Christ Is Preached

Language in the New Testament is often a source of confusion, especially when a group has blinders on. Writers of the New Testament used many of the same types of speech we do today. Metonomy and Synecdoche are two figures of speech used in the greek New Testament.

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a word or term is used to refer to a whole thing or effect, a part of it, or a specific class of things related to that word.

Some examples would be:

1. "Swearing by the Altar", you swear by all things on the altar.

2. "Faith in Christ", is not just believing in a person but all the person said or did.

3. "Christ is preached", is preaching Christ as a person including his word and covenant..

In these examples, the greater object stands for all things upon it, or the name of the person is used for all things associated with him.

Look at Acts 15 where it says Moses was preached,

Act 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

In preaching Moses they obviously preached his word, the Law of Moses. The term preaching Moses would stand for all that he taught from God, and they were actively calling people to follow the word Moses delivered..

Faith only groups tend to ignore such figures of speech, they limit a phrase that is synecdoche to the basic word itself and decline to view the speech as part of the whole. This affects their understanding of important passages.

Consider Galations, 'by the faith of Jesus" is a reference to the entire teaching and sayings, not just a general faith in Christ as a person.

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

"Justified by the faith of Christ"

Of in Greek means that which came from Christ, not just that which is about Jesus as a person.

Faith only groups would limit this passage to faith in Christ as a person, but the phrase is meant to include all that Jesus did and taught as a covenant.

1. Faith in Christ as God's son.

2. Faith in Christ's teaching.

3. Faith In Christ's death and resurrection.

4. Faith acknowledged in baptism for the remission of sins.

This is uniform with Christ's teaching,

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

We aren't justified when disbelieving parts of Christ's teachings,but by all that came from him..