No mere semantic!
There is a good reason for this command from the Apostle Paul to all NT pastors and teachers"
2Ti 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
".. are saved" speaks of the completed divine action PRIOR TO and INDEPENDENT of the activities of preachers, the activity which explains the response of them that are saved, that is, they hear and perceive the gospel as declaring the power of God in salvation.
"...are being saved" speaks of the INCLUSION of man's activity of preaching in the salvation spoken of; which is seen as a PROCESS which involves the activities of men!
Men bent on synergism are acting so subtly to undermine and destroy the plain, pure, pristine grace alone. Many rave and rant about monergism, but they are really synergistic in their doctrine of salvation!
The
same preaching comes to two groups of people:
-
them that are perishing, and
-
them which are saved.
“… them which are saved" are ALREADY SAVED (by the free and sovereign activities of God) independent and prior to the gospel ministry. They have been effectually called out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus.
Their SAVED state explains why they receive the gospel as the good news that declares the power of God in saving them. God has SAVED THEM from sin and death - that's eternal salvation already freely bestowed. That explains their perceiving the gospel as the message declaring the power of God in their salvation.
Believing the gospel SAVES them from lies and falsehood; the gospel truth sets them free from bondage and spiritual darkness. But all these are different from the eternal salvation that was secured by the redemptive work of Christ alone, and freely bestowed upon each elect when he was in his native state of sin and death.
"which
are saved..." δὲ σῳζομένοις
Root:
σῴζω sōzō
Tense:
Present
Voice:
Passive
Mood:
Participle
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Co&c=1&t=KJV...
I'm
no Greek scholar. I can't even handle English well enough.
"δὲ σῳζομένοις" - in my
understanding, being a present passive participle (I trust some cheapskate
Greek students' assessment) - is simply "the saved ones", God being
the active agent. I
leave it to the REAL scholars to decide who the Real Greek scholars are.
To the saved ones (by the free and sovereign acts of God) the gospel (the good news) is perceived as the message which declares the power of God in saving poor helpless sinners.
The gospel is the message; it has no power to save. The gospel is the good news which declares the power of God in saving sinners in their native state of sin and condemnation. Too many can't make the distinction.
“… are being saved” translation betrays a SERIOUS problem, because it fails to distinguish the eternal salvation that is ALREADY freely applied and the ongoing temporal salvation; i.e. that which is freely SAVED with eternal salvation, and that which is BEING SAVED by the gospel ministry.
It CONFUSES the monergistic eternal salvation by the sole and sovereign activities of God, and the synergistic temporal salvation through the obedient responses of those that are saved.
The
salvation that is already finished is eternal - by the free and sovereign acts
of the Triune God alone. That is the salvation spoken of in 1 Cor 1:18.
The salvation that is ongoing is the work of sanctification, through the obedience of those who are SAVED to the gospel ministry. It is a salvation that THE SAVED must work out for themselves with fear and trembling - that is ongoing.
Too many are incapable or refuse to make the distinction between monergism in eternal salvation and synergism in temporal salvation. They are plagued with inconsistencies and contradictions in their understanding of salvation. See a classic example here: https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.my/2017/07/the-calvinists-mess-and-they-are.html
The former involves solely and wholly the divine activities of the Triune God ALONE upon the elect in their state of sin and condemnation and death, the latter involves the activities of God's children, them that ARE SAVED, in response to the salvation already freely bestowed upon them.
The
former involves the divine activities of the Triune God ALONE in effectually
calling a man OUT OF his native state of sin and condemnation and death TO THAT
state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ, without any human involvement;
The latter involves human activities in response to God's commands, the gospel ministry in calling His children, them that ARE SAVED, to repentance and faith in the truth of their free grace salvation in Jesus Christ.
The former is begetting, the latter is parenting; in the former, you are brought into BEING without human activities; in the latter human activities are involved for your WELL-BEING.
May the Lord grant understanding of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Feel
free to ask any question; the only stupid question is the unasked question!
-------
Read the extensive exchanges on the above at this link: https://web.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10204849586694945&set=a.10204849581934826
