Gal 2:20 - to the Son

Bill Ross wross at farmerstel.com
Sat Apr 29 11:47:42 EDT 2000


<Harold>
...So here in Gal 2:20 we would translate "I live in the faithfulness of the
Son of God" (subj. gen.), or "I live in faith in the Son of God." Since the
preposition EN can have a causal or instrumental force ("by," or  "with"),
it is also possible to translate: "I live by faith in the Son of God" or "I
live by the faithfulness of the Son of God."

<Bill>
Sometimes Koine words appear to create English idioms when they do not. This
is an example. In English, we say "I live by faith" and we mean "I conduct
my life by faith". But that is not a Koine idiom. The corresponding Koine
idiom is "I walk by faith". The word ZW means literally to "be alive" or
"come to life" or "have life". The tendency to read the word idiomatically
ala English leads to incredible misunderstanding.

For example:

"The just shall live by faith" is actually "the one who is justified by
faith shall revive".

So here, Paul is saying that He is living in the life of Christ in the
faith, not that he patterns himself after Christ.

We are admonished, of course, that if we are living in the life of Christ
(in the Spirit) to conduct our lives ("walk") correspondingly:

Galatians 5:25	EI ZWMEN PNEUMATI PNEUMATI KAI STOICWMEN

Gal 5:25 (KJV)
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk [in a straight line] in the
Spirit."

Bill Ross




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