(Old Testament quotations/allusions are underlined. [Brackets] indicate a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)
Cost and reward of the good news (continued)
(Parallel teachings: Romans 8:18-25; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54)
(Thematic parallels: Philippians 1:21-24; John 14:2-3)
- 1 For we *know that if our earthly house (the tent of our bodyfn“tent of our body” is one word in Greek. It literally means “tent”, but figuratively means the body in which our spirit dwells.) is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house of ages made without hands in the heavens.
- 2 For we also groan internally in this tent, longing to clothe ourselves with our dwelling from heaven.
- 3 And indeed, if we clothe ourselves we won’t be found naked.
- 4 For we also groan internally as the men who are in the tent, being burdened since we don’t want to unclothe ourselves, but to clothe ourselves so that the mortal might be swallowed up by life.fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 25:8
- 5 But the One who prepared us for this same thing is God, who [also] gave us the down paymentfn“down payment” is literal. The Greek word here is imported from Hebrew and refers to “earnest money” given as a surety that the rest of the payment will be given. of the Spirit.
- 6 Therefore, we’re always boldly confident and *knowing that while at home in the body, we’re away from our home with the Lord.
- 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
- 8 Yet we’re boldly confident, and think it better to be away from our home in the body and to be at home with the Lord.
- 9 Therefore, we also earnestly strive to be pleasing to Him, whether at home or away from home.
- 10 For all of us must be revealed before the judgement seat of the Anointed so that each might receive back the things done through the body, whether good or evil, to each according to what he did,
- 11 Therefore, *knowing the reverent fearfn“reverent fear” is one word in Greek. Its primary meaning is “fear”, but it can also mean “awe” or “reverence” depending on the context. (The Hebrew word for “fear” has the same range of meaning) Since both fear and reverence are appropriate toward God, both definitions were included. Further, the word can mean both, and both were likely intended. of the Lord, we convince men, but we are *revealed to God, and I also hope to be *revealed in your consciences too.
Jesus’s death and reconciliation
(Parallel teachings: Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:13-18)
(Thematic parallels: Colossians 1:19-22)
- 12 [For] we aren’t commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast concerning us, so that you might have an answer to the men boasting in appearance and not in the heart.
- 13 For if we were beside ourselves, it’s for God; if we’re of sound mind, it’s for you.
- 14 For the ^love of the Anointed compels us, having judged this: that Onefn“that One died” many later manuscripts read “that [if] One died” died for the sake of all, therefore all died.
- 15 And He died for the sake of all, so that the men living might no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died and was raised for their sake.
- 16 So then, we *regard no one in accordance with the flesh from now on. Even if we have known the Anointed in accordance with the flesh, yet now we don’t know Him that way anymore.
- 17 Therefore, if anyone is in the Anointed, he is a new creation. The original things passed away, behold, [the new things have come].fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 43:18-19, and possibly Isaiah 65:17; 66:22 “the new things have come” many later manuscripts read “all things have become new”
- 18 And all things are from God, the One who reconciled us to Himself through [Jesus] the Anointed and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
- 19 so that God infn“God in the Anointed” The construction in Greek is slightly ambiguous, centering on what “in” means. It could mean: (1) “so that in the Anointed, God was reconciling”, or (2) “so that by the Anointed, God was reconciling”, or (3) that God (the Father) was in the Anointed while He was reconciling the world. The current translation was chosen to preserve as many of these understandings as possible. the Anointed was reconciling the world to Himself, not taking their misstepsfn“missteps”. The Greek word used here doesn’t quite mean “sin”. It’s the word “παράπτωμα” (paraptóma) and is also used in Ephesians 2:1 in the phrase: “dead in your ‘paraptóma’ and sins”. It carries the connotation of a “slip-up” or a “false step” with the implication – but not certainty – that it was unintentional. into account against them, and having put the message of reconciliation in us.
- 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for the Anointed, as if God is calling through us, we plead for the Anointed: “Be reconciled to God”.
- 21 [For] He made the One who didn’t know sin into a sin purification offeringfn“into a sin purification offering” This phrase is typically translated “to be sin” or “into sin”. There are three major interpretations of this phrase: (1) It refers to Jesus taking all of our sins into Himself on the cross so He could be punished vicariously in our place as our substitute. (Compare with Hebrews 9:14) (2) This refers to the incarnation, since Jesus was sent “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3; this interpretation was especially popular among the early church fathers.) (3) This refers to the Levitical sacrificial system, to the Hebrew word typically translated “sin offering” in a sacrificial context. This is supported by respected lexicons like BDAG and Mounce, and Jesus is called this elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g. Romans 8:3). The typical translation “sin offering” is possible, but has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). The “sin offering” was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation. for our sake, so that we might become God’s righteousness in Him.
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