Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

PROSEUCHOMAI* - Part 15 - εχηγεομαι (Strong's #1834)
To pray

Please note that all Biblical quotes, in this and all other lessons posted to Greek Thoughts, are from The Literal English Translation of the Bible produced by BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America.

We continue today with our study of the word προσεὺχομαι (Strong's #4336, pronounced prō'sūk-ō-mī**), which means "to pray." It is a word compounded from the preposition πρὸς (Strong's #4314, pronounced prōs**) meaning "to" or "toward," and the word εὔχομαι (Strong's #2172, pronounced ū' kō-mī**) meaning "to wish, to desire."

From the previous parts of this study, we have seen that the simple combination of these two Greek words does not give us a complete understanding of prayer. It has been necessary to biblically define the kind of desires and heart-condition required of believers as they address God in prayer. To this end, we first looked at teachings from the disciples and then focused on the foundational teachings of Jesus, as found in Matthew 6:5-14. From them we have gained a more complete understanding of prayer that includes where to pray, the need for submission to the Lord's name, and the necessary desire for His will and the coming of His kingdom.

This week we consider the fifth principle of prayer as given in Matthew 6:12; and in so doing, we focus on the most important need of the one praying — forgiveness.

Matthew 6:9-13: The Principles of Prayer

9)

In this way therefore you pray (προσεὺχομαι); Our Father, the One in the heavens, sanctify Your name;

10)

Your kingdom come; Your will happen, as in heaven also upon the earth.

11)

Give to us today our daily bread;

12)

and forgive us our debts as we also are forgiving our debtors.

Matthew records that Jesus used the words "debts" and "debtors" when teaching about asking for forgiveness of sin, The Greek words used are ὀφεὶλημα (Strong's #3783, pronounced ō phā' lā mä) for debts and ὀφειλὲτης (Strong's #3784, pronounced ō phā' lĕ tās) for debtors; both words mean to owe a debt to someone. The Jews believed that when they sinned they owed a debt to God. They also believed that the debt had to be paid to God in order to obtain His forgiveness. Jesus, however, taught that God's forgiveness of an individual's sin is predicated on that individual's forgiveness of others, as seen from Matthew 6:12, and this is reinforced in Matthew 6:14-15.

Matthew 6:14-15

14)

For if you should forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15)

But if you should not forgive men their transgressions, not even will your Father forgive your transgressions.

The same truth is found in Ephesians 4:32 where Paul teaches, "…And become gracious to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, according as also God forgave you in Christ."

When first reading our text in Matthew, one might think Jesus is teaching that if we do not forgive others for their sins against us, we will not be forgiven — at all. And, if we will not be forgiven, it seems that our salvation can be lost. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to understand the two phases of the Christian life, in order to comprehend the process of the forgiveness of sin.

The relationship true believers have with the Lord is both positional and experiential. Once a person receives the spirit of Christ, his/her sins are forgiven because of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Having received this substitutionary sacrifice for sin, an individual believer is permanently and eternally positioned in Christ, which is the purpose for the coming of the Son of God as stated by John in 1 John 3:8:

1 John 3:8

8)

The one practicing sin is from the devil, because the devil is sinning from the beginning. For this the Son of God was made known, in order that He should loosen the works of the devil.

Once the believer is in Christ, he/she is and has been forgiven for eternity. However, even though the believer's position in relation to the Lord is permanent, he/she must then experience this forgiveness on a daily basis. Jesus established this truth when he washed the disciple's feet, as recorded in John 13:5-11.

John 13:5

5)

Then afterward He put water into the basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel in which He was girding Himself.

6)

Therefore He comes to Simon Peter. And that one says to Him, Lord, are You washing my feet?

8)

Peter says to Him, You should never wash my feet forever! Jesus answered him, Unless I should wash you, you have no part with Me.

9)

Simon Peter says to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.

10)

Jesus says to him, The one having been bathed has no need than to wash the feet, but is wholly clean. And you are clean, but not all.

11)

For He knew the one giving Him over. On account of this He said, Not all are clean.

From His statement in verse 10, it is evident that the Lord was washing the disciples' feet to teach them the importance of being washed and forgiven of sin—once one is bathed there is no need thereafter except for washing the feet. Verse 11 from John's commentary conveys the understanding that the Lord was talking about cleansing from sin; since He refers to one of the disciples, the betrayer Judas Iscariot, as not being spiritually clean. Therefore, in this we see both aspects of the forgiveness process; the positional as represented by the initial bath (substitutionary death of Christ) and the experiential as represented by the washing of the disciples' feet.
John also teaches, in 1 John 1:8-10, that we must confess our sins so that we may experience the forgiveness the Lord has purchased for us.

1 John 1:8

8)

If we should say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9)

If we should confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous in order that He should forgive us the sins, and should cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10)

If we should say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

Jesus stated the importance of this teaching in Matthew 5:23-24:

Matthew 5:23

23)

Therefore if you should offer your gift upon the altar, and there you should remember that your brother has something against you,

24)

leave there your gift before the altar, and go. First, to reconcile to your brother, and then, after having come, offer your gift.

We who are in Christ have been forgiven for our sins at the time of receiving Christ. This position of forgiveness never changes. But the Lord has established a second phase to forgiveness, a relational one that makes each of us accountable to others, as well as to the Lord, for the sins we have committed. It is in the comprehension of this process, whereby we come to the understanding that our forgiveness of others (or lack thereof) for sinning against us, dictates to the Lord how He must deal with each of us concerning our own sins.

Next week, we will continue to examine Jesus' teaching as we study the sixth principle of prayer from Matthew 6:9-13.

* PROSEUCHOMAI is the English font spelling of the Greek word προσεὺχομαι.

**English pronunciation guide for Greek words: āle, ăm, ärm; ēve, ĕnd; īce, ǐll; ōld, ǒdd, whö; ūse, ŭp

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