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NASB | Luke 16:16 ¶ "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 16:16 ¶ "The Law and the [writings of the] Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God has been and continues to be preached, and everyone tries forcefully to go into it. |
Bible Question: What is the exact meaning of "forcing his way into it" (the Kingdom)? |
Bible Answer: Greetings 00123, You ask, "What is the exact meaning of "forcing his way into it" (the Kingdom)?" Luke 16:16 "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it." (ESV) In Jesus' day, there were hundreds of revolutionaries willing to use great violence to usher in the kingdom of God. While we do not imitate their violence, we do imitate their dedication, their willingness to sacrifice, and their passion to see the Messiah come to reign. We are at war! But the new order that we must press into is not an order of rebellion; it is a new order of submission and obedience to God. His new order fulfills the law. Here's a good commentary: "16:16 ...'Everyone forces his way into it' is a puzzling and much debated statement. Greek biazo means "to use force," but the verb form here (biazetai) could be either in the middle voice ("everyone is using force" to enter into it) or in the passive voice ("everyone is being forced or forcefully urged" to enter into it). The meaning in the ESV text, "everyone forces his way into it," is possible grammatically and fits the meaning of the same verb when used in Matt. 11:12. By this interpretation, the verse suggests that exercising the faith that brings one into the kingdom and keeps one there involves a kind of holy "violence" toward oneself in the form of repentance and self-denial. Some interpreters object, however, that this view does not fit well in the context, for not everyone is forcing their way into the kingdom and in fact many are rejecting it. In addition, there is arguably some tension between forcing one's way into the kingdom and the emphasis throughout the Gospels on entering the kingdom of God by faith. These interpreters have favored the meaning in the ESV footnote, "everyone is forcefully urged into it." The verb takes that sense elsewhere (see Gen. 33:11; 2 Sam. 13:25,27; parabiazomai has this meaning in Luke 24:29; Acts 16:15). This is similar to the idea of Luke 14:23 (see note on 14:21-24). On this view, the meaning of biazo would be different from its sense in Matt. 11:12, but the verses appear in different contexts and the meaning may be different as well (cf. note on Matt. 11:12)." (1) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) pg. 1991, The ESV Study Bible, 2008 by Crossway Bibles |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Luke 16:16 | Author | ||
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00123 | ||
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Makarios |