[B-Greek] Rom. 1:17

Timrake at aol.com Timrake at aol.com
Thu Mar 3 10:19:30 EST 2005


In a message dated 3/3/05 9:30:58 AM, CharlesR at mygalaxyexpress.com writes:


> >I see EK PISTEWS as "saving faith", the one time act of volition wherein
> the
> >unsaved is justified, Romans 3:28. And EIS PISTIN as "living faith", i.e.,
> >the righteous who has already been justified, must live by it. I would
> agree
> >with the idea that living faith would cover the idea of ever increasing
> >levels.
> 
> While this is intelligible and just may be right, I think it ought to be
> admitted that there's no way to derive this sense from the Greek
> construction itself; i.e. this interpretation is speculative.
> 

I agree with Dr. Conrad's judgment (someone make a note of this, please). But 
let me make this observation as well, this much-discussed sentence, "The just 
shall live by faith," is given various theological constructions. Journals 
are filled with such articles. Not to dismiss the hard work and excellent 
scholarship behind all the pages written about this, I think much of the difference 
is a matter of emphasis or stress and not substance.

"The just by faith shall live," "The just shall by faith live," "The just 
shall live by faith," and so forth, all have the same basic components and 
despite the syntactical possibilities, the meanings of those components in almost 
every case dictate the same basic meaning of the sentence. Again, I don't mean 
to oversimplify, but desire only to point out that *sometimes*--and this is in 
my opinion a case in point--the semantic elements (the verba) are definite 
enough and fixed that they control, or at least mitigate, syntactical form. (And 
on the other syntax is exactly what points us to the right sense of many 
sentences.)

Exegetical finesse is always to be admired when practiced by the skilled and 
experienced. But whether I say, "The house is red," or "Red is the house," or 
"The house, it is red," what my blessed Hebrew professor Dr. James Price 
attempted to teach us about deep structure becomes deceptively obvious.

Okay, I now feel like I have contributed to world peace.

Pr. Tim Rake
Praise Lutheran Church
Maryville, TN



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