Goodness.
Two Greek words are thus translated, agathosunee and chreestotees. The former occurs four times in the New Testament (Romans 15:1414And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14); Galatians 5:2 2 j Ephesians 5:99(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) (Ephesians 5:9); 2 Thessalonians 1:1111Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: (2 Thessalonians 1:11)); the latter word also only occurs in Paul’s writings, and is variously rendered goodness, gentleness, kindness. The former means love and pursuit of what is good, and hence may be displayed in various ways, not only in kindness, but in rebuking and correcting. The Lord acted in this spirit when denouncing evil. Chreestotees, on the other hand, means the beauty and gentleness of goodness, that is to say, its loving and gracious side. So much did this graciousness or gentleness characterize the Lord, that amongst the heathen “Christos”, Christ, frequently became “Chreestos”, gentle; and in like manner Christians, Chreestians, i.e., gentle or harmless people.
Grieve or Mourn.
Pentheo (Mark 16:1010And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. (Mark 16:10); James 4:99Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (James 4:9); Revelation 18.15 etc.), means a violent and open grief which everyone can see and recognize. Threeneo (Matthew 11:1717And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. (Matthew 11:17); Luke 7:32; 23:2732They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. (Luke 7:32)
27And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. (Luke 23:27); John 16:2020Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (John 16:20)) means to wail or lament over a person. Kopto, the last of the four, signifies to strike or beat upon the breast, as is common in the East when great grief is felt (Matthew 24:3030And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30); Luke 23.23; Revelation 1:77Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)).
Beast.
This is the common rendering given to three Greek words, Zoon, Theerion and Kteenos. The first means the whole of the animal kingdom including even man himself (Revelation 4:6-9; 5:6; 6:16And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, (Revelation 4:6‑9)
6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. (Revelation 5:6)
1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. (Revelation 6:1)). The second means a wild beast (Mark 1:1313And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1:13); Acts 28:4, 54And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. 5And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. (Acts 28:4‑5); 1 Corinthians 15:3232If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. (1 Corinthians 15:32); Titus 1:1212One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. (Titus 1:12); Hebrews 12:2020(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: (Hebrews 12:20); Revelation 11:7;137And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)
7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7). 1), and is generally used in a bad sense, which makes the fact that both these words are translated “beast” very serious in some cases. Compare Zoon Revelation 4:6-96And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, (Revelation 4:6‑9) and theerion Revelation 13:11And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1). The third word occupies a sort of medium place (Luke 10:3434And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10:34); Acts 23:2424And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. (Acts 23:24); 1 Corinthians 15:3939All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. (1 Corinthians 15:39); Revelation 18:1313And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. (Revelation 18:13) only) meaning beasts in the sense in which we generally use the word-cows, horses and the like, neither rising as high as living creature (Zoon) on the one hand, nor falling so low as wild beast (theerion) on the other.
Holy.
Hieros, one of the three words thus translated, means holy as applied to things and not to persons. It occurs only in 1 Corinthians 9:2323And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. (1 Corinthians 9:23); 2 Timothy 3:25. Hosios (Acts 2:2727Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 2:27); Hebrews 7:2626For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Hebrews 7:26), etc.) is applied to what is in itself holy and right, while hagios means principally set apart to the service of God. It may be applied to God Himself as being absolutely separate from evil (Revelation 3:77And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Revelation 3:7).)
Life.
Two words are thus translated; Zoe meaning life as opposed to death (2 Timothy 1:1010But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (2 Timothy 1:10); 2 Peter 1:33According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2 Peter 1:3); Revelation 2:10; 3:510Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5), etc.,) and Bios signifying the duration of life, also the means of living. It has the former meaning in such passages as 1 Peter 4:33For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: (1 Peter 4:3), the latter in Mark 12:4444For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. (Mark 12:44); Luke 8:43; 15:1243And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, (Luke 8:43)
12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. (Luke 15:12); 1 John 3:1717But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1 John 3:17). It also sometimes means the manner of life or way of living, as in 1 Timothy 2:22For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (1 Timothy 2:2).
The distinction between Zoe and Bios is well seen in the two words Zoology, or the word about living animals, and Biography, a writing about the duration and manner of life.
(To be continued.)
Divine Names and Titles.
3. Lord.
This, which next to Christ is the most used and best known title of our Savior, properly belongs to Him as risen and glorified, according to Acts 2:3636Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36), “God hath made that same Jesus... both Lord and Christ,” though His own personal dignity caused it to be not unfrequently used while He was on earth (some 50 times as compared with 300 in the first 10 Epistles). It is interesting to note the connection of “Lord” and “Christ” in the above quoted passage. Christ, as we have already seen, is primarily connected with the Church, the one body, of which He is the head; it is also connected with our lift “in Christ” and testimony, “Christ in us”. Lord, however presents Christ more as a distinct person; “Our Master,” more as the One to whom we belong, whose we are, and whom we serve whose wishes we obey; the living links whether personal or corporate belonging more to the name “ Christ,” while the duties and responsibilities are more connected with the word “Lord”.
“Lord Jesus” is the proper title of the glorified Man (compare Luke 23:5252This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. (Luke 23:52) with Chapter 24:3) and is more fitting and reverent for general use than “Jesus” only, though as we have seen, the name “Jesus” alone, to those who understand it, contains a higher glory than any added title can give.
Jesus then is our Lord. His are our bodies and souls, our lives, our possessions, all that we have and all that we are belongs to Him. It is a great thing to grasp a thought like this thoroughly; it is one thing glibly to repeat it, another for it to possess us in all its power.
It is not for us to consecrate ourselves; by the work of Christ we are thus consecrated, belonging wholly to Him. Our bodies we can present as a living sacrifice (Romans 12) but only in the deep sense that they are already His (1 Corinthians 6:2020For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20)).
The thought of a Lord, a Master, greatly calms and steadies the soul. We have not anxiously to run hither and thither like a dog without a master, but rather like those that are highly trained, steadily follow our Master, watching His eye, listening to His voice for all our actions. Jesus is our Lord, it is our place to obey and follow, His to lead, and truly He knows how to estimate one who understands and keeps his place. It is a great thing in practical Christian life to cultivate the habit of instinctively turning to our Lord whenever a difficulty arises, and never to think of acting on our own responsibility.
Two things are especially connected with this title in Scripture; a day (Revelation 1:1010I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, (Revelation 1:10)), and a supper (1 Corinthians 11:2020When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. (1 Corinthians 11:20)). The “day” is none other than the very one on which Jesus was made both Lord and Christ, the day of resurrection, called by the heathen “ Sunday,” by Christians “the Lord’s day”, a beautiful expression and Scriptural title, the day above all others when He claims our time and services, when He should fill our thoughts What need have we to use a heathen title, or a Jewish one (Sabbath) or one of our own devising (first day), when God has given the day its own appropriate name. Surely if we weighed the meaning of the title, we should have far more Scriptural thoughts how rightly to use the day, than by calling it in preference by another name, which either must convey a wrong thought, or no thought at all. There is a great deal in a name, when it is of God’s giving.
The “Supper” is celebrated on the resurrection day. It is the Lord’s Supper, in memorial of His death; death and resurrection, the sufferings and the glory thus being beautifully linked together on the one day. What fields of thought do these two words open up? The Lord’s Supper tells of darkness, weakness, wrath, sorrow, suffering, death; the Lord’s day, of light, power, glory, joy, triumph, life; the one of the close of the old creation, the other of the dawn of the new.
Oh! for hearts to receive and enjoy the thoughts connected with this supper and this day, the one taking us by the hand back to the awful past, and bidding us gaze on Calvary, the other leading us on to the bright, bright future, when the “day of the Lord” shall last a thousand years, and all shall own His rightful title.
“Every tongue,” heavenly, earthly and infernal, shall yet own Jesus as Lord; but the confession, forced in that day from those who will not own Him now, will bring no blessing with it: the willing homage of the heart now is connected with salvation, for no man can say that “Jesus is Lord”, but by the Holy Ghost. Let us bless Him therefore that He has bowed our hearts now, and that we do rejoice to own Him Lord, and let our care be that our actions are molded and controlled by this great governing thought that “one is our Master, even Christ, and all we are brethren.”
Those who thus follow Him will joyfully own that “His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace.”