Under Much Grace

Wonderful point made by Don Johnson: “One thing we need to be aware of is to try not to “auto-transport” our 21st century assumptions back into a 1st century text. This is so easy to do without even realizing we are doing it, that I try to take active steps to avoid it. Part of that involves translating ekklesia as congregation rather than church, the Greek term simply means assembly.”

This is what was so wonderful about learning NT Greek from a believer raised as a conservative Jew. (He started reading the Bible with a flashlight under the covers at night so his parents wouldn’t find out!) So much is overlooked when one just glibly reads and believes they understand the Word on all levels. I was amazed at the extra dimention that learning how the Jews used the Greek language brought to my understanding of the text. There was so much more to learn on a cultural level as a result, the original language almost seemed to obsfucate some doctrinal questions at times. (I can imagine the smile spreading on the faces of many. I took Greek to clarify, not to open things up to more schools of interpretation. Praise God for the guidance of His Spirit to illuminate His text.