Loading…

^a There are several ways aionion can be translated, and it’s impossible for the translator’s perspective not to influence the choice. Traditionally, it’s rendered “eternal” or “everlasting,” but aionion comes from the word for “eon” or “age.” It can imply “indefinitely long” or “long-lasting,” essentially meaning “lasting a very long time” without specifying the exact length.

^b Or literally, ‘put on’ or ‘wrap around’ referring to wrapping oneself in a robe, the usual clothing of the time.

^c Perhaps a reference to Genesis 3:7-8, 21

^d The Greek word Thanatos was not just the word for the concept of death but also the name of the god of death. Across Paul’s writings, he personifies death as a powerful figure overcome by Christ and the Life-breath.

^e Traditionally, ‘Spirit.’ The Greek word pneuma could be used to refer to ‘wind,’ ‘breath,’ or an animating energy within people, thought to be perceptible in the breath. Hebrew and Latin also use the same word for all these concepts. In scripture, it typically calls back the image to Genesis 1 and 2: “the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2 NASB) and “the Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into [its] nostrils. The human came to life.” (Genesis 2:7 CEB). In this case, it refers to the breath that animates someone with the quality of gentleness that comes from God, including the breath involved in speaking to people, which is often in view when “a spirit” is discussed, whether positively or negatively.

^f The Greek word endemeo, often translated “at home” or “present,” refers more precisely to being in one’s own region or among one’s own people.

^g The Greek word ekdemeo, often translated “away” or “absent,” refers more precisely to being away from one’s native region or country.

^h Traditionally, ‘Lord.’ The Greek word kurios, when applied to Jesus, can be translated in several ways, including ‘sir,’ ‘master,’ or ‘sovereign.’ Rendering it as “Lord” reflects the feudal, patriarchal, and imperial assumptions embedded in early English translations, which often reinforced hierarchical power structures. In both Greco-Roman and American history, kurios and “lord” were titles used for slaveowners. As Dr. Wilda C. Gafney notes, “Lord is a slavery word,” and when used without theological and historical framing, it risks reinscribing the very systems of domination that Jesus came to upend (A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year A, Introduction). In the Roman imperial context, kurios was also a title for Caesar—as was soter (‘savior’ or ‘liberator’). The New Testament’s application of kurios to Jesus is thus not only theological but also politically subversive. The Christ of the Christian scriptures is not an overlord but a radically different kind of sovereign—one who liberates through justice, solidarity, and self-giving love. Rendering kurios as “Liberating Sovereign” preserves the subversive edge of the title while resisting the hierarchical and enslaver connotations embedded in the English word “Lord.”

ⁱ The Greek word bema literally refers to a step, platform, or raised place. It could mean a judicial tribunal where a magistrate or governor rendered a decision, a public speaker’s platform in a synagogue or other public place, or—in Roman settings—the ruling seat of a proconsul or emperor. It nearly always implies authority, public visibility, and accountability. Paul uses it to refer to a moment of honest accountability from Christ’s viewpoint, not in the sense of punishment, but in revealing what is true and meaningful in each person’s life.

^j The grammar provides no clues as to whether the “respect of the Liberating Sovereign” is the respect that come from the Liberating Sovereign or is possessed by the Liberating Sovereign or whether it is respect directed toward the Liberating Sovereign. The context also does not provide any definitive clues; however, it may be that the trying to win people over is done with respect sourced from the Liberating Sovereign, doing it as respectfully as Christ would do it.

^k “The One Who Is” is used to translate the Greek kurios (traditionally, “Lord”) when it refers to God, especially in Hebrew Bible quotations. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), kurios regularly replaces the Divine Name (YHWH), following an earlier Jewish oral tradition in which readers would say “Adonai” (“my Lord”) aloud wherever the written text read YHWH. The Jewish community attempted to honor the command “You will not take my name in vain” by not speaking it aloud at all. The practice of saying Adonai preserved reverence for the sacred Name while making the text speakable in public worship. Translating kurios as “The One Who Is” recovers the theological resonance of YHWH, which is linguistically connected to the Hebrew root haya (“to be”). In Exodus 3:14, God self-identifies as Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (“I will be who I will be” or “I am who I am”), using the first-person imperfect form ehyeh. The third-person equivalents—yihyeh (“he is” or “he will be” [in an ongoing way]), haya (“he was” [or time-limited, completed way]), and the rare participle howeh (“being” or “the one who is”)—suggest that YHWH blends all three in a fusion of past, present, and future being as well as presence both in particular moments and an ongoing reality. Early Jewish and Christian interpreters, including in Revelation 1:8 and 4:8, echoed this understanding in phrases like “the one who was, and is, and is to come.” Rendering kurios as “The One Who Is” is an attempt to honor the Name’s linguistic roots while resisting the patriarchal and hierarchical connotations carried by “Lord” in English. It also recalls the liberating presence of the Name given from the burning bush in Exodus as The One Who Is began moving to liberate the oppressed people of Israel.

^l Or “persuade” or “convince” or “appease.” The verb can imply anything from reasoning with someone to seeking their trust or agreement. “Try to win people over” emphasizes relational intention rather than manipulation or mere argument.

^m The Greek verb sunistemi means to introduce, present, or associate oneself with someone. Here, Paul uses it sarcastically—rejecting the idea that he needs to reintroduce himself or prove his legitimacy to the very community he helped form.

ⁿ The phrase translated as “social status” is literally the word for “face” and is often translated as “appearance.” It’s not about a person’s looks so much as how they present themselves to the world around them and what it communicates about their social position.

^o While we use “heart” as English speakers to represent emotions or sentimentality or “what we care about” it only partly overlaps with the idiom here. For Greek speakers, it was specifically about desires or motivations, not all emotions, leaving the overlap only in the area of “what we care about.”

^p Or ‘out of our minds’

^q Or ‘wise minded’ or ‘of sound mind’ or ‘self-controlled’

^r Similarly to “respect of” in verse 11, the grammar is ambiguous whether it’s Christ’s love/love from Christ or if it’s love for Christ.

^s Or ‘anything’

^t Traditionally, ‘according to the flesh’

^u Traditionally, ‘according to the flesh’

^v The words “they are the” are not in the Greek. It literally reads, “If anyone is connected with Christ, New Creation.”

^w Many ancient manuscripts include the words ta panta, which would make the phrase read “all things have become new.”

^x Or ‘exchanged’

^y Or ‘delegated’ or ‘given’

^z Or ‘exchanging’

^aa Or ‘sidesteps.’ The word often translated here as ‘sins’ or ‘transgressions’ or (historically) ‘trespasses’ is not the same Greek word usually used for ‘sin’ (hamartia). Instead, it is paraptomata, and it literally means ‘falls to the side.’ In the context of all the other money-related imagery like ‘count’ and ‘reconcile,’ ‘shortfall’ seems to fit the range of meaning.

^bb This is very literal translation of the Greek, which can be used for encouraging or pleading or urging or even challenging people depending on context.

^cc The word “God” added for clarity rather than “they’ or ‘he.’

^dd The word in Greek here is hamartia, traditionally translated ‘sin.’ The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. It evokes an image of veering off course, ending up in at an unintended location. Jesus used it regarding many situations, including harmful behavior, disregarding responsibilities as a people or individual called to a specific purpose, and even having chronic illness or debilitating injuries or cultural identities that prohibit one from full participation in temple worship according to the Torah, which is not implied to be wrongdoing but simply not aligned with Torah. Paul and others continued its use, usually with an emphasis on harmful behavior toward others, whether oppressive, exploitative, violent, or other patterns of community behavior contrary to the way of love traced out by the Hebrew Scriptures and lived out by Jesus.

^ee Traditionally, ‘righteousness.’ The term carries a meaning of being aligned with God’s standards described in Torah and elaborated and demonstrated by Jesus. ‘Justice’ and ‘justness’ are often appropriate words to convey the idea as most of what Jesus showed to be the focus is about how people treat each other, especially the vulnerable, like people in poverty, widows, orphans, immigrants, prisoners, people who are sick or disabled and others. The word literally means ‘alignment’ and in the Bible, it typically means alignment with the path traced out by Torah and lived out by Christ.