Have You Fallen On Your Face In Terror Of The Lord?

2 Corinthians 5:11 (NKJV)

11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

First, I need to remind you why I set out to do my reading and translating with the purpose of focusing only on those verses that have controversy regarding the distinctions of the manuscript traditions rather than my normal routine of going verse by verse and chapter by chapter in a designated book. My purpose in this study is to get at the heart of what God has said in His Son (Heb.1:1-4), not to cause further confusion or doubt in those seeking to understand the truth. However, if division happens because of it, I do not fear such a division. I want to know what is at the heart of the New Testament commandments and the will of God for the church, not just what has been men’s traditions of [that] commandment to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Matt.28:18-20).

So bear with me as I continue to deepen my understanding, and prayerfully yours, as I go down this path in my current studies. But now, as I come to the context of the table of the Lord and its descriptive purpose, I find it very important how this study relates to that purpose given to the church as it relates to the great commission. So, as I skip over chapter 13, it is not because I am avoiding its description of the command we left off in chapter 12, which was to pursue the most excellent graces (through love). But chapter 14:1 marks off that same command after Paul describes its character. Therefore, chapter 14 is just a continuation of how Paul expects these “graces” that God made to be “spiritual” and alive before Him to function in the church as the elements and parts of this commission. Now, how do 1 Corinthians 12:31 and 14:1 join together to establish the purpose behind the command to prophesy through love (1Cor.14:12, 39-40)? Why is “the prophet” commanded to desire and pursue “spirituals” for this purpose of love (1Cor.7:12-14; 15:29; 2Pet.1:5-8)?

We come now to the controversy between the manuscripts in 1Cor.14:25.

First offering:

1Cor.14:25

“So in this manner, those secrets of his heart are being revealed; and continuing in this manner, falling on his face he will worship God reporting that the only God is truly among you.” (mast)

Now, it is important that [kai houto] or (And thus (NKJV) be included here as the marker of the antecedent, which should be translated as “So in this manner” to emphasize how the secrets of this heart were revealed. Therefore, it is in direct conjunction with the previous verse (v.24) and in indirect conjunction with the practical function of the Lord’s purpose of the table (1Cor.11:26). Therefore, through the manner by which they are gathering into one place, around a particular table of contents, to offer a spiritual food that God has promised to bless, under the right administration of the Word that God has blessed, a sanctifying effect will occur in the uninformed or unbelieving heart when Christ’s death becomes the wisdom of God to that heart through a form of the theology of thanksgiving working in that heart (Rom.6:16-17; 1Cor.1:18-21).

Therefore we need to define what is meant by that statement of the previous verse, which says, “he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.” Well, we know already that “all do not prophesy” (1Cor.12:29). So what does Paul mean by “But if all prophesy?” For this, we need to understand the reward that those who participate with and taste of Christ’s death receive when they offer their “powers” of thanksgiving to God for this purpose of exercising their graces in love (1Cor.11:4-5; 26).

Matthew 10:31–42 (NKJV)

31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. 40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Now, the emphasis I want to make with this context in Matthew 10 is the reward of offering the natural elements in Christ’s name for Christ’s sake in honor of a prophet of this household of grace to be served as a host upon the Lord’s table of grace (Rom.5:6-11; Heb.13:12-19; 1Tim.5:17-18). A prophet is baptized for the ungodly to find life in God’s name (Jn.6:51-58, 61-63; 20:30-31; 1Cor.15:29). Therefore, “anyone” who receives a prophet with as little as a cup of cold water shall not lose their reward (Jn.10:36; James 1:17-18). There is greater reward for those who give more (Gal.6:6-8; 2Cor.9:6-7), but the reward spoken of here is the assurance of eternal life (Rom.10:17; Heb.11:1-2). Therefore, one must “lose their life” at this table of grace to find that assurance of everlasting life (1Cor.11:26; 15:36; Eph.2:1). One must taste and see that the Lord is good and gracious to give [that] life (Ps34:8; 1Pet.2:3).

Therefore when we consider Romans 5:6-11, we find that Christ died for the ungodly first (Matt.9:13), and we find that all men are reluctant to give their pearls to swine (Jn.2:23-25), but the “body” of Christ, as represented in His death (1Cor.11:26), in all his parts as a household of faith, are offering up this “theological body” as a memorial of thanksgiving for those still dead in trespasses and sins, calling sinners out of death and into life (1Cor.11:25). However, the prophet doesn’t design the service of his hosting to persuade men but God to receive this theological body of thanksgiving (Gal.1:6-10; Jn.4:20-24; 2Cor.4:5-6; 11:1-4). Therefore, the offering is for the only God in the presence of believer and unbeliever alike, with God as the reward of the prophet’s work, supposing he calls upon God rightly (Rom.10:11-17; 1Cor.4:9; 9:23-27; 10:14-17).

1Cor.14:25

“So in this manner, those secrets of his heart are being revealed; and continuing in this manner, falling on his face he will worship God reporting that the only God is truly among you.” (mast)

Therefore, as we exegete 14:25, we must examine it in light of 14:16, 23-24, which are all antecedent to 11:26 in the theological offering of this spiritual body of faith in memory of Christ’s death (Rom.12:1-2). So “by all” is meant as all who participate in the fellowship of the offering, by which all are prophesying Christ’s death in the hope of the eternal reward that presently is revealed under the power of assurance and sanctification (Rom.8:8-30). That’s why it’s vital to include [kai houto] as the preserved text where the NU has chosen not to remember its validity. Also, when you try to read it through the other manuscript tradition, you can just feel that something is missing. It doesn’t flow right from verse 24 into verse 25. There would be no conjunction between the adjective [panton] (all) in verse 24 and the article [ta] (the) in verse 25. Without an antecedent, the relation of the two statements would be unclear. But it is clear and precedes the whole way back to 11:26 in the purpose to come together as a body for this purpose. This table of thanksgiving is for their sanctification in salvation. But let’s now exegete the text.

Therefore, as we already emphasized “the manner,” we now come to the plurality of “the secrets.” Both the article and the adjective are plural; therefore, this flows with the present tense and active voice of the compounding verbs in conjunction with the subject, as many secrets are being revealed by his continual participation in this theological offering of thanksgiving before God (Heb.4:11-13). But the “all” who had been participating are rejoicing in this reward as the good report abides in them (Matt.10:41-42; Lk.15:7, 10; 1Pet.4:18). But the verb [ginetai] (are being revealed) is in the middle/passive voice indicating both the active and passive participation (the subject acting upon itself) of the uninformed or unbelieving heart (1Cor.11:28, 31-32). But the verb compounds in its conjunction with the following active verbs [peson] (falling) and [proskynesei] (he will worship). And again, we find this same conjunction [kai houto] that compounds the manner of the first verb’s effect from the middle voice to the active voice in his response to his passive but obedient participation with the preaching of the Word (1Pet.2:3). Therefore as we add up all the verbs we find that this uninformed or unbelieving heart was clearly a participate to this point. But this doesn’t mean that he is regenerating himself into a new creation (Jn.1:12-13). Rather, this is a cooperation with the Spirit’s drawing him into the required repentance through this manner of theological worship (Phil.4:4-6; Gal.6:1-5).

But now let’s behold the manner of his worship in this drawing phase of conviction, whereby he is led to kiss the dust with his face in agreement with God about the nature of his heart (Matt.6:5-15; 1Jn.1:8-2:2). Again, the verb “to fall down” here is in the aorist, active, participle. Therefore, it continues the previous verb action as an aorist effect of his presence under the active teaching of the theological Word (Rom.9:6-13). He continues to be convinced and convicted by his own continual participation with this theological body in word and deed, which leads me to address the meaning behind the dative article used to identify God in his form of worship. His worship is theological in form as the dative indirectly represents [to Theo] God (Rom.6:17; 2Tim.3:5; 1Cor.11:26). Therefore when he is made to be assured that God is truly among them, he vindicates the thanksgiving of their representation of God (Rom.6:1-11; 1Cor.14:16).

Now that’s why it is essential to understand “the power” behind the language of the prophet (1Cor.14:11). Does that prophet speak from the power of God (1Pet.4:11)? The graces are given to edify one another of the power behind God’s words (1Cor.14:17). Therefore the prophet seeks to make God’s Word as clear and straightforward as possible to those whom he seeks to befriend through the gospel (Matt.22:10; James 4:4-6). The prophet is made a host of this table to reach beyond that language barrier that prevents those estranged from God from coming to Christ (Ps.58:3; Ezk.14:4-5; Eph.2:12; 4:18; Col.1:21). That is the power of love behind his language when he speaks for Christ (2Tim.1:7). The gospel befriends because it transforms (Matt.11:19; 21:31; Lk.10:8; 11:52). So God is not befriending to consent with sin (1Cor.8:8; Rom.14:6, 14-20), but is vowing to transform sinners through the incorruptible nature of His Word (1Pet.1:22-25; Jon.2:9; Ps.22:25; 50:14; 56:12; 61:8; 66:13; 116:14, 18; Pr.7:14; 24:29). We pay more in taxes to restrain the practice of evil through the civil government because we don’t pay our vows to learn to do no evil before the presence of God in the light (Matt.5:43-48; Jn.3:19-21; Rom.13:1-10).

Therefore, the goal of the preacher isn’t to veil God’s Word but to unleash it in that ethnic language that he speaks on behalf of before God through that theological standard of Christ’s image and mind (1Cor.2:13-16; Matt.22:15-22 with emphasis on v.21). In 14:11, the noun [dynamin] (meaning) is used to describe the spirit of the culture that empowers the manner of that ethnic language; it is that culture’s power of speech, but the Word of God mixing with that speech sanctifies it for holy use (Acts 10:28; 11:8-9; 1Tim.4:1-5). Therefore, we know that this word “dynamis” isn’t always to be translated as miracle because it simply means power. Not all speech is a miracle, but it does possess an ethnic, spiritual power (1Cor.14:16-17).

Therefore, coming to the statement “that God is truly among you,” we behold the nominative article for God [ho Theos). This is a direct article singling out God as the exclusive God, the only God, the true God. Therefore, his ‘theology’ of worship “becomes” realized by the only God as his report vindicates this theological body of God’s work (2Cor.5:13-14; Rom.6:3; 2Cor.5:15-21; Jn.3:33-34; Jn.16:7-12; Phil.1:3-11 with emphasis on v.6).

First offering:

1Cor.14:38

“But if anyone is living ignorantly, let him remain ignorant.” (mast)

Compare manuscripts, but it is said that two early manuscripts of the NU render it “is not to be recognized.” So I have limited access to know for sure what Greek word was used in those scripts to translate them into “recognized,” but there is a difference of imperative mood and indicative mood between the two traditions. Now, the Byzantine tradition preserves it in the imperative mood, but it uses the same word [agnoeito] (ignorant) rather than [epiginosko] (recognized) in the text. So, there is evidence of a preexisting imperative mood even in the Alexandrian sphere of circulation of the manuscripts with at least two preserved scripts of the text in the imperative mood.

First offering:

1Cor.14:38

“But if anyone is living ignorantly, let him remain ignorant.” (mast)

Now, we come to the interpretation and application of this in context. This statement must be understood in contrast to the previous one regarding the commandments written to anyone who professes to be of the spiritual nature of the testimony of Jesus Christ. Therefore, what is meant by anyone living ignorantly is to be permitted to live ignorantly? The ignorant person is the one who chooses to live apart from the knowledge and will of God. The Christian should not demand this standard upon the ignorant unbeliever who separates himself from the commandments. But this also applies to that ignorant person who dwells among them and is oblivious to his present spiritual condition. As long as this ignorant party is not disruptive or divisive with the theological form of doctrine (Tit.3:9-11), such a one should be permitted to remain ignorant of what is being taught and commanded until a profession of spiritual life is made (1Cor.11:28-29; Rom.14:1-9; 1Jn.5:14-17), especially since the context surrounds the language barrier. But this also has other implications when considering the cultural application in the effectiveness of the gospel’s witness in the community at large (Rev.22:11).