The Ohio Independent Baptist, October 1968

Glimpses of Truth from the Greek New Testament by Dr. George Lawlor HOLDING THE WORD OF LIFE The passage in Phil. 2: 15-16 i a most important admonition, with special relevance and significance for our time. Christian are instructed o conduct them elves in a strict godly' manner as they live in the mid t of a corrupt generation. con– )tantly appearing as light-bearers. and ··holding forth the word of life. · fhe \ erb rendered in the KJV ' hold– ng forth" i epecho, an interesting \\'Ord appearing onl)' 5 times jn the 1 ew Te tament. although it occur quite frequently in the early Greek ~ riting . The verb i made up of :,pi (upon). and ec/10 ( to have, hold ). nence: ··to have. or hold upon.' ' The fir t occurrence of the word n the ew Testament is in Luke 14: 7. where the Lord is described l peaking a parable to those as– )embled in the Pharisee's house. '"'hen He 111arked how they close :>ut the chief reclining place . . ... [he ~ords ··when He marked '. are he translation of the , erb e peeho . 1nd the present participle may be ·endered ''noting.'· The Lord was ,bservi,1g the conduct of the gue ts: nd l1 1 as /10/ding His 1nind i,pon lvl1at /1 e.1· were doing. The word appear 1gain in Acts 3: 5, where it is stated hat the lame man "gave heed" to eter -and John expecting to receive 11 al111s fr m them. T:he words "gave 1eed" translate the verb epec/10, and ell u that 1he crj pple eager}~, f aste nctl 1i 111ind upon them i11 bedience to ter' co1111n1anct. l--f e n1t1 l hold his 111nki11g hard UJJ011 v. h1 Pctl: r ~ a 1b ui to offer t1in1. l' tul LI the ~ rd in J lirll . 4:16. in J,i al- l1orn1t1011 1 1n1 tl1 t t ke ht:e<I int th~ If. and u1110 the doe- r1n .. I i111 tll) 1111,rt p111 Iii 11111d lJfJ011 /1i111sr.lf e11ec/1r.), an I Jl 14 theJ . ] lllU t fi )1j t}1i11k- no UJ n hin1 If rn t lfi lll} - ,ut a r g rd1ng II th t t1e 111u t l>e n t ant I and 11 i t 11 t I, .. i 11 J 1 i ., 11 1 111 r~ Jl n 1hlc p iti 11. l il \\ j . I 1nil 1J1 1 t<J /1(J/d l1i 111i11d 11po11 I , a 111,1 f r " 11 i 11 }1 v. i 11 l> c p 111 . 11 ti1.. c1iur 11 rt n t n it 11 Ill U nt l 111 u t n f 111 i 0 0 I D BAPTI T The word also occurs in Acts 19:22~ in which verse it is tated that Paul ' 'stayed' ' in A ia for a time. The meaning i that Paul. after ending Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia. ' 'held on·· ( epescl1en) for a time. becau e a great and effectual door wa opened in Ephe u . al– though there were manv adver arie ; - again t whom Paul held on until the work wa done. The practical ignificance of thi for God' true ervant today is clear. Hold on ii,/1ere }'Ott are. de pite the adversaries and oppo ition. until the Lord ha fini hed Hi work there. The final use of the verb in the ew Te ta– n1ent i in the text mentioned above - Phil. 2:16. The Classical Use It is thu intere ting to note briefl\· the predominant ense of the word a it i u ed in the classical writino b and the papyri. Cicero u es the word in describing a man who holds h;,,1- self balanced betii 1 een fl-VO opin;ons. Plutarch ha the arne word and render it "to hold fa t.'' Hon1er employs the ame verb and tran late it "aim at. have on hold ." Pol\·- ., bius u es it to mean "keep in, hold back.' ' A papyrus dated A.D. 99 contain the advice of a man to hi friend. and he write : "Give l1eed to ( epechon) the mea urer: don't look askance at him.'' nother papyrus letter dated 2 A.D.. con– cern the suspen ion of certain mone– tary pa)'ment . and the writer refer to urns that were "withdrawn from the category of uspended payment because they were collected be/ore tl1e)' }Vere r11spnded'' (pro toit epis– cl1etl1 ei11ai). i.e. before they were l1elcl 11 p. A n1a n \.\ 1 r1 tee:; to another in 1 f 'J A.D . concerning the ale of a propert\ anu rcque t\ that the ale l,e Sl<Jppec/ ( e/Jt\c·l1et/1ei11ai) t1nttl c.l dl!Ct'\tOn ha l1een finall\' g1\en in . ... t he 111 a t t r . In (l t he r \\'or d . h c (it - ire that the ~tic ,f tl1c: J)rOJ)Crt, l1t> tc111poraril)' l1 elrl tt/J. 1\ 11ot i11 a .. li11cfer fl etric J)UJ1)' ru ontains tl1 en1ence fro111 a I ttt:r in \,hicl1 a latl) \,rit : ' '/ refrai11e(/ r1/.cJ (e/Jc?\- r/1011 fr 111 111c::c.::ting hi111..... < 1)- i o LI I t h\: s n i t }1 n l 11 /1 e Id l1e1 elj l,ack fr 111 111 ting th 11 r n t ,, 11 111 11 e r f r . rh, t is : 11 /1e/cl lier 111i11t/ 111Jr>11 }1 r I ii< 11 t ,tl tain fr 111 1l1e 111 ti11g t Lt I n i 11 g t t h t t i 11 2 : I . 111 r c 111 t l 11 tl1 rre t 111 , 11ing f ti, ~11t1 (; r t t11 \ Ing. t: fl jUdg111g I ll'l t lJ n r I u e f t ]1 c: \ 1 d i n t 11 r Elyria Church Purchases New Bus The First Bapti t hurch of Elvria i happ)' in the acqui ition of a new venty-two pa enger Interna– tional H arve ter bu to be u ed in the Youth and Sunday chool Pro– gram. The church ha an outreach of 300 young people in attendance at the Awana lub Progran1 on \\'edne - day· night and an a\erage attendance of 550 in unda>' cho 1. Mr. Truit report that rhe bt1 con1plete \\ ith air brake . po" er teer– ing and a roof top luggage carrier 'Nill be a fine a et in the Yot1th Progran,. The bu \\ a pt1r ha ed at J co t of l 0.000. Pictured left to right are Pa tor \\'oodro" McCaleh: E, erett Heffer– nan. Tru tee and Da, e Trt1it. ~fin– i ter of Yot1th. \\ ell a the e\\ Te tan1ent. \\ e tran - late: ' 'H oltli11 ~ 10 the \\' rtl of J_j te: Pa11l adn1 ni'-lheJ T1111t)th) t(.> kee1J !1i" 111111<1 111,011 the tfoctr,n ~. "'l ,,c lt)da) 1 • li\ 1 ing in a Cl rrtt{)t an(i \.11~- 1ntegrating \\ 01 IJ .tgt . .:1r" to kee 1 < ,,, 111i11<I., 1t/J(>11 1111, t,rt', ~li \:'\ ,rd < f life , (lll<f /10/d TO II 1 llc1£ i<Jll /,·. he \\ llr f n1dk\?s aJi, ~. it kte J a Ji, . it 111 r ~ase, anli flt>L1risl1' tl1~· "l 1ritL1~ I life. il 1'.Ct:J)s tl1at life llur a11 i gltarcl ii aga111sl st1l tit dl· cpti n. ~, il. an\i t1ntru1h. In ~lh.11 n ti111e ls tl1is. ,,h n tl1\,;rc: is, th:t ri rati n t 1, 11 in . :1 r t1lt·?tnt cli 1111 0 rat1 n t n Cl ra J • a 11 t t I gt n 1 a t i 11 ) f r - ltg1 n in g 11 r I. it 1 i111p 1,1t1\c thnt b lie, rs /..e / tl1c 11 111i11t/r; lt/Jl)Jl 1/1e JI 01tl (>/ /1/e /1 I 1 \el, e~ l<J t}11t \\ r 1 It 1s 11 a f 1 t ne t tr ti b l 1 , r , t h f 11 t 11, th Ir I e, u th 1 t 1 1 n , 1 ~, h \\ h1 n h 11 g 11 t I as ( 111 t ht l ,,,!, (IS I \ /.. I ' t 11'" \ 1 d 1nd 1 I I t 1 68 1