Exploring the invitation to ‘Follow Jesus’ and to ‘Recognise that we all need a Saviour’
Introduction
Over the course of this series we shall aim to build what we will refer to as the ‘One Page New Testament’ - #onepagenewtestament. This will be a pictorial summary of the main messages for disciples of Jesus in a systematically derived, structured form. We will try to keep the descriptive text to a minimum and share with you the different ‘Themes’ that are being created. We will consider the scriptures on their own merit, Theme by Theme, without introducing much in the way of theology. Within each Theme, we will let the scriptures speak for themselves - hopefully in a way that demonstrates the validity of the analysis.
This article is the fourth in a series that is unpacking some of the analysis work currently being undertaken to draw out the main teachings from the New Testament from a personal discipleship perspective. The previous three articles can be found in the reference at Note [1] and focus upon the New Testament’s teaching that corresponds to the challenges of what we have called ‘Kingdom Fundamental 1 [KF1]’ - ‘Love God’ and introducing ‘Kingdom Fundamental 2 [KF2]’ - ‘Follow Jesus’ - of which this is part 2.
Last time we began to explore New Testament teaching on [KF2] under the heading of ‘Kingdom Practice 3 [KP3] - Submit to Jesus’ Lordship’ and then flagged eight Kingdom Actions that sit underneath this:
Recognise that we all need a Saviour - Kingdom Action 5 [KA5]
Believe / have faith in Jesus / God - [KA6]
Count the cost of discipleship - [KA7]
Be born again / made a new creation in Christ (repent and be baptised) - [KA8]
Receive the benefits of the kingdom (forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life …) - [KA9]
Walk / live by the Spirit not the flesh - in accordance with scripture - [KA10]
Bear fruit for the kingdom - [KA11]
Persevere in personal discipleship - [KA12].
These are shown in light blue (encouragements) or light pink (warning) in Figure 1.
If readers take away nothing else from these articles than the sense, logic, and directives in the Figures - for disciples to put in to practice in the strength God gives - we will hopefully have achieved our initial objective.
Figure 1 - New Testament Themes that teach us how to ‘Recognise that we all need a Saviour [KA5]’
Kingdom Action 5 [KA5] - Recognise that we all need a Saviour
Given the complexity of our analysis, we will only concentrate on the work that has been done to draw together the elements that support the first of the Kingdom Actions listed above - the need to ‘Recognise that we all need a Saviour’ - [KA5].
Our work has identified eight sub-Themes that we can derive from relevant Greek words in the scriptures [2] and [3]:
Realise that our sins separate us from God - Kingdom Action 5.1 [KA5.1]
Understand that Jesus was / is a friend of sinners - [KA5.2]
Know that Jesus was sent from the Father as our only Saviour / the only way to God - [KA5.3]
Recognise that Jesus / God the Father can forgive our sins - [KA5.4]
Accept that Jesus died in our place for all our sins - once for all - [KA5.5]
Know Jesus returned to the Father after finishing His mission - [KA5.6]
Anticipate Jesus’ return in glory to judge all mankind - [KA5.7]
Beware God’s / Jesus’ judgement / condemnation (non-believers - not true believers) - [KA5.8]
Each of these is considered in more detail below.
Kingdom Action 5.1 [KA5.1] - Realise that our sins separate us from God
Taking a thematic review of the New Testament we can find a number of scriptures that fit with this specific subject:
Matthew 5:29-30 - If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell [4].
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 25:41 - Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’.
Matthew 25:46 - ‘Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’
Luke 13:3 - I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
1 John 3:4-6 - Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
There are something like 39 passages in the New Testament that we might choose to group under this heading.
Turning to Greek words around sin, and its impact on our mortal condition, we can highlight the following:
Doulos (Strong’s reference 1401) defined as ‘a slave’ and utilised in the following ways ‘(a) (as adj.) enslaved, (b) (as noun) a (male) slave’ [5]. It is seen 126 times in the New Testament [6].
Douloó (Strong’s reference 1402) means ‘to enslave, bring under subjection’ and is translated as ‘I enslave’. It occurs 8 times.
Douleuó (Strong’s reference 1398) interpreted as 'to be a slave, to serve’ and used in the context of ‘I am a slave, am subject to, obey, am devoted’. There are 25 occurrences.
Euperistatos (Strong’s 2139) which is defined as ‘easily encircling’ and translated as ‘easily surrounding, encircling, easily distracted’ occurring only once.
Basileuó (Strong’s reference 936) is explained as ‘to be king, reign’ and is used in the form of ‘(a) I rule, reign, (b) I reign over’. There are 21 instances.
Héttaomai (Strong’s reference 2274) described as ‘to be inferior' and translated as ‘I am defeated, am overcome, am made inferior’. It is seen 3 times.
Relevant example verses that use these words are:
Romans 6:6 - For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves (1398) to sin
Romans 6:12 - Therefore do not let sin reign (936) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Romans 6:16(2) - Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves (1401), you are slaves (1401) of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (2139). And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
2 Peter 2:19 - They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them (1402).”
2 Peter 2:20 - If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome (2274), they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
There are only 11 verses that include these Greek words which we have judged fit with this context.
Kingdom Action 5.2 [KA5.2] - Understand that Jesus was / is a friend of sinners
Here we find one specific Greek word that applies under this heading:
Hamartólos (Strong’s 268) meaning ‘sinful’ and translated as ‘sinning, sinful, depraved, detestable’. It occurs 47 times in the New Testament.
Example verses that illustrate that Jesus was a friend of sinners include:
Matthew 9:10 - While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
Matthew 11:19 - The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.
Mark 2:16 - When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Luke 7:34 - The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
Luke 7:39 - When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
Luke 15:7 - I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
We can identify around 20 verses that can be grouped here under this heading.
Kingdom Action 5.3 [KA5.3] - Know that Jesus was sent by the Father as our only Saviour / the only way to God
There are a number of passages of scripture, and specific verses that set out the unique nature of Christ as our only Saviour and the only way for us to be reconciled with God the Father. We set out a few of them here:
Matthew 11:27 - "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Matthew 28:18 - Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Luke 24:26-27 - “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
John 3:13-15 - “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
John 10:7 - Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.”
John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Acts 16:30-31 - Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Romans 3:24 - and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 - God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Hebrews 5:7-10 - During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
There are in the region of 80 passages and verses we can identify to support this Theme. Others could include: John 5:22-23, Romans 5:1-21 Ephesians 2:1-12, 1 Timothy 2:3-6 and Hebrews 9:24-28.
In addition, there are also a wide range of Greek words we can consider too that line up with this topic area which encompass the ideas around saviour, deliverer, making propitiation, redeemer:
Sótér (Strong’s 4990) defined as ‘a savior, deliverer’ and also translate as ‘a savior, deliverer, preserver’. It is found 24 times.
Sótéria (4991) meaning ‘deliverance, salvation’ and rendered in translations as ‘welfare, prosperity, deliverance, preservation, salvation, safety’. It occurs 46 times.
Sótérios (4992) interpreted as ‘saving, bringing salvation’ and used in terms of ‘saving, bringing salvation; subst: salvation’. It is only seen 5 times.
Sózó (4982) interpreted to mean ‘to save’ and used in the context of ‘I save, heal, preserve, rescue’. There are 108 occurrences.
Rhuomai (4506) is understood to mean ‘to draw to oneself, deliver’ and translated into English as ‘I rescue, deliver (from danger or destruction)’. It is found 18 times.
Hilaskomai (2433) is defined as ‘to be propitious, make propitiation for’ and can be used in the following contexts ‘(a) I have mercy on, show favor to, (b) trans. with object of sins: I forgive, pardon’. There are 2 instances.
Hilasmos (2434) is related to the above word and means ‘propitiation’ and is used as ‘a propitiation (of an angry god), atoning sacrifice’. It is found twice.
Hilastérion (2435) describes ‘propitiatory (mercy seat)’ and is used in the following contexts ‘(a) a sin offering, by which the wrath of the deity shall be appeased; a means of propitiation, (b) the covering of the ark, which was sprinkled with the atoning blood on the Day of Atonement’. It also occurs twice.
Lutroó (3084) meaning ‘to release by paying a ransom, to redeem’ and rendered as ‘I release on receipt of ransom; mid: I redeem, release by paying ransom, liberate’. There are 3 instances in the New Testament.
Our fuller analysis has identified 23 Greek words that contribute verses related to this Theme. Examples from the Greek words listed above include:
Matthew 1:21 - “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save (Strong’s 4982) his people from their sins.”
Luke 2:11 - Today in the town of David a Savior (4990) has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 2:30 - For my eyes have seen your salvation (4992),
Acts 4:12 - “Salvation (4991) is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 5:31 - God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior (4990) that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.
Romans 3:25 - God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement (2435), through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 - and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues (4506) us from the coming wrath.
Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us that He might redeem (3084) us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.
Hebrews 2:17 - For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement (2433) for the sins of the people.
1 John 2:2 - He is the atoning sacrifice (2434) for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Other verses we can identify are: Luke 19:10, John 12:47, Hebrews 7:25, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 1 Timothy 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1, and 1 John 4:14. There are in the region of 270 verse and broader passage references that fall within this Theme.
Kingdom Action 5.4 [KA5.4] - Recognise that Jesus / God the Father can forgive our sins
The importance of God and Jesus being able to forgive our sins is core to the good news in the New Testament. We have considered four Greek words that relate to this topic as follows:
Hamartia (Strong’s 266) meaning ‘a sin, failure’ and used in the context of ‘prop: missing the mark; hence: (a) guilt, sin, (b) a fault, failure (in an ethical sense), sinful deed’. It is found 173 times.
Hamartólos (268) defined as ‘sinful’ and used in translation to mean ‘sinning, sinful, depraved, detestable’. There are 47 occurrences.
Hamartanó (264) which means ‘to miss the mark, do wrong, sin’ and translated as ‘originally: I miss the mark, hence (a) I make a mistake, (b) I sin, commit a sin (against God); sometimes the idea of sinning against a fellow-creature is present’. There are 43 instances.
Paraptóma (3900) referring to ‘a false step, a trespass’ and used to describe ‘a falling away, lapse, slip, false step, trespass, sin’. It occurs 21 times.
Here are some of the scriptures these words appear in that support this Theme:
Matthew 9:6 - “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (266).” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
Luke 5:23 - Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins (266) are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
Luke 7:48 - Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins (266) are forgiven.”
Romans 6:18 - You have been set free from sin (264) and have become slaves to righteousness.
James 4:8 - Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners (268), and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Colossians 2:13(2) - When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins (3900).
Other scriptures we can refer to include: Mark 2:9, Luke 11:4, Romans 5:21, Romans 8:10, 1 John 1:7, and 1 John 3:5. There are nearly 50 verse references we can collate within this Theme.
Kingdom Action 5.5 [KA5.5] - Accept that Jesus died in our place for all our sins - once for all
Jesus’ atoning sacrifice - taking our place to pay for all our sins - is also at the heart of the Gospel message. All of the Greek words we looked at in KA5.4 above are also relevant here. There are three other Greek words that we have also considered here:
Hamartéma (Strong’s 265) meaning ‘a sin’ and translated as ‘a fault, sin, evil deed’. It is found 4 times in the New Testament.
Adikos (94) defined as ‘unjust, unrighteous’ and used in to convey the sense of ‘unjust, unrighteous, wicked’. It appears a dozen times.
Dikaióma (1345) referring to ‘an ordinance, a sentence of acquittal or condemnation, a righteous deed’ and translated as ‘a thing pronounced (by God) to be righteous (just, the right); or the restoration of a criminal, a fresh chance given him; a righteous deed, an instance of perfect righteousness’. It occurs 10 times.
Verses that convey this atoning work include:
Matthew 26:28 - This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (266).
Romans 3:25 - God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins (Strong’s 265) committed beforehand unpunished—
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners (268), Christ died for us.
Hebrews 9:26 - Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin (265) by the sacrifice of himself.
1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous (94), to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
Romans 5:18 - Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act (1345) resulted in justification and life for all people.
Further identified verses include: Romans 6:10, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 7:27 and 1 Peter 2:24. We can find around 35 verses that fit with this Theme.
In addition, if we consider the phrase ‘once for all’ there are two Greek words that relate to this: ephapax (Strong’s 2178 meaning once for all - occurring 5 times) and hapax (530 meaning once - appearing 14 times). We can highlight a couple of scriptures out of 7 we have identified:
Hebrews 7:27 - Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
Hebrews 9:26 - Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once (530) Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once (530) for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Kingdom Action 5.6 [KA5.6] - Know Jesus returned to the Father after finishing His mission
If we look even more deeply, we can identify three lower-level Themes under this particular heading:
Jesus finished His mission on earth
Jesus returned to the Father after his suffering, death and resurrection
Jesus is at the Father’s right hand.
Jesus states on a number of occasions that he has come to complete / finish the work that God the Father had given him to do. He also spoke clearly to say that he would return to the Father after he had risen from the dead and we also find a number of scriptures that tell us the Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand.
Jesus finished His mission on earth
Here are some of the Greek words we have considered:
Pléroó (Strong’s 4137) meaning ‘to make full, to complete’ and used to describe situations like ‘I fill, fulfill, complete’. There are 88 instances.
Teleó (5055) defined as ‘to bring to an end, complete, fulfill’ and used in three contexts ‘(a) I end, finish, (b) I fulfill, accomplish, (c) I pay’. It is found 28 times.
Teleioó (5048) which means ‘to bring to an end, to complete, perfect’ and again having three usage contexts ‘(a) as a course, a race, or the like: I complete, finish (b) as of time or prediction: I accomplish, (c) I make perfect; pass: I am perfected’. There are 23 occurrences.
Example scriptures include:
Matthew 5:17 - “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil (4137) them.”
Luke 12:50 - But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed (5055)!
John 4:34 - “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
John 5:36 - I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish (5048)—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me.
John 17:4 - I have brought you glory on earth by finishing (5048) the work you gave me to do.
John 19:30 - When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished (5055).” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
There are 44 verse references that we can group under this heading.
Jesus returned to the Father after his suffering, death on the cross, and resurrection:
Greek words we have looked at that relate to suffering, the cross, and Jesus’ resurrection include:
Paschó (3958) defined as ‘to suffer, to be acted on’ and translated into ‘I am acted upon in a certain way, either good or bad; I experience ill treatment, suffer’. It occurs 42 times.
Stauros (4716) meaning ‘an upright stake, a cross (the Rom. instrument of crucifixion)’ or just simply ‘a cross’. There are 27 occurrences in the New Testament.
Anastasis (386) which literally means ‘a standing up, a resurrection, a raising up, rising’ and rendered in translations as ‘a rising again, resurrection’. It is found 42 times.
Egeiró (1453) which is defined as ‘to waken, to raise up’ and used in two types of context ‘(a) I wake, arouse, (b) I raise up’. It appears 144 times.
Hupagó (5217) which is defined as ‘to lead or bring under, to lead on slowly, to depart’ and translated as ‘I go away, depart, begone, die’. It occurs around 80 times.
Anabainó (305) meaning ‘to go up, ascend’ and rendered in English translations as ‘I go up, mount, ascend; of things: I rise, spring up, come up’. There are 82 instances.
We can illustrate these words in the following verses that fit with this sub-Theme:
Matthew 16:21 - From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer (3958) many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (1453).
Mark 15:32 - “Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross (4716), that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
John 21:14 - This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised 1453) from the dead.
Acts 1:22 - beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection (386).
Acts 3:18 - But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer (3958).
Philippians 2:8 - And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross (4716)!
Hebrews 12:2 - fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross (4716), scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1 Peter 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection (386) of Jesus Christ from the dead.
John 13:3 - Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning (5217) to God;
John 20:17 - Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended (305) to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending (305) to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
There are in the order of 120 verse references that we can identify that fit within this sub-Theme.
Jesus is at the Father’s right hand:
There is one Greek word that is used to convey the reality that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father:
Dexios (1188) meaning ‘the right hand or side’ and translated as ‘on the right hand, right hand, right’. It is used 54 times in the New Testament.
Example verses that show this truth include:
Mark 14:62 - “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand (1188) of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 16:19 - After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand (1188) of God.
Romans 8:34 - Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand (1188) of God and is also interceding for us.
Hebrews 10:12 - But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand (1188) of God.
There are 19 relevant verses of this sub-theme that use this word.
Kingdom Action 5.7 [KA5.7] - Anticipate Jesus’ return in glory to judge all mankind
The New Testament forewarns its readers that, at a point in the future, Jesus will return and judge the living and the dead. Those who have accepted Christ will be raised to glory (their sins already having been forgiven) and those who have not to judgement. We can identify a number of Greek words that relate to this Theme:
Erchomai (2064) defined as ‘to come, go’ and used in the context of ‘I come, go’. It is found 637 times
Exerchomai (1831) meaning ‘to go or come out of' and translated as ‘I go out, come out’. There are 219 instances
Cheir (5495) which means 'the hand’ and is rendered in terms of ‘a hand’. It appears 179 times
Enochos (1777) defined as ‘held in, bound by, liable to (a condition, penalty or imputation)' and used in the context of ‘involved in, held in, hence: liable, generally with dat. (or gen.) of the punishment’. There are 10 instances
Dexios (1188) - meaning ‘the right hand or side’ and translated as ‘on the right hand, right hand, right’. It is used 54 times in the New Testament
Krinó (2919) meaning ‘to judge, decide’ and having multiple translation contexts ‘(a) I judge, whether in a law-court or privately: sometimes with cognate nouns emphasising the notion of the verb, (b) I decide, I think (it) good’. There are 115 occurrences.
Scriptures which illustrate this Theme include the following:
Matthew 3:12 - “His winnowing fork is in his hand (5495), and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 5:21 - “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject (1777) to judgment.’
Matthew 5:22(3) - But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to (1777) judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger (1777) of the fire of hell.
Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of Man is going to come (2064) in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
Matthew 24:27 - For as lightning that comes (1831) from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 25:33 - He will put the sheep on his right (1188) and the goats on his left.
Matthew 25:34 - “Then the King will say to those on his right (1188), ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
Mark 8:38 - "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes (2064) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Acts 1:11 - “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come (2064) back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 17:31 - “For he has set a day when he will judge (2919) the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
2 Timothy 4:1 - In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge (2919) the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
Revelation 14:14 - I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand (5495).
We have found around 80 verse references which support this Theme.
Kingdom Action 5.8 [KA5.8] - Beware God’s / Jesus’ judgement / condemnation (non-believers - not true believers)
Lastly under this heading of ‘Submit to Jesus Lordship’ we identify a number of Greek words which warn us to beware the coming judgement. Some of these include:
Enópios (1799) defined as ‘in sight of, before’ and used to describe ‘before the face of, in the presence of, in the eyes of’. It appears 95 time in the New Testament
Adikos (94) - defined as ‘unjust, unrighteous’ and used in to convey the sense of ‘unjust, unrighteous, wicked’. It appears a dozen times.
Krima (2917) used to describe ‘a judgment’ and translated in the sense of ‘judgment, a verdict; sometimes implying an adverse verdict, a condemnation, (b) a case at law, a lawsuit’. It occurs 29 times.
Krinó (2919) used to describe ‘to judge, decide’ and has two uses ‘(a) I judge, whether in a law-court or privately: sometimes with cognate nouns emphasising the notion of the verb, (b) I decide, I think (it) good’. There are 120 places where it is used.
Example scripture we can find include:
Matthew 7:2 - For in the same way you judge (2919) others, you will be judged (2919), and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Matthew 19:28 - Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging (2919) the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 12:9(2) - But whoever disowns me before (1799) others will be disowned before (1799) the angels of God.
John 3:18 - Whoever believes in him is not condemned (2919), but whoever does not believe stands condemned (2919) already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Romans 13:2 - Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment (2917) on themselves.
2 Peter 2:9 - if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
Jude 1:4 - For certain individuals whose condemnation (2917) was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a licence for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Revelation 14:11 - “And the smoke of their torment will rise (305 - Anabainó (from 5.6 above)) for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
Revelation 20:12 - And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before (1799) the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
There are some 105 verse references that span the range of Greek words we have investigated that support this sub-Theme.
We can also identify three warning sub-Themes that we can fit under this KA5.8:
Understand God's penalty for sins / apostasy / unrighteousness
Avoid Hades (the place for the souls of unbelievers waiting for the Final Judgement) [7]
Evade the second death in Hell (for the souls of unbelievers after the Final Judgement)
Three Greek words and one Greek idiom that respectively support these sub-Themes include:
Hamartia (266) - meaning ‘a sin, failure’ and used in the context of ‘prop: missing the mark; hence: (a) guilt, sin, (b) a fault, failure (in an ethical sense), sinful deed’. It is found 173 times..
Ekdikeó (1556) defined as ‘to vindicate, to avenge’ and used in the context of ‘I give justice over, defend, avenge, vindicate’. It is found 6 times in total
Hadés (86) meaning ‘Hades, the abode of departed spirits’ and translated as ‘Hades, the unseen world’. It occurs 10 times in the New Testament
Geenna (1067) - Gehenna, a valley west and South of Jerusalem, also a symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly - Gehenna, and originally the name of a valley or cavity near Jerusalem, a place underneath the earth, a place of punishment for evil. It is referred to 12 times
Idiom comprising Limné (3041) & Pur (4442) meaning ‘lake of fire’. It appears 5 times in Revelation.
Example scriptures for each of the above bullet points are shown below:
Understand God's penalty for sins / apostasy / unrighteousness
Romans 6:16 - Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin (266), which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin (266) is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
James 1:15 - Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin (266); and sin (266), when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
There are 16 example scriptures we can include here drawn from three applicable Greek words applicable.
Avoid Hades (the place for the souls of unbelievers waiting for the Final Judgement)
Luke 16:23 - In Hades (86), where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
Revelation 1:18 - the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades (86).
Revelation 20:13 - The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades (86) gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
We have identified 17 scriptures across 5 Greek words and idioms that highlight this warning to non-believers.
Evade the second death in Hell (for the souls of unbelievers after the Final Judgement)
Matthew 5:22 - But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell (1067).
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (1067).
Mark 9:43 - If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell (1067), where the fire never goes out.
Revelation 20:14 - Then death and Hades (86) were thrown into the lake of fire (3041 & 4442) . The lake of fire is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 - Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (3041 & 4442).
There are 6 Greek words and idioms that have 48 relevant verses that talk about the penalty for those who have not taken Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Summary
This is the fourth Systematic Discipleship Faith Article, where we have looked into eight sub-Themes that fit under [KA5] - ‘Submit to Jesus’ Lordship’. As we move forward in subsequent articles, we hope to summarise some more of the complexity of the challenge disciples have to Follow Jesus!
Ultimately, these groupings are subjective, as will be the inclusion (or exclusion) of many verses within each Theme. We should note that some verses have a much stronger relevance to the derived Themes than others. Hopefully, showing the number or relevant verses within each Theme gives some indication of the strength of their validity.
During this analysis, the aim has been to restrict the number of Themes that can be associated with any specific Greek word to eight or less - as any more implies poor analysis technique and the wrong choice / naming process.
In the next Faith Article, we shall consider some of the other Themes and scriptures that we can derive under Kingdom Action 6 forward. Again, the aim will be to try and make it informative, but manageable in terms of the time and effort needed to look at and understand each area.
Any constructive thoughts on this Article, the process being undertaken, and related feedback are welcome.
Notes:
[1] - All previous Faith Articles focusing on the One Page New Testament can be found at this page: www.teachthemtoobey.co.uk/blog/
[2] - “Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, based upon Semantic Domains” Volumes 1 and 2 - Louw and Nida - Published by and © United Bible Societies - 1988
[3] - “Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words” - © William D Mounce, 2006 - Published by Zondervan
[4] - Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM.
The Bible references presented are illustrative rather than aiming to be ‘proof texts’. They are examples only as there are, generally, many more we could look at. Please note that when looking at any Bible verse references, you should ideally consider more than one translation / respected version to get a more rounded view, and also look at the wider context for each verse too. In particular, when Greek words are translated, Bible scholars do not always use the same English word every time it appears in the Greek. This is why it is useful to look at more than one Bible version.
[5] - biblehub - https://biblehub.com/greek/
[6] - The number of instances of specific Greek words can vary considerably depending upon the Greek manuscript(s) that is / are referenced by the data underpinning a particular program or website. For example, there can be differences in the number of instances of a Greek word depending upon whether your information source is, say: biblehub.com, blueletterbible.org, or Accordance Bible software. For example: the word Kurios (Lord) appears:
722 times according to biblehub
748 times in the Textus Receptus (TR) Greek for the blueletterbible
717 in the Morphological Greek New Testament (MGNT) in the blueletterbible
717 times for the Legacy Standard Version in Accordance
711 times for the ESV in Accordance.
In general, we have used the biblehub.com counts for the number of instances of the Greek words we are presenting. If there are major discrepancies with the other resources we are using we will try to highlight these explicitly.
[7] - There are some people today who try to deny the existence of Hades or Hell (and also the ‘lake of fire’). Let’s be clear that Jesus refers to both these things and since he is the creator of all things - seen and unseen - then we need to take notice that this is a reality, just as he also refers to Heaven. Two short articles that explain this in more detail are provided here:
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Reading the articles will take only a little time to study - more if we look up the additional Bible references - and probably a lifetime to work out in practice. Hopefully they will help make each of us ‘Become more like Jesus’!
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