MAP DETAILS - Pronouns

27/02/24 10:26
In looking at pronouns we're trying to see how things connect in this Treasure Map. Pronouns help us see connections in the text. Remember that a pronoun is saying, "I" instead of my name and instead of saying your name I say, “you”, “he”, “she”, etc. Pronouns connect a conversation with whoever the statement is intended for. Remember that, especially in the New Testament, we see Y'shua speaking to multiple groups of people, sometimes at the same time. We see letters where the Apostles are correcting actions of those they are writing to. This will cause shifts in pronouns that will lead us to clues of better understanding of the meaning of the text.

I want you to look at my favorite portion of passage in Scripture when it comes to pronouns. Look at Ephesians 1:3-14:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he (He is a pronoun but we’re just going to assume, that’s God) chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And (Uh Oh, do you see anything different there? Everything is we / us and then he says and) you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing (There he goes back) our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:3-14

Paul was writing a letter to a church that was experiencing a lot of division between the Jew’s and gentiles. Because the gentiles were not part of the original plan of God, they were tempted to look at themselves like they were a type of second class Christians. Paul, a Jew, starts off the letter saying, “In Him WE have these things and this is done for US” - and YOU also (speaking to the gentiles) - YOU also were included with Christ, YOU heard the word of truth, YOU have salvation, YOU were marked with a seal. Then he returns to the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing OUR inheritance. Isn’t that a great picture? There are no second class Christians in the Kingdom of God. It’s us together - Our inheritance. This picture of a community in Christ comes together in Ephesians through the shift in pronouns.

You can review another example of pinpointing pronouns and shifts in the article Who Are Those?