You searched for Habit - Word of Grace Studies

Habitual Sin and the Christian

In Greek class we were discussing the Middle/Passive form of the verb and looking at 1 John 3:9. I know I started speaking grammar, but don’t let that intimidate you, the truth we learned from this passage is incredible. Our major translations in English make the statement “and he cannot sin” as active; the one born from God is the one inhibiting the ability for that saint to habitually sin; however, the form of the verb is middle or passive so it actually cannot be translated that way.

Quick grammar lesson.

Middle is a voice in Greek that does not exist in English and means the subject is not only producing the action of the verb, but also receiving the action. We would express a similar idea with “he did this for himself (or his own benefit)”; although that is a bit more reflective than middle voice.

Passive means that the action of the verb is being acted upon the subject.

To justify an active translation on a middle/passive form of Greek, some grammarians have come up with the concept of a “deponent verb” in error. A deponent verb is a verb that never occurs in Scripture in an active form, but these grammarians think that it should be translated as active. This not only violates the normal grammar of the Kione Greek, it is actually unsupported when you examine the words they think must be translated as active, even though their form is passive or middle. Without justifiable evidence to show that in the original language exceptions were made on a regular basis by using the wrong form of a verb to express an idea that is not inherent to its form, […]

Habitual Sin and the ChristianLuther Walker2023-12-14T11:21:18-08:00

The Truth Will Set You Free

In the Gospel of John, the author records a statement from Jesus to the Jews who believed Him. If they abide in His word, they will know the truth, and the truth will set them free.

Therefore, Jesus said toward the Jews believing Him, “If you abide in My word, truly you are My disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

The response of the unbelieving Jews was to refute their need for freedom immediately. However, all those who sin are slaves to sin, John 8:33. The sin referred to here is not the acts of sin that a person does. Instead, it is specific to the sin nature of a person. All those doing sin (the act of lawlessness) are slaves to the sin [nature].

As the steward of our dispensation, Paul is given instructions on how to have victory over the sin nature. In Romans chapters six through seven, he writes of his experience with applying the doctrine of the truth in comparison to how the law works against the sin nature. Through this, we clearly understand what Jesus was referring to as the truth. The truth is a specific doctrine that frees a person from slavery to commit sin so that he is able to produce righteousness.

The first aspect of this doctrine is to know. Those who abide, feel at ease, in His word must know it.

Know that we have died with Christ and have been raised to walk in newness of life.

Or do you not know that as many as have been immersed into Christ Jesus, into His death have been immersed? Romans 6:3

Therefore, we have been buried with Him through the immersion into the death, in order that just as […]

The Truth Will Set You FreeLuther Walker2024-05-05T13:07:49-07:00

Without Form and Void (תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ)

The insistence among some Christian teachers that the universe was created in six days raises a few issues when examining Scripture. It is Scripturally accurate that the earth we currently know was made in six days; however, made and created are two different concepts.

In a beginning God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1:1. Although in verse one many English translations add a definite article (the) before “Beginning”, implying that it is the first act or start of creation, in the original Hebrew, “Beginning” is not definite. Therefore, Genesis 1:1 is not referring to the beginning of God’s acts of creation. God’s first step in creation was creating the spirit beings, who witnessed the creation of the universe, Job 38:7. In verse Two of Genesis chapter One, the Hebrew verse starts with a conjunction vav (ו). Vav is used to indicate the progression of the story; however, it is not connected to time, only to order. Many events could have happened between the two episodes, but the first event occurs before the second one. Therefore, God created the heavens and the earth, and then something happened that caused the earth to be in a state of ruin. What occurred between the creation of the universe and the earth being found as a wasteland, void of life, in Genesis 1:2 is not discussed in Genesis, for the focus is on the renovation of the earth and the creation of humans, not the creation of the universe. Before we look at what happened between the creation of the universe and the condition of the earth in Genesis chapter One verse Two, let us examine the words “without form” and “void” to ensure we are […]

Without Form and Void (תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ)Luther Walker2024-03-28T07:14:26-07:00

Apostle (ἀπόστολος)

An apostle (ἀπόστολος) is a messenger who is sent out on a specific mission; however, unlike a regular messenger who delivers a message, an apostle is sent with a specific task to perform while giving the message.

Christ sent out the 12 apostles to the Jews during His earthly ministry to proclaim the message of the kingdom of the heavens, Matthew 10:5-42. They were not to take any provisions with them for their journey or go into any city of the Gentiles nor to the Samaritans, for they were sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Herod sent forth men with a specific mission to slay all the children in Bethlehem who were two years old or younger after the Magi left the region, having been warned by a messenger, failing to report where they found the King of the Jews, Matthew 2:16.

In a single act of expressing love towards the inhabited world, God the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, 1 John 4:14. He sent Him on a specific mission so that through Him we should have life, 1 John 4:9. In this we know love, for God sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins, 1 John 4:10.

When Christ ascended, He gave gifts to men for the edification of the Church to bring us to a oneness of the faith so that we are no longer tossed around like inarticulate babblers by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men, Ephesians 5:8. Of these gifts were the Apostles, Ephesians 5:11. Twelve of them to the Church. These twelve laid down the foundation of the Church, built upon Christ, giving us the entire revelation concerning the […]

Apostle (ἀπόστολος)Luther Walker2023-12-23T11:45:52-08:00

Reviled (λοιδορέω)

“Revile” is to speak in an insulting way towards another.

The Pharisees reviled the blind man that Jesus healed because he questioned if they wanted to become disciples of Christ after they continued to ask him how he was healed, John 9:28. This man was blind from birth and Jesus healed him on the Sabbath as a sign to the Jews that those who do not see will see. After hearing his story, the Pharisees again call him back to recount what happened to them. They revile him because the man who was blind calls them out for not listening to him and the fact that no one has ever been healed in this manner before; therefore, Jesus has to be from God. In response, the Pharisees claim to be Moses’ disciples, insult him, and cast him out of the synagogue.

In Jerusalem, while Paul was being accused by the Jews so that the Romans would put him to death, after stating that he has lived in all good conscience before God, Ananias commanded the ones nearby to strike him. Paul calls him out for his unrighteous action, referring to him as a whitewashed wall. Paul is then rebuked for reviling the High Priest, Acts 23:4. However, Paul was not aware that Ananias was the High Priest at that time and apologetically quotes Scripture, which states they are not to speak bad concerning a ruler of the people, Acts 23:5. Although what Paul stated was not inaccurate, it was intended to be an insult and therefore not appropriate for him to say against the High Priest.

In response to being reviled, Paul speaks well of others, 1 Corinthians 4:11. Just as Christ, when He suffered for righteousness, did […]

Reviled (λοιδορέω)Luther Walker2023-12-23T07:22:36-08:00

12 Next