Lesson 1 Amplified -- PISTIS

 

PISTIS

American: reliance upon, faith

Hebrew: emuwnah/emunah 

Most existing English translations of the New Testament use “believe” in translating this Koine Greek word. Believing, that Jesus is the Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, isn’t enough for you to be safe or to have salvation; meaning you will enter Heaven when you die.

 New American Standard Bible:

James 2.19: “You believe that there is one God. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

 Clearly if the demons believe, our believing isn’t enough. In American and Koine Greek, here is the most often presented verse concerning salvation: 

Almost Greek: (Words in italics are translator’s additions.)

 John 3:16: For Theos [Father God] so greatly egapesen [unconditionally loved] the kosmos [universe, world, cosmos], so (also) He even gave His Only-begotten Son, in order that anyone pisteuon [having faith] into Him shouldn’t perish, but should have eternal life. 

Now to restate for clarification: If you forget or count as worthless everything you have ever done to deserve salvation and only put your faith in Jesus’ sufferings and death on your behalf, as your guarantee of salvation, you are already safe and will be in Heaven after your body dies. 

PISTOS

American: trustworthy, faithful

Hebrew: aman 

PISTEUO

American: to put one’s reliance upon, to have faith in

Hebrew: awman

American: foster firmness, render faithful 

1^st Thessalonians 4.13: I don’t want you to be ignorant with respect to those sleeping [having passed on] lest you grieve as also the rest do, not having elpis [expectation, hope]. For if we pisteuo that Jesus died and stood up again, so Theos will also bring with Him [Jesus] those who have been put to sleep via Jesus. For this we say to you in a logos of the Kurios [Lord, Master], that we (remaining living until the coming of the Kurios) not may in no way go ahead of those having been put to sleep because the Kurios Himself will descend from the ouranos [sky] in a rallying cry in the phone [sound] of an archaggelos [chief messenger, chief angel] and with a trumpet of Theos. And the dead in the Christos will stand up again, first, then the living will be caught up together with them (in the cloudiness) to a meeting of the Kurios in the air. And so, we will always be with the Kurios. So also comfort one another with these logoi.

Romans 1.16: For I am not ashamed of the euaggelion [good news, gospel, evangel] of the Christou for it is the dunamis [force, power] of Theos to soterian [rescue, safety, salvation] to the whole population pisteuonti [having faith]; first to the Jew and also to the Greek [everyone else]. For in it, the dikaiosune [justification, rightness] of Theos is uncovered (emergent from pisteos to pistin) just as gegraptai [has been written], “The dikaios shall live by pisteos.”

HABAKUK 2.4: “The tsaddiyq [dikaios] shall live by his emunah [pistis].”

Romans 10.8: But what says it? “The rhema [word from God] is near you (in your mouth and in your heart).” That is the rhema of pisteos (which we kerussomen [proclaim, herald]), that if you acknowledge [covenant] in your mouth the Kurion Jesus and pisteuses [have faith] in your heart that Theos awakened Him emergent from dead, you sothese [will be saved]. For with the heart one holds pisteuetai toward dikaiosunen and with the mouth one acknowledges toward soterian. For the Graphe [Scripture, part of Old Testament] says, “Everyone pisteuon upon Him won’t be shamed down,” for there isn’t a distinction for the same Kurios of all of mankind (both of Jew and of Greek); wealth to all of those appealing to Him for “Everyone (whoever invokes the name [authority] of the Kuriou) sothesetai [will be safe; saved].”

Romans 13.11: And do this (knowing the time), that it is already the hour for you to awaken emergent from sleep. For soteria is now nearer to us than when we first episteussamen [had faith]. The night is well along and the day approaches. Accordingly, let us put away the works of shadiness and let us clothe ourselves with the implements of the light. Even as in the day, let us properly walk; not in carousal and intoxication; not in sexual promiscuity or licentiousness; not in quarreling and zelo [heat, jealousy, envy, malice], conversely, put on [clothe yourselves with] the Kurion Jesus the Christon and don’t make provisions into lusts of the flesh. 

End of Amplified First Lesson