In the context if the Bible, is the word 'believe' the same as "faith'?

[cjab]

I have a few videos for you Greek scholars if you get bored. Tell me what you think. Source and content. One is Romans 1:17, and the other is Galatian 3:22. both about 12 minutes long.

This might be a case of an academic trying to be too clever. I find his ultimate argument turgid, although I would allow his first point as valid: πῐ́στῐς should be allowed to refer either to the act of believing, or to the referent of the belief. Context will determine which of these two nuances is inferred; and here I find both to be inferred. But I find some of his reasoning to be perverse:

At 9:00 ff., he says "The righteousness of God is revealed from this faith."
At 9:40 ff., he says "A very similar function is given to the faith here. It is the thing that reveals God's righteousness, without which no-one can become righteous."
At 10:04 "Just as the power of God for salvation is revealed in the gospel, so the righteousness of God from the faith."


My first point is that "ἐκ πῐ́στῐς" in Rom 1:17 doesn't lend itself to the conclusion that "faith is the thing that reveals God's righteousness."

Who is the gospel / righteousness of God" revealed to? It is revealed to those with faith, the adherents of the gospel and appropriators of its power.

Rom 1:17 must be taken in conjunction with Rom 1:16. By Rom 1:17, "In 'it' the righteousness of God is revealed," grammatically refers back to Rom 1:16 where 'it' infers the gospel. It is the gospel which is "the power of God." The righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, not 'from the faith'.

In Eph 2:8 we learn (the grace of) the gospel is appropriated "through (διὰ) faith."


So my second point concerns the prepositions in Rom 1:17. ἐκ means "out of", εἰς means "into / unto." The idea seems to be that of an appropriator of the gospel's power & righteousness progressing from a little faith to a greater faith. Different nuances to πῐ́στῐς (confidence / trust-->belief / persuasion) and allusions by Christ to "measures of faith" suggest a little-->great interpretation, as personal righteousness increases in line with faith.

Alternately, different referents to πῐ́στῐς (Moses --> Christ) suggest another equally valid interpretation. In the end, I think both coalesce in the sense it was God's purpose to increase faith by sending his Son.

 

[Dave...]

This might be a case of an academic trying to be too clever.

Hey cjab

I hear you. I allowed for that. He seems to know a lot about the languages, but still, understanding Scripture is ultimately from the Holy Spirit and does require a theologians process of interpretation, even in the original languages. He kind of reminds me of a poor mans Kenneth Wuest. A better translator than a theologian. Not that I had a problem with Wuest as a theologian. I always appreciated his stuff, but never relied heavily on him as a theologian.

I learned a long time ago that the Greek is no silver bullet that could answer all the theological questions. In reality, it's just a tool to help the theologian in us, not something to replace it. Even in the original languages, understanding context is necessary to properly interpret words. Word studies, as someone noted to me recently, can cause just as many problems as they solve, because there's no context to interpret the words properly. In short, sound hermeneutics is needed in the original languages also.

Dave

 

[Dave...]

Remember, I also hold to a person being born again apart from us doing anything to get that way.
To be more specific, I believe that a person's new birth and their subsequent indwelling ( after Pentecost ) are closely associated...

First the new birth, then the belief of God's word, then the Spirit seals us unto the day of our bodily redemption.

Hey Dave

But the new birth is what gives us the life, right? You can't have life without the new birth, and you can't have the new birth, without also having the life. Do you agree?

If yes, then I would suggest that we believe so that we can have the Holy Spirit placed into us. Which also places us into Christ and His death and resurrection, born again. That's the life. The Gospel is believe and be saved. Believe and have life. We are made alive in Christ. That's actually one of the the points of the thread. That the faith from that life, Spirit empowered, comes as a result of believing before we receive that indwelling and are born again. There's a distinction between the initial, and the ongoing. The life always results from believing.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (Also see John 11:25, 20:31)

Dave