CUTTING STRAIGHT THE WORD OF GOD...understanding the Granville Sharp rule and why it matters

Granville Sharp's rule, according to Granville Sharp, is:

"When the copulative kai connects two nouns of the same case [viz. nouns (either substantive or adjective, or participles) of personal description, respecting office, dignity, affinity, or connexion, and attributes, properties, or qualities, good or ill,] if the article ho, or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle: i.e., it denotes a farther description of the first named person."(4)

The vital point that is available to the reader of Sharp's work is this: *Sharp's rule is valid only for singulars, not plurals; and it is not intended to be applied to proper names*. His rule only applies to persons, not things. As you can see, Granville Sharp's rule is much more limited in its scope than the more modern definitions reveal.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,

a worker who has no need to be ashamed,

rightly handling [cutting it straight] the word of truth.

-2 Tim. 2:15

A few days ago a young man sought to make some spurious assertions about my commitment to orthodoxy and homage to church history. He mentioned in specific the Granville Sharp rule; claiming I didn't affirm it, all the while he completely misapplied it to a passage of Scripture (Eph. 4:11) concerning the offices and gifts of pastors and teachers for which he was willing to casually throw me under the bus. Though he seemed sincere, his passion trumped precept; what the Apostle Paul would call having "zeal without knowledge." This brother finally agreed that he had misapplied the GS-R to Eph. 4:11. My prayer for us both is we remain faithful students of God's Word, teachable, and willing to invest the time to really understand some of the more difficult passages of Scripture before pulling the trigger against another.

Why does this really matter? Because rightly dividing the truth is an important duty for all believers - especially pastors and teachers in the body of Christ. The GS-R was originally discovered to defend a biblical Christology. Though a technical tool of interpreting Scripture; it can be very helpful and beneficial for all believers to learn and enjoy in their Bible study and devotions before the Lord. No greater person to explain this important theological tool to us than my dear friend and reformed apologist - Dr. James White. I would encourage you to read a bit of Granville Sharp's story - it is fascinating and stirring!

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Granville Sharp's Rule

Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1

by Dr. James White

This information sheet is divided into two sections. The first is a brief, basic discussion of what is known as "Granville Sharp's Rule." This rule is very important in translating and understanding Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 (as well as other passages), and as these passages bear directly on the discussion of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, we feel Christians should be informed on the subject. The second section of this paper is a much more in-depth discussion of the same subject, providing references for those familiar with the Greek language and the translation of the New Testament.

Section 1
Basically, Granville Sharp's rule states that when you have two nouns, which are not proper names (such as Cephas, or Paul, or Timothy), which are describing a person, and the two nouns are connected by the word "and," and the first noun has the article ("the") while the second does not, *both nouns are referring to the same person*. In our texts, this is demonstrated by the words "God" and "Savior" at Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1. "God" has the article, it is followed by the word for "and," and the word "Savior" does not have the article. Hence, both nouns are being applied to the same person, Jesus Christ. This rule is exceptionless. One must argue solely on theological grounds against these passages. There is truly no real grammatical objection that can be raised. Not that many have not attempted to do so, and are still trying. However, the evidence is overwhelming in favor of the above interpretation. Lets look at some of the evidence from the text itself.

In Titus 2:13, we first see that Paul is referring to the "epiphaneia" of the Lord, His "appearing." Every other instance of this word is reserved for Christ and Him alone.(1) It is immediately followed by verse 14, which says, "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." The obvious reference here is to Christ who "gave Himself for us" on the cross of Calvary. There is no hint here of a plural antecedent for the "who" of verse 14 either. It might also be mentioned that verse 14, while directly referring to Christ, is a paraphrase of some Old Testament passages that refer to Yahweh God. (Psalm 130:8, Deuteronomy 7:6, etc). One can hardly object to the identification of Christ as God when the Apostle goes on to describe His works as the works of God!

The passage found at 2 Peter 1:1 is even more compelling. Some have simply by-passed grammatical rules and considerations, and have decided for an inferior translation on the basis of verse 2, which, they say, "clearly distinguishes" between God and Christ.(2) Such translation on the basis of theological prejudices is hardly commendable. The little book of 2 Peter contains a total of five "Granville Sharp" constructions. They are 1:1, 1:11, 2:20, 3:2, and 3:18. No one would argue that the other four instances are exceptions to the rule. For example, in 2:20, it is obvious that both "Lord" and "Savior" are in reference to Christ. Such is the case in 3:2, as well as 3:18. No problem there, for the proper translation does not step on anyone's theological toes. 1:11 is even more striking. The construction here is *identical* to the construction found in 1:1, with only one word being different. Here are the passages as they are transliterated into English:

1:1: tou theou hemon kai sotaros Iesou Christou

1:11: tou kuriou hemon kai sotaros Iesou Christou

Notice the exact one-to-one correspondence between these passages! The only difference is the substitution of "kuriou" for "theou". No one would question the translation of "our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" at 1:11; why question the translation of "our God and Savior, Jesus Christ" at 1:1? Consistency in translation demands that we not allow our personal prejudices to interfere with our rendering of God's Word.

Dr. A. T. Robertson examined this very subject, and in conclusion said,

Sharp stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. We must let these passages mean what they want to mean regardless of our theories about the theology of the writers.

There is no solid grammatical reason for one to hesitate to translate 2 Pet. 1:1, "our God and Saviour Jesus Christ," and Tit. 2:13, "our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus."... Scholarship, real scholarship, seeks to find the truth. That is its reward. The Christian scholar finds the same joy in truth and he is not uneasy that the foundations will be destroyed.

Hopefully all involved can echo Dr. Robertson's words. We need not think that God's Word is our enemy, or that we must twist it around to suit our needs. God's truth will stand firm, despite all of mankind's attempts to hide it, or twist it. Christians are looking for that blessed hope; the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the meantime, let us do good deeds to others, living in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A TEXT, TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT, IS A PRETEXT, FOR PROOFTEXT...what does the Bible actually mean? the pastor's duty in preaching

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who has no need to be ashamed,
rightly handling the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

A few years ago a gentleman approached me after a concert with a question about what I had been teaching that evening (it was Hebrews 2:9-18). He mentioned one of the verses to me that he gave a very unusual meaning to. He was taking completely out of context, but defiantly said that he couldn't be challenged on what that verse meant, because regardless what I had to say—this is what he "felt" it meant. When he calmed down and actually inquired what I thought the verse meant I replied with a bit of sarcasm saying, "I think that this verse means that Michael Jordan is going to come out of retirement, return to the Bulls, and they will win another NBA Championship." He looked puzzled at me and then barked out, "that isn't what this verse is saying!!!" I said, "Oh, we're not concerned with what it’s actually saying... just what it means to me and what it means to you." He then reluctantly acknowledged what I was driving at… that the Scriptures actually mean something textually apart from any experience or proclivities we bring to them.

Dr. MacArthur is famous for saying, "The duty of any faithful exegete of God’s Word is to find out its true meaning and then preach it to the people. In other words, what does the Bible mean if we were dead?" …that graphically really says it. In our postmodern world that we live in everyone has become their own Bible; every man has become his own authority; and people think that they can make any verse mean whatever they want it to mean.

Words have meaning; and their context gives weight to their import. Biblical truth is no exception. The terms and the truth they represent have meaning and their context gives the weight of meaning in application to our lives. It seems to be th fashion of the day to want to make the Word mean whatever you want it to mean in your situation regardless of what it is actually saying.

Here are three of the most taken out of context, misplaced, misapplied, misappropriated, and misinterpreted Bible verses that we hear. All three of these verses are found in Matthew 18:18-20; all three of these verses have to do with church discipline; and all three of these verses can mean only one thing in their proper context. Let’s take a look…

1. "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven" -Matthew 18:18.
This is a favorite on the TBN Network; where embellished meanings of biblical expressions is left to whatever they think it means absent of proper hermeneutics.

This first verse under consideration is usually applied in regards to spiritual warfare (confronting Satan and winning victory over him.) TBNers will say that you are to "bind Satan" from your life; places of ministry; from one's home; or any negative influence you might "feel" occurring in your life. And then you can "loose" the blessing and the victory that the Lord has given to you. All that you need to do is command that reality "in Jesus name" and it is yours for the demanding. This is patently false beloved. If believers in the Lord can bind Satan and if believers all over the world are binding him day and night; then why isn’t Satan caught in a state of perpetual bound? Why is he still “loosed?” And when you do “bind him” how long does the binding last for? One hour; till the next worship service starts; until after the concert; until you’re done praying; etc.?

“Binding and loosing” has nothing to do with satanic battles or spiritual warfare against the powers of darkness. Those instructions are given in other passages (James 4:7; Eph. 6:10-17). “Binding and loosing” has to do with someone being repentant or unrepentant in their sin. It is a command given to the church for confirming whether a brother or sister in Christ is unrepentant in their sin (bound) or has been repentant of their sin (loosed). In the Greek, this phrase is stated in the past tense: whatever you bind on earth has already been bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth has already been loosed in heaven. The Lord is speaking here in the context of church discipline over sin. When someone is unrepentant in his or her sin--they are bound; when someone is repentant of his or her sin--they are loosed. And this is given to the body of Christ to definitively affirm in the lives of other believers. All church discipline is for restoration, reconciliation and repentance—never retribution or revenge. It is for the health of the church and the purity of the individual in Christ.

2. "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven" -Matthew 18:19
This verse is commonly used for prayer—“if two of you agree on earth about anything…” Firstly, if this verse was used for prayer, then private prayers could never be heard; because there wouldn't be two to agree on earth about anything in His name. Secondly, the context once again is church discipline. The two that the Lord is speaking of here, are the two that are going to confront someone in their sin, to confirm the reality of their sin, and their repentance or unrepentance. Matthew 18:16 says, "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED." Anytime that a few believers go to another trapped in sin and confront them in it they have this promise: "that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." The Lord will grant such "asking" if they agree as to the sin of another and have affirmed their repentance or unrepentance. Televangelists are notorious for using this verse as a means for soliciting money; promising miracles; getting your healing; obtaining financial success; and tragically, even for the salvation of a loved one. It is a cheap charlatan idiom and should be decried and avoided for what it is—unsound doctrine.

3. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" -Matthew 18:20.
This is the last of these three verses and the most commonly recited out of context. How many times have we been in a church service, a Christian concert, conference, or festival and someone shouts from the microphone, "there is more than two or three gathered in the name of the Lord here tonight and therefore He is with us... give Him a praise offering!" This may rev up the crowd but has nothing to do with this verse.

The Lord is always with us; He will never leave nor forsake us. Even when we are alone—He is with us. Nothing can separate us from His love and He lives in our very lives. “Christ in you,” Paul says, “the hope of glory.”

Once again, the issue here is church discipline and the two or three spoken of are the ones going to confront another in their sin. The church is in no greater way like the Lord than when we are lovingly confronting another in their waywardness and walking with them to the place of repentance, reconciliation, and restoration. This verse describes part of that process. When two or three are gathered in the name of the Lord to deal with sin issues in a fellow believer, the promise is profound: "I am there in their midst." The Lord is honored when such loving humility is given to a wayward brother or sister in Christ and seeks their repentance from sin.

"It is truth alone that capacitates any soul to glorify God." 

-John Owen 

The duty of any faithful preacher/teacher of the Word of God is to “give the sense of it.” That is known as expository preaching. The Bible means something in its words and truth constraints; it means something apart from the baggage that we bring to it. We honor the Lord by honoring His Word—rightly dividing the truth--cutting IT straight.

So next time you turn on TBN (or some reasonable facsimile thereof) and they start to bind Satan; and ask you to agree with them for your "financial miracle" by sending in a donation or ordering their prayer cloth they’re peddling that month; OR, if you are in a church service or meeting and are told the Lord is here because two or three are gathered in His name; may I encourage you to in grace and truth go up after the service and lovingly correct the pastor or Bible teacher propagating such tripe in the name of the Lord; encourage them to read their Bibles more carefully; and remind them that James 3:1 encourages "not many you to be teachers"—for a more stricter judgment will be awarded to them.

Guard the Truth,
Steve