Errors in Interpretation of the Greek Possessive Case – The Bible must be interpreted through the Bible
Although it is not revealed in the Bible translations we read, there are cases in which the meaning of the genitive is greatly changed depending on how we interpret the possessive case in the Greek New Testament. In Romans 3:22, the phrase “Dia Pisteous Lee Jesus Christu” (διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) (KJV: through faith in Jesus Christ) is a representative example. Professor Richard Hayes of Duke University argues that this should be translated “through faith in Jesus Christ.” Here, “Jesus Christ” expressed in the possessive case is seen as the subject in meaning, and this belief is to be understood as the faith possessed by Jesus Christ. At first glance, this seems like a grammatically correct interpretation. Accordingly, New English Translation (NET), International Standard Version (ISV), Darby’s Bible, and the Wesleyan New Testament translate this phrase as the faith of Jesus Christ. This interpretation leads some scholars to argue that the noun πίστις (πίστις) should be translated as ‘faith’, not ‘faith’.
In fact, NET and ISV are misinterpreting the noun ‘faith’ as ‘faithfulness’ in the interpretation of the Bernese possessive case. Verse 22 then means that the righteousness of God extends to all who believe through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. At first glance, you might think there is something wrong with this translation, but there is a pitfall. This interpretation, supported by universalists, can be misleading because it can be misinterpreted to mean that people are justified on the basis of the faithfulness of Jesus. Another fallacy of biblical interpretation is preoccupation with literal interpretation. Some scholars justify the doctrine of universal salvation by understanding Romans 5:18’s “Phantas Anthroupus” (πάντας ἀνθρώπους, all people) to literally refer to “the whole of mankind”.
However, it is self-evident that “everyone” here is not literally “everyone” but “everyone who believes in Jesus” is the correct interpretation of the context of this verse. Similarly, in Romans 3:22, “Dia Pisteous Lee Jesus Christu” (διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) can be interpreted correctly only when understood in the context of the entire New Testament. Paul uses the same phrase in Galatians 2:16. Paul immediately follows the phrase “Dia Pisteus Lee Jesus Christ” in this verse and expresses “we believe in Jesus Christ”. In this respect, it can be seen that Paul expects the reader to understand the possessive “Jesus Christu Lee” as the possessive case in “Dia Pisteous Lee Jesus Christu,” and he writes it as such.
In other words, Paul intended in Romans 3:22 that the righteousness of God is attained to all who believe through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, nowhere in the New Testament does ‘Jesus’ appear as the subject of ‘faith’. Jesus is always the object of our believers’ faith. In this respect, the grammatical justification of the Greek Bible asserted by the universal salvation theory cannot be recognized. Paul is saying that the righteousness of God comes to everyone who believes in Jesus because Jesus Christ redeemed us once for all on the cross. What we can see here is that in the translation of the Greek Bible, an error of interpretation that is too obsessed with grammar and literal meaning can justify wrong doctrine.
Therefore, in our interpretation of the Bible, it is important to interpret based on the original language, but more importantly, we must interpret specific phrases in consideration of the context of the entire Bible. Therefore, the Reformers taught that the Bible should be interpreted through the Bible as a principle of interpretation of the Bible (Scripture interprets Scripture). This principle is a principle of biblical interpretation that cannot be overemphasized even in our day. Dr. Dongsoo Kim (President of Paul Theological Seminary)
