Goodness.
Two Greek words are thus translated, agathosunee and chreestotees. The former occurs four times in the New Testament (Romans 15:14; Galatians 5:2 2 j Ephesians 5:9; 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.
We may consider four words which are thus rendered. Lupeo occurs in Matthew 14:9; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Peter 1:6, etc., and is the general word for being sorrowful, but does not necessarily include the expression of sorrow (see Romans 9:2).
Pentheo (Mark 16:10; James 4:9; Revelation 18.15 etc.), means a violent and open grief which everyone can see and recognize. Threeneo (Matthew 11:17; Luke 7:32; 23:27; 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 24:30; Luke 23.23; 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; 6:1). The second means a wild beast (Mark 1:13; Acts 28:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 15:32; Titus 1:12; Hebrews 12:20; Revelation 11:7;13. 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 4:6-9 and theerion Revelation 13:1. The third word occupies a sort of medium place (Luke 10:34; Acts 23:24; 1 Corinthians 15:39; 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 9:23; 2 Timothy 3:25. Hosios (Acts 2:27; 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 3:7.)
Life.
Two words are thus translated; Zoe meaning life as opposed to death (2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Peter 1:3; Revelation 2:10; 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 4:3, the latter in Mark 12:44; Luke 8:43; 15:12; 1 John 3:17. It also sometimes means the manner of life or way of living, as in 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 2:36, “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 23:52 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 6:20).
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 1:10), and a 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.”