My friend Little Lamb: My precious wife and I have fellowship with individuals( like Jonathan) who works true humility within. This is his response to your excellent question>>.
Each preposition has is own base idea, plus, through common usage, a wider semantic range of meanings. In my translation, I have focused on unpacking these meanings so that the English reader can have access to the potential nuances and meanings that can be observed in the Greek text. You may have noticed that in my rendering of "spirit" (
pneuma) I include the meaning that is indicated by the
-ma ending of this noun. That ending of a Greek noun signifies that this noun means "the effect or the result" of the noun. I took from the
Concordant Key Word Concordance the literal meaning of this word: "breath-effect." It was God's Breath-effect that He blew into the nostrils of Adam to give him life. I have one NT translation that renders "Holy Spirit" as "Sacred Breath." When God breathes into us, we receive the effect of His breath: life. Now I have not abandoned the rendering "spirit," but have added the inherent nuance that the Greek word embodies.
For a more detailed example, here are my comments on 2 Cor. 5:18-19 (yet to be published):
- Yet further, all things [are] (or: the Whole [is]; = all the things that exist [are])forth from out of the midst of God – the One transforming us to be completely other [than we were]
(or: bringing us into another place or state of being; changing us to correspond with other [perceptions and conceptions]; altering us to be conformed to another [person]; changing us from enmity to friendship; reconciling us)
in Himself (or: with Himself; by Himself; to Himself; for Himself),
through Christ, and giving to us the attending service of, and the dispensing from, the complete transformation [for folks] to be other [than before]
(or: the change into another [position]; the changing to correspond with other [situations; perceptions]; the alteration to be another [person]; the change from enmity to friendship; the reconciliation), [
cf Rom. 8:19-21]
The first clause could not be a more inclusive statement. Paul is restating what he said in Rom. 11:36,
“
Because, forth from out of the midst of Him, then through the midst of Him (or: through means of Him),
and [finally] into the midst of Him, [is; will be] the whole (everything; [are] all things).”
This leaves nothing out; it also leaves no one out. The final destiny of all humanity is clearly stated in both of these witnesses.
But now Paul goes on to tell us what God (i.e., humanity’s final destination) is like, and what He does:
“
the One transforming US to be completely OTHER [than we were].”
Because this is a work of God, Paul uses the verb tense that can be seen as either timeless, or without reference to process or duration. This is simply what God does… and in this He remains the same. God transforms people. The extent of this work, its scope, is clearly stated in the next verse:
[the] aggregate of humanity (etc.).
What I have rendered as “transforming… to be completely other” is commonly rendered “reconciling.” Now the idea of reconciliation is contained in the extended semantic range of the participle, but it falls far short of the explicit meanings of the elements of the compound verb
katallassō. The root,
allassō, means: to make other than it is; to change; to alter; (by extension) to exchange something for something else. In this verse, the addition of the prefix,
kata-, can be understood as an intensifier, thus my rendering, “
completely other,” with the participle, and “
complete transformation,” with the noun that follows.
Now the preposition
kata has a semantic range, and so in rendering these compound words, the meanings of this prefix can enter into the resultant meaning of the verb and of the noun. So let us consider these other optional renderings:
- a) bringing us into another place or state of being; -- God’s reign and sovereign activities/the heavens;
- b) changing us to correspond with other [perceptions and conceptions]; – i.e., the new arrangement;
- c) altering us to be conformed to another [person]; -- i.e., conformed to Christ;
- d) changing us from enmity to friendship; -- with God and with one another; and thus…
- e) reconciling us.
Next we observe that God does this “
in Himself.” Pause, and think about what this can imply… Well, we do exist within the midst of Him (Acts. 17:28). But wait, there’s more… This phrase can also read, “with Himself, by Himself, to Himself, or/and for Himself.” Each of these options is a thought worth contemplating. Paul used this same verb,
katallassō, in Rom. 5:10,
“
For you see, since (or: if)
WHILE continuously existing being actively HOSTILE ones (or: enemies [of people, or of God])
we WERE suddenly CHANGED from enmity to friendship by God (or: conciliated to God; or:
CHANGED to be WHOLLY OTHER and to be in line, consistent and compatible
IN God)
through His Son’s death, much more (or: all the more, then)
we will continue being kept safe and will be progressively delivered (rescued; saved; cured and restored to the health and wholeness of our original state and condition)
– being folks that were conciliated(fully changed from enmity to friendship and made totally other than we were)
within His Life (or: in union with the life which is Him).”
How can Paul be any more explicit about the unilateral work of Christ? He used another word for “transformation” in 3:18, above, but he is speaking here about the same things that he was speaking about there.
Then, we see that this all happens “
through Christ.” This is laid out more fully, in Eph. 2:8,
“
For you see, by (or: to; in; for; with)
the grace and joyous favor you are (you continuously exist being)
folks having been delivered (rescued; kept safe; saved; made whole; restored to your original state and condition)
so as to now be enjoying salvation through [some MSS add: the]
faithfulness (or: loyalty; trust; faith; confidence),
and even this not forth from out of you folks, [it is] the gift of and from God (or: the gift which is God; or: the gift pertains to God).”
But now the baton is passed on to US, for Paul continues, “
and giving to us the attending service of, and the dispensing from, the complete transformation [for folks] to be other [than before].” Here, again, we have some optional renderings:
- a) the change into another [position]; -- from “earth” to “the atmosphere of the spirit;”
- b) the changing to correspond with other [situations; perceptions];
- c) the alteration to be another [person];
- d) the change from enmity to friendship; -- the Peace of the Joining (Eph. 2:15);
- e) the reconciliation; -- between heaven and earth.
This third rendering, c, that means that we are to be “another person,” suggests the idea of being born back from above – which also is completely the work of our Father. Opting for the rendering “reconciliation,” and offering what I give as “
attending service” as the performance of an “ambassador,” both as per NEB, Harvey posits that: “the reconciliation is set in motion by a messenger or an embassy from the other party” (ibid p 585). That “other party” is God, in Christ. The NEB reads: “We come, therefore, as Christ’s ambassadors. It is as if God were appealing to you through us: in Christ’s name… be reconciled to God!” Reconciliation is good, but “
the complete transformation [for folks] to be other [than before]” is better. Keep in mind: this announcement is intended for the whole aggregate of humanity.
This “
attending service of” and “
the dispensing from,” is what the sent-forth representatives (Paul and his associates; Peter; etc.) were doing by birthing (Gal. 4:26 – they became a part of the Jerusalem which is above) the called-out communities, and then by caring for them – as through the very letter that we are presently reading. This service has continued ever since it began.
- as that God was existing within Christ (God was and continued being centered in, and in union with [the] Anointed One) progressively and completely transforming [the] aggregate of humanity (or: world) to be other [than it is](or: progressively bringing [the] ordered System into another level or state; repeatedly changing [the] universe to correspond with other [conditions; perceptions]; progressively altering [the] ordered arrangement of culture, religions, economy and government to be in line with another one; habitually and progressively changing [the] secular realm [of humanity] from enmity to friendship; reconciling [the] world [of mankind]) in Himself, to Himself, for Himself, by Himself, and with Himself, not accounting to them (not putting to their account; not logically considering for them; not reasoning in them) the results and effects of their falls to the side (their trespasses and offenses), even placing within us the Word (the Logos; the Idea; the Reason; the message; the pattern-forming information) of the corresponding transformation to otherness (or: the full alteration; the change from enmity to friendship; the conciliation).
And so Paul goes on to expand the message of Goodness, Ease and Well-being, which he had just told them was this complete transformation. He points out that it was
Godthat
was existing within Christ. Rendered differently, “God was, and continued being” – here the verb is in the imperfect tense: a state of being that was begun in the past (either in the Incarnation, or at Jesus’ immersion by John in the Jordan River, and the Anointing by the Spirit) and continued in existence, on into the present.
God wasCENTERED in, and
IN UNION with [the]
Anointed One.” Christ’s work on the cross was NOT to appease an offended god; Oh NO! God was
WITHIN Him experiencing the beating and the death, on the cross. God and Jesus were together in this Act of giving Their Life to humanity. The mystery of this cannot really be explained, other than it was an Act of Love that completely covered humanity’s pain and death, and in Their resurrection (remember Jesus and His Father were/are One) They brought Humanity into Resurrection Life – each one to experience this in their own time and re-birth (1 Cor. 15:23).
“God was…
progressively and completely transforming [the] aggregate of humanity to be other [than it is].” The participle in this clause is in the present tense. As you observe, we have alternate renderings on offer:
- a) progressively bringing [the] ordered System into another level or state; -- the term rendered “aggregate of humanity” and “ordered System” is the Greekkosmos. This is the same word used by John in Jn. 3:16, “For thus God loves the aggregate of humanity (ordered System)…” God loves everything that He made (Gen. 1:31), and He cares for all of it; here, the “ordered System” may be speaking of the “new creation” of vs. 17, above;
- b) repeatedly changing [the] universe to correspond with other [conditions; perceptions]; -- this may seem to be an extreme rendering, but it is legitimate; this could be seen as an allusion to Gen. 1:2-3ff, i.e., to God in His ongoing acts of creation, such as referenced in Rev. 21:5;
- c) progressively altering [the] ordered arrangement of culture, religions, economy and government to be in line with another one; -- God repeatedly invades history and makes changes;
- d) habitually and progressively changing [the] secular realm [of humanity] from enmity to friendship; -- as we see in the last clause, He has us participate in this; this extended use of the word calls to mind Jas. 2:23, where Abraham “was called ‘God's friend,’” and so here we can see “the world” being changed in order to be a part of what Abraham signifies in Paul’s teachings; we even see this change of relationship evidenced in what Jesus said to His disciples (Jn. 15:15b):
“
now I have declared you folks friends, because I make intimately and experientially known to you everything (or: all things)
which I heard and hear at My Father's side and in His presence;”
- e) reconciling [the] world [of mankind]; -- this is completely inclusive.
Now He did, and continues doing this:
in Himself, to Himself, for Himself, by Himself and with Himself. Regarding the last phrase, “with Himself,” let us call to mind Paul’s words in Gal. 2:20a,
“
I was crucified together with Christ [= the Messiah], and thus it remains(or: I have been jointly put on the execution stake in [the] Anointed One, and continue in this state)
... yet I continue living! [It is] no longer I, but it is Christ continuously living and alive within me!”
Putting Himself within us is what changes us – completely transforms US!
The next statement flies in the face of the old covenant arrangement (the old
kosmos). This new covenant swallowed up the old, and now – to our great joy we find that God is “
NOT accounting to them (not putting to their account; not logically considering for them; not reasoning in them)
the results and effects of their falls to the side (their trespasses and offenses).” What grace; what mercy! Here, Paul may be reaching back to Isa. 43:25,
“I! I [am] He [Who] wipes out your transgressions on My [own] account; and your sins I shall not remember further” (CVOT).
Unfortunately, much of Christianity did not get the memo – they have completely overlooked this. They not only (unlike God) hold people’s trespasses against them, they threaten folks with their imaginary “endless torment” if they don’t comply with religion’s demands. But in contrast to this, Paul instructs us that God was “
even placing within us the Word (the
Logos; the Idea; the Reason; the message; the pattern-forming information)
of the corresponding transformation to otherness (or: the full alteration; the change from enmity to friendship; the conciliation).” Through His body, the
Logos is repeatedly becoming flesh (Jn. 1:14), so that others can continue to behold His glory (3:18, above; Jn. 1:14b). What an honor; what a privilege.
I hope that this has been helpful,
Jonathan