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Salt and Light

You are the salt of the earth…

In Matthew 4:17, as Jesus speaks to the crowd, He addresses the fact that the Jews are the salt of the earth. The Jewish nation is the salt of the earth because of the promises that God gave to Abraham. In Genesis 15:18-21, God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants regarding a specific section of land. It is because of this covenant that the earth is being preserved. Jesus is using the term “salt” metaphorically to describe how the nation of Israel keeps the earth from total destruction. However, if a Jew is not believing in the promise and doesn’t live a life that glorifies God, what value towards preserving the world does this Jew have? Just as salt that has no flavor is cast out to be trodden by men, so a Jew who does not believe in the Kingdom will be tossed aside. The message that Jesus is bringing requires the Jews to change their mind about His coming Kingdom. The Kingdom is now at hand. If they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then how can they enter into the Kingdom?

Christians are never describe as salt. There is only one section in Scripture where salt is used in connection with a Christian; Colossians 4:6. Christians are instructed that their speech should be with grace and seasoned with salt.

As God’s nation the Israelites are also described by Jesus as being a light to the world. He likens them to a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. The nation as a whole is responsible for showing light to the world by their good works so that their Father who is […]

Salt and Light2023-11-23T10:33:29-08:00

Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 7

Class Notes

Imperfect Indicative Active

Imperfect Indicative Active

The Imperfect Indicative Active Endings:

Singular

1st person: – ν

2nd person: – ς

3rd person:

Plural

1st person: – μεν

2nd person: – τε

3rd person: – ν or σαν

The imperfect is a past tense that denotes continuous or repeated action in the past. Unlike the aorist when expressing past tense, which describes a simple, completed action, the imperfect emphasizes the ongoing, habitual, or iterative nature of the action. This tense is used to describe actions that were in progress or repeated over a period of time in the past, up to the point of writing, often without a clear indication of when they were completed.

Form and Structure:

  • The imperfect is constructed by taking the verb stem (λου) and adding an augment (usually ἐ-) to the beginning of the verb to indicate past time, followed by specific tense endings. ἐ – λού – ον (“I was washing”)
  • Syllabic augment (ἐ-): used with verbs beginning with consonants.
  • Temporal augment (lengthening of the initial vowel): used with verbs that start with vowels.

Endings in the Imperfect Tense:

1st person singular: -ον (ἐ- + stem + ο + ν → “I was doing”)

2nd person singular: -ες (ἐ- + stem + ε + ς → “You were doing”)

3rd person singular: -ε(ν) (ἐ- + stem + ε + – → “He/She/It was doing”)

1st person plural: -ομεν (ἐ- + stem + ο + μεν → “We were doing”)

2nd person plural: -ετε (ἐ- + stem + ε + τε → “You (plural) were doing”)

3rd person plural: -ον (ἐ- + stem + ο + ν or σαν → “They were doing”)

Usage of the Imperfect Tense:

  • Narrative: Often used in narrative passages to set the scene or […]
Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 72024-10-18T07:22:14-07:00

The Rephaim (רְ֝פָאִ֗ים)

“Rephaim” means, “fallen ones” and is a description of the hybrid offspring of demons and humans. We first encounter the Nephilim (mutants) prior to the Noahic flood, when the demons forcibly took the daughters of men and bore these abominations, Genesis 6:1-2,4. These demons are the angels who left their first estate, Jude 6, and were put in chains as a result of their attempt to corrupt not only the seed of humans, but of all biological life, Genesis 6:12.

The only way that humans can directly interact with angels is when an angel takes on a human form. Gabriel, the angel sent to speak with Daniel, was referred to as a man when he directly spoke with Daniel, Daniel 9:21. Unlike mythology, angels do not have wings. This comes from mixing up different types of spirit beings. The Cherubim, Ezekiel 10:19, and Seraphim, Isaiah 6:2, are the only spirit beings that possess what appears to be wings. The two angels that meet with Abraham before destroying the valley of Sodom are described as men, Genesis 18:16. The angels, including the demons, saw God make man from the ground, Genesis 2:7. Therefore, they would know how to make a human body from the elements of the universe. An example of this is seen with Satan, who has a limited ability to create certain types of life as seen with the Pharaoh’s magicians who stood against Moses, Exodus 7:9. This does not make them human; for they are still a spirit being who is wrapped in flesh. However, the physical body is of the same type of a human and can therefore reproduce with females, Genesis 6:2. This type of twisting of a nature is […]

The Rephaim (רְ֝פָאִ֗ים)2024-10-17T05:49:38-07:00

Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 6

Class Notes

Present Indicative Passive Lesson 6

Presentation Slides

Present Indicative Passive

βάλλω (ballō) – I throw

διδάσκω (didaskō) – I teach

ἐγείρω (egeirō) – I raise up

ἀγγέλλω (angellō) – I announce

κηρύσσω (kēryssō) – I proclaim/announce

κρίνω (krinō) – I judge

πέμπω (pempō) – I send

ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) – I send (with a mission)

σώζω (sōzō) – I save

εἰς (eis) – into, because of

ὑπό (hypo) – Ablative, by; Accusative, under

The Present Indicative Passive in Greek is a verb form used to express that the subject is being acted upon in the present time. The Present aspect signifies that the action is ongoing or habitual, while the Indicative mood indicates a statement of fact. The Passive voice means the subject of the sentence is receiving the action rather than performing it. The Passive voice does not have a separate set of endings from the middle voice, except in the future and aorist.

Present Indicative Passive Endings:

Singular:

  1. -ομαι (-omai) – First person singular (I am being loosed).
  2. (-ēi) or -ει (-ei) – Second person singular (You are being loosed).
  3. -εται (-etai) – Third person singular (He/she/it is being loosed).

Plural:

  1. -όμεθα (-ometha) – First person plural (We are being loosed).
  2. -εσθε (-esthe) – Second person plural (You all are being loosed).
  3. -ονται (-ontai) – Third person plural (They are being loosed).

Key Features of the Present Indicative Passive:

  1. Voice: Passive voice means the subject is receiving the action. For example, “λύομαι” means “I am being loosed,” not “I loose.”
  2. Aspect: The Present tense conveys continuous or ongoing action, implying the subject is currently or habitually being acted upon.
  3. Mood: Indicative mood denotes a statement of fact. It indicates real actions or events happening in the present time.

The Present Indicative Passive forms:

Singular:

    […]
Biblical Greek First Year Lesson 62024-10-18T07:22:50-07:00

Church (ἐκκλησία)

Often translated as Church, ἐκκλησία (ekklesia) actually means a regularly summoned assembly. It is used of a legislative body, casual gathering, or an assembling of people. The English word “Church” is derived from the Greek word κυριακόν (kyriakon), meaning “pertaining to the Lord,” which was used to describe the place of meeting, the Lord’s house, referring to the building the assembly meets in. Due to its predominant use to describe the building or place of meeting, over the centuries, Church became the word of choice to describe more than just the physical building, incorporating within its meaning the local meeting of the members of the body of The Christ as well as the institution of Christianity. In Anglo-Saxon England, the word circa was used to refer to both the congregation and the building. This use influenced modern English translations to adopt Church over the Greek word assembly.

In Matthew, chapter sixteen, verse eighteen, Jesus speaks to Peter about an assembly He will build with its foundational rock being Christ Himself, Matthew 16:18. Context clarifies that Jesus is not speaking of the Jews but an assembly of people to come. After the resurrection of Christ, this assembly came into existence on the day of Pentecost when the promise of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in the upper room who were waiting as Christ had instructed them before His last ascension. Assembly is used to describe this group of believers in the resurrection of Jesus, indicating their uniqueness from the general population of Jews, Acts 2:47.

Assembly is used to describe the gathering of Israel in the wilderness at Mount Sinai, Acts 7:38. However, this does not refer to those who are in […]

Church (ἐκκλησία)2024-10-10T06:12:25-07:00
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