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3. Fundamental Integration -> New Testament Greek -> False teachers

Three Helps Derived from Some Understanding of Greek


FIRST, the false teachers of heresy may be discerned.
Much false teachings about the Greek of the New Testament comes from these New Age so-called "grace" teachers and pastors. They refer very erroneously to false meanings of the Greek verb tenses and other aspects of Greek grammar (like the Granville Sharps rule, and verb tenses, etc) to support their false doctrines. If any one of their listeners would take time to search the grammars for themselves as to what the scriptures say, they would soon know these teachers are using their flouting of Greek and their deductive thinking to derive and to teach their false doctrines. I do not believe these so-called New Age "grace" teachers do this deceitfully consciously, I believe they are just doing what they do best--deductive thinking-- having been brainwashed (blinded) in false doctrines, and deductive thinking as explained in the article, Hermeneutics.

Even a Greek scholar, who knows Greek intimately, may look at a Greek Lexicon or grammar, and may pick out a statement that supports his deductive reasoning and assertions, even though the statement itself is taken out of context (falsely ascribed). 1

Zane Hodges, a former professor of Greek at Dallas Theological Seminary for 27 years does this blatantly. He states that, "In the final analysis the Greek construction translated by 'he who believes' or 'the one who believes' is merely descriptive. It identifies a person as 'a believer,' but it does not specify anything at all about the continuity of the action..........As we have pointed out in the text of this article, it is clear from the various Johannine contexts that 'believing ' is viewed as a single act of appropriation."2 Notice that last sentence of generalization. This is said to support their one-time believe for guaranteed salvation, regardless.

This statement by Zane Hodges is a clear example of deductive reasoning (in this case, a falsehood justifying itself). But what is even worse, he then applies this self-justifying falsehood to all instances of the verb forms of "believing" in the book of John. In the first place, he uses an out of context statement about a present participle by A. T. Robertson.3 Greek authorities say, "Or many times 'is believing' is a present active participle, meaning the one or ones who are continuously acting in the present time. The Greek participle corresponds for the most part to the English participle, reflecting "-ing" or "-ed" being suffixed to the basic verb form.  Another says, "There is no significance to a participle. The present participle is built on the present tense stem of the verb and indicates a continuous action.... To translate you must first discover the participle's aspect, voice, and meaning. You usually translate it with the "ing" form of the verb, sometimes with the key word "while."5 A participle is, therefore, simply a descriptive vehicle of the verb form, as A. T. Robertson was clearly saying about a participle in reference to "tense," in stating that the participle was timeless (no tense)6 since a participle only gives the aspect (kind of action) of a verb. (underline mine)

Generally, one will find that a present tense in Greek means: "It describes an action that usually occurs in the present. It can be either a continuous ("I am studying") or undefined ("I study") action. We recommend using a continuous translation by default, and if it does not fit the context switch to the undefined."7 (underlining mine) "The present tense normally expresses action as being in process in present time, that is, at the time of speaking, though it may be used of the past and the future. However, the Greek present tense generally corresponds more clearly to the English continuous present ("I am teaching") than to the simple present ("I teach")."8 (underling mine) All the present tenses in the Johannine gospel are therefore to be present continuous action by default unless for very clear unusual reasons.

Anyone may see that Zane Hodges is using invalid deductive reasoning in Greek grammar to force an interpretation that people are saved by a "single act of appropriation," regardless. This is done by a former Greek professor of 27 years at Dallas Theological Seminary who thinks deductively to support their deductively accepted "grace" regardless nonsense. This is a totally delusional assertion, not based on any facts at all, as we have just demonstrated.

So to say that most all the present tense uses of "believe" in the gospel of John or in the New Testament does not mean a process in action or a continuous action is utilizing a false assertion to justify one's original false assertions. This is circular deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is the sine qua non (without which it cannot be) of these New Age "grace" teachers. Their thinking is delusional, not based on facts, as explained in the preceding article, Hermeneutics. They believe assertions based on nonexistant facts in scripture even when they are Greek teachers. They believe a lie and teach it (2 Th 2:10-11). And in believing a lie, they propose more lies, based upon the first lie. This is Dispensational hermeneutics popularized and promoted by co-founder Professor Louis Chafer and those who followed him at Dallas Theological Seminary .

This means that a former postgraduate professor of Greek for 27 years at DTS who uses deductive reasoning like Zane Hodges may do the same thing with Greek that a postgraduate DTS Theology doctoral professor may do with the scriptures. So anyone (regardless of title status) can always use deductive reasoning and get totally erroneous conclusions in any subject. This was thoroughly explained in the article, Hermeneutics Defined.

Therefore, any grade school pupil who wishes may inquire into Greek grammar, just as any person, may rightfully inquire into the scriptures or into any subject and derive valid facts for himself. You don't have to be a prestigious doctoral Greek scholar. Just don't do deductive reasoning. All it requires is a mind in search of Truth denying any other considerations. When you do this, you will find a rich treasure of nuances of understanding awaiting you. But deductive reasoning is always to be avoided.

Inquiring into these grammatical uses, we must hold to those particular meanings of usage most consistent throughout the grammar uses. We must not take exceptions or possibilities and apply them generally. Also, specific rules of grammar, such as the Granville-Sharps Rule9 for serial substantives (nouns, pronouns, adjectives, or participles) connected with a single article (kai, and), is most enlightening. Specific rules for the most part are not debatable.

It is with these understandings about deductive reasoning that we include this article on a brief consideration of Greek Grammar (eight pages). Please learn it for your personal understanding of the New Testament. Be like the Bereans, more noble than others, because they daily searched the Greek scriptures (language of their day) to see if the things told them by Paul were true. Acts 17:11 An understanding of the Greek verb actionsarts and tenses puts a very loud "lie" to the claims of the "grace" regardless teachers about their salvation, regardless, doctrines.

And again, let me define what I mean by New Age Dispensational "grace" regardless teachers who fill many of our pulpits today. They are NOT historic Christians, early church leaders, or Arminian, or Calvinistic, or believing in the eternal security of the believer as historically defined (as long as he continuously believes).

These teachers of Dispensationalism (1) teach a totally different New Age Dispensational gospel, saying you need never accept Christ's Lordship, need never reject sin, may later reject Christ's teachings, may actually become a satanist, and still are guaranteed Heaven. They have redefined all the word meanings of the salvation message; and (2) made much of the New Testament non-applicable to the church, and (3) redefined prophecy in the Bible to make the antichrist's appearance acceptable ("he can't be the antichrist, we are still here."). This is a satanic deception of the greatest proportions, with all lying (deductive reasoning) and craftiness, for this New Age, the last days. Amazingly, they have been accepted within the walls of Fundamentalism, within which they arose. The mystery of iniquity does already work. 2 Thess. 2:7.

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Chapters
1. Who is God to us?
2. God's Purposes
3. Who are we to God?
4. God's Attributes
5. Priority of Attributes
6. Truth, Next Attribute
7. Highest Attribute
8. Holiness Scriptures
9. Man's Purpose
10. No Sin Permissible
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A. Sons of God
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C. Cessationism
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E. Let us Reason
F. Verbal Inerrancy
G. Knowing Scripture




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