For Me It’s All in Greek

Years ago, I was wandering around a local Flea Market when I came across a vendor with a pile of books on his table. Being that I love to read I followed my instincts and began to sift through the large selection of literature. I came across what looked like a Bible, but it was clearly in a different language. I opened it up and discovered it was actually a copy of the New Testament in the Greek language.

As a novelty I bought it, with the intention of just using it as conversation starter in my office.

I also bought it with the intention to use as a punchline so to speak, so when someone came in my office and said they could not understand the Bible and they use the old adage “it’s all Greek to me” I could hand them the real Greek copy and say no this is Greek to you. As I have grown in my faith and studies though I have truly discovered just how great a treasure the Greek language is to us as believers.

There are so many practical advantages to knowing Greek. In ministry the benefits are endless when it comes to the study of the New Testament. Yet it is the most underutilized tool in many minister’s theological tool box. Research has shown that more than 70% of the people who studied Hebrew and Greek at seminary are not using them once they finish their training. During their years in seminary, they spent hour and hours every week studying and memorizing Hebrew and Greek forms.

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Then they finally pass their exams and complete their studies.

And yet, most of them will not go beyond using a few Hebrew and Greek words during a sermon from time to time. They do not make full use of the Hebrew and Greek grammar. This is a great loss to both the minister’s and the congregations they preach to each week. In this paper I hope to highlight a plethora of facts and extreme benefits for the continued use and knowledge of the Biblical language of Greek.

Excuses People Use

Christian people today both ministers and laymen do not place any importance on knowing the language the New Testament was originally written in. They say things like there are so many help, cheats and short cuts when it comes to studying the Scriptures. They think just because they can look up a word in a Greek Lexicon that is sufficient. Another excuse is that learning Greek is just way to hard and that it is not worth the time.

Let me just say it is completely worth the time. Sometimes when I am teaching or preaching to my congregation and use Greek words people will say “why is it important to know all this Greek stuff?” The simple answer is so you can read the Bible. Even with all the information readily available most Christians still do not realize that the New Testament was not written in English. This means to really understand the New Testament we must have some grasp of the original language it was written in, which is Greek.

If we as Christians really believe that God gave us His word in these languages, Greek and Hebrew. Then it is crucial for the church to be able to read and study the word of God in the original language. We cannot just base our beliefs on a translation. And, if we do not study the languages, how are we going to continue with the work of bible translation?

Practical Advantages

In this section I hope to list a handful of advantages to knowing and understanding Biblical Greek.

• Let’s begin with the advantage of actually knowing what the author of a certain passage actually means in relation to his own language. Understanding the writer’s language will show you what he is really trying to emphasize in the passage you are studying. It will make clear his alliteration, assonance and poetic structure. This clarity will strengthen your faith because you will attain a deeper appreciation for what The Word of God actually says.
• Knowing the original language of the writer’s helps you to know exactly what they are saying. This is important and beneficial because in the Greek language some words in Scriptures can have more than one meaning. If we read it only in English, we can misinterpret which word is specific to the original Greek meaning.
• Knowing the original languages meaning keeps us as pastors from being hermeneutically arrogant. When we study and grapple with a passage’s original meaning it keeps us on our toes and eliminates our preconceived notions about its meaning. It keeps us from just reading the English translation and saying lightly oh yeah that’s what it means.
• Really knowing and understanding Scripture in its original language is important and beneficial because in the Greek language grammar is a big deal. In the Greek some genitive cases have over 30 or more grammatical functions. So, to know and understand all that goes into that helps you to pick the right one.
• Knowing the original language of the Scriptures simply strengthens your faith. Because you get a deeper appreciation of what the word actually says.

Properly Understanding the New Testament

To really understand the New Testament which is an obvious bonus for any believer, we need to know and understand the language it was penned in, which is Greek. Some scholars actually call it street Greek. It was the language of business at that time. The New Testament is actually supported by about five thousand manuscripts written in Greek. Which means if we would learn to read the New Testament in Greek it would enhance our Bible Study exponentially.

Take for instance the book of John chapter twenty-one. In this passage there is an exchange between Jesus the Son of God and Peter. Jesus looks at Peter and ask him three different times if he loved him. (John 21:15-17, ESV), it says, “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon,” son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that O love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Most people would read over this and not gain an