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additional and separate impartation of the Holy Spirit; but the scope of the renewal is
surely not limited to regeneration; the second clause goes further than what is merely
epexegetic of the first. Just so in Rom. 12:2, “the renewing of your mind” is not a single
act, accomplished once and for all, as in regeneration. See under
RENEW
, B. The Holy
Ghost, as having been “shed on us,” continues to act in renewing us, in order to maintain
by His power the enjoyment of the relationship into which He has brought us. “The man
is cleansed in connection with the new order of things; but the Holy Ghost is a source of
an entirely new life, entirely new thoughts; not only of a new moral being, but of the
communication of all that in which this new being develops itself … He ever
communicates more and more of the things of this new world into which He has brought
us … ‘the renewing of the Holy Ghost’ embraces all this … so that it is not only that we
are born of Him, but that He works in us, communicating to us all that is ours in Christ”
(J. N. Darby). Both the washing and the renewing are His work.
(
i
) The
ascensive
use. This is somewhat similar to the epexegetic significance. It
represents, however, an advance in thought upon what precedes and has the meaning
“even.” The context alone can determine the occurrences of this use. The following are
some instances. In Matt. 5:46, 47, the phrases “even the publicans” and “even the
Gentiles” represent an extension of thought in regard to the manner of reciprocity
exhibited by those referred to, in comparison with those who, like the Pharisees, were
considered superior to them. In Mark 1:27, “even the unclean spirits” represents an
advance in the minds of the people concerning Christ’s miraculous power, in comparison
with the authority exercised by the Lord in less remarkable ways. So in Luke 10:17. In
Acts 10:45, the
kai
, rendered “also,” in the phrase “on the Gentiles also,” seems
necessary to be regarded in the same way, in view of the amazement manifested by those
of the circumcision, and thus the rendering will be “even on the Gentiles was poured out
the gift”; cf. 11:1.
In Rom. 13:5, the clause “but also for conscience sake” should probably be taken in
this sense. In Gal. 2:13, the phrase “even Barnabas” represents an advance of thought in
comparison with the waywardness of others; as much as to say, “the Apostle’s closest
associate, from whom something different might be expected, was surprisingly carried
away.” In Phil. 4:16 there are three occurrences of
kai
, the first ascensive, “even”; the
second (untranslated) meaning “both,” before the word “once”; the third meaning “and.”
In 1 Thess. 1:5, in the cause “and in the Holy Ghost,” the
kai
rendered “and,” is
ascensive, conveying an extension of thought beyond “power”; that is to say, “power
indeed, but the power of the Holy Spirit.” In 1 Pet. 4:14 “the Spirit of God” is “the Spirit
of glory.” Here there is an advance in idea from the abstract to the personal. The phrase
“the Spirit of God” does more than define “the Spirit of glory”; it is explanatory but
ascensive also.
When preceded or followed by the conjunction
ei
, “if,” the phrase signifies “even if,”
or “if even,” e.g., Mark 14:29; Phil. 2:17; 1 Pet. 3:1.
ON THE PARTICLE
(1161)
The particle
de
has two chief uses, (
a
)
continuative
or
copulative
, signifying “and,” or
“in the next place,” (b)
adversative
, signifying “but,” or “on the other hand.” The first of
these, (a), is well illustrated in the genealogy in Matt. 1:2-16, the line being simply
reckoned from Abraham to Christ. So in 2 Cor. 6:15, 16, where the
de
anticipates a