Greek Tenses and OSAS

Greetings

The Greek language is rather specific in the support of OSAS. Greek does this positively through the Perfect Tense and negatively through its emphatic denials.

A. Verses that use the Greek Perfect Tense.

“The Greek Perfect Tense denotes the present state resultant upon a past action” (Machen, New Testament Greek for Beginners, p187).

“The perfect tense is the tense of complete action. Its basal significance is the progress of an act or state to a point of culmination and the existence of its finished results. That is, it views action as a finished product. … It implies a process, but views that process as having reached its consummation and existing in a finished state” (Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, p200).

We must notice that the Greek Perfect Tense has no implications that the continued action of a past result will cease. The English words that are used to translate the Greek Perfect in the following passages are bolded. These words carry the idea of a continued, completed, consummated, unending state.

“That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” John 3:6. This certifies that once one is born of the Spirit, then the results of this birth continue unendingly!

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” John 3:27. This certifies that once God has given salvation, then the results of this giving continue unendingly!

“he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” John 5:24. This verifies that the act of passing from death to life continues unendingly!

“And we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ” John 6:69. This confirms that the position of believing continues for ever!

“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” John 10:39. This corroborates the result of being given by God continues eternally!

So just before Jesus died he cried out “It is finished!” John 19:30. This shows that Christ’s accomplishments on the cross endure forever and they don’t need to be lost and reapplied.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” Romans 5:1,2. This verifies that our access to God endures unendingly. It also confirms that our standing in grace continues eternally!

“For he who has died has been freed [justified] from sin” Romans 6:7. This validates that our freedom from sin (justification) continues without abatement!

“To the church of God which is at Corinth to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus” 1 Corinthians 1:2. This shows that sanctification never ceases!

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” Ephesians 2:4,5. This declares that the result of salvation is eternally unending!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith” Ephesians 2:8. This emphasizes that salvation is once for all!

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints . . .” Ephesians 3:17. This shows that our salvation is eternally rooted and grounded!

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies . . .” Colossians 3:12. This shows that our being loved by God will continue unendingly!

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works” Titus 3:8. The ace of believing continues on forever.

“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” Hebrews 10:10. This verse has two ways of emphasizing eternal security. First, the Greek perfect affirms that our sanctification is an eternal process. Second, the author ends the verse with a “once for all” phrase to further underscore the certainty of the statement.

“to an inheritance incorruptible an undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” 1 Peter 1:4. Not only does God make the reservation, but he never cancels it either!

“having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” 1 Peter 1:23. The act of being born again continues unendingly!

“To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ” Jude 2. This insists that our sanctification continues unendingly and that we are preserved in Christ unfalteringly forever!


B. The double negative is used to highlight or underscore the impossibility of the stated action occurring. “The combination of the double negative occurs 96 times. With the light that the papyri have thrown upon this doubling of the negatives we can now say unreservedly that the negatives were doubled for the purpose of stating denials or prohibitions emphatically. … people used the doubling of negatives for making categorical and emphatic denials” Dana & Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, p266,267.

“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never [never] hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never [never] thirst” John 6:35.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never [never] perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand” John 10:28.

“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never [never] die” John 11:36.

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no [no] more” Hebrews 8:12.

For Jesus himself said, “I will never [never] leave you nor [never] forsake you” Hebrews 13:5.


There is no counterpoint to the Greek Perfect Tense. No theologian knowledgeable of Greek should be a proponent against the “once saved – always saved” eternal life!

A little bit of Greek goes a long way!
Lloyd

 

Greetings

Consider John 10:27-29/

God uses the most powerful Greek constructs to emphasize the impossibility of about getting out (or even thinking about getting out) of His hands.

The double negative with subjunctive.
Most Arminians stop thier investigation with the present tense. They fail to mention ou me apoloontai (they shall never perish). This phrase uses a double negative and the aorist subjunctive which means that when they are used together it is the most emphatic denial that the Greek can use.

First, the double negative ou me is used to highlight or underscore the impossibility of the stated action occurring.

The double negative stresses the total absence of what it negates.

Second, while the simple present mood denotes reality the simple subjunctive mood denotes a step away from reality into probability. While the negative of the present denies reality, the negative of the subjunctive denies even a step away from reality. Together, the double negative with the aorist subjunctive has the force of a categorical and emphatic denial.

Wallace says that ou me with the subjunctive “rules out even the idea as being a possibility.” [Wallace, Beyond the Basics, 468.]

The Greek language is doing everything possible to make a categorical timeless denial that one can get out of Jesus’ hand. Not only can one never again perish, YOU CAN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! How much clearer does it have to be!!

If you look at the total context, you’ll not be deceived by partial explanations. Greek knowledge can really help differentiate between right and wrong – if one’s personal dogma does not interfere.

John 10:28 can really be a powerful OSAS tool!
Lloyd

 

Greetings

Here is (nearly) everyone's favorite passage: John 3:16! The Arminian presentation is woefully inadequate for two reasons. First, there is a terrible disregard for context – again! The text is the ending of Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus. Everything in the entire discussion relates to eternal security by a simple LOOK of faith to Jesus. Second, although the Arminian Greek presentation appears valid, the non-Greek cannot be expected to know that there is much more to the present tense than what is presented by Arminians!

Arminians greatly err by forcing every present tense to be a progressive, continuous action when the Present Tense could have several meanings. Their view wrongly holds to only one meaning and forces this faulty Greek understanding upon every possible text. As already shown above, the context dictates LOOK and LIVE and the grammar dictates a timeless GNOMIC truth for when-ever, where-ever and who-ever will believe in Jesus.

Beginners assume that the unaffected action of a given verb is to be used mindlessly in every context. Second year Greek students know that there is a genuine difference between the aspect (grammar) and aktionsart. Aktionsart begins with the aspect of basic lexical meaning, then considers other grammatical features, and then utilizes contextual keys. So if one merely discusses tenses, then one is locked into the basic idea of aspect. But if one is aware of the aktionsart, then one is able to deal with the categories of usage within the tenses.

I have never read an Arminian article that makes good use of context in theologically important passages. I doubt if I ever will. Context is a great light and heresies flee from the light.

The present tense has three broad categories: narrow, broad, and special uses. The Narrow Band categories are taught in first year Greek with special emphasis upon the progressive present. But even first year Greek grammars teach about the Instantaneous present where action is depicted as a punctiliar event. Machen’s beginning Greek text shows that louw can mean either "I loose" or "I am loosing." The Arminian error always assumes the latter.

The Broad Band category deals with events that occur over a long period of time or sequences. The Gnomic Present is of special interest in this category. It represents a general timeless fact. It does not say that something is happening, but that something does happen. The action continues without time limits. … This usage is common. A key to recognizing the Gnomic Present is a generic subject or object. Furthermore, the general formula is ho + present participle.

The Special Use category has five uses not common to the Narrow or Broad Band categories. The Perfective Present is used to emphasize that the past action result is still continuing in the present. This has almost the same force as a perfect tense.

The continuous progressive present is a good guide for beginning Greek students. It is a lazy and most unreliable guide for serious biblical exegesis.


LLOYD

 

Hey Gerhard

Thanks for the kind comment. I've taken a lot of heat from the back rows recently. I even appreciate the way you frame your challenge to my interpretation of the perfect tense!

Ok. Here is my try. The perfect tense indicates continuance of action. Technically, one must automatically assume an eternal state. The perfect tense just notes that the results of a past action are in continued force in the present.

However, functionally it can mean eternal. If the ongoing state is not countermanded, then the reader is left with an historic book that is applicable for all time with the recorded state of a continued effect of a past action.

Acts 20:7 follows this idea. The verb synegmenon is a perfect passive participle. The results of a past act continue with force. The disciples met on the first day of the week for normal preaching and worship. Because Paul was there, they continued. Context supplies the countermand "and continued his speech until midnight." Hence, the continuing effects of perfect passive past action cease.

1jim is wrong. Technically, he is right because his analysis comes from a study of language limited to conversations between finite individuals. He fails to grasp the force of the perfect tense given by God Himself in an Historic Document that speaks unendingly throughout all eternity.

Context rules!
Lloyd

 

Hey 1jim

You fail to grasp the force of the perfect tense given by God Himself in an Historic Document that speaks unendingly throughout all eternity.

God’s Church will never end. Wallace can only document the use of various constructs from language OUTSIDE context. You do an excellent job referring to these scholarly works. However, our eternal God is able to communicate eternal truths far beyond the ability of normal conversations. Language has this ability for it was created to convey eternal truths. One must understand the perfect tense in context of God’s eternal Word – not the context of finite human exchanges.

While you are technically correct, you functionally fail to grasp CONTEXT.
Lloyd

 

Your reference to the perfect passive ptcp is excellent. Your analysis of context suffers a bit. The phrase “once for all” does apply to Jesus’ offering. However, the definition of hagiazo has 3 definitions that depend on CONTEXT. It is God’s activity in setting believers aside onto Himself. It is a consecration. It is also a purification into the image of Jesus Christ. I disagree with your selection of “consecration” in this verse. To me it is God’s activity of setting believers aside unto Himself via Jesus. This is an eternal one-time event. The perfect tense conveys this idea rather nicely.

This is reflected just a few verses later. “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

Here, we see the adverbial qualifier “for ever.”

Context rules!
Lloyd

 

Hey Charles

Please note that I've never based OSAS strictly and solely on the Greek Perfect Tense. The GPT is but one of many correlating facets of God's eternal provision. It is a powerful verifying tool.

Do not go to extremes in your statements.
Lloyd

 

Hey Chemnitz

Nice quotes from good sources!

So what is the common sense understanding of this rare tense? The NOW state of affair continues! What is there to stop it? If nothing is given, then your correct technical quotes fail due to the misunderstanding of the force of God's Word.

Technial linguistic comprehension of a tense is good as the first step. Although we do not build theology on any one aspect of linguistics, the GPT corroborates theology - especially OSAS.

God promises us that we shall not perish (John 10:28-29).
God has already glorified the believer (Rom 8:29-30).
God will confirm every believer to the end (1 Cor 1:8).
We stand in the power of God (1 Cor 2:5).
God has established us in Christ (2 Cor 1:21-22).
God has given the earnest of His Spirit (2 Cor 5:5-7).
God has made us accepted (Eph 1:6).
God has quickened us together with Christ (Eph 2:5-6).
God began the good work in us and will continue to do it (Phil 1:6).
God has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance (Col 1:12-13).
God has delivered us into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1:12-13).
God has delivered us from the power of darkness (Col 1:13).
God has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1:13).
The Lord is faithful, Who shall establish you (1 Thes 5:23-24 & 2 Thes 3:3).
The Lord shall deliver me from every evil (2 Tim 4:18).
The Lord will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom (2 Tim 4:18).
God reserves a place for us (1 Pet 1:4-5; Jude 1).
God is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24).
God will present us blameless before the presence of His glory (Jude 24).
God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).
God will not let our feet be move [from a position of justification], he does not slumber . . . He shall preserve you [the believer] from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul (Psalm 121:3,7).
We shall not slide [from salvation] (Psalm 26:1).
We can know that we are saved (1 John 5:13).
God is faithful to deliver what He has promised (Heb 10:23).
This list makes pretty easy common-sense reading.


The GPT is all the more powerful when understood in CONTEXT. The GPT is even more powerful when understood in CONTEXT of biblical theology. CONTEXT and biblical theology go well beyond the limitations of text-book quotes.

Lloyd