Commenting
on the words used for man’s (active) seeking after God, thus refuting Total
Depravity, Robert Sungenis wrote:
Paul uses [in Acts 17:26-27] three different words to describe
man’s quest for God: The first word, ζητειν (“to seek”), is the ordinary word
the New Testament uses for seeking God (e.g.,
Mt 6:33; 7:7-8; Lk 12:31; 17:33; Rm 2:7; Cl 3:1), and is used here as an
infinitive of purpose, i.e., it is the purpose of God for men to seek him. The
second word, ψηλαφησειαν (“reach out for him”), appears three other times in
the New Testament in reference to feeling or touching God or Jesus (e.g., Lk 24:39; Hb 12:18; 1Jn 1:1). The
third word, ευριεν is the ordinary word for “find.” Both ψηλαφησειαν and ευριεν
are optative verb forms through which Paul is expressing a clear and distinct
expectation from men. Paul reinforces this expectation by καιγε ου μακραν απο
ενος εκαστου ημων υπαρχοντα (“though he is not far from each one of us”)
preceded by the strong conditional ει αρα γε (“so that” or more emphatically
“if then” or “if therefore” (as αρα γε is used in Mt 7:20; 17:26), and by the
strengthened και with the addition of γε to read “even being not far from each one of us”). Also, the
expectation of each individual to
seek God, not merely men as a group seeking God, is made emphatic by Paul’s
addition of “each one of us.” (Robert A. Sungenis, Not by Faith Alone: The Biblical Evidence for the Catholic Doctrine of
Justification [2d ed.; Catholic Apologetics International Publishing, Inc.,
2009], 398 n. 483)
Commenting
on Rom 9:22 and Paul’s shift from the active voice in v. 21 (ποιῆσαι “made” [in
reference to vessels “unto honour”) to passive voice (κατηρτισμένα
"fitted" [used of vessels “prepared for destruction”), Sungenis
noted:
The words, “prepared for destruction” are
from the Greek words, κατηρτισμενα εις απωλειαν using the perfect, passive,
participle of καταρτιζω which is normally understood as “perfected” (Mt 21:16;
Lk 6:40; 1Co 1:10; 1Pt 5:10); “mended” (Mt 4:21); “formed” (Hb 11:3). The
perfect tense can be translated “having been formed” or “having been made.”
This verb could also be in the middle voice which would be translated, “having
made themselves for destruction.” Whether middle or passive, this word is in
contrast to the words “prepared in advance” (Greek: προητοιμασεν) in Rm 9:23
which is in the Greek active voice, denoting that God initiated the
preparation for glory but did not necessarily take part in those who were
“prepared for destruction.” Calvin ignores the distinction in the Greek voice,
instead, attributing to God an active
role in preparing the vessels of wrath for destruction. 1Pt 2:8 uses the
phrase, “which is also what they were destined for” from the Greek aorist,
passive ετεθησαν which normally refers to placement or appointment. Calvin
likens this passage to his view of Romans 9 in which “Pharaoh is said to have
been put into the position of resisting God, and all unbelievers are destined
for the same purpose” (Calvin’s
Commentary, op. cit., 1 Peter, p. 264). In like fashion, some have
attempted to use Jude 4 to teach supralapsarianism by the KJV translation, “who
were before of old ordained to this condemnation.” However, the Greek verb
translated “ordained” by the KJV is the word, προγεγραμμενοι which should be
translated “having been written before.” (Ibid., 432 n. 553)
