Bible verses about "witnessing" | JMNT

¹⁹ "Therefore, while going on your way, instruct and make disciples (at some point enlist students and apprentices) of all the ethnic multitudes (the pagans; the Gentiles; the nations; the non-Israelites), habitually immersing them [i.e., the people (masculine pronoun)] (or: one-after-another [B & D read: at some point] baptizing them to the point of infusion and saturation) into the Name which has reference to, belongs to, has its origin and character in, and which represents, the Father and the Son, as well as the Set-apart Breath-effect (or: the Name from the Father, as well as from the Son, and even which is the Holy Spirit; or: the Name of the Father and of the Son – even of the Holy Spirit; or: the Father's Name, even the Son's, and which pertains to the Sacred Breath; or: the Name belonging to the Father and the Son, and which is the Sacred Attitude; or: the Name of the Father, and then of the Son, and which comes from the se-apart Spirit; or: the Name which represents the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; or: the Name which comes from the Father, belongs to the Son, and corresponds to the Holy result of the Breath), [note: Eusebius gives this as "Go and make disciples of all the nations in my name." – Eusebius: The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine, translated by G. A. Williamson, Barnes & Noble Books, 1995, p 111. Williamson footnotes: "Matt. 28:19, in a simpler, perhaps a more primitive form." comment: this may have been a paraphrase; it may come from a lost MS tradition; it may represent an interpretation of this verse in the early AD 300's; cf Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5] ²⁰ "constantly teaching and progressively training them to habitually watch over, guard, keep and maintain everything (or: all things) – as many things as I Myself implanted as goals (imparted as the finished product within; gave as interior, destiny-laden directives) in and for you folks. And now – look and consider this! – I Myself continuously am (exist being) with you folks all the days, on until the joint-goal (or: the conjunction; the end [of all] brought together; the conclusion, consummation and fruition; the combined finished product and actualization) of the age (or: which is that Age [= the Age of the Messiah]; or: as far as the attending and associated end of this age; or: until the consummation brought by the Age [of Messiah])." [written circa A.D. 40-60 – Based on the critical analysis of John A.T. Robinson]

¹⁶ "For thus God loves the world (the universe; the ordered arrangement; the organized system [of life and society]; or: = all mankind), so that He gives His uniquely-born [with other MSS: the only-begotten] Son, (or, reading wste as an adverb: You see, in this manner God loves the sum total of created beings as being the Son: He gives the Only-begotten One; or: reading wV te: For you see, [it is] in this way [that] God loves the aggregate of humanity – even as it were His Son: He gives the uniquely-born One), to the end that all (or: everyone) – the one habitually believing, putting confidence and trusting into Him – would not lose or destroy himself, or cause himself to fall into ruin, but rather can continuously have (or: would habitually possess and hold) eonian life (age-durative life with qualities derived from the Age [of the Messiah]; living existence of and for the ages). [note 1): I have here given the “fact” sense of the aorist tense of the verbs “love” and “give” rather than the simple past tense. The statement by Jesus is a “timeless” fact of God; it signifies that the object of His love and His gift (that object being the cosmos, the universe, the world of men and created beings) is in view as a whole, and both the love and the gift are presented as fact, as one complete whole (punctiliar) which exists apart from any sense of time (i.e., coming from the realm or sphere of the “eternal,” or, “the Being of God;” note 2): Paul Tillich defines "love" (agape): the whole being's drive and movement toward reunion with another, to overcome existential separation; an ecstatic manifestation of the Spiritual Presence; acceptance of the object of love without restriction, in spite of the estranged, profanized and demonized state of the object; – Systematic Theology III, pp 134-138] ¹⁷ "For God does not send forth His [other MSS: the] Son as an Emissary, or Representative, into the world (or: System; aggregate of humanity) to the end that He should continuously separate and make decisions about the world (or: would at some point sift and judge the System, or the aggregate of humanity), but to the contrary, to the end that the world would be delivered (or: that the System could be healed and made whole; that the ordered arrangement should be restored to health; that the aggregate of mankind may be saved – rescued and re-established in its original state): through Him! ¹⁸ "The one habitually believing and progressively placing trust into Him is not being continuously sifted or evaluated (is not habitually being separated for decisions or being judged). The one not habitually trusting and believing has already been sifted and evaluated (separated for a decision; judged) and that decision yet exists, because he has not believed so that he trusts into the Name [note: “name” is a Semitism for the person, or his authority, or his qualities] of the uniquely-born Son of God (or: into God’s Son – the only-begotten One). ¹⁹ "Now this continues being the (or: So there continues being the same) process of the sifting, the separation and the decision (the evaluation; the judging), because the Light has come (or: has gone) into the world (the aggregate of humanity; the ordered system and arrangement of religion, culture and government; or: the system of control and regulation), and yet the humans love the darkness (or: the men [= the leadership] love the dimness of obscurity and gloom; or: mankind loved the shadow-realm) rather than the Light, for their works (deeds; actions) were continuing to be bad ones (unsound ones; wicked ones; laborious ones; toilsome ones that created bad news; wrongful ones), ²⁰ "for everyone [who is] habitually practicing (or: performing) worthless things (base, mean, common, careless, cheap, slight, paltry, sorry, vile things or refuse) is continuously hating (regarding with ill-will) the light, and is not coming (or: going) to the light (or: the Light), so that his works (deeds; actions) may not be tested and put to the proof (and thus, exposed and perhaps reproved).

⁴⁶ And then He says to them, "Thus is has been written [other MSS add: and thus it continued binding] [about] the Christ (the Anointed One): He was to suffer, and then to rise (or: stand back up again) from out of the midst of dead folks – on the third day – ⁴⁷ "and then, upon the [authority and basis of] His Name, a change of mind and thinking – [proceeding, or, leading] into a flowing away of failures (a sending away of mistakes; a forgiveness of sins; a divorcing of the situations of missing the target; an abandonment of guilt; a release from error) – is to be proclaimed by heralds unto all the ethnic multitudes and nations (or: the Gentiles; the non-Israelites), beginning (or: with folks starting) from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ "You folks are witnesses of these things (or: are people who can give evidence for these people). ⁴⁹ "And so, look and take note: I Myself am now progressively sending forth the Promise from out of the midst of, and from, My Father (or: am out from within repeatedly sending forth My Father's promise, as an Emissary; [with other MSS: From where I now am, I now continuously send off the Promise, which is My Father]) upon you people. So you, yourselves, sit down (be seated) within the City – until where (or: which [situation] or: what [time]) you can (or: may) clothe yourselves with (or: enter within the midst of) power and ability from out of the midst of exaltation (or: height; elevation; perhaps: = on high)."

³⁷ Now, upon hearing [this], they were pierced down to the heart (the core of their being), and so said to Peter and the rest of the commissioned and sent-forth folks (or: emissaries), "Men... brothers, what can or should we do?" ³⁸ So Peter at once affirms to them, "At once change your way of thinking (your frame of mind and point of view; [by customary use this implies: and return to Yahweh]). Then at once let each one of you folks be immersed (baptized) within the Name (= in union with the identity, the character, the authority, the essence) of Jesus Christ (or: of [the] Anointed Jesus; with is Jesus [the Messiah]) – into the midst of a release and sending away, a divorce and an abandonment, a cancellation and a forgiveness: of your failures, your mistakes, your times of missing the target, your errors, and your sins – and then you will proceed receiving and continue taking in hand the free gift (the gratuity) of the Set-apart Breath-effect (or: which is the Holy Spirit; or: which has its source in and the character of the Sacred Attitude).

¹⁴ How, then, can (may; should; would) they at some point call unto (= invoke) One Whom (or: that which) they do not trust or believe (or: did not have faith in)? And how can (may; should; would) they believe where they do not hear (or: trust in Whom they did not hear)? And how can they at any point hear apart from a person continually making public proclamation (habitually publishing and extensively heralding)?

¹³ Now may the God of Expectation (or: the God Who is the Expectant Hope) make you full of all joy and peace within the midst of constant trust and in union with continual operation of faith and believing, [leading] into the midst of continually surrounding you with abundance within The Expectation (or: in union with expectant hope) – within [the] power of a set-apart spirit (or: within [the] Holy Spirit's ability; or: in union with a power which is, and whose source is, set-apart Breath-effect and sacred attitude).

²² To (For; Among) those without strength (the weak ones), I become (or: came to be) as without strength (weak), to the end that I would (can; may) gain those without strength (the weak ones). I have become and continue to be all things for (to; among) all folks (or: peoples), to the end that I can (would; may) by every means (in every way; under all circumstances) save (rescue; deliver; restore to health, wholeness and their original condition) anybody!

¹⁸ Yet further, all these things [are] (or: the Whole [is]) forth from out of the midst of God – the One transforming us to be completely other [than we were] (or: bringing us into another place or state of being; changing us to correspond with other [perceptions and conceptions]; altering us to be conformed to another [person]; changing us from enmity to friendship; reconciling us) in Himself (or: with Himself; by Himself; to Himself; for Himself), through Christ, and giving to us the attending service of, and the dispensing from, the transformation [for folks] to be other [than before] (or: the change into another [position]; the changing to correspond with other [situations; perceptions]; the alteration to be another [person]; the change from enmity to friendship; the reconciliation), ¹⁹ as that God was existing within Christ (God was and continued being in union with [the] Anointed One) progressively and completely transforming [the] aggregate of humanity (or: world) to be other [than it is] (or: progressively bringing [the] ordered System into another level or state; repeatedly changing [the] universe to correspond with other [conditions; perceptions]; progressively altering [the] ordered arrangement of culture, religions, economy and government to be in line with another one; habitually and progressively changing [the] secular realm [of humanity] from enmity to friendship; reconciling [the] world [of mankind]) in Himself, to Himself, for Himself and by Himself, not accounting to them (not putting to their account; not logically considering for them; not reasoning in them) the results and effects of their falls to the side (their trespasses and offences), even placing within us the Word (the Idea; the Reason; the message) of the corresponding transformation to otherness (or: the full alteration; the change from enmity to friendship; the conciliation). ²⁰ Over [the situation] in regard to Christ, then (or: Then for Christ's sake), we are elders of God, performing as ambassadors from God, as [Him] continually calling alongside to give comfort and relief (performing as a Paraclete) through us. We are constantly begging and urgently asking, on behalf of Christ (or: for Christ's sake): "Be fully transformed in, be correspondingly altered by, be changed from an enemy to be a friend with, be reconciled to, and be altered to be another [person] by, God!" (or: "You folks must be completely exchanged in God; or: Be conciliated to, for and with God!"), ²¹ for you see, He made (or: formed; makes) the One not at any point knowing failure (sin; error; mistake) by intimate experience [to take the place of; to be] failure over us and our [situation] (or: He constructed [as] a sin [offering], for our sake, the Person who was not at that point having an experiential knowledge of missing the target or making a mistake), to the end that we may be birthed (come into existence being; come to be) God's rightwised qualities (God's right relationship with fair and equitable dealing which accords to the Way pointed out; God's justice; God's way it should be, with well-ordered living and right thinking; also: = participants in a covenant from God), within Him and in union with Him.

¹⁷ "For God does not send forth His [other MSS: the] Son as an Emissary, or Representative, into the world (or: System; aggregate of humanity) to the end that He should continuously separate and make decisions about the world (or: would at some point sift and judge the System, or the aggregate of humanity), but to the contrary, to the end that the world would be delivered (or: that the System could be healed and made whole; that the ordered arrangement should be restored to health; that the aggregate of mankind may be saved – rescued and re-established in its original state): through Him!

¹⁵ Then He said to them, "As you are journeying on your way (or: As you are traveling) into all the ordered system (the world of religion, culture and government; secular society), you men make a public proclamation of the good news (or: herald the good message of ease and wellness) to the entire creation (or: in all the founded and civilized area that has been reclaimed from the wild).

⁸ "Nevertheless, you folks will progressively receive power and will continue taking to yourselves ability [at, or with, the] coming of the Set-apart Breath-effect (the Holy Spirit and Sacred Attitude) upon you folks – and you will keep on being My witnesses (those who testify and give evidence of what they have seen and experienced; and later: martyrs; = you will continue telling about Me), both within Jerusalem and within all Judea and Samaria... even as far as [the] end of the Land (or: the extremity and farthest point of the earth)."

¹⁸ And so, after approaching, Jesus, [breaking the silence], suddenly spoke to them, by saying, "All authority (or: Every right and privilege from out of Being) is (or: was at once) given to Me within heaven and upon the earth (or: in sky and atmosphere, as well as on land)! ¹⁹ "Therefore, while going on your way, instruct and make disciples (at some point enlist students and apprentices) of all the ethnic multitudes (the pagans; the Gentiles; the nations; the non-Israelites), habitually immersing them [i.e., the people (masculine pronoun)] (or: one-after-another [B & D read: at some point] baptizing them to the point of infusion and saturation) into the Name which has reference to, belongs to, has its origin and character in, and which represents, the Father and the Son, as well as the Set-apart Breath-effect (or: the Name from the Father, as well as from the Son, and even which is the Holy Spirit; or: the Name of the Father and of the Son – even of the Holy Spirit; or: the Father's Name, even the Son's, and which pertains to the Sacred Breath; or: the Name belonging to the Father and the Son, and which is the Sacred Attitude; or: the Name of the Father, and then of the Son, and which comes from the se-apart Spirit; or: the Name which represents the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; or: the Name which comes from the Father, belongs to the Son, and corresponds to the Holy result of the Breath), [note: Eusebius gives this as "Go and make disciples of all the nations in my name." – Eusebius: The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine, translated by G. A. Williamson, Barnes & Noble Books, 1995, p 111. Williamson footnotes: "Matt. 28:19, in a simpler, perhaps a more primitive form." comment: this may have been a paraphrase; it may come from a lost MS tradition; it may represent an interpretation of this verse in the early AD 300's; cf Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5] ²⁰ "constantly teaching and progressively training them to habitually watch over, guard, keep and maintain everything (or: all things) – as many things as I Myself implanted as goals (imparted as the finished product within; gave as interior, destiny-laden directives) in and for you folks. And now – look and consider this! – I Myself continuously am (exist being) with you folks all the days, on until the joint-goal (or: the conjunction; the end [of all] brought together; the conclusion, consummation and fruition; the combined finished product and actualization) of the age (or: which is that Age [= the Age of the Messiah]; or: as far as the attending and associated end of this age; or: until the consummation brought by the Age [of Messiah])." [written circa A.D. 40-60 – Based on the critical analysis of John A.T. Robinson]

¹⁶ "In this way, let the Light, which you folks possess (or: which has a source in you folks; or: which you people are), shine in front of mankind (before humans), so that people can see your fine works (or: the beautiful works that you are; the ideal acts which come from you folks) and they can give glory to (or: and [these deeds; or: these works of beauty] will bring a good reputation for) your Father – the One in union with the atmospheres [that surround you folks] (or: within the midst of the heavens)!

¹⁶ For you see, I am not in the habit of being ashamed of (= I am proud of and thrilled about) the Good News (message of goodness, ease and well-being), for it continues being (or: is) God’s power (ability; capacity) [leading] into deliverance (being rescued; salvation; health and wholeness; restoration to the original state and condition) – in everyone (for everyone; to everyone) continuously having faith and trusting (or: believing and relying upon [it]): for (to; in) [the] Jew first, also for (to; in) [the] Greek (or: Hellenist; = non-Jew) –

⁶ [with] your word (your conversation; your message) – at all times within grace (or: = always favorable) – being one having been prepared and fitted by salt (or: seasoned in salt; or: = one being interesting and not insipid), [and for you] to have seen, and thus be aware, how it continues binding for you folks to be habitually answering each person with discernment (or: making a decided reply to or separating [issues] away in order to respond with a decision for each individual).

¹⁵ Then He said to them, "As you are journeying on your way (or: As you are traveling) into all the ordered system (the world of religion, culture and government; secular society), you men make a public proclamation of the good news (or: herald the good message of ease and wellness) to the entire creation (or: in all the founded and civilized area that has been reclaimed from the wild). ¹⁶ "The trusting and believing one – as well as one being immersed (baptized) – will continue being restored to health and wholeness (be delivered, rescued, made safe, and returned to his original state and condition). Yet the distrusting person (the one being without faith; or: the faithless one) will proceed being commensurately evaluated and correspondingly decided about (or: beseparated down according to the pattern; have a decision rendered against him; be condemned).

¹⁵ Now "you folks set [the] Lord [= Yahweh] – the Anointed One – apart (or: Yet, let the Lord Christ be set-apart)" [Isa. 8:13], within your hearts! (or: So, treat the Anointed Owner as holy, in the core of your beings), always ready (ever prepared) toward a defense to everyone – for the one repeatedly asking you for a word (i.e., a rational explanation and a logical response) about the expectation within you folks – but still with gentleness (tenderness; meekness; kindness) and deep respect (or: serious caution; reverence; [the] fear [of the Lord]),