The Other Half of “If”

I’ve certainly been skeptical about a lot of things, but I’ve never doubted what the word “if” meant.

In other words, I’ve learned that, if I didn’t meet the conditions required to either correct or achieve the desired result of any stipulation, then it wasn’t gonna’ happen.

But when I used to read the Bible, seeing this word in the text never raised any flags for me. And I’d never heard anybody suggest that “if” had any significance to the things Jesus Christ or His apostles taught. However, after learning to study the Scriptures inductively, I developed a skill for extracting its meaning based completely on the text rather than on any particular doctrine.

And if I can learn to do that, anybody can.

The Greek Particle “εἰ” [meaning “if,”or sometimes “since”] forms the basis for First Class Conditional sentences in the Greek New Testament. Of the over 500 occurrences of “εἰ,” approximately 300 function as the protasis of those conditional sentences. The protasis is the “if” in a conditional sentence that reads, “If…then…” “Then” is called the apodosis in the conditional sentence, and is commonly implied rather than actually used.

In his letter to all who [were] beloved of God in Rome, called as saints, the apostle Paul’s use of the word “if” was fundamental to establishing the significance of the concept of “Christ being in you” for the reader:

“However, you are not [then] in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells In you. But if anyone does not possess the spirit of Christ, [then] he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, [then] the Spirit [is] alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” [Rom. 8:9-11] [brackets mine] [my emphasis]

[Is being “in” Christ that important? see: [Getting the Most Out of In]

He then reminded them that they were not in debt to their flesh—that their actions must bear witness to their ownership in the Lord:

“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, [that is], to live according to the flesh. For if you are living according to the flesh, [then] you are destined to die. But if, by the Spirit, you are putting to death the deeds of the body, [then] you shall live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” [Rom. 8:12-14] [brackets mine] [my emphasis]

So why is it important to be able to recognize conditional sentences in the Bible?

Because conditional expectations aren’t exclusive to this life only. Note the conditions that Paul places upon the brothers in Rome for “belonging” to Christ, or the penalty awaiting them if they continued to live “according to the flesh.”

And remember that his letter was written to the saints. They were already “saved.”

[ἅγιος: (hâ’-gee-âs) a saint; someone set apart to or by God; consecrated; holy; morally pure; upright]

“If” is a little word with big consequences.