Re: Ephesians 1:13

From: Mike Sangrey (mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us)
Date: Wed Aug 25 1999 - 14:15:55 EDT


cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu said:
> At 3:28 PM +1000 8/25/99, Richard A. Creighton wrote:
> > EN hW(i) KAI hUMEIS AKOUSANTES TON LOGON THS ALHQEIAS,
> > TO EUAGGELION THS SWTHRIAS hUMWN,
> > EN hW(i) KAI PISTEUSANTES ESFRAGISQHTE TW(i) PNEUMATI
> > THS EPAGGELIAS TW(i) hAGIW(i)
> > I'm trying to work out how the two
> > halves of this verse relate to each other [ie "EN hW(i) ... hUMWN"
> > and "EN hW(i) ... hAGIW(i)"]. Is Paul describing the same thing from
> > two different perspectives? Is he describing two consecutive events?
> > What are the options?

> Must it not pretty clearly be two consecutive events--or at any rate,
> phases in the process of reception of God's grace? Successful hearing
> of the gospel results in faith and reception of the seal of the
> promised Holy Spirit. I don't really see any other option.

This depends on how your understanding of regeneration is conditioned
by the mention of election in the preceeding verses.

If one assumes that regeneration must happen first, then 'hearing'
and 'believing' could be somewhat synonomous or at least simultaneous.
Sort of like being blind. When you suddenly see, you look around
AND start interacting in, what is to you, a new environment--having
been regenerated, you hear and you believe.

But, that's theology!!!!!

More to the point, I think the main focus is that our hearing
and believing are to the glorifing praise of Christ (EIS TO EINAI
hHMAS EIS EPAINON DOXHS AUTOU). The order of events is not clear
since that is not Paul's focus here. If the order were important,
then the grammar would say it. That is, the clauses would not be so
clearly in parallel. Christ is the focus, not the order of events.
This is theology, too, of course; but it comes from the text. :-)

-- 
Mike Sangrey
mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us
Lancaster, Pa.
       There is no 'do' in faith, everywhere present within it is 'done'.

--- B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-329W@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:40:36 EDT