Tense
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. -Heb 10:14
The tenses in this sentence are worthy of meditation....
"has perfected"
- The perfection Christ purchased 2000 years ago continues. He bought it in the past, but it continues to apply every day in the present.
- The perfection was completed--it's not "is perfecting" where he is still working, but that the perfection was completed in the past, yet it is ongoing.
"are being sanctified"
- Our sanctification is not complete. Christ is still working our sanctification out in us (even though we have been perfected already).
- This is a passive voice--we aren't the ones doing the sanctification; rather, Christ.
I certainly haven't wrapped my mind fully around this one. How can we be perfect yet still need sanctification? Clearly, I'm missing something in my understanding of Christ's work and the differences between perfection and sanctification.
4 comments:
tex,
being an English teacher, I love when that knowledge is applied to the scriptures. Interesting thoughts on the tenses of the verbs and what they reveal about santification and perfection.
I hope you and your family are doing well.
Karen Carr
Karen,
Glad to see you found my blog! I'm curious to find out how you stumbled across it...
tex
let's see...I think it was through EP's blog. I saw "tex" and thought, could it be?? Those weird MN blog connections.
kc
Ahh, the beauties of "already, but not yet."
The "old man" has been crucified but is still around...and we are called, or rather commanded, to put on the "new man."
Just awesome!
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