Going straight to the Cross
 
Saturday, 25. September 2004

The Sense of Tense

by Kevin Cauley

"An event to remember! A great time for all!" What do you make of the previous phrases? We are all used to seeing such phrases in bulletins, flyers, newspapers and other advertisements. But do the words indicate when the event will take place? Did the event already happen? Is it happening right now? Will it happen in the future? You don't know, do you? Why is that? It is because there were no verbs attached to the phrase. If one were to add "It was" to the beginning of each phrase, then we would understand that the event has passed. If one were to add "This is" to the beginning, we would see that we are currently participating in it. If one were to add, "It will be," then, well, you get the picture. The tense of verbs is important in our language because tense tells us when action happens -- past, present, or future.

One of the things that make the Greek language difficult is that the Greeks thought about the concept of "tense" differently from our concept today. We think of tense in a very temporal way. That is, we associate tense primarily with time. Past tense = past time. Future tense = future time. But the Greek language didn't quite express tense in that way. Oh, yes, the Greek speaker knew the past, present, and future, but the tense of Greek verbs didn't quite express things along that line. The focus of the Greek verb was more in reference to the action of the thing being done as opposed to the time of the thing being done.

In Greek, the past tense was represented in two different ways. One way was to talk about actions that were completed. For completed actions, the Greek used the aorist tense. "John baptized Jesus." There is a completed action. But there was also the imperfect tense, which, in Greek, is considered more a function of the present tense verb, because the action is continuing for a period of time. "Jesus was healing the sick." There is ongoing action, but in past time. Both verb tenses describe what English speakers would see as action occurring in past time, but the Greek mind focused upon the completion or ongoing nature of the action. The present tense Greek verb, in this regard, represents ongoing action, as opposed to completed action. The future tense verb represents potential action that has not yet begun. Greek also has the perfect tense which expresses action that began in the past and completed in the past but had lasting effects.

1 Corinthians 15:1 serves as a good illustration of these distinctions. Paul writes, "Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain." Paul said, "I make known." This is a present tense verb that indicates that Paul is currently engaged in doing this action as he is writing. "I preached" is an aorist tense verb, meaning that Paul had completed the action of preaching (publicly, orally) to them in the past. "Ye received" is another aorist tense verb indicating that the Corinthians had completed the action of receiving the gospel prior, i.e. they accepted it. "Ye stand" is a perfect tense verb indicating that they began standing in it in the past, and they are continuing to stand in it. "Are saved" is a present tense verb meaning that as Paul writes to them, they are continuing to be saved by the gospel. "Hold fast" is another present tense verb meaning to continue to hold fast. "I preached" is an aorist tense verb meaning that Paul had completed that action prior. And finally, "ye believed" is an aorist tense verb meaning that they had completed the action of believing at some point in the past.

The Greek verb is different from the English verb in that it considers state of action above consideration of time. I hope that as you continue to read these columns that you will keep in mind these differences in tense in the Greek New Testament -- aorist, imperfect, present, future, and perfect. As we discuss various passages I hope you will remember the difference between completed action, ongoing action, and completed action with lasting effects. Reference to action is the primary way in which the Greek verb communicates tense.

link     ...  subscribe to Forthright
 
Friday, 24. September 2004

Excited About Jesus

by Tim Hall

A fellow Christian told a powerful story from a mission trip to Haiti. The medical team was traveling by flatbed truck to a remote village. Along the way they stopped to give a ride to an old man walking in the same direction. The two Haitian preachers with the group began talking fervently with the old man in their native Creole tongue. When asked what they were telling the man so excitedly, one looked at the Americans and said, "We're telling him about Jesus, of course."

The part that hits hardest is "of course". It was as if the man was saying to most American Christians, "Duh!" Why did you need to ask? Isn't that what any Christian would want to do?

We are often distracted from what is truly important. We become involved in church projects, building programs, Bible camps, special days and retreats. There's nothing wrong with any of these. They are important in their own ways, and attention should be given to them at times.

Our problem is that we don't always put first things first. The very first thing a Christian should be thinking about is telling friends or family members about Jesus. They need a Savior, don't they? We know the Savior. So isn't it up to us to tell them about Him?

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies" (Psalm 107:1,2, NLT).

link     ...  subscribe to Forthright
 

In Faith We Can Find Victory.

by Greg Tidwell

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV)

God has called us both to a life of peace and to a life of conflict. This paradox exists because of the difficulties of the sinful world in which we live.

In a perfect world, the way God intended the world to be, there would be no conflict; there would be only peace.

Such a state of perfect harmony has not existed since Eden and will not exist again until we enter the world to come. In this life there will always be conflict.

The Apostle Paul instructs the young evangelist to "fight the good fight of the faith." He does not in this passage identify against what we are fighting, but clearly he is describing the great struggle against the forces of Satan.

The lines of battle are drawn on many fronts, in the lives of individuals dealing with despair, in families feeling the pressures of the secular world, in congregations grappling with remaining faithful against the tide of apostasy. In literally every area of life we are called to engage the forces of darkness and to fight the good fight.

While our struggle against Satan takes many forms, the conflict on a personal level comes down to one thing: remain faithful to the gospel of Christ. It was this gospel which provides us with eternal life, and which forms the substance of "the good confession." Paul instructs Timothy to take hold of this truth in order to fight the good fight.

Daily, in whatever form our struggle with evil may take, we must return to the one source of spiritual power. We must continually look to Jesus, for only in faith can we find victory.

link     ...  subscribe to Forthright
 
Thursday, 23. September 2004

How Many?

by Mike Benson

QUESTION: "Does God have one church or many?"

ANSWER: We must go to the Scriptures in order to address your question. Please read the following passages carefully and then answer the questions which follow:

  1. "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22,23).
. God made Christ the head of many churches.

. God made Christ the head of one church.

Is it natural for one head to have many bodies?"

  1. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25).
. The apostle Paul told husbands to love their wives as Christ also loved the churches and gave Himself for THEM.

. The apostle Paul told husbands to love their wives as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for IT.

How could Christ teach monogamy (Matthew 19:6; Romans 7:2,3) and then be guilty of polygamy? Can Christ (the husband) have 1) one bride/church, or 2) many brides/churches (Ephesians 5:23)?

  1. "To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made know by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purposes which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:10,11).
. Many churches (plural) were in the eternal purpose of God.

. The church (singular) was in the eternal purpose of God.

Since only one church was in the eternal purpose of God, from where did the hundreds of other churches originate? From man or God?

link     ...  subscribe to Forthright
 
Wednesday, 22. September 2004

Why Is My Little Johnny Like That?

by Barry Newton

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4, NIV).

If there was something you could do as a parent to reduce the possibility of someday asking the question, “why is my son/daughter like that” how seriously would you consider it? Would you make changes to your lifestyle if it would make a difference? How much inconvenience would you be willing to go through today to minimize the chances of that reality tomorrow?

If we could zoom into typical neighborhoods after the kids are home from school and a pair of tired parents have dragged themselves through the front door, what might we discover? Perhaps we would see a dad yelling at his son, “No, not now” because the son wants some individual attention. Or within a living room we might witness a dad sitting in his chair, the one that is off-limits to the kids, while he watches his favorite tv shows. Oh, by the way this husband will not lift a finger to help his wife who is frantically picking up the house, cooking dinner and trying to manage the children all at the same time!

Maybe in the next block there is a mother spinning a tale of lies to a daughter so that she can get out of a difficult situation. Around the corner, a young boy hears his father tease and humiliate his mother because years of hard work and neglect are beginning to show on her body. Nearby a couple ardently pursues a lifestyle of pleasure in spite of all the bills piled up on the table. All the while the kids’ antennas continue to absorb everything.

If these snippets of family life represent the norm in those families, would it be surprising for a son to later develop the habit of yelling and ignoring authority figures, to be self-centered, or to belittle his mother and show no respect for the opposite sex? Would it be unimaginable for a daughter to adopt the habit of lying to get what she wants? Should we be shocked if a daughter called her mother a hypocrite and rejected serving God?

Training our children involves so much more than just telling them what is right and taking them to church. Coaching our children is a twenty-four hour a day activity. Children do not stop learning just because their parents make mistakes! We teach our children their life-values and tools for handling problems by how we treat them and how we make decisions.

If I do not want my children to be selfish, I should not demand to get my way all of the time.

If I want my children to love, honor and respect my wife (and eventually their future spouse), I need to visibly honor, praise and be united with my wife.

If I want my children to grow into adults who worship God, I should not choose to take them to recreational activities when the saints are meeting for worship.

If I want my children to be able to see trouble coming, I need to not only talk out loud at home about the devastating effects of evil companions and Satan’s activity in the world, but I need to be doing my best to make the right decisions.

The list goes on and on. Our children learn how to live by watching us, what they experience and from outside sources. Before those outside influences begin to play a larger role in our children’s lives, parents need to train and empower a child to recognize evil, reject it and embrace the anchor that only God provides.

link     ...  subscribe to Forthright
 
   
Your Status
Menu
New Additions

Update on FMag


Forthright Magazine continues, more dynamic than ever! We have groups created for FMag on Facebook and the Churches of Christ Network. Announcement blog is up and going on Preachers Files. Email lists about FMag and FPress are available both on Yahoo and GoogleGroups. And, to top it all off, we're twittering for both on Twitter.com.
by randal @ 1/20/09, 11:55 AM

How to Make Sure That Your Judgment Is Flawless


by Don Ruhl Read the Bible in a Year This evening read John 5:24--47 How to Make Sure That Your Judgment Is Flawless Yes, it is popular to say that we are not supposed to judge, but the truth is we all make judgments about many things daily. Otherwise, we would never succeed in life. The real question is what is our guide for judging. Why can we not simply follow the example of our Master and Lord? He said, 30 "I can of Myself ... more ...
by diane amberg @ 5/18/05, 5:08 AM

Do You Ever Feel Like Just a Name?


by Don Ruhl Read the Bible in a Year This morning read First Chronicles 1--3 Do You Ever Feel Like Just a Name? Think on the manner, in which the Book of First Chronicles begins, 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh (1 Chr. 1:1). In this way begins the longest genealogy in the Bible. The names continue to the end of the ninth chapter! Were these just names? Adam; who is he? You know there is more in the Bible than the mere mention of his name in ... more ...
by diane amberg @ 5/18/05, 5:05 AM
...
by Don Ruhl Read the Bible in a Year This evening read John 5:1--23 Jesus healed a man. Praise God! However, Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. Uh oh. Some people were ready to kill Jesus for this perceived violation of the Sabbath Law. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath (Joh. 5:16). Jesus did a good thing. Yet, people criticized Him severely for it. And they were not people ... more ...
by diane amberg @ 5/18/05, 5:03 AM

They Were His Servants


by Don Ruhl Read the Bible in a Year This morning read Second Kings 24 and 25 They Were His Servants As the writer of Second Kings explains whom the Lord sent against Judah, the writer said that this was 2 ...according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets (2 Kin. 24:2). Those great men we have honored for centuries were nothing more than servants of the Lord God. What does that make us? Do you do something ... more ...
by diane amberg @ 5/18/05, 5:01 AM
...
by Don Ruhl Read the Bible in a Year This evening read John 4:30--54 The disciples went into a town to buy food while Jesus remained out of the town. There He engaged a woman in conversation. When the disciples returned, here is what happened, 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know" (Joh. 4:31, 32). As you read the Gospel According to John, watch ... more ...
by diane amberg @ 5/18/05, 4:59 AM

Having a Tender Heart


by Don Ruhl Read the Bible in a Year This morning read Second Kings 22 and 23 Having a Tender Heart When Josiah heard the word of God for the first time, he tore his clothes, knowing of the wrath that was upon Jerusalem for the idolatry of his forefathers. Therefore, he sent messengers to a prophetess to inquire of the Lord. He did have a message for Josiah. God said through the prophetess, 19 "...because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before ... more ...
by diane amberg @ 5/18/05, 4:56 AM
July 2025
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031
August
last updated: 8/25/12, 10:32 AM online for 8478 Days

RSS Feed

Made with Antville
powered by
Helma Object Publisher