Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook, Bill Mounce, Chapter 23 (1 of 2): New Testament / Koine Greek 32

Lecture 32 in New Testament or Koine Greek begins chapter 23 of William (Bill) Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook, the first aorist active indicative verb and the aorist middle indicative verb. The lecturer is independent Baptist professor Thomas Ross. Both William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek (Workbook), ed. Verlyn D. Verbrugge, Third Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009) or William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook, Fourth Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019) are acceptable for this class.

In chapter 23 of Basics of Biblical Greek (either the 3rd or the 4th edition) students learn the 1st aorist indicative. First aorist indicative verbs are formed by adding an augment, tense formative (σα), and secondary endings to the aorist tense stem, resulting in verb forms such as ἔλυσα. Most Greek verbs have a first aorist, not a second aorist. The aorist, whether it is a 1st or a 2nd aorist, portrays an action that normally occurs in the past and is snapshot or undefined in its aspect. The difference between the 1st and 2nd aorists has to do with how the word is formed, not with its meaning.

This video covers the first half of Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook for chapter 23. All the parsing exercises, all the warm-up exercises, and translation exercises 1-3 are covered. Part two (video 33) covers the rest of the workbook translation exercises for chapter 23.

Some or all of the following texts are translated:

α. John 2:23;
β. Mark 10:5
γ. Mark 1:20
δ. Mark 6:12-13
ε. Mark 1:31
ζ. Mark 14:61
η. John 19:38
1. 2 Corinthians 4:13;
2. Mark 1:8
3. John 17:18

The introductory devotional considered the question of whether, because the verb believe (πιστεύω) in John 3:16 is in the present tense, God promises salvation only to those who continually have enough faith and continually obey, while those who have a lapse in faith or obedience lose their salvation. Some false teachers argue: “John 3:16 should read … that God so loved the world that all who 'keep on obeying' or 'continue to obey should be having eternal life.' Is the fact that the present tense of the verb πιστεύω in John 3:16 and in many (but not all, cf. Acts 16:31) texts that promise eternal life to belief proof that eternal life is not the immediate gift of God when someone believes, but is something earned only after a long life of faith of obedience, while a saved person can lose salvation and be eternally damned if he does not believe and obey faithfully enough? What does John 4:13-14 contribute in relation to this question?

It is true that in John’s Gospel saving faith is frequently presented using the present tense of πιστεύω. In fact, both the present tense and the perfect tense for faith in John’s Gospel are always saving faith, while the aorist tense can be used for both true saving faith and for a type of “faith” that falls short of saving faith. This supports the clearly Biblical fact that true faith—as the gift of God—will persevere. However, it neither denies justification by faith alone nor the eternal security of the believer.

1.) There are texts where eternal life is promised simply to πιστεύω in the aorist, such as the classic passage in Acts 16:31.
2.) There are so many lines of Biblical evidence that support justification by repentant faith alone and which reject salvation by works, and so many plain passages that teach these truths, that it would be very poor hermeneutics to attempt to overturn this plain Biblical truth based on extrapolations from tenses of verbs.
3.) There are also very clear texts, such as John 4:13-14, where the aorist tense, necessarily viewed as a one-time, instantaneous act referring to the initial response of saving faith, receives the certain promise of eternal life. What is going on in John 4:13-14? Note the verb tenses:

13 ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Πᾶς ὁ πίνων [present participle, the one who is continually drinking] ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τούτου, διψήσει [future tense, “will thirst”] πάλιν· 14 ὃς δ’ ἂν πίῃ [aorist subjunctive, whoever drinks one time] ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω [future tense, “will give”] αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα [an extremely emphatic negation—this one no, not ever will thirst, from this time and for ever]· ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω [future tense, “will give”] αὐτῷ γενήσεται [future tense, “will be”] ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου [present participle, “springing”] εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. (Ἰωάννην τέσσαρες:δεκατρεῖς-δεκατέσσαρες)

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14)

Anyone who drinks the spiritual water that Christ gives, one time, is given certain assurance of eternal life. He is eternally secure!

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