REGARDING APOSTLES & PROPHETS (and Bishops)! - Black Preaching Network2024-03-28T08:39:07Zhttp://abcpreachers.ning.com/forum/topics/regarding-apostles-prophets-and-bishops?feed=yes&xn_auth=noEphesians 2:19 Now therefore…tag:abcpreachers.ning.com,2015-12-18:916966:Comment:58941372015-12-18T09:06:41.028ZJoseph Gillhttp://abcpreachers.ning.com/profile/JosephGill
<p><em><strong>Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;<br></br><br></br></strong>Verse 20 reads 'ARE built', not WERE built. 'ARE' is present-tense or a present-tense verb, meaning the building is still on-going. </em></p>
<p>The verb in the…</p>
<p><em><strong>Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;<br/><br/></strong>Verse 20 reads 'ARE built', not WERE built. 'ARE' is present-tense or a present-tense verb, meaning the building is still on-going. </em></p>
<p>The verb in the original Greek is <span>epoikodomēthentes (<span>ἐποικοδομηθέντες</span>), and its tense is one we are unfamiliar with in English, the <strong>aorist</strong>. The aorist tense is generally understood to indicate past action, although it may indicate action that continues into the present. That is why some modern bible translations render the word with the past perfect tense in English: </span></p>
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<p><span>"<span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>having been built</em></span> on the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (NASB)</span></span></p>
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<p><span><span>Your critique of Cessationist doctrine is otherwise great, but the tense of the verb in Ephesians 2:20 does not really support your argument. <br/></span></span></p>
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