No language brings across the nature of continuity better than the Biblical Greek Present Active Participle.
There are countless examples of this in the Greek New Testament. A verb recorded in the Present Active Tense alone suggests some degree of progressive action, but the participle drives the nail down flush.
Unfortunately, most English translations don’t always reflect the continuous verbal aspect the Biblical authors intended by using participles, often leaving the reader no option but to speculate about the full meaning.
For example, the NASB Translation reads:
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” [Jn. 14:21] [emphasis mine]
Literally translated in light of verbal aspect, this passage reads:
“The one having My commandments and is keeping them—that one is the one continuously loving Me. And the one loving Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and shall reveal Myself to him.” [emphasis mine]
Am I splitting hairs? Maybe a little.
But the author—the disciple Jesus loved—was trying to illustrate how genuine love is demonstrated by an unbroken flow of willful obedience [1], driven by a spirit of gratefulness. He leaves no room to suggest that the action of “loving” could have been a one-time event.
The good news is I don’t have to spend years learning Koine Greek grammar and vocabulary to spot participles. Bible software is available which can allow the reader to instantly determine the true aspect of any verb.
But there’s more.
I can’t think of anyone I’d prefer to reveal Himself to me more than the One who saved me from myself.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who continues to remain in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” [Jn. 15:5]