A
Word Study in Context
The purpose of the
exposition of Scripture is to teach doctrine which has as its purpose to “fall
backward, break us, take us and ensnare us” for God. This is detailed by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah
28.13;
And the word of the LORD will be to them precept
upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a
little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and
snared, and taken.
God
is planning on separating His people from their home for 70 years so that He
will have their complete attention so as to instruct them fully in His
doctrine. That is how we should study
His Word as well.
The original word. Apistos
[pronounced app-i-stos], means (A) – without + (Pistos) – faith. Succinctly, it is “active unbelief” or a
state of unbelief beyond credibility in the light of the facts.[1] Whoever the “unbelieving” (faithless ESV)
are, they shall not inherit the Kingdom of God and instead will experience the
“second death” and be thrown into the “lake of fire and brimstone.” The NT uses this word elsewhere and
collective usage gives us a very good idea of its meaning in context.
(1)
Act 26:8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you
that God raises the dead?
The word translated “incredible” is apistos.
The Jews rejection of the Resurrection was an active unbelief that
was shocking to Paul.
Conclusion: Those who reject the
reality of the Resurrection are part of the apistos.
(2)
Mat 17:17 And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be
with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me."
The word
translated “faithless” is apistos. We learn in vs. 19 that Jesus rebukes his
disciples, not for their “active unbelief” but for their “unbelief” by
default. Apistos in
this context can apply to those who have some measure of faith but a faith that
is lacking.
Conclusion:
Believers who are content with a state of doubt demonstrate a fruitless faith
to the outside world. Such are in danger
of not pleasing their Lord and “may” become fully apistos.
(3)
Mar 9:19 And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I
to bear with you? Bring him to me."
A
parallel passage to Matthew 17 noted above, Jesus uses the same apistos word. Again, it is used in a warning sense that
even the apostles were in danger of choosing the way of unbelief and
faithlessness. In fact, ALL the
apostles…to one extent or another…became apistos
during the passion of the Christ.
Fortunately, they all returned from the brink save one, Judas Iscariot.
Conclusion:
Even those strong in pistos “may”
become apistos. Truth be told, we all flux between
faithfulness and faithlessness much of the time. We need to take these warnings to heart.
(4)
See also Luke 9.41 for the 3rd
parallel of this event
(5)
Luk 12:46 the master of that
servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does
not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful
In Luke 12, Jesus contrasts His servants
various stages of readiness at His return.
Some are and some are not. In
fact, some are so apistos as to take
extreme advantage of other servants as the Lord’s return is delayed. Their fate?
Metaphorically “cut into pieces” and then numbered with the apistos where they will be cut off from
God for eternity.
Conclusion: The apistos
include some servants of Christ who abuse their fellow servants while in
this lifetime.
(6)
Joh 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out
your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."
In this passage the resurrected Christ appears to
the apostles, this time including Thomas who was absent previously. It is made plain that being either faithful
or faithless is a conscious choice to be made by free moral agents.
Conclusion: Whether one is pistos or apistos, it is
a clear, conscious and un - arbitrary choice we all make. No one is “sent” to hell, it is full of those
who choose it.
(7)
1Co 6:5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that
there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,
1Co
6:6 but
brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?
Paul here is
exhorting the Corinthians to stay out of secular court with their
disputes. He enjoins them to settle them
within the confines of the body of Christ rather than to drag them before the apistos, the unbelievers.
Conclusion: The apistos
contains all those outside of the church, the body of Christ as used in
this context.
(8)
1Co 7:12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if
any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him,
he should not divorce her. 1Co 7:13 If any woman has a husband who is an
unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 1Co 7:14 For
the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving
wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be
unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1Co 7:15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let
it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called
you to peace.
Paul
is commanding the Corinthians concerning the disposition of marriages between
the pistos and the apistos.
One has become a Christian and one has not. Paul allows for a separation in such cases
“IF” the unbelieving partner insists upon leaving. The so called “Pauline Exception” does not,
however, allow for any remarriage except by death or by sexual immorality as
does our Lord in Matthew 19.
Conclusion:
The apistos contains those who have
rejected the gospel, any person choosing NOT to be baptized in the Name of
Christ for the remission of sins.
(9)
1Co 10:27 If one of the unbelievers
invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before
you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
Paul is here presenting biblical principles for
Christians who were wrestling with whether or not to eat meat that had been
part of a pagan sacrifice. That is how
meat came to market in the ancient world.
The apistos here refers to the
non-Christian, any unbaptized person who invites the Christian to dinner and
serves what is ordinary and common in that place and time.
Conclusion: The apistos
includes all un-believers, all unbaptized persons of accountable age.
(10)
1Co 14:22 Thus tongues are a sign not
for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers
but for believers. 1Co 14:23 If, therefore, the whole church comes
together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will
they not say that you are out of your minds? 1Co 14:24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or
outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,
In this
passage Paul is contextually calling upon Mark 16.20. The reason tongues existed in the 1st
century was to confirm the Word. The apistos here are those persons,
currently unsaved, who are being urged to become Christians and are witnessing
“signs and worders” confirming the veracity of the words spoken by the
Christian(s).
Conclusion:
The apistos includes those who are
close to becoming Christians but have not made the decision to become
such. These were in need of further
encouragement.
(11)
2Co 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is
veiled only to those who are perishing. 2Co 4:4 In their case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Paul
describes the reason as to why many continue to rebel and reject Christ. These unbelievers continue to have their ears
stopped to the gospel.
Conclusion:
The apistos includes those who are
spiritually blinded by the lies of Satan.
(12)
2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has
light with darkness? 2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what
portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
An
encouragement to Christians not to partner with those belonging to false
religions.
Conclusion:
The apistos includes the adherents of
false religions.
(13)
1Ti 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his
relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith
and is worse than an unbeliever.
Paul names the
Christian who refuses to support his family as a “denier of the faith” and is
considered worse than an unbeliever.
Conclusion:
The Christian who denies the faith by neglecting his family is not only apistos, he is WORSE than apistos.
(14)
Tit 1:15 To the pure, all things are
pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds
and their consciences are defiled.
Paul tells Titus that “to the defiled and
unbelieving, nothing is pure but THEIR minds and THEIR consciences are
defiled.” The unbelieving are part of a
group identified as “THEIR.” Who,
therefore, is THEIR? Paul contextually
defines “THEIR” as Christians who teach false doctrine concerning circumcision
in vs. 10.
Conclusion: The apistos
includes those Christians who are willingly engaged in the promotion of
false doctrine.
(15)
Who, then,
are the “unbelieving” of Revelation 21?
a.
Those who
reject the resurrection
b.
Those are
content in a state of doubt
c.
Those who
remain fruitless
d.
Those who
abuse their brothers and sisters
e.
Those who
refuse belief in the face of the facts
f.
Those who
are outside of Christ for whatever reason
g.
Those who
reject the gospel as presented by those that love them
h.
Those
adhering to any other faith outside of Christ
i.
Those who
have been shown the gospel but are hesitating submitting to it
j.
Those who
are spiritually blinded by Satan
k.
Those who
adhere to false religion
l.
Those who
refuse to love and protect their families
m.
Those who
openly promote and teach false doctrine
Lesson Sheet Handout:
Revelation
21 Revisited – Who Are The Unbelieving?
1. What is the purpose of exposition?
2. What is the purpose of doctrine?
3. What is the process of teaching and learning of Scripture?
4. The word translated “unbelieving” in Revelation 21 is the
Greek word A____________ which is the combination of two words which mean
what?____________________________
5. What will happen to those so designated?
6. The NT’s collective usage of this word does what for our
study?
7. Acts 26.8 Description:______________________________
Acts 26.8 Meaning:
________________________________
8. Matthew 17.17 Description:__________________________
Matthew 17.17
Meaning:____________________________
9. Mark 9.19 Description: _____________________________
Mark 9.19 Meaning:________________________________
10.
John 20.27 Description:
________________________
John 20.27
Meaning:___________________________
11.
I Corinthians 6.5 Description:
___________________
I Corinthians 6.5 Meaning:
______________________
12.
I Corinthians 7.12 Description:____________________
I Corinthians 7.12 Meaning:
_____________________
13.
I Corinthians 10.27 Description:
__________________
I Corinthians 10.27 Meaning:
____________________
14.
I Corinthians 14.22 Description:
__________________
I Corinthians 14.22 Meaning:
____________________
15.
II Cor. 4.3 Description:
_________________________
II Cor. 4.3
Meaning:____________________________
16.
II Cor. 6.14 Description:
________________________
II Cor. 6.14
Meaning:___________________________
17.
I Timothy 5.8 Description: _______________________
I Timothy 5.8 Meaning:
_________________________
18.
Titus 1.15
Description:__________________________
Titus 1.15 Meaning:
____________________________
19.
Who are, then, the “unbelieving” of
Revelation 21?
a.________________________
b.________________________
c. ________________________
d.________________________
e._________________________
f._________________________
g._________________________
h._________________________
i.__________________________
j.__________________________
k._________________________
l.__________________________
m._________________________
[1]
Source: Spiros Zodhiates, Gen. Ed. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary New
Testament, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1992) pg. 214, entry 571
