Monday, August 31, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Introduction
A “lexicon”
is something like a dictionary, but does not go into as much detail as the
definitions; it is essentially a word-list of terms. These are often useful tools for translators,
because they show how particular words in a foreign language are used in
specific settings.
I have found it necessary
to include a number of lexicon notes to promote a full understanding of
Biblical doctrines. In addition, someone
asked me a question a couple weeks ago about the way the word “Remember” is
used in the Bible, and we’ll get to that as we go through this study.
What I am presenting for our consideration and education
on this site is a list of words that appear in the Bible. These words were chosen because they are
often misunderstood by even sincere students of the Scriptures, and this has
led to some unfortunate misunderstandings of doctrine, some errors in the
development of character, and the rejection of much light.
I would like to make it clear that this is no fault of
the Scriptures, and no fault of even the translators (for the most part) who
were writing to an audience that would have understood the terms used in a
manner often different than we now do.
In other words, language does change over time; the meanings of words do
change over the years, and if we wish to have a pure speech in this last
generation, we must understand the “mind of Christ” as it is expressed in the
Bible record.
Now, the Word tells us that when the Almighty assembles
His people and gathers the faithful nations, “then will I turn to the people a
pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Yahweh, to serve Him with
one consent.” (Zeph 3:9) This brief
statement contains a number of important concepts.
First, we see that we are to have a “pure language,” and the word for pure there has the connotations of: select, polished, chosen, purged, cleansed or made bright, tested or proven. Second, we see that the result of such a manner of speech will lead men to “call upon the name of Yahweh” in a proper way, to praise Him and to seek His will. Third, we see another effect, that those with such a language “serve Him with one consent.” Now literally, and this is interesting, the word for “consent” there means “shoulder.” The people of Yahweh with a pure language serve the Almighty with one “shoulder.”
What kind of picture Does this raises in your mind?
As some of you may have suggested, it is a leaning
in together against something... not so much on each other, but against a
common burden.
Like if you want
to move a boulder, a big rock, you put your “shoulder” to it. And all the people here described are as one
“shoulder.”
Actually, in the Bible, the word “shoulder” has two
uses. It means to work with a burden, to
carry something, (Psa 81:6, Isa 9:4) and is also a measure of height. Today we would say that someone is six feet
tall; in the days of the Kingdom of Israel, to indicate that someone was very
tall they would say things like, “from his shoulders and upward he was higher
than any of the people.” (1Sam 9:2)
So the people of Yahweh in the last days have a refined
speech, and as a result they call on the name of their Father in Heaven in a
holy manner, and they serve Him with one “shoulder,” with a unified effort to
take “the burden of the word of Yahweh” (Mal 1:1) – another word for the Divine
message – to the world. It is a measure
of their stature.
Here is the list of words, with associated meanings by
use, and a short explanation of why a proper understanding is important; and
please keep in mind that this is not a complete list. If a word or a synonym occurs to you that you
believe is often misunderstood, and not covered, make a note of it.
Ability
The Bible records a parable of Christ in which it was said, “And unto
one [servant] he [the master] gave five talents, to another two, and to another
one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his
journey.” (Mat 25:15)
A person’s “ability” is what he is able to do, what he
can do. What we need here is to
understand how this word is used in its immediate context, because some
confusion may result if various verses are not harmonized. For example, “I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me,” (Phil 4:13) and, “Yahshua said unto him, ‘If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’” (Mark 9:33)
And then there are verses that read, “There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
(1Cor 10:13)
And again, “And over it the Cherubim of glory shadowing
the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.” (Heb 9:5)
And famously (for our ministry), “Whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin, for His Seed remaineth in him; and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God.” (1John 3:9)
The first verse from Matthew, and various others like it,
tell us that Yahweh will give men gifts according to their “ability.” But then there are verses that tell us we can
do “all things” through Christ as we believe.
And then we followed that up with several statements that would indicate
there are limits to what we are able to bear, what we are able to understand,
and what we are able to do.
In a more general sense, we read that there are things
even Yahweh “cannot” do. He “cannot” be
tempted by evil, or even behold it without covering Himself, (James 1:13, Hab
1:13) for example. So how do we
understand this?
In the Scriptures, the word “ability” is used according
to one’s sphere. By that I mean, when it
says that we “can do all things,” this is within the sphere of
Christianity. We can do all things necessary
to maintain the standard Christ has set for us…it is not promising unconditional
omnipotence to those who believe some arbitrary thing. For example, a man who believes he can fly
may injure himself before too long. A
man who believes he can swim across the ocean may find that his body disagrees
with him when he is a few miles from shore.
But a Christian who believes, he is capable of doing all
that is necessary to perform the will of the Father in Heaven. If Yahweh wishes us to fly, He can take us up
to Heaven in a whirlwind. (2Kings 2:1)
If He wishes us to cross the ocean from one continent to another, He can
place us where He wishes. (Acts 8:39, 40)
It is not the will of the Father that humans should sin, therefore
abiding in Christ we “cannot” sin; and of course we will cover that more fully
when we discuss what sin is. We are
“able” to overcome every sin, but not in our own power, because our sphere is
limited by our humanity (as was Christ’s in human form) but… just as He did it,
so may we, by constant connection to the Father, and by trusting in the providences
of His grace as described in 1Cor 10:13.
Now from the perspective of Yahweh, He is certainly
“able” to do all things, but He restricts Himself based on His Own
character. In other words, His character
is holy, therefore He will not act in a manner that is unrighteous. His character is love, and He will not act in
any way motivated by hatred. His
character is so opposed to evil that there is no possibility of Him being
“tempted” to do something contrary to His nature.
Ability, therefore, in regard to both men and Yah, is
never used Biblically in an absolute sense, but always with consideration for
the character of those involved, and the sphere of power in which he or she
operates.
Now, I had considered writing “Anger” here, but I will
cover that under Wrath later on. So we
move on now to a word that was mentioned in our first entry:
Cannot
A born-again Christian, it is written, “cannot” commit sin. (1John
3:9) As we all know, this verse has been
the subject of controversy among worldly Christians and lovers of sin. The reason is that the Bible makes no
distinction between practical and theoretical possibilities. The expressions “cannot” and “will not” are
used interchangeably, saying at times of various people that they “will not
hearken,” (Lev 26:27) and of the same people that they “cannot hearken.” (Jer
6:10)
In matters of moral weight, if it is said that one
“cannot” do something, it means that this is a self-imposed restriction. We
know this, because humans were created in the “image” of God, (Gen 1:26 freely
able to choose whom they would serve, whether to sin or to righteousness. (Josh
24:15, Rom 6:16) In other words, a
Christian “cannot” commit sin because he has chosen to walk in the spirit, and
not in the flesh, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom 8:4)
Just as it was with Christ, it is theoretically
possible to do some known, wrong act, but it is a practical
impossibility. Luke was speaking with
someone recently about the Victory message, and he shared with me some of how
the conversation went. The individual
with whom he was speaking put it very well.
He said, essentially, “There is no way I would commit a known sin.” That is exactly what the Bible means by
“cannot;” that, “there is no way.” We
may just as correctly say, “There is no way I would ever drink poison.” Of course we have arms capable of lifting a
vial of poison to our mouths, and we have mouths and throats to swallow, but
our very human nature restricts us (unless we are suicidal) from knowingly
doing something that will result in our deaths.
We may, theoretically, do such a thing, but there is “no way” we ever
would. This is how the Bible, when
speaking of moral issues, uses the term “cannot.” Are there any questions on this entry?
Conversation
This is an interesting
word. It does not require a lot of
explanation, only a mention that in the language of the earlier translations of
the Bible, this word did not mean (as it does today) merely that which you
speak. It also means the way in which
you act, think and the overall picture you present to others who are observing
you.
In other words, when the Scriptures say, “But as He which
hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation,” (1Pet
1:15) it does not refer merely to the spoken word (although this idea is
definitely included) but to all manner of dealings including social, business
and casual.
Dignity
This word is actually not very
common in the Bible. It appears only
four times in the King James’ Version, and all in the Old Testament. Twice, in Gen 49:3 and Hab 1:7, it has the
meaning of “exaltation,” or “loftiness;” it has a similar meaning in
Ecclesiastes 10:6, although it is there translated from another word. In Esther 6:3, it means “honor,” such as that
which may be bestowed upon an important figure.
Modern use includes all those meanings, but also adds a
connotation of composure; in other words, to handle something “with dignity”
means to react in a calm and thoughtful manner.
While not appearing in the following passage, Peter’s advice to
Christians certainly comes down to a call for Christian dignity in our actions:
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly
lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the
Gentiles, that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your
good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1Pet
2:11, 12) Remembering what “conversation” means, we find this is certainly good
– necessary – advice for all who would be witnesses of Christ Yahshua.
Faith
This one could also be listed as “belief,” because the word is the same
in the language of Scripture. Simply
put, the Bible uses this term in a very general way to indicate an individual’s
assurance that something is a certain way, and the motivation that this
provides for action. It does not always
mean genuine or saving faith, only an acceptance of something as true. For example, “Thou believest that there is
one God; thou doest well. The devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)
There are some religions that believe, or have faith
(same word) that there is only one God.
The Jews, the Muslims, and even some pagan religions, are monotheistic,
or nearly so. They believe that there is
only one God. That is good, so far as it
goes, but as James points out, merely having faith in this one aspect of the
Creator, that He is one, does not qualify one for salvation. The devils, the fallen angels, are also
monotheists, because they know (from experience) that there is only one Elohim.
The Scriptures, however, speak about a very special kind
of faith, a faith in, and of, the Savior; and this is the faith that leads to
eternal life. We read, “But the
Scripture hath concluded [grouped together] all under sin, that the promise by
faith of Yahshua the Messiah might be given to them that believe.” (Gal
3:22) And, “Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Yahshua.” (Rev 14:12)
Nowadays, even this kind of faith is poorly understood,
because people will agree with the first part of the definition, that it is a
conviction that something is true. They
leave out, unfortunately, the second weight of meaning this term carried in the
ancient mind, that belief was also a motivating factor behind actions. It is not enough, in Bible terminology, to
accept something as true intellectually, and particularly so when it comes to
the faith of Yahshua. Some will quote
Romans 10:9 and think that this is the whole thought: “That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Yahshua, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
But Paul goes on to explain exactly what he means by
“believe in thine heart,” saying, “For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom
10:10) True belief, according to the
apostle, leads to two outward signs of its existence: Righteousness,
which is “correctness of thinking feeling, and acting,” and Confession,
an open testimony of our state. In other
words, is religion, according to Paul, a “personal” thing in that it is to be
kept private?
Not at all… the religion of Christ must be the most
public of things, and only those who are ashamed of the things they claim to be
true will use, as an excuse to remain neutral or silent, the statement that
“Faith is a personal thing.” In a sense
the statement is true, because we must accept it as individual persons, being
individually saved… but that is where the individual nature of it ends. After that we are a part of a community, a
fellowship of earthly saints with “an innumerable company of angels,” (Heb
12:22) and a royal nation whose greatest obligation is to teach the world what
it knows about Yahweh, and openly so.
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