Greek Geek Speak: “gar”
The Apostle Paul prayed that believers would increase in the knowledge of God (Col. 1:10). In another letter he appealed to believers to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). Growing in Christ requires some intellectual effort. The more we read, study, and apply God’s Word to our lives, the more we are transformed by it.
One discipline that can help our understanding of Scripture is the ability to follow logical arguments where they are presented in the Bible. Logic doesn’t have to scare us off—at its simplest, logic is just coming to a reasonable conclusion from a previous statement. In our English Bibles, we can often identify logical arguments when we notice words like since, therefore, because, or for. In the original Greek of the New Testament, one of the most common words used to join together an argument is the word gar.
Most often, gar gives the reason for the statement that precedes it. Here is an example, with the word for (Greek, gar) in bold:
Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him (Matt. 2:13).
Why should Joseph take his family to Egypt? Because Herod is going to try to kill the Child Jesus! Not every occurrence of the English word for (as in “for the Child”) is the Greek word gar. But usually when the word for is synonymous with because, gar is behind it.
Sometimes the argument is more complex and gar may be repeated several times, with each repetition giving the reason or support for the statement before it. (Again, the bold words are the Greek word gar).
15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:15-20).
In his opening of the letter to the Romans, Paul has stated in 1:15 that he is eager to preach the gospel in Rome. Let’s follow his argument in the next few verses to see why. Linked by for (gar) in verse 16, he says he wants to preach the gospel because he is not ashamed of it. Why is he not ashamed of the gospel? Because it is the power of God for everyone who believes, both Jew and Greek. Why is the gospel the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes? Because in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as Paul quotes even the prophet Habakkuk declaring the righteous will live by faith. Yet the righteousness of God is revealed not only in granting His righteousness to people of faith, but also in His righteous anger against sin. How is the righteousness of God revealed against unrighteousness? In His wrath against people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. But, one might argue, how can we tell the unrighteous really know the truth? Because God made evident to them what is known about Him. How did He make it evident to them? Ever since the creation of the world His eternal power and divine nature have been put on display in creation. The unrighteous are without excuse.
Paul has not only given the reasons for his eagerness to preach the gospel, he has gone ahead to preach it! Let’s turn his argument in reverse to see the gospel preached: God created the world to put His power and nature on display so all men and women can see it. God made Himself evident to all. However, the unrighteousness and ungodliness of people have sought to suppress the truth of God, causing Him to reveal His wrath. But God took the initiative to reveal His righteousness in a gospel plan in which His righteousness is given to those who live by faith. This is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes! This is the gospel of which Paul is not ashamed! This is the gospel that Paul wants to preach to those in Rome in person, but he takes care first to elaborate in his letter to the Romans.
When reading our Bibles, it is important to pay attention to the smallest words—even gar—for those are the words that hold together the arguments on which our faith stands. It is my hope to continue writing monthly blog posts to share more exploration of Greek words in the New Testament. If you would like to follow along, please subscribe to my email list at logbridgebooks.com. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage to sign up.