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| Why Greet Matters Part 1 By Roger A. Scully, Jr. |
- Typically, in many places, when the preacher begins to reference the Greek or Hebrew, he will quickly see
a “glazed-over” look from his respective audience. Some have even stated, “You don’t have to know Greek to
get to heaven,” to which we would certainly agree, but to which we would respond by saying, “someone has to
know it, else we would have no translation, and would not know if our translations were correct or not.” While
we are thankful for our English translations, the truth remains that the Bible was not written in English; hence
though God intended for His word to be translatable and translated into all languages of men, the fact
remains that Greek was chosen by Him to accurately convey that which He stated to man. For this cause, our
gospel preachers should have some knowledge of the Greek language, and an above average use of the
tools (such as lexicons and grammars) which can assist in properly distinguishing nuances in the Greek
language so as to properly teach the ways of righteousness as effectively as possible.
Another truth which must be acknowledged is that no translators of any translation or of any time
were/are inspired (cf. Ac 8:18; 1 Cor 13); hence the possibility of error is ever present in any translation of
any material. While it is true that in many cases the errors which exist are small and will not cause a man to
misunderstand anything as pertaining to the salvation of his soul (such as the word Easter in the King James
Translation in Acts 12:4, which should be translated as Passover), there are other translations which are
grievously wrong, and unless noted and corrected, can stand to cause a person to misunderstand that which
is necessary as per salvation. Note the New American Standard translation of Romans 10:10, wherein we
read, “for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation” (NASB). The Greek term translated “resulting” in this translation is the word eis, which is
a preposition showing movement toward something. This word can properly be translated as: “unto,” “to,”
“towards,” or “for,” but can by no means properly be translated as “resulting.” The word “resulting” is an
English intransitive verb, which means: “the effective consequence.” By suggesting that confession with the
mouth “results” in salvation is to suggest that all one has to do is confess to be saved; yet we know this is not
the case because the term does not mean “resulting.” Confession is an act which moves one in the direction
of salvation, (hence the use of the preposition eis) but does not give one salvation. In the King James
Version, American Standard Version (1901 edition), and the New King James Version, the term eis, in
Romans 10:10, is translated into the preposition “unto,” thus accurately conveying the meaning intended by
the Holy Spirit from the original Greek. On the same verse the English Standard Version and New
International Version translated the Greek preposition into the English intransitive verb “is,” again
misrepresenting that which the Holy Spirit stated.
In other areas having some knowledge of the Greek text can help us better understand that which God
intended, such as in Matthew 10:32, which reads, “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will
also confess before My Father who is in heaven” (NKJV). This passage is often misunderstood to the point
that it is quoted as a part of the gospel plan of salvation to support confession with the mouth (cf. Ac 8:37;
Rom 10:10). However, this is not what Jesus is teaching at all. In the Greek text we read, homologesei en
emoi, which literally translates: “Keep on confessing in Me.” For some reason unknown, the preposition en,
which means: in or inside, is not translated in any English translation, though the preposition is present in the
Greek text. Thus, Jesus is not saying that one needs to confess to get in Him, but that one is to keep on
confessing already being in Him. From the context we learn that this is done by remaining faithful in times of
trial and conflict.
While the truth remains that many think referencing or knowing Greek is insignificant or meaningless,
they are sadly mistaken. These examples are but a few to help us see, better understand, and better
appreciate the language God used in revealing His will to man, and why it is so important for our preachers to
have a descent working knowledge of it.
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