Murray J. Harris - Navigating Tough Texts: A Guide to Problem Passages in the New Testament

MURRAY J. HARRIS

NAVIGATING

TOUGH TEXTS

A Guide to Problem Passages in the New Testament

Navigating Tough Texts: A Guide to Problem Passages in the New Testament

Copyright 2020 Murray James Harris

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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Print ISBN: 9781683593959

Digital ISBN: 9781683593966

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020935381

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are the authors translation.

See pages for copyright information regarding the sources of Scripture quotations.

Lexham Editorial: Derek Brown, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew Boffey, David Bomar

Cover Design: Joshua Hunt

CONTENTS

I have had the inestimable privilege of reading and teaching the Greek New Testament for over fifty years and of being involved in the translation of the New International Version ( NIV ) for twenty-five years. The present work is the product of these enriching experiences and includes insights already found in the various books I have written in the field of New Testament studies.

The studies found in this volume have not arisen from reading the New Testament in the many splendid English translations available today, but from an analysis of the text as it was originally written in Greek. Not surprisingly, many of the studies are grammatical in nature. Some relate to word meaning and usage, while others stem from a careful consideration of immediate contexts or background data. As one might expect from any treatment of material from the New Testament, most of the insights are of theological significance, focusing on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and have practical relevance for Christian living.

The studies are designed for pastors, theological students, and thinking Christians who are not afraid to reflect deeply about their faith or to be exposed to some of the intricacies of the Greek language.

All the verses and passages treated in these studies could be classified as either problem texts or key verses, but, as it happens, one could also classify most of them as falling into one of the following categories:

1.Verses that have been significant in church history (e.g., Matt 1:25; 16:18; 28:1920; Rom 9:5; 2 Pet 1:4; 1 John 5:1617).

2.Theologically important verses (e.g., Matt 10:29; Mark 10:45; 15:34; Rom 3:25; 10:4; 1 Thess 4:1315).

3.Evangelistically significant verses (e.g., Luke 14:26; John 3:16, 36; 2 Cor 5:16; Col 2:14; Phlm 1719a).

4.Verses that contain apparent contradictions (e.g., Acts 21:4; Col 1:24) or special difficulties (e.g., Matt 6:13; 1 Cor 6:18; 15:29) that can be eased or resolved by grammatical considerations.

5.Issues relating to the Christian life (e.g., Matt 7:6; Luke 7:47; Acts 8:16; Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 16:2; Heb 11:34, 37).

6.Key passages that are illuminating for understanding the person of Christ (e.g., John 1:14, 18; 1 Cor 15:20, 23; Rev 7:17) or his claims (e.g., Luke 17:21) or his teaching (e.g., Matt 16:19; John 6:53).

7.Crucial passages about the Holy Spirit (e.g., Mark 3:29; John 3:5; Eph 1:1314; 5:1821).

It is my hope and prayer that the insights offered here may prompt in the reader a deeper love of the biblical text, a richer appreciation of its principal themes, and an enhanced devotion to its ultimate Authorand perhaps even a desire to learn Greek!

A s indicated in the preface, my teaching and writing career has spanned more than fifty years. It is little surprise, therefore, that in these studies I have sometimes made use of material already published in the following works to which I own the copyright, and which the publishers have kindly given permission for me to use: From Grave to Glory: Resurrection in the New Testament (Zondervan, 1990) ; The Expositors Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians (Zondervan, 1995) ; The Expositors Bible Commentary: 2 Corinthians (Zondervan, 2008) ; Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament (Zondervan, 2012) ; Raised Immortal: Resurrection and Immortality in the New Testament (Eerdmans, 1985) ; Colossians and Philemon (Eerdmans, 1991; Broadman & Holman, 2010) ; John (Broadman & Holman, 2015) ; Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ (InterVarsity Press, 1999) ; Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus (Baker, 1992; Wipf & Stock, 2008) ; Three Crucial Questions about Jesus (Baker, 1994; Wipf & Stock, 2008) ; John 3:16: Whats It All About? (Wipf & Stock, 2015) ; The Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross: Their Circumstances and Meaning (Wipf & Stock, 2016) .

Permission has also been granted to use material first published in a multi-authored series where the publisher holds the copyright: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005) .

Warm thanks are due to Dr. Derek Brown, academic editor at Lexham Press, for his kind acceptance of my manuscript for publication. Also I wish to express my warm gratitude to Elliot Ritzema, one of the editors at Lexham Press, for his professional expertise, patience, and care in preparing the manuscript for publication.

I am privileged to dedicate this volume to my wife, Jennifer, who, in the midst of coping with multiple sclerosis (MS) for over thirty years, has given me her unfailing support in all my teaching and writing.