[b-greek] Re: 1 John 1:9

From: George Blaisdell (maqhth@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Aug 14 2001 - 03:40:10 EDT


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George Blaisdell

"Be not troubling of you the heart..."
[From the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 1.]

>From: Rob Matlack

> > >v. 6: "If we say that we are having (enjoying) fellowship with him, and
>are walking in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth...."

> > >If we follow the progressives into v. 9, we have something like: "If we
>are confessing our sins, he is faithful and just....

> > >It seems to me that if one accepts this present progressive scheme,
the implication is unavoidable that the confessing is part of the ongoing
experience of the believer.

> > Personally, I think of a Present as "ongoing"... practically never... I
>would prefer to call this a Habitual Present. The idea then is not to be
>continually confessing, but make it your habit to confess your sins... but
>only as often as is necessary.

For me that works out to about three times a minute... On a good day... :-)

>Wouldn't it make better sense to see this as a general, timeless,
statement that something happens? If we want to title it, it would be a
gnomic present. The idea then would be "If this happens, then that
happens."

Would that not then be an aorist? I have heard of the gnomic aorist, but not
the gnomic present, in Greek.

The ongoingness of the present tense is hard to deny - Habitual seems about
right, where confessing one's sins is seen as an ongoing part of one's faith
that achieves their forgiveness by engendering the faithfulness of God in
His forgiving of them.

>I don't see how either progressive or habitual is required. It
seems more a statement of principle. The major truth is stated in 1:5.
The related truths or principles are stated in 1:6-10 -- 5 or 6 depending on
how you divide them.

If you are right, then how would you write them as being habitually
indicated?

John seems to love the present tense - Would you generally categorize his
usage of the present tense as gnomic?

geo

Mpls, KS? whodathunkit?


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