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Purpose of the New Testament.
(1)
Prothesis, something "set before" the mind, a resolution.
(2)
Tithemi, the verb to purpose, to set or to place.
(3)
Bouleuomai, to wish, to take counsel.
(4)
Poieo. To make or to do.
(5)
Proaireomai. To choose, to take one before another.
Let us acquaint ourselves with the context and usage of these words in the N.T., and
become more acquainted with their inner meaning.
Prothesis. Four times it is used in connection with shewbread (Matt. 12: 41;
Mark 2: 26; Luke 6: 4 and Heb. 9: 2) literally "The bread of setting before". It is used
of Paul's own purpose and of others, but we are concerned with the purpose of God, so
we read "the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8: 28), which is followed by such
terms as predestination. There is the danger of missing the sovereign will of God that lies
behind His purpose, for we read in Rom. 9: 11, 12:
"For the children, being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth;
it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger."
The Prison Epistles use this term three times, and their meaning and place in the
overall scheme is too implicit to deal with at this stage. We will give these references,
but wait for a fuller exposition, after we have considered the remaining terms that are set
out before us:
"In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His Own will" (Eph. 1: 11).
"According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Eph. 3: 11).
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling; not according to our works,
but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began" (II Tim. 1: 9).
We leave the correction of one or two of these words in the A.V. until later.
Tithemi, which gives us the word Thesis in prothesis just examined, is variously
translated appoint, set forth, lay down, ordain, to lay as a foundation, to put, as all
enemies under His feet, all of which have a bearing on the question of purpose, to be
considered presently.
Poieo. In one passage, namely in Eph. 3: 11, the clause "which He purposed"
employs the word usually translated "to make or to do", which at first reads somewhat
strangely when we read of the "eternal purpose which He MADE in Christ Jesus", but the
word has wide significance. Dr. Bullinger's comment in his Lexicon is:
"To make, i.e. to form, produce, to bring about, cause, spoken of any external act as
manifested in the production of something tangible and obvious to the senses, and
referring to completed action."