Logos Word of God – BT4:  What gramma writings WERE the logos “Word of God”?

 

 

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The problem with thinking that the Torah/Nomos “Instruction/Law” only refers to the 5 books of Moses is that the “if you do ____ – then I will bless you with ____ ” format of the conditional-favor-of-God based on human merit of complete & perfect obedience, which is the format over every single of 613 Old Testament (OT) Mosaic commandment, is actually not only prevalently repeated throughout 97.4% of OT gramma writings but is the pervasive paradigm-mindset of every person in the OT living under the dominion of this old covenant – see Logos Word of God – BT5a, whereas the other 2.6% or 600 verses consist of 365 prophecies of Jesus (see also Salvation – BT4) and His completely-different-in-kind New Covenant (a) – see Logos Word of God – BT6.  <Notes> a) chadash, kainos: fresh, completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior.

 

That’s why Jesus, Paul, and all Jews when referring to all ‘classes/kinds/categories’ of graphe scripture (a), even to this day, consider the entire OT graphe scripture as “old covenant Law,” and most Jews happily include their Oral Torah “Traditions of the Elders” in there as well!  The 4th definition of OT Law or Torah Instruction according to Wikipedia is “the continued narrative of the entire Tanakh text of the OT, thus ALL gramma writings – see Logos Word of God – BT5a.  This is supported by many other sources, including The Bible Background Commentary of the New Testament by Craig S. Keener.  According to Strong’s Lexicon, Torah can also include the “body of prophetic teaching” called “The Prophets,” thus “The Law and The Prophets” being a typical division of the OT scripture.

 

<Notes> a) The prophet Isaiah 28:11-12 cited in 1 Corinthians 14:21 as “Law” by Paul; Jesus citing “Law & Prophets” in Matthew 5:17-19, Luke 16:16-17, Matthew 22:40 but calling “Law”; Jesus in John 10:34 citing Psalms 82:6, and in John 12:34 citing Psalms 18:4, 110:4, and in John 15:25 citing Psalms 35:19 or 69:4 but in all cases calling “the Law”; Jesus cites Prophets but calls them Law in John 12:34 citing Isaiah 9:7 and Ezekiel 37:25; the chief priests & Pharisees in John 7:40-49 citing Psalms 89:3-4 but calling “the Law.”

 

1A.  The Greek word gramma for ‘alphabetic letter or a writing of these” in the singular WITHOUT the definite article is used of the entire Law.  Paul writes in Romans 2:27, 29 regarding physical Jews, those who are dia ‘thru the realizing channel of’ [singular without article] gramma writing and/coupled circumcision’ (thus Jews defined “outwardly” by the Law’s commandment concerning circumcision) who were transgressing The Law are NOT actually regarded as Jews by God because of this “outwardly keeping of The Law” but-instead only if “inwardly, because [true] circumcision is a matter of the heart by-the-means-of [singular] Spirit, absolutely-in-fact-NOT by-the-means-of [singular without article] gramma writing.”  Thus uncircumcised Gentiles can be true Jews to God – see also Romans 9:6-7; Galatians 3:7, 29; Philippians 3:3

 

So gramma in the singular WITHOUT the article is referring the entire old Covenant or Law, for “the sign of circumcision is a seal of the righteousness that Abraham had by-the-means-of trusting-relying-faith while he was still uncircumcised” (a) is later completed as  “sign of the covenant” for all Jews (b).   In Romans 7:6 Paul in context also used gramma writing WITHOUT the article for the entire OT Law of commandments by which Jews serve God, but which Christians should have died to in water-baptism thru the body of Christ per v. 7:4, having died to the binding-slavery of it so that NOW Christians serve God, living unto God per Galatians 2:19, by-the-means-of the completely-different-in-kind kainotes NEW-WAY of [singular] Spirit and/thus absolutely-in-fact-NOT by-the-means-of the palaiotes ‘OLD, obsolete, antiquated, worse for wear, worn-out, WAY’ of [singular WITHOUT article] gramma writing.”  See also 2 Corinthians 3:6 below in note “1B.” <Notes> a) Romans 4:11, b) Genesis 17:11.

 

1B.  Gramma in the singular form WITH the definite article is used in 2 Corinthians 3:6 where it refers to the entire old covenant or Law, for Paul’s evangelist team were “ministers of a completely-different-in-kind-of kainos NEW covenant, absolutely-in-fact-NOT of/belonging-to [singular without the article] gramma writing but-instead of/belonging-to [singular without the article] Spirit for the [singular article] gramma writing presently/ongoingly apokteino ‘kills separating you away-from [God],’ but-NOW the [singular article] Spirit presently/ongoingly zoa gives-genuine-life.”  Because Paul used the article for gramma and Spirit in the 2nd half of the verse, he doesn’t have to specify them in the 1st half of the verse to mean the same thing – that’s why I didn’t include the 1st instance WITHOUT the article in note 1A.  Paul often does this to save time and paper!  We also know it’s referring to the entire old covenant or Law because of v. 7’s plural use of gramma without the article – see note 2A below.

 

So in all cases the singular use of gramma letter/writing WITH or WITHOUT the article refers to the entire OT covenant or Law.  And you can see this is in direct opposition to the completely-different-in-kind NEW WAY of the Holy Spirit under the completely-different-in-kind-NEW Covenant.

 

2A.  The Greek word gramma for ‘alphabetic letter or a writing of these” in the plural WITHOUT the article is generically used for all the Greek, Latin, and Hebrews gramma letters inscribed on Christ’s cross title plate “The King of the Jews” in Luke 23:38.  In John 5:47 it refers to ALL the writings of Moses, the Pentateuch or first 5 books of the OT, called the old covenant Law or Torah, that Jesus questioned if the Jews really believed.  John 7:15 refers to the astonishment of the Jews in the temple at Jesus’s teaching, saying “How-can this-one eido ‘mentally ‘sees’ to perceive/know‘ [about] [plural without article] gramma writings in-possibility-NOT having-already [with ongoing effects] manthano ‘learned of the essentials.”  They knew Jesus had not studied the OT writings to be a scribe or Pharisee!  In 2 Corinthians 3:7 IT refers to the alphabetic letters carved in stone for the 10 commandments, making up the core of The old covenant Law spoken of in verse 6 using gramma in the singular WITH the article as stated above in Note 1B.  Remember that the 10 commandments later were expanded into 613 grapho written into scrolls by Moses to be the entire Law of commandments?  

 

In Acts 26:24 In Paul’s defense to King Agrippa appealing to the Messianic prophecies of the Christ by Moses and the Prophets – see Logos Word of God – BT6, governor Porcius Festus called Paul insane because of Paul’s “great-number of [plural without article] gramma letters,” a reference to Paul’s many words in his defense, but possibly to Paul’s collection of “many books and parchments” he maybe pointed to, that he was accustomed to travelling with per 2 Timothy 4:13.  After all, Paul had been a leading Pharisee of the famed teacher Gamaliel per Philippians 3:5-6, Acts 5:34, 22:3.

 

In Acts 28:21 gramma writings WITHOUT the article simply refers to NO written correspondence from Judea warning the Gentile churches about Paul. Similarly, in Galatians 6:11 IT refers to the LARGE alphabetic letters grapho written by Paul’s own hand to prove the letter’s authenticity, some speculate is an allusion to his poor eyesight, but his emphasis is the persecution he has suffered for the cross, his body bearing the marks (maybe his eyes were injured?), the cross they should also stand up for, against the Jews that would force them into circumcision to avoid persecution.  All I can say is that the Greek of Galatians is very poor and thus confusing to many.

 

So gramma writings WITHOUT the article, if the context is referring to OT writings, can refer to ALL the OT writings or just the Law ‘kind/class/category.”

 

2B.  Gramma in the plural form WITH the definite article is simply used in Luke 16:6-7 of specific written bills of specific goods purchased.  In 2 Timothy 3:15 it refers to a specific ‘kind/class/category of’ OT “ta ‘specific ones’ sacred gramma writings that Timothy had been taught from childhood, ta ‘specifically the ones’ routinely/habitually powerfully-enabled to make him wise eis ‘toward and reaching the goal/purpose of’ salvation dia ‘thru the realizing channel of’ trusting-relying-faith, the [one] IN Christ Jesus.”  These ‘ta specific ones’ only make up 2.6% of the OT Scripture – see Logos Word of God – BT6.  That’s all that was used in the early NT Jewish-Christian Church to convert Jews and encourage lapsing Jewish-Christians not to go back to the Law. The use of the second definite article “ta ‘specifically the ones’ introduces a phrase that further narrows down the first phrase “ta ‘specific ones’ sacred gramma writings.”  This is a common technique in Greek – see Acts 2:17-18 narrowing down “All flesh (humanity) to your sons & daughters, to MY male & female servants,” as the ones who will prophesy from God in the Church Age.

 

Furthermore, since the definite article ta was already used twice for a specific group of Messianic salvation writings in 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul need NOT repeat himself in v. 16 when using the term “pas graphe” scripture.  Again this is common in Greek, and certainly Paul’s Greek where he routinely leaves word out (called ellipsis).  Pas rarely means “the whole or entirety of” but instead “every/each of a kind/class/category,” and always defined by the context.  Clearly Paul’s context is referring to “each/every of the kind/class/category” of OT Messianic prophecies, using the adjective “God-breathed,” concerning salvation by trusting-relying-faith in Christ and absolutely NOT to the “whole or entirety” of graphe scripture!  Only this ‘ta specific ones of sacred gramma writings” that are “the God-breathed ones” are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for child-like-training in righteousness, in order that the man of God (reference to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11) may be complete, equipped for every good work (in context: evangelism preaching).”  It is poor biblical translation & interpretation to believe Paul is referring to ‘the whole/entirety of’ OT scripture – see Logos Word of God – BT7, – BT8, – BT9.

 

So gramma writings WITH the article, if the context is referring to OT writings, refers to a specific ‘kind/class/category’ of the OT, and the only case of this refers to Messianic prophecies used in the early Church to convert Jews to Christ.

 

Jesus accused the bible students of His day called “Pharisees and scribes” of proverbially “analyzing the bark on a tree” for so long they they completely “missed the forest through the trees,” because they were “blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel” (a), and particularly “you presently/ongoingly diligently-search the graphe scriptures because you presently/ongoingly suppose/opinionate by-the-means-of them you will presently/ongoingly take-hold-to-have zoe genuine-life everlasting, kai and-yet these-ones presently/ongoingly are-they the-ones routinely/habitually testifying/bearing-witness peri ‘all around concerning’ Me kai and-yet you absolutely-in-fact-NOT are-presently/ongoingly to definitively/wholly come pros ‘toward and reaching’ Me in order that you may take-hold-of-to-have zoe genuine-life (b).  They would rather have a book than the person it pointed to!  <Notes> a) Matthew 23:24, cf. Matthew 15:14; Luke 6:39, b) John 5:38-40.

 

That’s why we will see in later BLOGS that the NT writers were very careful in their use of the OT scripture, restricting it to Messianic prophetic ‘kinds/classes/categories of’ graphe scripture and particularly to “ta ‘specific ones’ sacred gramma writings that Timothy had been taught from childhood, ta ‘specifically the ones’ routinely/habitually powerfully-enabled to make him wise eis ‘toward and reaching the goal/purpose of’ salvation dia ‘thru the realizing channel of’ trusting-relying-faith, the [one] IN Christ Jesus” in 2 Timothy 3:15-16.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, is being a bible student really the answer?  Being a bible student didn’t work for the Jews, especially the bible-experts, and they practiced this for 1500 years!  Why do we as Christians think we can “do the same things and expect different results?” Isn’t that the “definition of insanity” according to Einstein?  Are we just killing ourselves and others with that “ministry of condemnation and death,” even teach these “killing” ‘kinds/classes/categories of’ gramma writings to others, which is 97.4 of the OT?  Are we also at risk of “missing the forest through the trees” and also being the “blind leading the blind” to also miss out on taking-hold-of zoe genuine-life?  Or will we be “ministers of a completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, unique, superior New Covenant” of the righteousness that is through trusting-relying-faith in Christ by unconditional-loving-favor-of-Grace instead of the conditional-favor-of the Law” by having a completely-different-in-kind logos message about the enabling-power of the Holy Spirit that gives zoe genuine-life?

 

Prayer:

 

 

Lord, keep us from being so easily distracted by 97.4% of the OT that is mine-field of condemnation and death that hides the glory of God in Christ from us and thus hardens our hearts, but keep our eyes on the promise of Christ, His Holy Spirit, and the New Covenant spoken of in only 600 verses of the OT.  Lord, keep us from getting bogged down into the details and miss the whole purpose of the OT that was simply to “testify or bear witness of Christ” so that God’s people would come to Jesus.  Instead, LORD we DO come toward and reach You instead of going back to our bible-study.  Instead of teaching us like You did the Jews “by rote”, even to convert Jews, like elementary-grade-school children feeding on ‘the milk’ of gramma writings on tablets and paper with ink to learn their gramma letters and stoicheion ‘abc’ rudimentary principles of God’s Torah instruction on how to live, we are ready to feed on ‘the solid food’ for mature sons that is interpreting and discerning good and evil by the means the Holy Spirit that comes only through trusting-relying-faith in a koinonia relationship with You Christ – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  We are ready to grow up so we can experience the zoe genuine-life You have for us as your mature sons ready for our inheritance!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Gramma logos message Word of God writings was the Old Testament writings mostly Law, Only 2.6% of the Old Testament graphe scripture was used by the early Church and only to convert Jews, 97.4% of the Old Testament is Law based and NOT used by the early Church, Only purpose of the Old Testament was to prepare Jews to come to Jesus for eternal life