Ambiguity: God’s Love for Us / Our Love for God
Classes are canceled because of the winter storm warning, so I’ve been reviewing today’s Greek lesson. Here’s an issue that came up:
ὃς δ’ ἂν τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ τετελείωται ἐν
–1 John 2:5
Does the phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ mean “God’s love for us” or “our love for God”? For the phrase can may be translated as “the love of God”, just as where the ESV reads “but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”
It seems that the genitive phrasing in this sentence is ambiguous in the Greek. Certainly, there is a significant difference in meaning, going from the love of God for us to our love for God. But what did the Apostle John really intend to say? What did he mean?! What has truly been perfected in him who keeps His word?
Hmmmm
Yeah, I dealt with that not too long ago. I think that taking it as a objective genitive has a strong case. Can God’s love really be perfected? Was there something deficient with it? No, but our love for God can be.
However would we say that we feel our love for God is in fact completed? I know I sure feel like that is continues daily.
That being said, I tend to prefer option number 1. “but the person who keeps his word, the love of\for God has truly been perfected/complete in Him.”
Oh, I don’t know if you saw it or not, but I also have 1 John 2.4 diagrammed on my blog. If you have to diagram it make sure to diagram it before checking it out!
I think I agree with ya there, bro:P
Kewl, I’ll check that out. Though, in Pennington’s class, we’re doing “Thought Flow Diagrams” instead — which is ‘conceptual’ diagramming, instead of the grammatical diagramming that you’re doing.
Oh, nice. We’ll have to get together sometime and show each other what’s going on. At least, you can show me how to do a though flow diagram, I’d love to be able to do both.