:20, “For our citizenship exists from eternity past in the realm of the heavens, out from which also we ourselves at the present time are eagerly anticipating as Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Every church age believer as a royal ambassador for Christ has the responsibility to proclaim the Gospel to the unbeliever. The Gospel means, “good news” and at the point of salvation the Gospel is the presentation to the unbeliever regarding God’s victorious proclamation of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, which delivers the believer positionally from the power of the old sin nature and Satan and eternal condemnation. The Gospel is the good news to the human race that God has made a peace treaty with the entire human race and the terms of that peace treaty is accepting the Gospel message through faith alone in Christ alone. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Every believer in the church age, as an ambassador for Christ, has the responsibility of presenting the terms of the God’s peace treaty to the unbeliever and the terms of the peace treaty is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; John 3:16, 36). Acts 16:30-31, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” The reward for witnessing is a part of your blessings in time and eternity (Dan. 12:3). Daniel 12:1-3, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” The present tense of the verb atimazo is a “gnomic present,” which says that the unsaved Jew “does” cause God to be dishonored among the Gentiles through their sinful conduct. The active voice says that the unsaved Jew performs the action of dishonoring God among the Gentiles through his sinful conduct. This is an ‘interrogative” indicative where an “assertion is expected” from the Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience. It indicates that Paul is presenting a rhetorical question that demands a positive response from his unsaved Jewish audience. The unsaved Jew did dishonor God among the Gentiles through their sinful conduct, which corresponded to the conduct of the Gentiles. We will translate atimazo, “Do you cause…to be dishonored?” “God” is the articular accusative masculine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to the second member of the Trinity, namely the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The definite article preceding the noun theos indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ is in view here since the article indicates that God is “well-known” to Paul’s unsaved Jewish readership since he is referring to the God who manifested himself to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Son of God is that member of the Trinity who manifested God to men. The word functions as an “accusative direct object” meaning that it is receiving the action of the verb atimazo. We will translate the articular form of the noun theos, “the (Son of) God.”

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Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:23: “You who do boast about possessing the Law, by means of your transgression of the Law, do you cause the (Son of) God to be dishonored?”

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Romans: Romans 2:24-The Jews Hypocritical Conduct Caused Gentiles to Blaspheme God Next, we come to Romans 2:24, in which Paul teaches his unsaved Jewish audience that their hypocritical conduct as a nation caused the unsaved Gentiles to blaspheme the character and nature of God. Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” “For” is the “inferential” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces a self-evident conclusion that is based upon the five rhetorical questions that appear in Romans 2:21-23 that exposes the Jews’ hypocritical conduct. Romans 2:21-23 contains the apodasis of a first class condition, which indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument. The apostle Paul “infers” in the apodasis of Romans 2:21-23 that the self-righteous Jew does not live up to the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew, which he presents as evidence in the protasis in Romans 2:17-20. Therefore, in the protasis that appears in Romans 2:17-20, Paul presents his premise, listing six privileges of the Jews and four pretensions. Paul’s Jewish audience would totally agree with his statements in Romans 2:1718 in which he lists six privileges that the Jews received from God and would give him no argument on. They would also agree with his statements in Romans 2:1920 in which he lists four pretensions that were in response to the privileges that they received from the Lord and they would not give Paul an argument on these as well. However, in Romans 2:21-23, Paul poses five rhetorical questions to his unsaved Jewish audience, which exposes their hypocritical conduct. Thus, revealing to the Jews through persuasion that even though they were a privileged race and nation, they had not lived up to these privileges and responsibilities and were therefore, no better than the Gentiles whom they thought they were superior to. In Romans 2:21, the post-positive conjunction oun, “then” is used in an inferential sense meaning it introduces five rhetorical questions, which derive a conclusion from the facts or premise presented in Romans 2:17-20. These rhetorical questions expose Jewish hypocrisy that is considered as true based upon Paul’s premise in Romans 2:17-20. The apostle Paul infers in the apodasis of Romans 2:21-23 that the selfrighteous Jew does not live up to the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew, which he presents as evidence in the protasis in Romans 2:17-20. The five rhetorical questions composing the apodasis of this first class condition exposes their hypocrisy.

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“Hypocrisy” is “a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not possess; a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.” The unsaved, self-righteous Jews made a pretense of being spiritual, which they were not and they did this in order to receive public approval. Romans 2:21, “Then, you who do teach another person, do you ever teach yourself? You, who do publicly proclaim (the Law) as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner: don’t steal, do you steal?” The first rhetorical question demands a negative response implying that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew did not teach himself that which he taught the Gentiles as evidenced by their conduct that corresponding to that of the Gentiles (Romans 2:1). The second rhetorical question demands a negative response implying that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew stole even though he taught the Gentiles to do otherwise. Romans 2:22, “You, who do command: Don’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who do abhor idols, do you rob temples?” The third rhetorical question also demands a positive response implying that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew was guilty of committing adultery even they taught the Gentiles to do otherwise. The fourth rhetorical question demands a positive response also implying that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew robbed pagan Gentile temples for personal profit even though they profess to reject idolatry. Romans 2:23, “You who do boast about possessing the Law, by means of your transgression of the Law, do you cause the (Son of) God to be dishonored?” The fifth and final rhetorical question demands a positive response as well implying that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew caused God to be dishonored with his sinful conduct even though boasted about possessing the Old Testament Scriptures. Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” Therefore, in Romans 2:24, the conjunction gar introduces a self-evident conclusion from the facts derived from the five rhetorical questions that appear in Romans 2:21-23, which imply that the conduct of the unsaved, self-righteous Jew is hypocritical in that they commit the same sins as the unsaved Gentiles commit while at the same time teaching them not to commit these sins. So, we will translate gar, “consequently” since it is used in an inferential sense. Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The statement “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU” is capitalized because it is a quotation from Isaiah 52:5. Thus, we see that the apostle Paul uses the very same Old Testament, which the unsaved, self-righteous Jew boasted of possessing to condemn them for their hypocritical and sinful conduct. He rebukes with the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures. Isaiah 52:1-5, “Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer come into you. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the LORD, ‘You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money.’ For thus says the Lord GOD, ‘My people went down at the first into Egypt to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what do I have here,’ declares the LORD, ‘seeing that My people have been taken away without cause?’ Again the LORD declares, ‘Those who rule over them howl, and My name is continually blasphemed all day long.’” In Isaiah 52:4, Isaiah reviews the history of the nation of Israel in slavery. They had been slaves in Egypt and more recently Assyria had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and exacted tribute from Judah. Then, in Isaiah 52:5, the prophet alludes to yet another power, Babylon, which would be used by the Lord to discipline the nation of Israel. This Babylonian captivity caused the heathen, pagan Gentiles to blaspheme the name of God. Paul uses the quotation to demonstrate that once again the privileged nation of Israel was causing the unsaved, pagan Gentiles to blaspheme the name of God through their hypocritical and immoral conduct, which caused the Lord to discipline the nation throughout her history. Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” “The Name” is the articular nominative neuter singular form of the onoma (o*noma) (on-om-ah), which refers to the “reputation” of the “character” of the “Person” of God. From the earliest period of the Greek language, onoma means “name,” whether of a person, or a thing. As with the English word “name,” an extended meaning is “fame” or “reputation.” To “have a name” means to be notable or, in other contexts, to have only a name without the accompanying reality. In business dealings the name represents the person, his property, his interests, or his obligations. In grammar, onoma means “noun.” More significant than mere definitions were the various views of the relationship between a name and the thing or person bearing the name. Primitive 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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peoples believed the name provided magical power over the thing, person, god, or demon named. They believed the name itself had an intrinsic and revelatory relationship to its owner. This view persisted in some circles but came to be questioned by the Greek philosophers, beginning in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. Parmenides, the Sophists and Plato held views somewhat similar to those of modern linguistic science: words (including names) means what a given language group agree to have them mean. A name may reflect a perception of the thing or person, but a perception may be wrong or partial. Thus onoma cannot be simply equated with the nature of what is named. In contrast to Plato, Stoic philosophers held that the name represents the very nature of the thing named. Consequently the Stoics believed that etymological analysis of names provides genuine insight into the nature of reality. The discussions of the names of the gods were important for the relationship between language and its object. Hesiod had already tried to find the key to the nature of the gods from the etymology of their names. The names of the gods were viewed as “verbal cult-pictures” (Democritus, Frag. 142, in Diels-Kranz I, 170, 9). The aspect of the terrible and unapproachable was thus appropriate for them (Plato, Philebus 12c; Cratylus 403a). Others, such as Menander and Aristides, represent the viewpoint that the higher a god stood, the more names he had. In a move toward monotheism, the Stoics ascribed all the divine names to one god (Zeus), explaining the various names as descriptions of the multiple aspects of his nature and deeds or fullness of being. But the many names of the god of the universe can be transmuted into namelessness, in that no name does justice to the fullness of the godhead. This line of thought has continued right up to modern times. The magical phrases and formulae found on the papyri of late antiquity reveal the belief in the power and effectiveness of the names of gods and demons. The name is thus a power which is very closely associated with the bearer and which discloses his nature. Pronouncement or invocation of the name sets in operation the energy potentially contained in him. Onoma occurs over 1000 times in the LXX, almost always translating the Hebrew shem (sv@), “name.” In a few places it translates other Hebrew words meaning, “report” or “fame” (e.g., Numbers 14:15; Joshua 6:27). Hans Bietenhard states, “In Israel as among other peoples there was awareness of the significance attached to a name, and of the power which resided in it. The first and later utterance of a name means more than formal endowment with, and use of, a means of naming someone. By giving someone a name, one establishes a relation of dominion and possession towards him” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume V, page 253). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The significance attached to names is easily seen in the many etymological explanations of the names of individuals, places and nations. The basis for the choice of name could have been: (1) Certain events, which took place when the child was born (e.g., Gen. 25:26). (2) Particularities in connection with the complexion of the child (Gen. 25:25). (3) Parent’s wishes and expectations for the newborn child (Gen. 35:18). Giving or changing a name could indicate dominion over that which is named or a change of status: (1) Abram became Abraham (Gen. 17:5). (2) The Jewish exiles received new names from their captor Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:7), which was a way of giving them Babylonian citizenship so they could help in the government. (3) Sometimes the name could be personified completely, so that it is mentioned as if it performed the action itself (cf. Psalm 20:1-2 [LXX 19:2]; Malachi 1:11). (4) To disregard the name was to disregard the person (Ex. 20:7; Lev. 24:16). (5) To pay homage to the name was to show honor to the one who was given that name (Neh. 9:5; Psa. 34:3 [LXX 33:3]; 138:2 [137:2]). The Complete Biblical Library makes the following excellent comment regarding God’s name in the Old Testament, “God’s name is the most important one in the Old Testament. Whether called by His distinctive name ‘the Lord’ (Yahweh = kurios) or by the generic term ‘God’ (Elohim = theos), God’s identity and nature cannot be known apart from the history of His words and actions in relationship with His people. For this reason God speaks of Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and as ‘the Lord thy God, Who has brought thee out of the land of Egypt’ (Ex. 3:6; 20:2). True knowledge of God’s name involves knowledge of this history and participation in this relationship. In contrast to the beliefs of the primitive pagan world, the Bible makes clear that knowledge and use of God’s name does not provide power over Him but rather relationship with Him and responsibility to Him. First of all, His name is known only because He freely chose to reveal it (Gen. 17:1; Ex. 3:14-15). Furthermore, the invoking of His name for magical purposes (or other misuses) is forbidden by the third commandment (Ex. 20:7). Israel was urged ‘to call on the name of the Lord,’ trusting His faithfulness to the covenant, not because the use of His name could force Him to act. God promised to care for the people and the temple bearing His name, but those privileges and blessings could be forfeited by human unfaithfulness to the relationship (2 Chron. 7:14-22). Likewise the prophets who spoke ‘in the name of the Lord’ had authority only as faithful proclaimers of what God had spoken to them. Without such a commission, the prophet was false. In Jewish writings outside of Scripture, Philo reflected the influence of Greek Stoicism when he said God’s real name never reaches men. God is being itself, which cannot be named. Thus kurios, ‘Lord’ is only the name for God’s power to rule and not God’s actual

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name (ibid. 5:264-65) (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary Lambda-Omnicron 2948-3664). Hans Bietenhard commenting on the use of the word in the Old Testament, writes, “Of primary significance is the name of Yahweh, which He Himself made known in His revelation (Gen. 17:1; Ex. 3:14; 6:2). One of the most fundamental and essential features of the biblical revelation is the fact that God is not without a name: He has a personal name, by which He can, and is to be, invoked. When appeal is made to Yahweh, He comes near and makes His promise true: ‘in every place where I cause My name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you’ (Ex. 20:24; cf. Num. 6:24 ff.). Priests and Levites, and even the king, bless in the name of Yahweh (Num. 6:27; Deut. 10:8; 2 Sam. 6:18). The name of Yahweh, indeed, is such a powerful expression of His personal rule and activity that it can be used as an alternative way of speaking of Yahweh Himself (Lev. 18:21; Psa. 7:17; Amos 2:7; Mic. 5:4). It is the side of Yahweh, which is turned towards men, in which Yahweh reveals Himself. His historical dealings with men in the past (Ex. 3:6, 13, 15), present (Ex. 20:7) and future (Ezek. 25:17; 34:50 et al.) are inextricably bound up with His name. Misuse of this name in magic or in false oaths (for oaths were accompanied by mention of Yahweh’s name) is forbidden (Ex. 20:7), for the name of Yahweh is a gift of the revelation which is not at man’s disposal (Gen. 17:1; Ex. 3:14; 6:2). The name of Yahweh is committed in trust to Israel: the heathen do not know it (Psa. 79:6). Israel has the task of hallowing it. This takes place in the cult, at sacrifice, in prayer, in blessing and cursing, and also in the holy war (Psa. 29:8), in other words, in serving Yahweh, and Him alone, and in obeying His commands. To take part in the cult-worship of another god therefore invokes profanation of the name of Yahweh (Lev. 19:21). The invocation of His name over Jerusalem (Jer. 25:29), over the temple (Jer. 7:10) and over the ark (2 Sam. 6:2), consecrating them and associating them with him, is the sole basis of that sanctity. Deut. gives the following answer to the question as to how Israel can have dealings with Yahweh: Yahweh Himself dwells in heaven, but He chooses on earth a place where He causes His ‘name’ to dwell (Deut. 12:11; 14:23; cf. 2 Sam. 7:13; 1 Kings 3:2; 5:17). In that His name dwells in the temple, Yahweh’s presence is itself guaranteed; but only in such a way that even if the temple is profaned, Yahweh’s transcendence remains preserved (cf. 1 Ki. 8:13, where Yahweh dwells in thick darkness with 1 Ki. 8:14 ff., where Yahweh’s name dwells in the temple). Yahweh’s name, like Yahweh Himself, remains sovereign” (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, volume 2, pages 649-650). Onoma occurs 228 times in the Greek New Testament. Vine classifies onoma under the usages (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words page 781-782): (1) Of the name by which a person or things is 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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called. (2) For all that a name implies, of authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc., of everything that the name covers. (3) As standing, by metonymy, for persons. The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (page 289): (1) A name; the proper name of a person (2) A mere name or reputation (3) A name as the representative of a person (4) The name of the author of a commission, delegated authority or religious profession. The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (pages 447-448): (1) Universally: of proper names (2) By a usage chiefly Hebraistic the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is roused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e., for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds, etc. (3) In imitation of the Hebrew twmv (4) Like the Latin nomen, i.q. the cause or reason named. Bauer lists five major usages of the word in the Greek New Testament (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature page 570-572): (1) Of proper names (2) Title, category (3) Person (4) The (wellknown) name, reputation, fame (5) Office. Louw and Nida list the following categorical usages for the word (GreekEnglish Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, volume 1): (1) The proper name of a person or object - ‘name.’ (2) A person, with the possible implication of existence or relevance as individuals - ‘person, people.’ (3) That which is said about a person on the basis of an evaluation of the person’s conduct ‘reputation.’ (4) Category or kind, based upon an implied designation for a class of entities - ‘category of, being of the type that.’ (5) To employ the name of the Lord as evidence that one worships the Lord. (6) To spread information extensively about a person. (7) To insult or slander, with a possible implication of a kind of psychological ostracism. (8) To give a name to, with the possible implication of an additional name. (9) To be acknowledged as belonging to the one whose name is called upon such an individual. Adolph Deissmann states that the word’s “repeated occurrence in indictments certainly suggests the conjecture that it must have had a technical meaning...the name of the King is the essence of what he is as ruler. We see how nearly this idea of the onoma approaches to that of the Old Testament shem (sv@), and how convenient it was for the Egyptian translators to be able to render quite literally the expressive word of the sacred text. The special coloring which onoma often has in early Christian writings was doubtless strongly influenced by the LXX, but the latter did not borrow that coloring first from the Hebrew; it was rather a portion of what they took from the adulatory official vocabulary of their environment” (Bible Studies page 146).

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In the Greek New Testament and in relation God, the noun onoma can refer to “character” and “nature” of God, the “reputation” of God, the “personality” of God. In Romans 2:24, the noun onoma has a four-fold sense: (1) It signifies the “personality” of God distinguishing Him from the heathen gods. (2) It signifies the “character” of God representing who He is. (3) It signifies God’s “work” in creation and for the salvation of men. (4) It signifies the “reputation” of God before men. The absolute perfection of God’s character that Israel was to reflect is described in Scripture with the term, “holiness.” Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines “holiness” as “the quality or state of being holy; sanctity” and they define “sanctity” as, “sacred or hallowed character.” One of the definitions that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary gives for the adjective “holy” is, “entitled to worship or profound religious reverence because of divine character or origin or connection with God or divinity.” One of the definitions for the noun “character” that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary provides that applies to the context of our passage is the following: “the aggregate of features and traits that form the apparent individual nature of some person or thing.” If we paraphrase these definitions, we would say that the term “holiness” emphasizes “the aggregate (i.e. sum total) of perfect features and traits that form the divine nature of God.” Therefore, the term “holiness” refers to the absolute perfection of the character of God, expressing His purity of character or moral perfection and excellence, thus making God totally separate from sin and sinners. He is totally separate from sin and sinners unless a way can be found to constitute them holy and that way has been provided based upon the merits of the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. The presence of evil, sin and injustice is totally absent in the character of God, thus God does not tolerate evil or sin because it is contrary to His character, i.e. His inherent moral qualities, ethical standards and principles. Holiness is used often to describe the Person of God. Leviticus 22:2, “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD.” 1 Chronicles 16:10, “Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.”

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Psalm 30:4, “Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 97:12, “Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name.” Ezekiel 43:7-8, “He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die, by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.” The title “His Holy Name” refers to the perfect character of the Person of God. This absolute perfection of God’s character is celebrated throughout the Scriptures. Isaiah 6:3, “And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” Revelation 4:8, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.’” The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the holiness or character of God during His 1st Advent. John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” As the elect nation of God, Israel was to represent God and proclaim salvation to the Gentiles and reflect His holiness to the Gentiles. Exodus 19:5-6, “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Leviticus 11:44-45, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 20:26, “Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” However, their conduct caused them to fail to reflect God’s holiness in their lives since Paul teaches in Romans 2:1 that they committed the very same sins that the Gentiles were guilty of. Therefore, the unsaved Gentiles would say to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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themselves why follow the God of the Jews when they do not obey Him. The same thing happens during the church age where the believer’s conduct can cause the unsaved to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ. In Romans 2:24, the noun onoma signifies the “reputation” of the “character” of the “Person” of God. Therefore, when Paul teaches the unsaved, self-righteous Jew that his hypocritical and sinful conduct causes the name of God to be blasphemed among the unsaved Gentiles, he means that the “reputation” of the “character” of the “Person” of God is slandered by the unsaved Gentiles. “Slander” refers to defaming someone’s character as a result of bitterness towards them. Therefore, the unsaved Gentiles defamed the character of God as a result of bitterness towards the unsaved Jewish for their hypocritical conduct. It is ironic that the sacred name of God was blasphemed by the Gentiles because of the hypocritical conduct of these self-righteous, unsaved, legalistic, religious Jews since they would never use the personal name of God. Yahweh (YHWH) is the personal name of the living God and is the redemptive, covenant-keeping name for the living God and is called “the Name” in Leviticus 24:11, 16 and “this glorious and fearful name” in Deuteronomy 28:58. Because the ancient Hebrews wrote only consonants, not vowels, the pronunciation of word and names was passed down by the parents to the children. Throughout the Old Testament times people used the name freely. The proper name Yahweh was used in many formulas that would describe different aspects of the Person and Work of God. When the rabbis began to add their traditions about 300 B.C. that are now recorded in the Mishna and Talmud, they noted that the Third Commandment forbids misusing the name of Yahweh (Ex. 20:7). Therefore, these rabbis decided it was too holy to pronounce so they quit pronouncing the name, thus YHWH is called the sacred Tetragrammaton. Whenever they came to the name in Scripture, they read `adhon, “Lord.” In time, everyone forgot how to pronounce the name. In the sixth and seventh centuries after Christ, Jewish scholars of tradition, the Massoretes, added vowel marks to the Hebrew Bibles to help them remember traditional pronunciation. Wherever they came to YHWH they put vowel marks to remind them to read `adhon, “Lord,” unless the verse had `adhon YHWH. Then they put the vowel marks to remind them to read `Elohim, “God” but later some European scholars wrote JHVH instead of YHWH. Then about 1220 A.D. some of them took the vowels for Lord (modified by Hebrew grammatical rules) and put them with JHVH to come up with Jehovah, which is not a real name for it has the consonants of a proper name and the vowels of a title. Some modern English versions do use Jehovah such as the ASV and NIV because the New Testament uses “Lord” read Lord or God (using small capitals) to 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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represent the Hebrew YHWH. Therefore, these self-righteous, unsaved Jews who did not dare use the personal name of God when speaking about Him because they considered that it was too holy to pronounce would cause this same name of God to be blasphemed by the Gentiles because of their hypocritical conduct! The definite article preceding the noun onoma indicates that the word functions as a nominative subject. It also indicates the name of God is “well-known” to Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience. We will translate the articular form of the noun onoma, “the reputation of the character of the Person.” Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” “Of God” is the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to the second member of the Trinity, namely the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who was the member of the Trinity that manifested the Godhead to the forefathers of Paul’s Jewish audience. The definite article preceding the noun theos indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ is in view here since the article indicates that God is “well-known” to Paul’s unsaved Jewish readership since he is referring to the God who manifested himself to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Son of God is that member of the Trinity who manifested God to men. The noun theos functions as a “genitive of possession” meaning that this onoma, “reputation” is “possessed by” God. We will translate the articular genitive form of the noun theos, “God’s.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:24: “Consequently, the reputation of the character of God’s person.” “Is blasphemed” is the 3rd person singular present passive indicative form of the verb blasphemeo (blasfhmevw) (blas-fay-meh-o), which is composed of the verb blapto, “to injure” and noun pheme, “speech,” thus the word literally means, “to injure with speech.” Thus, the word denotes “slandering” someone, which refers to defaming someone’s character as a result of bitterness towards them. In classical Greek, the verb blasphemeo means, “to speak profanely of sacred things.” It also was used of “slandering” a person and was used of simply “speaking evil” of someone or something. The word was one of the strongest words in Greek to denote derision, abusive speech or ridicule (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 1, page 621). In the LXX, the word appears approximately ten times in which it was rendered by three different Hebrew terms: (1) Gadhaph (2) Yakhach (3) Na’ats.

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The verb blasphemeo was always used in the LXX with God’s person, character and reputation as the objects of blasphemy by His enemies (2 Kings [LXX 4 Kings] 19:4, 6, 22; Isaiah 52:5). In the Greek New Testament, blasphemeo appears 35 times and like the LXX, the word is used with God as the object of blasphemy by men. Matthew 9:1-3, “Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city. And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.’ And some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This fellow blasphemes.’” Matthew 27:38-40, “At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’” Luke 22:63-65, “Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, ‘Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?’ And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.” 1 Timothy 6:1, “All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.” Titus 2:1-5, “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” James 2:1-7, “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who

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oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?” 2 Peter 2:1-2, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned.” Revelation 13:1-6, “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?’ There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” Revelation 16, “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.’ So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, ‘Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.’ And I heard the altar saying, ‘Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.’ The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (‘Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.’) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, ‘It is done.’ And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.” Matthew 12:22-32, “Then a demon-possessed man {who was} blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?’ But when the Pharisees heard {this} they said, ‘This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.’ And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, ‘Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast {them} out? For this reason they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong {man?} And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the {age} to come.’” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Some great theologians such as Lewis Sperry Chafer write that this sin only take place during the 1st Advent of Christ when He was physically present on earth. Chafer in effect states, and many follow his interpretation of this passage, that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was unique to Christ’s 1st Advent and was the attributing the miracles of Christ to the devil rather than the Holy Spirit, thus defaming the perfect integrity of the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ. I know many great Bible teachers who when you ask them, “What is the unpardonable sin?” they usually reply, “It is blaspheming the Holy Spirit” or “It is the sin of attributing to the devil the works of the Holy Spirit and could only take place during the 1st Advent of Christ.” First of all I believe this interpretation was in response to the false claim by some that you can commit a sin that cannot be forgiven. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven except for the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior over a lifetime. People go the eternal Lake of Fire because they choose to and not because of their sins since the penalty for the entire human race-past, present and future was paid for by the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union. The unbelievers sins are never mentioned at the Great White Throne Judgment of Unbelievers, but rather their own inferior human works performed in self-righteous arrogance. This is according to Revelation 20:11-15. Revelation 20:11-12, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is {the book} of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” So the Scriptures emphatically teach that the only sin that can’t be forgiven and that sends a person to the eternal Lake of Fire is the rejection of Jesus Christ as one’s own personal Savior. The sin of rejecting Christ as Savior is the reason why people will end up in the eternal Lake of Fire forever and ever. This is not the will of God though because the will of God is that all men be saved. God’s attitude toward the entire human race is that He desires all to believe in His Son Jesus Christ. John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” 1 Timothy 2:4, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

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2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Secondly, as I noted earlier many expositors state that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was unique to Christ’s 1st Advent and was the attributing the miracles of Christ to the devil rather than the Holy Spirit, thus defaming the perfect integrity of the Spirit’s witness of Christ. When I say unique I mean that at no time in history have these conditions ever existed where Christ was on the earth performing miracles by means of the Spirit. These expositors are missing the point and the principle, which our Lord is relating in this passage. It is the rejection of the Spirit’s witness at the point of hearing the Gospel for salvation that is blasphemous and unpardonable and not simply attributing the miracles of Christ to the devil. To say that the blasphemy of the Spirit only took place during the 1st Advent of Christ is diminishing the rejection of the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ in subsequent dispensations such as the church age. In other words it is just as much blasphemous today to reject the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ during this dispensation as it was during the 1st Advent! To say that the blasphemy of the Spirit was attributing Christ’s miracles to the devil is putting undo emphasis on the rejection of the miracles rather than their rejection of the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ as their Messiah. Remember the miracles of Christ were to demonstrate that He was the Jewish Messiah since the Jews require a sign according to 1 Corinthians 1:22. The Jews rejection of Christ’s miracles then revealed an even deeper problem among them and that was their negative attitude toward the Spirit’s witness concerning Him. The Spirit witnessed that Christ was the Messiah by performing the miracles for the humanity of Christ. The Spirit employed miracles to convict the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. He doesn’t operate that way today because Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father. He no longer employs miracles to witness to the unbeliever that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah since the Lord no longer resides on planet earth but at the right hand of the Father. So blaspheming the Spirit is not a particular act of sin but rather a negative attitude towards the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ that extends over a lifetime. It cannot be forgiven because it is the rejection of the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ in common grace over a lifetime. “Common” grace is grace that is given to all men to make understandable the gospel message of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone. If you reject the Spirit’s repeated attempts over a lifetime to witness that Jesus is the Christ then you will go to the Lake of Fire. I say it is the rejection of the Spirit’s witness of

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Christ over a lifetime because there were many times before we became born-again and saved that we rejected the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ in common grace. God is patient, He will offer the Gospel to the unbeliever throughout their lifetime as we noted in 2 Peter 3:9. We have all been hostile towards God before salvation, were we not? Colossians 1:19-21, “For it was the {Father's} good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, {I say} whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, {engaged} in evil deeds.” We have all rejected Christ before salvation and then changed our attitude at some point and trusted in Him as Savior. Therefore, the blasphemy of the Spirit is an attitude that extends over a lifetime that rejects what the Holy Spirit has to say about Jesus Christ and can occur in any dispensation. The blasphemy of the Spirit is a lifelong, antagonistic and hostile mental attitude towards the Holy Spirit’s witness regarding the Person and Work of Christ at the point of hearing the Gospel for salvation and is not merely attributing the miracles of Christ to the devil. If you reject Christ as Savior, you are rejecting in effect the witness of the Spirit and thus calling the Spirit a liar. The blasphemy of the Spirit is a lifelong negative attitude towards the Spirit’s work in common grace. The problem was not that the Pharisees rejected the miracles and attributed His miracles to the kingdom of darkness but rather the problem was their negative attitude toward Christ. It is not attributing the miracles to the kingdom of darkness that cannot be forgiven but rather the lifelong rejection of the Spirit’s trustworthy witness concerning Christ at the point of hearing the Gospel for salvation. This is why the Lord said that the blasphemy of the Spirit couldn’t be forgiven. Thirdly, is it any more blasphemous to reject Christ then as it is today? Is it any more blasphemous to reject the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ then as it is today? Of course not! Therefore, we can conclude that the blasphemy against the Spirit is not unique to the dispensation of the hypostatic union or 1st Advent of Christ since individuals are rejecting the Holy Spirit’s witness of Christ at the point of hearing the Gospel for salvation even today in our day and age, thus it can and does occur in every dispensation of history! The reason why the Lord said that rejection of the Spirit’s witness concerning Himself is blasphemous, and not the rejection of Himself, is because the Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity who convicts the unbeliever in common grace. The Holy Spirit in common grace bears witness to the unbeliever that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Common grace refers to that aspect of God’s grace policy,

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which is directed towards the entire human race, without exception. God the Holy Spirit convicts the unbeliever that he is a sinner and needs a Savior. The Lord in His Upper Room Discourse mentions this principle. John 16:7-11, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” The Holy Spirit in common grace takes the Gospel message and makes it understandable to the unbeliever so that they can either make the non-meritorious decision to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior or reject Him. What is the gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” It is the Holy Spirit who takes the Gospel information that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and was raised on the 3rd day according to the Scriptures. When this is presented, then it is simple case of believing this information regarding the Lord Jesus. Ephesians 1:13, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” We have to possess some information regarding Christ in order to believe in Him. You can’t believe in someone you have no knowledge of. Therefore, it is essential that we present the Gospel accurately and concisely to the unbeliever because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The Holy Spirit takes whatever truth is communicated to the unbeliever and makes it understandable so that they can make a decision for or against Christ as their Savior. The unbeliever cannot understand the gospel message of Jesus Christ unless the Holy Spirit enables him. A spiritually dead person cannot understand the things of God without the aid of the Holy Spirit in common grace. This principle appears in 1 Corinthians 2:1-10. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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A spiritually dead person needs help at salvation. The Holy Spirit in common grace has to make spiritual information understandable to the spiritually dead person so that they can make a decision to either accept Christ as Savior or reject Him. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, “And working together {with Him} we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION" This process takes place over a lifetime until the unbeliever accepts Christ or they die. There are no more opportunities after death. Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this {comes} judgment.” Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the {age} to come.” The word for “blasphemy” in Matthew 12:31 is the noun blasphemia, which is a compound word composed of the following: (1) Verb blapto, “to hurt, injure.” (2) Noun pheme, “speech, report.” Thus, the word literally means “injurious speech” or “evil speech or report.” The classical meaning is “evil speech, profane speech, defamation,” or “slander.” It is a word used to denote the strongest form of mockery or slander. In reference to the Greek pantheon of gods, blasphemia is the misrepresentation of their true nature or power. It is used consistently in the LXX for the defamation of the character and nature of God. The word appears 20 times in the NT and refers to slander, defamation of character. Thus, by rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the unbeliever is in fact blaspheming or defaming the character of the Spirit. The term “Holy” describes the Spirit’s perfect character and integrity. The unbeliever is in effect calling the Spirit a liar by rejecting His witness that they are a sinner and need a Savior and Jesus Christ is that Savior. The Pharisees rejection of the Holy Spirit’s witness regarding Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and Savior of the world was a defamation of the character and integrity of God the Holy Spirit. This is why our Lord calls the Pharisees rejection of Him as the Messiah as blaspheming the Spirit. Also, I want you to notice the tense of the verb for the phrase “it shall not be forgiven” in verses 31 and 31. The future tense of the verb aphiemi indicates the Pharisees’ sin would be judged at a future day meaning the Great White Throne 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:11-15. In both cases the future tense of the verb aphiemi is indicating clearly that the sin that the Pharisees were committing at that particular moment of attributing Christ’s miracles to the devil rather than the Spirit was not the sin that was unpardonable. If the so-called unpardonable sin was taking place at that moment, the Lord would have used the present tense meaning that the sin of the Pharisees of blaspheming the Spirit was not forgiven at that moment. The future tense of the verb leaves room for repentance or a change of attitude by the Pharisees, which took place among many of them according to John 12:42 and Acts 15:5. The only solution for this negative attitude towards the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ was for the Pharisees to repent or change one’s mind by believing in Him. Their hostile and antagonistic attitude needed to be changed. It is not a particular act that was the problem of the Pharisees but rather their blasphemous attitude, which was the root of their blasphemous actions. Attitude precedes action. This is why the Jewish leaders were told to repent or what it really says is that they were to change their minds about Christ. Matthew 3:2, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Mark 1:14-15, “Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” The word for “repent” in each of these passages is the compound verb metanoeo, which is composed of 2 words: (1) Preposition meta, “change.” (2) Verb noeo, “to exercise the mind.” The cognate noun of the verb noeo is nous, “mind, attitude.” So literally this compound verb metanoeo in all of these passages means “to change your attitude,” or “to change your mind.” The Pharisees had to change their attitude towards the Spirit’s witness concerning the Lord Jesus. When it says the kingdom of God is at hand it refers to the fact that their Jewish Messiah, the King Himself was in their midst and that they needed to change their attitude regarding Him. The King and His kingdom cannot be separated…they could have had the kingdom if the nation accepted as Messiah, but of course, they did not. They needed to stop thinking of Jesus of Nazareth as the carpenter’s son, a mere man and a threat to their ministry and to turn to Him as their Lord and Savior. Yet, many of the Jews rejected the Spirit’s witness regarding the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the promised Messiah…that He was the Son of God. His miracles were signs to the Jewish nation that He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah, yet they attributed His miracles to the Enemy, 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Satan. The Lord rebuked the Pharisees regarding their stubbornness in rejecting Him as Messiah even though He gave them many signs that He was the Messiah. John 12:37-42, “But though He had performed so many signs before them, {yet} they were not believing in Him. {This was} to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: ‘LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?’ For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM. These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing {Him} for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.” Now, I want to address one more important principle regarding this passage in Matthew 12:32. Note the phrase in Matthew 12:32: “either in this age or in the age to come.” It is very important for it indicates the time element involved in this eternal condemnation for blaspheming the Spirit. This phrase clearly indicates that the rejection of Spirit’s witness regarding the Person and Work of Christ will not be forgiven during the dispensation of the hypostatic union and in the future. Thus implying that it not only took place during the 1st Advent of Christ but it will take place in future dispensations such as the church age, tribulation and millennial reign of Christ! The translation “in the age to come” is a misleading translation. A more accurate translation would be “in the future” since the usual word for “age” is aion, but it is not used here. The phrase “in the age to come” is a prepositional phrase composed of the following: (1) Preposition en, “in.” (2) Dative masculine singular definite article to, “the.” (3) Dative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb mello, which is mellonti, “future.” The articular participle to mellonti is used substantively meaning “the future.” This is what we call a dative of time indicating when the action of the main verb will take place. So in the context of Matthew 12:32 the dative or locative of time indicates that the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven in the future as well as during the 1st Advent of Christ. Thus implying that it is not unique to the 1st Advent of Christ but rather can take place in every dispensation after it. Louw and Nida define the verb blasphemeo, “To speak against someone in such a way as to harm or injure his or her reputation” (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, volume 1, page 434). 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines the word, “To speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, to utter blasphemy” (page 102). The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised defines blasphemeo, “To calumniate, revile, treat with calumny and contumely; to speak of God or divine things in terms of impious irreverence, to blaspheme” (pages 70-71). Bauer lists the following meanings: (1) In relation to men, injure the reputation of, revile, defame (2) In relation to a divine being, blaspheme, of heathen gods, of the true God and what pertains to Him, angels (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, pages 142-143). In Romans 2:24, the verb blasphemeo is used with the reputation of the character of the person of God as its object and refers to speaking against God’s reputation in such as way as to injure it, thus the word means, “to slander” the reputation of the character of the person of God. The present tense is a “gnomic present,” which says that the slander of reputation of the character of the person of God “does” take place among the unsaved Gentiles as a result of the hypocritical and sinful conduct of the unsaved, self-righteous Jews that Paul is addressing in Romans 2. The passive voice indicates that the subject, which is the reputation of the character of the person of God, is receiving the action of the verb blasphemeo by either an expressed or unexpressed agent. Here in Romans 2:24, the agency is expressed by the preposition dia and the genitive form of the 3rd person plural form of the personal pronoun humeis, which refers to these unsaved, self-righteous Jews. This prepositional phrase expresses intermediate agency. Three types of agency can be expressed in Greek: (1) Ultimate agency (2) Intermediate agency (3) Impersonal means. The ultimate agent indicates the person who is ultimately responsible for the action whereas an intermediate agent is the one who carries out the act for the ultimate agent and the impersonal means is that which an agent uses to perform an act. Therefore, in Romans 2:24, the prepositional phrase di’ humas, “because of all of you” expresses the intermediate agency who carries out the act of blaspheming the reputation of the character of the person of God for the ultimate agent, which is expressed by the prepositional phrase en tois ethnesin, “among the Gentiles.” The hypocritical and sinful conduct of the unsaved Jew is the intermediate agency that blasphemes the reputation of the character of the person of God for the unsaved Gentiles. In other words, the passive of blasphemeo and the prepositional phrase di’ humas indicates that the hypocritical and sinful conduct of the unsaved Jew is the “cause” of the unsaved Gentiles blaspheming or slandering the reputation of the character of the person of God. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion by Paul as an unqualified historical statement of fact. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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We will translate the verb blasphemeo, “as a fact, does get slandered.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:24: “Consequently, the reputation of the character of God’s person as a fact does get slandered.” Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” “Among the Gentiles” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “among” and the articular dative neuter plural form of the noun ethnos (e&qno$) (eth-nos), “Gentiles.” The preposition en is used in a distributive sense with respect to persons and is accurately translated. Therefore, this prepositional phrase “among whom” indicates quite clearly that God’s reputation was being slandered in the Gentile world because of the hypocritical and sinful conduct of the unsaved, self-righteous Jews. The noun ethnos is used in contrast to the Jews and thus refers to all those individuals who are “not” of Jewish racial descent and thus “not” members of the covenant people of God, Israel. Therefore, by implication this word refers to all the nations of the world. Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:24: “Consequently, the reputation of the character of God’s person as a fact does get slandered among the Gentiles.” Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.” “Because of you” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV), “because” and the nd 2 person plural accusative form of the personal pronoun humeis (u(mei~$), “you.” The 3rd person plural form of the personal pronoun humeis refers to all the unregenerate Jews constituting the nation of Israel that rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah. This form of the personal pronoun humeis emphasizes that Paul is addressing the nation of Israel as a whole. The preposition dia is a marker of a participant who is the “cause” or “reason” for an event or state. Therefore, the preposition dia with the accusative form of the personal pronoun humeis indicates that the unsaved, self-righteous Jew is the “cause” or “reason” for the state of the unsaved Gentiles slandering the reputation of the character of the person of God. We will translate this prepositional phrase, “because of all of you.” Corrected translation thus far of Romans 2:24: “Consequently, the reputation of the character of God’s person as a fact does get slandered among the Gentiles because of all of you.” Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.”

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“Just as” is the comparative conjunction kathos (kaqwv$) (kath-oce), which is used with the indicative mood of the verb grapho, “it is written” in order to signify that the previous Old Testament quotation from Isaiah 52:5 is a comparative clause that indicates a comparison with the present negative attitude of the Gentiles towards God because of the hypocritical and sinful conduct of unregenerate Israel. The conjunction kathos, “as” with the indicative mood of grapho, “it is written” signifies that the previous Old Testament quotation from Isaiah 52:5 supports Paul’s assertion that the reputation of the character of the person of God is being slandered because of the hypocritical and sinful conduct of unregenerate Israel. “It is written” is the 3rd person singular perfect passive indicative form of the verb grapho (gravfw) (graf-o). Perfect tense of grapho is an “intensive” perfect emphasizing the results or present state produced by a past action. In Romans 2:24, the “intensive perfect” tense of the verb blasphemeo emphasizes the present permanent and authoritative state of the Old Testament Scriptures that was produced by the past action of the Holy Spirit supernaturally guiding the human authors of the Old Testament in communicating in writing God’s will to man with perfect accuracy. In Romans 1:2, the apostle Paul describes the Old Testament Scriptures as “holy,” which emphasizes the writings of the Old Testament prophets were divine in quality and character and in origin. The writings of the Old Testament prophets were “holy” in the sense that the writings of the Old Testament prophets were set apart by God in order to reveal His will, purpose, and plan for mankind and to reveal who and what man is and who and what God is and what He has done for mankind through His Son Jesus Christ. Thus, it follows that the Old Testament Scriptures are true and unchanging or immutable. The doctrine of inspiration contends that, God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human authors of Scripture that without destroying their individuality, their literary style, their personal interests, or their vocabulary, God’s complete and connected thought towards man was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture. Therefore, the Bible in its original languages is the exact record, the mind and will of God and contains the very words of God, and therefore, bear the “authority” of divine authorship. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed (theopneustos) and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

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2 Peter 1:20-21, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made an act of human will, but men moved (phero) by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” We will translate the phrase kathos gegraptai, “Just as it stands written, for all of eternity.” Completed corrected translation of Romans 2:24: “Consequently, ‘the reputation of the character of God’s person as a fact does get slandered among the Gentiles because of all of you’ just as it eternally stands written, for all of eternity.” The racial progenitor of the Jews, Abraham failed to reflect the holiness of God through his sinful conduct. Genesis 12:10-20 records Abraham’s trip to Egypt, which was not according to the will of the Lord. Genesis 12:10, “Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.” Genesis 12:11, “It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman.’” Genesis 12:12, “and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.” Genesis 12:13, “Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” Egyptian custom would not allow a foreign prince and his entourage to live in Egypt without making a treaty or contract. The custom also was for the foreign prince to give an acceptable daughter or a sister into the Pharaoh’s harem to seal the treaty and guarantee the prince’s good behavior while in Egypt. Therefore, Abram is telling Sarai to say to the Egyptians that she is his sister, which is a half truth since she was his half-sister, having the same father Terah but different mothers according to Genesis 20:12. If no treaty were made, crossing the border into Egypt would be considered an invasion, an act of war. Abram was reasoning that if he didn’t make a treaty they would attack and kill him and take Sarai into Pharaoh’s harem as a trophy of war, as was the custom. If Abram made the treaty she would go into Pharaoh’s harem, but at least he reasoned that he would stay alive and be able to take care of those under his protection. He also expected that Sarai would be treated well because of her great beauty. Of course, he should have turned around and went back to Canaan rather than put himself and his wife in such a compromising position. Instead of staying in the land of Canaan and trusting in the Lord to provide in the midst of famine, Abram goes to Egypt and puts himself and his wife in a more dangerous position.

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It would have been far better for Abram to entrust his life and the lives of his family to the Lord in Canaan, even in the midst of a severe famine, than to entrust it to Pharaoh, an unbeliever. The irony is that Abram is making a contract with an unbeliever, Pharaoh rather than placing his faith in the contract that the Lord made with him. Principle: Better to trust the Lord with your life than with men. Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:9, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” The Lord, who is in control of history and thus Abram’s circumstances, has worked out the circumstances so that Abram has a choice to make, either to obey Him and stay in Canaan, which the Lord had promised him or disobey and give his wife Sarai to the Egyptians. Abram doesn’t go to the Lord in prayer because he is living in fear of the famine and when you live in fear you are out of fellowship and when you are out of fellowship you cannot pray. The Holy Spirit at this point has already convicted him that he is operating in unbelief by leaving the land of Canaan, which the Lord had promised him. You must first confess the sin and then pray. Psalm 66:18, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” 1 John 1:9, “If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and purifies us from each and every wrongdoing.” Therefore, motivated by fear from unbelief, Abram attempts to deal with his fears with his own human power and intellect. Genesis 12:14, “It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.” Genesis 12:15, “Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.” Genesis 12:16, “Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.” Genesis 12:17, “But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.” Genesis 12:18, “Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?’” Immediately, without anyone telling him, Pharaoh, an unbeliever recognizes that God has intervened by the supernatural character of the suffering inflicted upon his house. Pharaoh is a very discerning human being and he would have to be

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in order to be an effective ruler, and recognizes that since Sarai has been taken into his harem, his house has suffered greatly. Genesis 12:19, “Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” The unbeliever Pharaoh demonstrates more moral awareness than the believer Abram by rebuking Abram using his wife as compensation in the agreement, which permitted him to sojourn in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh discerns that Sarai must not have been Abram’s sister but his wife since his house has suffered greatly since she was admitted into his harem. Genesis 12:20, “Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.” Genesis 20 records Abraham committing this same again but this time with the king of the Philistines. Genesis 20:1-2 records Abraham telling a half-lie or halftruth to Abimelech saying that Sarah was his sister, which she was but a half-sister. Abraham fails to tell Abimelech that Sarah is his wife and fails to do this because he is afraid that Abimelech will kill him in order to secure Sarah for himself. This half-lie endangers not only Sarah but also Abimelech. Although, he is not mentioned in the passage, Satan is the invisible enemy of God’s people who is behind the scenes influencing Abraham and tempting him to enter into fear, worry and anxiety. Satan’s purpose for doing this is so that he can prevent the birth of Christ by preventing the birth of Isaac who was to be in the line of Christ. Up to this point in our study of Genesis, we have seen that the human nature of Jesus Christ would come from the line of Seth (Gen. 4:25-26; Luke 3:38) and Shem (Gen. 9:24-27; Luke 3:36). Then, as recorded in Genesis 12:3 God informs Abraham that Jesus Christ would be his descendant and now we saw in Genesis 17 that Abraham and Sarah’s future son, Isaac would be in the line of Christ as well. In Genesis 20, we see another failure of Abraham and yet the Lord’s treats him in unconditional love and remains faithful to the covenant, which He established with Abraham. 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” Genesis 20:1, “Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar.” According to Genesis 18:1, “from there” is a reference to “the oaks of Mamre,” which was located in “Hebron” nineteen miles southwest of Jerusalem, on the way to Beersheba. The question arises, “why did Abraham leave the oaks of Mamre in Hebron?” It appears that he left because the view from Hebron overlooking the destruction of the Dead Sea region was too much for Abraham to take. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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The Word of God does not record that Abraham was aware or informed that Lot was still alive. The Word of God does say in Genesis 19:29 that God did answer Abraham’s intercessory prayer and delivered Lot from the destruction. Abraham left Hebron and headed in a southwesterly direction, settling between Kadesh and Shur towards Egypt and then heading north to Gerar. Therefore, it appears that Abraham packed up and left Hebron and went to Gerar in order to stop being reminded of the destruction of Sodom and from his perspective possibly the death of his nephew Lot. So it appears that Abraham was operating again in unbelief by leaving Hebron since if he believed that God had answered his prayer to deliver Lot, he would have stayed or at least searched for Lot but it appears he didn’t. The region of the “Negev” extends roughly from a line drawn from Gaza through the modern political boundary of the southern West Bank, extending south to the mountain ranges of the Sinai and through the Arabah to the Red Sea. “Kadesh” means, “holy”, and was an oasis about seventy miles southwest of the Dead Sea and was located west of Israel’s western boundary, the River of Egypt or the Wadi el-Arish, in the southwest Negev. The name “Shur” means, “wall” and was a city on the borders of Egypt and Palestine. The word “sojourned” is the Hebrew verb gur (rWG), which refers to a specific legal status of a person who lives as a resident and is in a dependent legal status and is not a native, but is dwelling upon the land. “Gerar” was near the coast about twelve miles south of Gaza and about fifty miles south of Hebron, in the land of the Philistines. According to archaeological excavations, “Gerar” was a prosperous city, controlling a lucrative caravan route indicating that Abraham was tempted to transact some business there. Abraham does not get into trouble in Gerar because he is out of the geographical will of God since Gerar is still in the land of Canaan but he does get into trouble for lying. Undoubtedly, Satan, knowing that the Lord is about to fulfill His promise and give Abraham and Sarah a child, is going to attempt to thwart the Lord’s plans in Gerar. Genesis 20:2, “Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister.’ So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.” On two occasions (Gen. 12 and 20) Abraham placed Sarah in a potentially adulterous situation to save his own life. He said to those in Gerar that Sarah was his sister but this is a half-truth. As Abraham later explains to Abimelech, Sarah and Abraham shared the same father Terah but had different mothers (see Genesis 20:12). Therefore, Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister but Abraham failed to inform the inhabitants of Gerar and 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Abimelech that Sarah was his wife because he was in fear for his life that Abimelech would kill him and take Sarah. Now, notice that Abraham’s fear that Abimelech would kill him and take Sarah into his harem indicates that Sarah was still very beautiful even though she was approximately ninety years old at the time. The custom in the ancient world would not allow a foreign prince such as Abraham and his entourage to live in Gerar without making a treaty or contract. The custom also was for the foreign prince to give an acceptable daughter or a sister into the Abimelech’s harem to seal the treaty and guarantee the prince’s good behavior while in Gerar. Therefore, Abraham is telling Sarah to say to the people of Gerar that she is his sister, which is a half truth since she was his half-sister, having the same father Terah but different mothers according to Genesis 20:12. If no treaty were made, crossing the border into Gerar would be considered an invasion, an act of war. Abraham was reasoning that if he didn’t make a treaty they would attack and kill him and take Sarah into Abimelech’s harem as a trophy of war, as was the custom. If Abraham made the treaty she would go into Abimelech’s harem, but at least he reasoned that he would stay alive and be able to take care of those under his protection. He also expected that Sarah would be treated well because of her great beauty. As was the case we saw in Genesis 12 with Pharaoh of Egypt, the irony is that Abraham is making a contract with an unbeliever, Abimelech rather than placing his faith in the contract that the Lord made with him. Principle: Better to trust the Lord with your life than with men. Psalm 118:8-9, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” Abraham attempts to deal with his fears with his own human power and intellect. In Genesis 12 with Pharaoh, he has failed as Sarah’s husband but Sarah has not failed as his wife since she is being obedient to him. The Lord is going to protect and honor Sarah for obeying her husband even though her husband is failing in his authority as her husband. Principle for Christian women who are married, the Lord will protect you even if your husband fails in his authority as your husband. Sarah’s submissiveness to her husband is an excellent example for Christian women to follow when conducting themselves in their marriages, especially in adversity. 1 Peter 3:6, “just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”

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Now, you might say, how could Abraham commit this terrible sin again? The answer is simple, Abraham, like all men whether believer or unbeliever possesses a sin nature. Every one in the human race possesses an old sin nature as a result of the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the garden at the moment of physical birth, which makes them physically alive but spiritually dead and yet qualified for grace. Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” The fact that we all have a sin nature means that at any time we can enter into sin, thus Abraham simply makes a bad decision, which is motivated by his sin nature trend to fear, worry and anxiety. The Lord is not happy with this situation since the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ was to come through the line of Abraham and Sarah. Sarah is an innocent victim of Abraham’s stupidity and the Lord will defend her honor. Therefore, the Lord will intervene and exercise His omnipotence to overrule Abraham’s bad decision and force Abimelech to release Sarah to Abraham. Genesis 20:2, “Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister.’ So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.” “Took,” is the 3rd person masculine singular qal imperfect form of the verb laqach (jq^l)* , which means that Abimelech sent messengers to “fetch, retrieve, summon” Sarah in order to add her to his harem. So we have Abimelech here dispatching his courtiers in order to bring Sarah into his presence in the palace and add her to his harem. The name “Abimelech” means, “my father is king” and is not a proper name but rather a title for royalty among the Philistines, just as the term “Pharaoh” and “Caesar” were. Satan plays a part in every sin, but he would have been especially interested in letting Abimelech have sex with Sarah since that would have thrown doubt on the child she would bring into the world. We see several times that the devil tries to cut the line which leads to the coming of the Messiah into this world. In the days of Esther he tries to exterminate the whole Jewish race. After the captivity in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, he entices the returned captives to intermarry with the heathen nations, so that the Jewish identity would be wiped out. He had the same purpose in the days of Malachi. From Malachi 2:11-15 we understand that the coming of the Messiah according to the line God promised was endangered by Israel’s practice of divorcing their

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Jewish wives and marrying heathen ones. The last belated effort was of course the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. Satan is behind the scenes manipulating Abraham to enter into fear of being killed by Abimelech. He uses the fear of death to manipulate the human race to not trust God and serve him. Hebrews 2:14, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:15, “and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Instead of entering into fear and saying that Sarah was his sister, Abraham should have prayed to the Lord for protection. Fear is a result of unbelief and unbelief is failure to trust that God will protect and provide for us. The apostle Paul taught the Philippian believers to pray to the Father rather than entering into fear. Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Abraham should have prayed for protection instead of entering into fear. Prayers for protection from God fill the Bible. Psalm 59:1-2, “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from those who do iniquity and save me from men of bloodshed.” Psalm 140:1-3, “Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.” Psalm 140:4-5, “Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men who have purposed to trip up my feet. The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set snares for me. Selah.” The Bible teaches that fear, worry and anxiety are a sin because it calls into question the perfect immutable character and integrity of God or in other words, His love for the believer. Matthew 6:19, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” Matthew 6:21, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Matthew 6:22, “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” Matthew 6:23, “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:25, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:27, “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:28, “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin.” Matthew 6:29, “yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.” Matthew 6:30, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” Matthew 6:31, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’” Matthew 6:32, “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” The apostle Peter instructed believers to cast all anxiety upon the Lord in prayer. 1 Peter 5:1, “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.” 1 Peter 5:2, “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness.” 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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1 Peter 5:3, “nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” 1 Peter 5:5, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 1 Peter 5:6, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” 1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:9, “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:11, “To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Trusting in God to keep His promises will protect the believer’s soul from stress, fear, worry and anxiety. Abraham’s fear of being killed by Abimelech was a total lack of faith or in other words, a total lack of trust and confidence in God’s ability to protect him. Psalm 56:11, “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Since God is faithful, He will protect us from Satan and the kingdom of darkness. 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” Genesis 20:1-2 teaches us that lying will eventually get us into trouble. The Lord hates lying and prohibits believers from entering into it. Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD.” Proverbs 6:16, “There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him.”

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Proverbs 6:17, “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.” Proverbs 6:18, “A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil.” Proverbs 6:19, “A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.” Genesis 20:3, “But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, ‘Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.’” “God” is the noun Elohim, which emphasizes that God has sovereignly determined to intervene to protect Sarah and prevent Abimelech from keeping her in his harem and having sexual intercourse with her, thus ensuring the birth of Isaac and protecting the line of Christ. God informs Abimelech that Sarah who he had taken into his harem was a married woman and therefore he would be guilty of adultery and deserving of death. Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” Proverbs 6:32, “The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it.” Leviticus 20:10, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Sarah would not be guilty of the death penalty because she did not choose to be a member of Abimelech’s harem. This was against her will. Adultery was not only considered a “great sin” by the Israelites but also it was among many Semitic groups as evidenced at Ugarit and in Egyptian marriage contracts. A comparison of Genesis 20:6 and 17 indicates that God had already put Abimelech under a curse of some sort since Genesis 20:6 states that God had prevented Abimelech from having sex with Sarah and he was healed as a result of Abraham’s intercessory prayer for him. Abimelech was prevented from having children and thus implying that God gave him a physical problem that prevented him from performing sexually. God’s statement that Abimelech was a “dead man” does “not” mean that God was predicting his immediate death but that if Abimelech proceeded to keep Sarah in his harem and did not release her and had sex with her, that he would be guilty of death. God is warning him in effect by saying this to Abimelech. Of course, as 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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we read on, Abimelech did not know that Sarah was a married woman and God knew this as well since He is omniscient and in fact had prevented Abimelech from committing adultery with Sarah. Genesis 20:4, “Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, ‘Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless?’” The statement that “Abimelech had not come near her” means that he had not had sexual intercourse with Sarah. As Genesis 20:3 states, he simply had added Sarah to his harem but had not had sex with her since Genesis 20:6 records that God had prevented him from doing so. “Lord” is the noun `adhon (/w{da*), which is a term of respect denoting Abimelech’s awareness of and acknowledgement of God as the sovereign governing authority over the entire human race. Abimelech’s question and plea, “will You slay a nation, even though blameless” is an appeal to divine justice in this case. Genesis 20:5, “Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Abimelech’s defense before God is two-fold: (1) He had not had sex with Sarah (2) Information about Sarah’s married state was withheld from him by Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 20:6, “Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.’” “I know” expresses God’s omniscient knowledge of all the facts in the case regarding Abraham, Sarah and Abimelech. God acknowledges that Abimelech possesses integrity of heart in that he did not know Sarah was married to Abraham. Therefore, he was innocent of any wrongdoing. God counters Abimelech’s first argument by stating that He had kept him from sinning by having sex with Sarah. “I kept you from sinning” refers to the “overruling will of God,” which indicates that God intervened and did not permit Abimelech to have sexual intercourse with Sarah resulted in adultery on Abimelech’s part making him would be worthy of death, thus God protected Abimelech from unwittingly committing adultery. God restrained Abimelech in a two-fold fashion. First, God warned him in the strongest terms: “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married” (Genesis 20:3). Secondly, Abimelech and his entire household were physically restrained from sinning against Sarah, even if they had wished to according to Genesis 20:6-7 and 17-18. 1 Chronicles 16 and Psalm 105 refer to this protection of Abraham and Sarah. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Psalm 105:14-15, “He permitted no man to oppress them, and He reproved kings for their sakes: ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.’” 1 Chronicles 16:21-22, “He permitted no man to oppress them, And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.’” Genesis 20:7, “Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” As to Abimelech’s second argument, God puts Abimelech’s integrity to the test. Now that he knows the truth, at once he must restore Sarah to Abraham. “Prophet” is the noun navi (ayb! N*) (pronounced nah-vee), “authorized spokesman for God.” The first time that the word appears in the Old Testament is Genesis 20:7. The fact that the noun navi is employed with the Hebrew verb palal, “to pray” in Genesis 20:7 indicates that being a prophet was not primarily predicting the future but rather representing God and speaking the Words of God. Abimelech was told by God that Abraham was a prophet not that Abraham might predict the future but that Abraham might pray for him! There were a number of activities that the prophets of God were involved in such as communicating doctrine, issuing judgments, communicating future events, serving in the Temple, performing miracles, proclaiming Messianic prophecies, and interceding through prayer for the people (Hab. 3). “He will pray” is the 3rd person masculine singular hithpael imperfect form of the verb palal (ll^P)* and refers to “intercessory prayer.” The Lord won’t listen to the prayer of Abimelech since he is an unbeliever but He will listen to the prayer of Abraham because he possessed divine righteousness. Genesis 20:8, “So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened.” Abimelech does not procrastinate but rises early in the morning in order to obey the divine instructions to restore Sarah to Abraham. He and his servants were terrified because they knew that the God of Abraham who spoke to Abimelech in a dream telling him to release Sarah was the very God who just recently destroyed the cities of the plain as recorded in Genesis 19. Genesis 20:9, “Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, ‘What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.’” Abimelech quickly sent for Abraham not because he felt he was wrong taking his “sister” away from him since that was part of the agreement for letting 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Abraham settle in the land. Rather, he did so because he feared that Abraham’s God would destroy him and his land if he didn’t. God did not rebuke Abimelech but only warned him since he had not yet committed a sin. Yet, in Genesis 20:9, Abimelech rebukes Abraham since his lie put Abimelech and his household in great danger. Also, God never rebukes Abraham for his conduct but rather let’s Abimelech, a heathen king do it, which would humble Abraham since he is Abimelech’s superior spiritually. The first rhetorical question, “what have you done to us” expresses Abimelech’s shock as to Abraham’s conduct. The second rhetorical question, “how have I sinned against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin,” expresses his moral indignation. Notice that Abimelech shows great leadership over and concern for his people, more than Abraham did as demonstrated by his question to Abraham, “what had you done to US?” Notice that adultery was considered “a great sin” even by this heathen king and his countrymen. The Word of God prohibits adultery. Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” Abraham’s lie about his wife Sarah has compromised his testimony before this heathen king and his subjects and has invited rebuke from the cosmic system of Satan. Just as Lot’s compromised his testimony before the Sodomites as recorded in Genesis 19, so Abraham in Genesis 20 compromised his testimony before Abimelech and the citizens of Gerar by lying. The Lord hates lying and prohibits believers from entering into it. Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD.” Abimelech’s statement “You have done to me things that ought not to be done” demonstrates his awareness of a moral code even among the unbeliever. The apostle Paul taught that God has instilled an awareness of a moral code in the conscience of every human being, believer and unbeliever alike. Romans 2:14, “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves.” Romans 2:15, “in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.” Genesis 20:10, “And Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?’” Abimelech’s next rhetorical question, “what have you encountered that you have done this thing” expresses his desire to ascertain as to what Abraham saw in 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Gerar that would cause him to think that there would be no respect for God’s law prohibiting adultery and murder. He is in effect saying to Abraham, “what did you see in Gerar that would lead you to think that we were murderers and adulterers?” Genesis 20:11-13 records Abraham’s three excuses for his conduct in Gerar. Genesis 20:11, “Abraham said, ‘Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” The expression “fear of God” involves general revelation regarding moral standards known by believer and unbeliever alike through conscience and accepted by them out of fear of God’s judgment. Abraham indicates that his conduct was the result of fear, which is based upon a lack of faith or trust in the Lord’s protection. This fear of Abraham’s was based upon a faulty premise, namely, that God is only able to act when men are willing to obey. Abraham erroneously thought that God could save him only in a place where He was known and feared by men. This was the same fear based upon a lack of faith in the Lord that Abraham displayed twenty-five years before in Egypt with Pharaoh as recorded in Genesis 12 where he didn’t think that God could deliver him from Pharaoh. Incidentally, this unbelief had to disregard specific revelation, for shortly before this incident God had twice told Abraham that Sarah would become pregnant and bear a child within the year (17:19, 21; 18:10). Abraham’s conduct differs little from that of Lot in Sodom (Gen. 19). Just as Lot sacrificed the purity of his two virgin daughters to the mob of gay men in Sodom in order to protect his guests (two elect angels) so Abraham was willing to sacrifice his wife to protect himself from harm. Genesis 20:12, “Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.” Abraham’s statement, though a lie, was technically factual since Sarah was, indeed, his sister, the daughter of his father, but not his mother. She was Abraham’s sister, indeed but he did not say that she was his wife. This kind of kinship marriage between Abraham and Sarah was not yet prohibited among God’s people since the Mosaic Law, which prohibited such things, was not yet given (Lev. 18:9, 11; Deut. 27:22; Ezek. 22:11). Genesis 20:13, “and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, ‘He is my brother.’” Abraham also explains that since God’s plan for his life called for him to wander, he instructed Sarah when they entered a new place to say that she is his sister out of fear that her great beauty would cause the king of the land to kill him in order to add her to his harem. 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Abraham makes a true statement that God’s plan for his life was for him to wander about the land of Canaan, which precipitated his agreement with Sarah to state that she is his sister when they settled in a new place. In Genesis 20:13, when Abraham states that God caused him to wander, he is not blaming God or complaining about Him but simply issuing a statement of fact. Abraham erroneously thought that the kidnapping of women was commonplace in Gerar indicating he did not have a good view of the heathen and which view he more than likely acquired after seeing what the Lord did to the cities of the plain. In Abraham’s thinking, his actions before Abimelech were not to be taken personally but were merely a policy he had with his wife, which was established many years ago. What Abraham in substance is saying was that “we’ve always done it that way before so why should it be set aside after so many years?” His policy was evil because it expressed his lack of faith in the Lord’s protection. In the end, there is no excuse for Abraham’s conduct and he should have simply admitted he was wrong in deceiving Abimelech. At this time it appears that Abraham has not accepted responsibility for his sin since he never confesses his guilt to Abimelech. The fact that God answered Abraham’s intercessory prayer for Abimelech indicated that he did in fact confess to God his sin of lying since God would not answer his prayer while he was out of fellowship. 1 John 1:9, “If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and purifies us from each and every wrongdoing.” God would not have accepted Abraham’s intercessory prayer for Abimelech if he were harboring any sin according to Psalm 66:18. Psalm 66:18, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Abraham would not admit his guilt to Abimelech since he was not Abraham’s judge but rather the Lord was and all sin was in reality against the Lord according to Psalm 51:4. Psalm 51:4a, “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” Genesis 20:14, “Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him.” Abimelech obeyed God and restore Sarah to Abraham “not” because he loved God but because he lived in fear that he would be killed by God as God threatened to do to him if he had sexual intercourse with Sarah as recorded in Genesis 20:3. His obedience was based upon fear of judgment rather than love and respect. Abimelech was an unbeliever and of course Sarah was a believer. God prohibits the marriage and sexual unions of believers with unbelievers.

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2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:15, “Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” God was protecting Sarah from getting pregnant through this heathen king and by doing so God was insuring the fulfillment of His promise of the birth of Isaac who would continue the line of the human nature of the Promised Seed (see Genesis 3:15). Satan wanted to prevent the birth of the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ and therefore desired to see Abimelech take Sarah as his wife. So we see God intervening and protecting Sarah and insuring that Isaac would be born through the sexual union of Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 20:15, “Abimelech said, ‘Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.’” Abimelech also gave Abraham permission to stay wherever he wanted in Gerar’s territory without any treaty or compensation since he knew that Abraham was a representative of the Lord. Genesis 20:16, “To Sarah he said, ‘Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.’” Social convention demands that Abimelech present his gift for Sarah through Abraham who is the male head of the family. Abimelech offered Abraham and Sarah restitution because of fear that Abraham’s God would destroy him and his kingdom and not out of repentance. Because of this fear of being destroyed by Abraham’s God, restitution was made. First, Sarah was given back to her husband Abraham along with sheep, oxen, and servants (verse 14). Then, to Abraham the invitation was extended for him to settle in the land wherever he chose (verse 15). Finally, a thousand pieces of silver were given to Abraham, which was a tremendous amount of money in those days and served as a symbol of Sarah’s vindication. Abimelech gave this gift of the thousand shekels as a compensation for the offense against Sarah, so that she was fully vindicated as not having sinned in the sight of everyone and her household would recognize this. Genesis 20:17, “Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.” Genesis 20:18, “For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.”

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The prophet Ezekiel also had to address the problem of the nation of Israel causing the reputation of God’s character to be slandered among the Gentiles because of their sinful conduct. Ezekiel 36, “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because the enemy has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting heights have become our possession,’ therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘For good reason they have made you desolate and crushed you from every side, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations and you have been taken up in the talk and the whispering of the people.’ Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about, therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.’ Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.’ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown. I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and will treat you better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the LORD. Yes, I will cause men -- My people Israel -- to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.’ Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because they say to you, ‘You are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children, therefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,’ declares the Lord GOD. I will not let you hear insults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to stumble any longer,’ declares the Lord GOD.’ Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.’ Therefore I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.’ But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.’” The prophet Nathan exposes King David’s hypocrisy while rebuking him for his sinful conduct in committing adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and then attempting to cover up the fact that he got her pregnant by giving orders to have Uriah killed on the battlefield. This conduct Nathan tells David caused God’s name to be slandered among the Gentile nations. 2 Samuel 12:1-15, “Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, ‘There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.’ Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing 2007 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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and had no compassion.’ Nathan then said to David, ‘You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’ Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.’ So Nathan went to his house.”

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