Greek Power

  Just to make you aware, although I have been a minister for nearly 19 years, I am not a Greek scholar. The odds are great that you are not either.

This unfortunate fact may prove that we are “uneducated” on a certain level, however it does not preclude us from our ability to read and reason in our own native language. So in our Bible reading, we may observe an interesting passage that may not be completely clear, or it may seem to have an “unfinished” meaning.

In that particular case, with our knowledge that the New Testament (NT) was first written in an ancient language, then translated into our own; we may venture into a Greek Lexicon (a Greek/English dictionary). We do this in order to possibly receive an inclination of a nuanced meaning of a difficult passage. And we certainly can do this without being versed in the 1^st century Greek.

Now these Greek/English dictionaries were written by scholars who have studied the dead language for, sometimes, many decades of their lives. May God bless them for their intelligence and ingenuity. Because of those scholars, we have access to information that otherwise would have taken us decades to gather and comprehend.

So then we have the ability, because of the sacrifices of others, to comprehend the meaning of scripture closer to its original intent.

Now, reading the Bible in its translated languages (like English) does not keep you from understanding what the Holy Ghost would have you to comprehend. Those same scholars translated the Bible into our modern languages so that we may not have to learn Greek.

We are not disputing the ability to understand the Bible by just reading it in our own native language; the focus is on a profundity to the Scripture from its original language. In the same way that any written work in English (to pick a language) could have its meaning awakened to our intellect by understanding the nuances of the English vocabulary, the same can be said with Bible Greek.

Now, all of this was stated to bring this passage into focus:

2 Timothy 1:6,7

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

“For God hat not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

First focus:

The phrase “stir up”. This was translated from the Greek word anazopurein. Interestingly enough this is the only instance of this particular Greek word in all of the NT.

It means, specifically, to add fresh fuel to a fire.

We have a few interesting pieces to discuss with this word:

• The Apostle Paul was referencing the gift of God which resides within Timothy as a type of fire.

• The Apostle Paul was teaching Timothy to understand that it is TIMOTHY’S job to add fuel to the fire of his own gifting’s.

• By continued implication, apart from Timothy adding fuel to his own fire, it would eventually burn down to nothing.

But there is more:

In the next verse we see Paul reminding Timothy of the fire which resides in him. It is not a “spirit of fear”.

Fear: Greek: deila, which specifically means cowardice.

Paul continues: but the gift is of “power”.

Power: Greek: dunamis, which means inherent power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, as apposed to mere strength.

Paul continues: the gift is of “love”.

Love: Greek: agape, which means eternal and complete love.

Paul continues: and of a “sound” mind.

Sound: Greek: sophrosune, which means chastity and temperance.

So we have the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy to remember the personal instruction from the past:

“Timothy, you yourself, of your own decision, must add fuel to the gifts that reside within you; and yes those gifts are like a fire: consuming and powerful.

Now a gift of God must be like a fire because God has not given us an attitude of cowardice, but of a dynamo, inherent power by virtue of the power that resides in Him who has given the gift.

It then also must be, because it is from God, consist of an eternal and complete love, while the entire gifting is controlled by a chaste and temperate mind, also given to you by God.”

WOW.

You see, you don’t need to be a Greek scholar in order to study the Bible in a deep and meaningful way.

All you need is a desire, and with that desire the Holy Ghost will unveil the Word of God in a profound way.

   JESUS IS LORD

Rev. Daniel Gabriel