The Value of Learning Greek
By Bill Freeman
I would like to present a few points regarding the value of learning Greek. First, the
learning process itself requires DISCIPLINE. This is an important factor in serving the
Lord. The Lord uses disciplined people whose diligence has been proved in accomplishing
tasks. Paul could testify in 2 Corinthians 8:22 about a brother, "our brother, whom
we have proved to be diligent in many things many times." To learn Greek well
requires a disciplined and diligent life, and in the long run this kind of life will mold
a character that can be used by God.
Second, the learning of Greek will enlarge your capacity to receive LIGHT. Light comes
from God's Word as we see the facts revealed in it. The ability to read the Greek New
Testament will definitely increase your capacity to see the facts, collect the facts, and
compare the facts; this threefold exercise will bring in God's light and revelation.
Third, the value of learning Greek is the development of OBSERVATION. As you handle the
Greek New Testament by reading it, pray-reading it, studying the etymology of a word,
diagramming a sentence, analyzing a verb, considering a preposition, etc., you will
discover that you are observing what is actually there. Observation is simply seeing
things as they really are or becoming internally aware of what God's Word is indeed
saying. Observing the Greek text enables you to become more saturated with the thought,
feeling, mood, state, and contextual meaning of the apostles. All of this is important in
handling God's Word in an accurate way.
Fourth, learning Greek will definitely increase your appreciation for the UNITY OF THE
BIBLE. For example, in using a Greek concordance and tracing one Greek word through the
New Testament, you will discover the unparalleled unity between Paul, Peter, John, James,
and the other New Testament writers. It will strengthen your conviction that the Bible is
one Book with one central burden coming from one unique ministry.
Fifth, the value of learning Greek is that it enriches your ability to DEFINE AND UTTER
YOUR EXPERIENCE. The Greek text is a gold mine and the riches contained therein are
inexhaustible. As you experience Christ in your daily life you will be able to more
precisely define and utter that experience with the Word itself. The more you experience,
the more you will be able to dig out the riches from the Word; and the more you dig out
the riches, the more you will enlarge your experience of Christ. Consequently, you will
become a rich supply to the church because you not only experience Christ, but you can
define and utter that experience with the Word.
Last, the value of learning Greek is related to the POWER AND AUTHORITY it gives to your
spirit. Speaking God's Word is a matter of the release of the spirit. For the saints to be
helped and infused it is crucial that the spirit come out with power and authority. A
great factor for the spirit to come out in this way is related to the deposit of truth in
our spirit. For example, describing the present active participle "didonta" (is
giving) in 1 Thessalonians 4:8 brings in power and authority when speaking of the Holy
Spirit being continuously dispensed into our being. The more you see the tenses, the
voices, the moods, the cases, the clauses, the antecedents, etc., the more power and
authority will be added to your spirit.
I surely encourage your pursuit of the Greek New Testament. May your present study in a
more formal way be only the beginning - foundation - for what you will build up in a daily
way in coming years. Don't let it go. Keep improving and making progress throughout your
life, and God will have a way to use you as diligent vessels for His recovery of the truth
on this earth.
In His Eternal Purpose,
Bill Freeman
October, 1983
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