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pleasure. The N.T. usage differs in the LXX in this, that as a rule it stands for the will of
God . . . . . nowhere is it a name for the commands of God as such . . . . . it designates
what occurs, or what should be done by others, as the object of God's good pleasure, be
it carrying out the divine purpose or the accomplishment of what He would have."
The Lord was graciously disposed toward Paul, in spite of the fact that he was before
"a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious" (I Tim. 1: 13). It is "the good pleasure of
His will" that the Apostle speaks of as the spring and origin of His choice, predestination
and adoption of the members of the Church. Redemption itself is called "the mystery of
His will", and God is spoken of as working all things "after the counsel of His will".
These are the references in Ephesians that speak of the will of God in connection with the
great plan of salvation, grace and glory. The last two references in Ephesians (5: 17
and 6: 6) have to do with Christian practice and living.
The first occurrence of thelema in the N.T. is in Matt. 6: 10, "Thy will be done in
earth, as it is in heaven", and the last in Rev. 4: 11, "Thou hast created all things, and
for Thy pleasure they are and were created".
We shall have opportunity presently to compare the two words thelema "will" and
boule "counsel" (Eph. 1: 11). All that we will do at the moment is to make an extract
from Dr. Bullinger's Lexicon:--
Thelo.--"Used in cases where the wisdom and justice, etc., are not apparent, but
where the will is arbitrary or absolute."
Boulomai.--"To have a wish, intention or purpose, formed after mature deliberation."
#7.
Theos, "God", with a note on the irrelevance of
etymology in this case.
pp. 49, 50
Paul was an Apostle "by the will of God" (Eph. 1: 1). We will examine the word
Theou, translated "of God". The student will observe that in the original there is no
separate word for "of", but that it is indicated by throwing the word Theos, "God", into
the Genitive case, Theou. Words ending in os, such as Theos, Logos, etc., take ou in the
singular to form the possessive or genitive case. When it is known that the Greeks
pronounce ou as though it were written ov, the likeness to the English sign "of" will
enable us to remember the genitive more easily.
Theos.--What a small word to represent so great a Subject! On the other hand, mere
multiplication of syllables would bring the concept, God, no nearer. The first thing we
must note and keep steadily before us is, that whatever the derivation of the word, it was
not coined by the inspired writers of the Scriptures, but reclaimed from the heathen. The
true and living GOD is known by exactly the same name as idols of wood and stone, or
the gods of ancient mythology. The second is, that nowhere throughout the N.T. is there