Untitled Sermon (2)

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition Chapter 4

Ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν. ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν. ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ. ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν θεόν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. ἀγαπητοί, εἰ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν. θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται· ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστιν

Ἀγαπητοί

Beloved

Adjective (Vocative, Masculine, Plural)

ἀγαπῶμεν

Present, Active, Subjunctive, 1st Pl.

Horatory use of the Subjunctive (As it’s 1st Plural)

Let us love!

One another

ἀλλήλους

Ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους.

Beloved, let us love one another…

Q. Why should we love one another?

ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν.

Beacuse, love is from God.

AND

καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν.

πᾶς (All/Everyone)

ὁ ἀγαπῶν (Present. Active. Participle. MNS) — The loving ones

All who love // Everyone who loves

γεγέννηται (Perfect, Passive, Indicative 3rd Sing)

He/She/It is begotten (born of)

ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ

Out from God

καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν

And γινώσκει (Present, Active, Indicative, 3rd Sing) — He/She/It knows τὸν θεόν God.

A 1a. ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν.

Because, love is from (of) God, and everyone who loves is born from (of) God and knows God.

A 1b. ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.

ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν

The not loving one (not)

ἔγνω - Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd Sing — know

τὸν θεόν - God

The one who does not love, does not know God

Q. Why?

ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.

Because God is love.

Q. Because it is so important that we love, because love is from God, how do we know what love is?

A. ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ.

In this the love of God is revealed in us, because/that God sent his one and only son into the world in order that we might live through him.

ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν

ἐν τούτῳ — In this

ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ — the love of God

ἐφανερώθη — (A, P, I, 3S) — it is shown / revealed

ἐν ἡμῖν — in us (D.P. 1P)

ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ.

that // because

God

Main Verb - ἀπέσταλκεν - Perfect, Active, Indicative (3S) — He sent

τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ

The one and only (unique) son of him

His one and only son

εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ.

Into the world

In order that we might live (have life) -

Secondary Verb - Subjunctive Causal use.

Through him

ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν θεόν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν..

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son [as a] propitiation concerning [for] our sins.

ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη — In this is love.

οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν θεόν — Not that we loved God

ἠγαπήκαμεν - (Perfect, Active, Indicative, 1st Plural)

ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς — But that, he loved us

ἠγάπησεν — Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd Sing

AND

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν.

ἀπέστειλεν — He sent

τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ — the son of him

ἱλασμὸν — [as a] propitation

περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν —

περὶ + Gen = Concerning / about

τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν — The sins of us

ἀγαπητοί, εἰ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν.

Beloved, if God has love us in this way (so loved us), then we ought to love one another

Beloved (Adj. Vocative, Masculine, Plural)

εἰ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς — if thus, in this way, God he has loved us

Beloved, if God has loved us in this manner

καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν

Then we (we owe/ought) to love one another

M.V = ὀφείλομεν (Present, Active, Indicative, 1st Plural)

2.V = ἀγαπᾶν (Present, Active, Infinitive) — To love.

θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται· ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστιν.

No one has ever seen God, [but] if we love one another, God dwells in us and his love is perfected in us.

θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται — No one, at any time, he has seen, God

No one has ever seen God

ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστιν.

If we love one another, God remains in us and the love of him is complete in us.

If we love one another, God remains/dwells/lives/resides in us and his love is complete/perfected in us.

Total Translation:

7 Ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν. 8 ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν. 9 ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ. 10 ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν θεόν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. 11 ἀγαπητοί, εἰ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν. 12 θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται· ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστιν.

Beloved, let us love another, because love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

In this the love of God was revealed in us, that God sent his one and only Son into the world in order that we might live through him.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as a propitiation concerning our sins.

Beloved, if God has loved us in this manner, we ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God dwells in us and his love is perfected in us.

———————

Key words to explore:

Love

Know

Propitation

Key themes:

A definition of love — God himself is love. Non-reductionistic. Love is a person

God’s love has a definitive action tied to it —> the sending of the son (mentioned twice) first use instance highlights our life through the son. The second instance use