BJ Bear
Well-known member
Background: While reading a hardcopy of the JPS TANAKH it came to my attention that there was a prayer repeated at the close of some books. According to the preface, at the close of each of the twenty four books there is a prayer, "Hereby completed--praise to God, creator of the cosmos!"
"For God in this manner loved the world [cosmos], that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
In a plain reading of that passage world means world or cosmos means cosmos. This is made absolutely certain by the context, the witness of Moses.
Unlike the rest of the things found in the creation account, man was not spoken into existence. He was made from the dust of the earth, the creation, and God breathed life into him.
The incarnation is definite proof that God gave his Son for all men. People who deny that world means world, or mentally insert an adjective so that it is not inclusive of God's creation, which necessarily includes all men, are reading an alien context into the passage.
The connection: Like the sacrifice of the seventy plus one bulls, the prayer which closes the books is an additional clear indicator that the person and work of Christ is for and to all men.
"For God in this manner loved the world [cosmos], that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
In a plain reading of that passage world means world or cosmos means cosmos. This is made absolutely certain by the context, the witness of Moses.
Unlike the rest of the things found in the creation account, man was not spoken into existence. He was made from the dust of the earth, the creation, and God breathed life into him.
The incarnation is definite proof that God gave his Son for all men. People who deny that world means world, or mentally insert an adjective so that it is not inclusive of God's creation, which necessarily includes all men, are reading an alien context into the passage.
The connection: Like the sacrifice of the seventy plus one bulls, the prayer which closes the books is an additional clear indicator that the person and work of Christ is for and to all men.
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