As he hung on a cruel Roman cross late Friday afternoon some 2000 years ago, Jesus, “knowing that all things had already been accomplished,” declared, “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Although fully God, he was also fully human and therefore… Read More ›
Greek
Recapturing our first love: An examination of πρῶτος
The church at Ephesus was commended by the Lord Jesus in Revelation 2:2-3 for four things. He commends them for their faithful service (2:2a), for rejecting evil men (2:2b), for exposing false apostles (2:2c), and for their steadfast endurance (2:3)…. Read More ›
Dragged to salvation? An examination of John 6:44
One of the most prevalent examples of a Greek word study gone wrong is what James Barr called, “illegitimate totality transfer.” In this example, the entire semantic range of a term is applied in the use of that term in… Read More ›
Καταργέω and the Law: Nullified or not?
One of the most confusing aspects of the Christian life is the relationship of the believer to the Law. Believers seem split between those who say the Law is binding for the believer, at least the moral law or 10… Read More ›
Masquerading as an Angel of Light: An example of lexicography and semantic range
Within the discipline of New Testament Greek, there are various subsets: lexicography, textual criticism, grammar, syntax, and exegetical methodology to name a few. In reference to lexicography, basically, the practice of compiling dictionaries, the Greek student must deal with the… Read More ›
Bill Arp is with the Lord
Sad news out of Clarks Summit, PA. Bill Arp, who has taught Greek at Baptist Bible Seminary for well over 40 years, went home to be with the Lord. Bill was a faithful witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ,… Read More ›
Catching up on Verbal Aspect: 25 years later
My copy just arrived! Twenty five years ago, two scholars, Stanley Porter and Buist Fanning, working synonymously on their PhD dissertations at Cambridge and Oxford respectively, came to very similar conclusions regarding the nature of the Greek verb. They concluded… Read More ›
The “God of Christ”
I was asked to look at two expressions in Ephesians 1:3 and 1:17 that speak of God as “the God…of Christ.” Here is my treatment which is not exhaustive nor finished. Perhaps it will serve as grist for the mill… Read More ›
Ephesians 1:3: A Trifecta of Blessing
I am preparing to preach through Ephesians later this year and was working my way through that great long Greek sentence found in 1:3-14. Immediately one’s attention is drawn to the opening verse in the section with its three different… Read More ›
The “heart” of the matter: καρδία
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve become preoccupied with 2 Corinthians 3:18 and the truth that we are in the process of being transformed into Christ’s likeness, a process that will culminate at death when sin is eradicated… Read More ›
God Incarnate 