The Precious & Magnificent Promises of God

Definitions

Definitions 

It is truly a shame that so many people totally miss out on what God has clearly promised them. This is most obvious when we are talking about promises of eternal salvation by grace through faith alone. It is also true of born-again believers, who neglect to understand or to live according to what God has already clearly promised us as believers. That is why this section is devoted to the critical question of our Source. And what a Source we have!

We have featured the words “Precious & Magnificent”, in fact the website domain is preciousmagnificent.com, but where do those words come from and what do they mean. They come from 2. Peter 1:4

In 2 Peter 1:4, the apostle Peter describes the promises of God as "precious" and "magnificent" (or "very great" in some translations). Let's examine the Greek words used in this verse and explore how they are translated across different English versions of the Bible.

  1. Greek Words:

    • "Precious" (τίμιος, timios): This Greek word can mean precious, valuable, or costly. It conveys the idea of something of great worth or honor. (Like a blue sapphire, for example.)

    • "Magnificent" (μέγιστος, megistos): Often translated as "very great" or "exceeding," this is the superlative form of "megas," meaning large or great. It emphasizes the exceptional or extraordinary nature of the promises. (Kinda like having a lot of Bitcoins!)

  2. Translation Variations:

    • King James Version (KJV): "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises..."

    • New International Version (NIV): "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises..."

    • English Standard Version (ESV): "By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises..."

    • New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): "Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises..."

    • New American Bible (NAB): "Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises..."

As you can see, the core idea of these words as something valuable and extraordinarily grand is consistent across translations, though the order and combination of adjectives vary slightly. This linguistic choice emphasizes the extraordinary value and the transformative power of the promises God has made to believers, highlighting their role in participating in the divine nature and escaping worldly corruption.

Epangeliology

The Greek word for "promise" is "ἐπαγγελία" (epangelia). This term is often used in the New Testament to refer to the promises made by God to humans. In the process of writing this web-book, I have discovered that there is no branch of theology for the study of promises. In English one might call it “promisology”. The closest thing in formal theology would be the field of “covenant theology”, where God’s promises through the centuries and dispensations are studied. So, I am hereby coining a new field of theological study: Epangeliology

Here is what Chat GPT says about my newly invented theological term:

"Epangeliology" isn't a commonly recognized term in theological or academic circles as of my last update. However, breaking down the term:

  • "Epangelia" (ἐπαγγελία) is Greek for "promise," specifically used in the context of the promises of God found in the New Testament.

  • "-ology" is a suffix denoting a field of study or a branch of knowledge.

So, if "epangeliology" were a term, it would theoretically refer to the study of the promises of God, analyzing their biblical foundations, theological implications, and their significance in Christian life and doctrine. This would involve examining various divine promises throughout scripture, understanding their context, and exploring how they have been interpreted and fulfilled within Christian theology.

However, since "epangeliology" does not appear to be a standard term, it's possible it could be a neologism or used in a very specific, perhaps academic or theological, context not widely recognized outside of certain discussions.

So you are making history with me by inaugurating the theological field of Epangeliology!

We have already stated that we believe in verbal inspiration of the Bible. (See the page on “Convictions”.) But now we need to go deeper and must examine just how to properly understand the promises of God in the Bible. This will require some clarifying definitions, so we know what we are talking about, as well as exploring hermeneutical principles. Hermeneutics is just a fancy word for the task of interpreting the text of the Bible.

Promise

How should we define a promise of God in the Bible? This question is not as simple as it may at first appear. In normal English usage Webster defines the word in this way: "To give one's word to do or not to do something; to give cause for expectation; to agree to give; to assure by a promise; to give grounds for hope."

The simplest form of a promise would be for God to say “I will (do this or that)”. Sometimes promises come in different forms. We will examine this in more detail in the next section on hermeneutics.