What is The Testimony?

The Hebrew word edut (‏עֵדוּת) occurs 38 times in the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses).  Of those occurrences, 36 occur with the definite article— ha-edut (‏הָעֵדוּת)— which is translated 32 times in the NKJV capitalized as "the Testimony." It is translated once in the KJV capitalized as "the Testimony."

What does this word mean? Why is it capitalized in these translations? Here is the first instance in the Bible.

Ex. 16:33 KJV – And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 

Belief and Behavior

This post is a spin-off from my series of posts on Faith and Faithfulness.


I have to admit that the topic of Faith and Faithfulness has been challenging.  Is faith the same as belief?  Or is it faithfulness?  There are texts that seem to be compelling arguments in favor of both perspectives.  I find the Old Testament usage of emunah to be a persuasive argument in favor of faith as faithfulness.  And yet, both pistis and emunah are closely related to words that are clearly used in contexts where belief or trust are the most reasonable interpretations.  I also can not ignore some places in the New Testament where pistis is used in a sense that suggests belief.

I am reminded of the theory of light— is it a wave or a particle? Both! Perhaps, faith is both belief and behavior.  Maybe, belief and behavior are inseparable.  When Jesus said, "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth"— pneumati kai aletheia. (John 4:23), can we understand it to mean in thought and deed? Is there Biblical support for this perspective?  This post will look at these two words— spirit and truth— to see if they are used to mean belief and behavior— thought and deed.  We will look at the word spirit first.

Is there a third great commandment?

A "scribe" or "lawyer" (nomikos — a Torah expert) asked Jesus, ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matt 22:25 NKJV).  The GW translation better expresses the cultural context: "One of them, an expert in Moses’ Teachings, tested Jesus by asking, ‘Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses’ Teachings?’”  The Delitzsch Hebrew NT translates the last phrase with "mitsvah gedolah ba-torah"— the great commandment in the Torah.  Here is the complete Matthew version of the event.

Matt. 22:35 NET – And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law (εν τω νομω – en to nomo / ‏בַּתּוֹרָה – ba-torah) is the greatest?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the law and the prophets (ο νομος και οι προφηται – o nomos kai oi prophetai / ‏הַתּוֹרָה וְהַנְּבִיאִים – ha-torah ve-ha-nevi'im) depend on these two commandments.” 

Faith and Faithfulness (Part 16)

This is the sixteenth in a series of studies on the topic of faith and faithfulness. (If you are coming to this page from a search engine, I recommend this link for a table of contents of the topics covered in this series.)

I recently heard an evangelist talk about an experience with a man that had been attending his meetings.  The man came up to him following one meeting and said that he would no longer be attending.  He pointed to his Bible and said: "I can continue breaking every commandment in this Bible for the rest of my life and it doesn't matter."  Is that really true?  Where did he get such an idea?

I am reminded of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).  In the parable, it is clear that the son had a forgiving father, but we can also know from the story that he did not have an indulgent and permissive father.  Why would he have left, after all, if he could have enjoyed "riotous" (KJV) or "prodigal" (NKJV) living at home? Here are some other translations— "wild lifestyle" (NET), "wild living" (NIV), "undisciplined and dissipated" (MSG), "reckless living" (ESV), "foolish living" (NCV), "extravagant living" (CEB).

Does the story give us the impression that the father was "ok" with his son's "wild lifestyle"?  What did the son himself think?  He said, "“Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son." (NKJV).  Yes, the father took him back, but there is no sense of approval in the story for his reckless living. The father said, "my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."  Let us not forget the context of this parable.  A few verses earlier, Jesus tells us his purpose for the parables— "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents" (verse 7, NKJV) and "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (verse 10, NKJV).  Jesus is forgiving, but he also calls for repentance.

So, what does this have to do with faith and faithfulness?  If we understand "faith" as mere belief without obedience, then the parables of Luke 15 are meaningless.  What does repentance mean if mere belief is all that God asks of us? Why, then, would Jesus say "sin no more" (John 5:14 and 8:11)?

I can not reconcile the concept of an unfaithful "faith" with the rest of the Bible— any attempt to live "by faith" and yet unfaithfully does not make sense. No, to make sense with the rest of Scripture, faith must be faithful.

Faith and Faithfulness (Part 15)

This is the fifteenth in a series of studies on the topic of faith and faithfulness. (If you are coming to this page from a search engine, I recommend this link for a table of contents of the topics covered in this series.)


Romans 1:8

CEB — First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the news about your faithfulness is being spread throughout the whole world.

CPV — Let me say first that through Jesus Christ I thank my God for every one of you, because your faithfulness is being reported all over everywhere. 

See here for comments I made yesterday on the Cotten Patch Version (CPV).

If we understand faith to be only belief— "an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists"— then it is not observable.  If we understand the word in this way, then Paul is saying that "people all over the world are talking about" (NIRV) a belief that the Romans have.  Yes, their belief in the "resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3 NKJV) would been a subject for comment among non-believers, but it was not a belief that was unique to the Romans; it doesn't make sense for Paul to draw attention to a fundamental belief that they have in common.  Paul would only make this comment about an observable behavior— faithful obedience to the principles that Jesus taught.

Elsewhere, Paul describes the changes that occur in those who choose to become followers of Jesus.  Is it not this kind of change that would be "spoken of throughout the whole world?"

Eph. 2:1 NKJV – And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 

Col. 3:5 NKJV – Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 

See below where Romans 1:18 through 2:11 develops this idea further.

Romans 1:12

CEB — What I mean is that we can mutually encourage each other while I am with you. We can be encouraged by the faithfulness we find in each other, both your faithfulness and mine.

Only a faithfulness that is observable— an action or behavior— could encourage another.

Romans 1:17

CEB — God’s righteousness is being revealed in the gospel, from faithfulness for faithfulness (footnote), as it is written, The righteous person will live by faith.

Romans 1:18-32

Verse 18 begins a contrast with the "righteous" (or just) of verse 17, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (NKJV).  The rest of the chapter describes the "unrighteous" with characteristic behaviors.  "Although they knew God"— could we say they believed in God in the James 2:19 sense— "they did not glorify Him as God."  Paul goes on with a list of evil behaviors and concludes "that those who practice such things are deserving of death" (NKJV).  In contrast to the unrighteous and paraphrasing verse 17,  can we not say that the righteous person will live faithfully? That is, without the evil behaviors that Paul lists?  Are the righteous—in contrast to some of the characteristics of verses 29-31— moral, generous, lovers of God, peaceful, humble, obedient to parents, trustworthy, loving, forgiving and merciful?  Surely, Paul's intention for the Romans is more than just belief; surely, he is calling for righteous behavior.

Romans 2:1-11

In chapter 2, Paul continues to develop a case that makes it difficult to maintain an exclusively belief understanding of faith.  Yes, we understand that "through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved" (Acts 15:11 NKJV), but also that "the goodness of God leads you to repentance" (2:4 NKJV).  Paul goes on to say that God "will render to each one according to his deeds" (2:6 NKJV).  The theme of judgement "according to deeds" is well developed throughout the Bible— see for example, Job 34:11, Ezekiel 7:3,27, 1 Peter 1:17, and Revelation 20:12-13.  Paul continues the theme in the next verse, describing how God will "give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good" (2:7 CEV).  In contrast, "to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness," (2:8 NET) God "will reward" (2:6 NET) with "wrath and anger" (2:8 NET) and "affliction and distress" (2:9 NET).  In contrast, again,  to everyone who "does evil" (2:9 NET), God "will reward" with "glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good" (2:10 NET).

Paul seems to be promoting an active, doing faithfulness— rather than a mere passive belief.


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Previously, I wrote a short series of posts on repentance as a change in behavior rather than just a feeling of regret.

Faith and Faithfulness (Part 14)

This is the fourteenth in a series of studies on the topic of faith and faithfulness. (If you are coming to this page from a search engine, I recommend this link for a table of contents of the topics covered in this series.)


It has been nearly a year since I wrote on this topic, but recently, a comment on an earlier post got me thinking and writing again.  I continue to struggle with the meaning of pistis (faith) and the various ways that the word has been used in the Bible.  It seems that there are a small number of cases where pistis is best understood as belief, but I believe that many if not most of the New Testament uses of pistis could be better understood as faithfulness.  I have started writing on the connection between belief and behavior, but then set that aside for a while to work on faithfulness in the book of Romans.  Today's post is the first on that theme.


Romans 1:5


Early in the book, Paul identifies his purpose—"to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles" (Rom 1:5 NET).  He continues, speaking to to the Romans and identifying his motive for writing, "You also are among them,"— the Gentiles— whom he intends to be bring to "obedience."  The phrase "obedience of faith"  (hypakoen pisteos) is repeated in Romans 16:26 where Paul again states his purpose, that the "gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ" (16:25 NET) is intended to "to bring about the obedience of faith" (16:26).  These two instances of "obedience of faith" bracket the entire book, and we miss Paul's message entirely if we understand faith outside of this context.  With this context in mind, we can look at the rest of Romans, reading faith as faithfulness wherever it makes sense.  I have searched for translations or interpretations of Romans that take this perspective and I will use them in the discussion that follows.

HCSB — We have received grace and apostleship through Him to bring about the faithful obedience (footnote) among all the nations, on behalf of His name,...

This reading is an alternative taken from the HCSB footnote. The faithful obedience translates hypakoen pisteos in which the genitive could be mechanically translated— obedience of faithfulness.  There are several other translations (or paraphrases) that write from a similar perspective.

CEB — It is through Jesus that we have received God’s grace and our appointment to be apostles through Jesus. This was to bring all Gentiles to faithful obedience for his name’s sake. 

CPV — Through him I got the favor of an appointment to approach, on his behalf, other races, including you all, about faithful obedience on all matters. So you, too, are Jesus Christ’s guests.

I have found the Cotten Patch Version (CPV) to be especially far toward the faithfulness end of the belief-faithfulness spectrum.  The CPV certainly does not deserve to be called a translation; and it never was intended to be an accurate rendering of the original languages into English.  The author, Clarence Jordan,  describes it as a "version" rather than a translation and wrote: "obviously the 'cotton patch' version must not be used as a historical text. The Revised Standard Version and the New English Bible are excellent for this purpose." Jordan, a native of Georgie who wrote during the height of the civil rights movement, is described as a "man of action" in the CPV link above.  The brief biographical sketch goes on: "A visionary during the struggle for the civil rights of all God's children, he founded an inter-racial community called Koinonia. On this farm, folks worked side-by-side to make a living, following Jesus - a radical concept fifty years ago."


I have only read briefly about his life and work, but I find his pragmatic and contemporary approach to be inspiring.  The gospel was more than an abstract idea or belief for Jordan, but a call for action.  The brief sketch that I quoted above concludes: "By the way, Clarence has had a great influence upon many persons, including Habitat for Humanity founder, Millard Fuller. Furthermore, President Jimmy Carter grew up just down the road from the original Cotton Patch. The foreword to a recently published collection of Jordan's sermons - The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Patch Sermons - was written by our former President."  The legacy of faithfulness speaks for itself.


Returning to Romans 1:5, even if we might prefer an emphasis on faith, understood as belief, Paul does not allow us to disconnect it from behavior; at a minimum, obedience is a consequence of belief, but Paul might also be saying that obedience is a characteristic of faithfulness.  In either case, Paul desires more than just a mental acceptance from his readers— he is calling for a change in behavior.


The 2010 edition of the NIV has an interesting alternative reading in a footnote.  

NIV alt. — Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that is faith for his name’s sake.

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I have much more to say on this topic, but I have to remind myself that this is a blog rather than a book— it is better to stop and publish what I have completed than to wait until I have every idea completely developed.


I wrote previously on "the importance of good works" in a post called Jesus: A Man of Action.