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1 Peter 2:3<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n if indeed you have tasted that the Lord<\/span> is<\/span><\/em> gracious.<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Truth to Learn<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Our Heavenly Father treats us very well.<\/p>\n Behind the Words<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf indeed<\/span>\u201d is translated from eiper<\/span><\/em>, which is a compound word made up of ei<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cif\u201d and per<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cperhaps\u201d or \u201cindeed.\u201d<\/p>\n In the New Testament there are three types of conditional phrases (in secular Greek literature there is a fourth). The first class conditional phrase implies reality and can be interpreted as, \u201cif, and it is assumed so\u2026\u201d Hence, it is often interpreted as \u201csince,\u201d rather than \u2018if\u2019. The second class condition is the condition of irrealis, or unreality and can be interpreted as, \u201cif, and it is assumed not so\u2026\u201d The third class condition carries with it no assumption as to the reality of the condition. The differences between the various conditional clauses in Greek are distinguished by the grammatical construction of the text.<\/p>\n The conditional clause in the current verse is a first class condition and, therefore, could be translated as:<\/p>\n <\/span>If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and I assume you have. <\/span><\/p>\n The word translated \u201ctasted<\/span>\u201d is the word geuomai<\/span><\/em>, which means \u201cto taste,\u201d but figuratively it means \u201cto experience something.\u201d It is expressed here in the aorist tense, showing action that was completed at a point in time in the past.<\/p>\n The word \u201cgracious<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek word chr\u0113stos<\/span>, which is from the verb chraomai<\/span>, meaning \u201cto make use of,\u201d \u201cto make the most of,\u201d or \u201cto treat well.\u201d This noun form means, \u201cone who provides what is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Meaning Explained<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n First, let\u2019s see what Peter is NOT saying here. He is not saying that there is a question about the readers\u2019 salvation. He made that very clear in the previous chapter:<\/p>\n [you who are] elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father \u2026 who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead \u2026who are kept by the power of God through faith<\/span> <\/span>(selections from 1 Peter 1:2-5<\/span><\/strong>)<\/p>\n Neither is Peter questioning whether his readers have already experienced the Lord\u2019s provision for their needs in the past. In fact, we see from the grammatical construction of this sentence that Peter is assuming that his readers indeed have experienced that gracious provision.<\/p>\n Because we have experienced God\u2019s watch care over us, we should be willing, yea eager, to lay aside our bad habits and we should have a craving for the sincere milk of the Word of God. We should be so delighted and amazed that the God of all creation cares for each one of us individually, that we should desire to act and be as He wants us to. And, we should have an uncontrollable desire to read His Word so that we can know Him better and so we can be more like Him.<\/p>\n Application<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Have you experienced the wonder of salvation? If so, do you have a burning desire to be obedient to your Heavenly Father and to learn more about Him through His Word?<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n <\/span>If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:![\"signature\"](\"..\/..\/signature.gif\")
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