the weblog of Alan Knox

Scripture… As We Live It #268

Posted by on Jul 7, 2013 in as we live it, scripture | 8 comments

This is the 268th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God would never say that I am proud of my work, even if I did it for God. (Romans 15:17 re-mix)

(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)

8 Comments

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  1. 7-7-2013

    How do We Live it? Well there’s a Greek word that explains it “all”.

    John 8:32 And ye shall “know” the truth, and the truth (the truth that your applying) shall (absolutely shall–not maybe) make YOU free.

    Luke 1:4
    That thou mightest “know” the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

    Here is God’s statement of purpose: “That thou mightest know”.
    “That” is “in order that.”
    “Thou” refers to each individual believer.
    “Mightest” indicates that God grants each one of His beloved the potential to know.
    He cannot make anyone to know, but He gives freewill access to His Word.
    The word “know” is a form of the Greek word ginosko, meaning to know by effort experientially.

    Continuing in verse 4, the word “certainty” means steadfastness, firmness, stability, and most emphatically, certainty against error. God desires for His beloved to experientially know that His Word is steadfast, firm, and stable, with no contamination and no error.

    Anyway this is a cool article–as we live it, and I like that “we” part.

    Jim

  2. 7-7-2013

    Hmm, now this one is interesting. The ESV (and the RSV from which the ESV derived) seem to be virtually alone among Bible translations for rendering this verse like that.

    All the others I could find speak of boasting in Christ about the things of God. No hint of boasting about our own works there.

    Furthermore, the word for works (ergon) is not found anywhere in the Greek for that verse.

    Further still, this translation does seem to go against Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:16 and Galatians 6:14.

    With all that in mind, I wonder what justification the translators of the RSV could claim for this rendition.

  3. 7-7-2013

    Amen, Jim.

  4. 7-12-2013

    Chuck,

    The ESV adds the phrase “the works” to explain the neuter plural pronoun “ta” in the passage. Literally, it says “the things” for God. What things?

    -Alan

  5. 7-13-2013

    Define “work”– what kind of work? And isn’t safe to ask–if your not proud of your work for God—just maybe that person is in condemnation?

    I know I’m proud of my work for God and no one is going to tell me different. I don’t know–maybe I’m missing the point here.

    Jim

  6. 7-13-2013

    Alan, I would have said that it is the things God does, not the things we do.

  7. 7-13-2013

    Jim,

    The link above to the first post in this series may be helpful.

    Chuck,

    The problem is, the preposition does not allow for the translation “the [things] from God.” Instead, it’s “the [things] to/for God.”

    -Alan

  8. 7-15-2013

    Alan,

    After researching this verse in the Greek, what does it say according to the context of course as well. I know what I researched from the Greek, I just want to know if you got the same thing.

    Jim

    I love how you get into the Greek and deeper understandings with the Word of God, not to many believers do that, so it’s nice to converse back and forth with a knowledgeable believer and far as that goes–the other believers as well. This is a great thing here, I’m blessed to converse.