Certainty
Certainty
See Assurance.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
Certainty
CERTAINTY.The ways in which certainty is expressed in the Gospels are frequently indirect. So far, however, as certainty is expressed by direct terms, various phrases are employed for the purpose. Of these the most frequent are and its derivatives , , . These always express objective security; the certainty which is or might be verified, and which consists in an accurate correspondence with facts.
Thus in his preface St. Luke (Luk 1:4) says he has traced the course of all things accurately that thou mightest know the certainty (, cf. Act 5:23, 1Th 5:3); the traitor says, Take him and lead him away safely (Mar 14:44 , cf. Act 2:36; Act 5:23; Act 16:23); Pilate says, Command that the sepulchre be made sure (Mat 27:64-66 , cf. Act 16:24). With these passages may be compared the use of elsewhere in NT. viz. Act 21:34; Act 22:30; Act 25:26, Php 3:1, Heb 6:19. The derivatives of are also employed, but with a force more or less distinctly moral or subjective. Thus the disciples are said to have preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word (Mar 16:20 , cf. Rom 15:8, 1Co 1:5; 1Co 1:8, 2Co 1:21, Col 2:7, Heb 2:3; Heb 13:9). Sometimes it is the disciples themselves who are confirmed or stablished. Outside the Gospela and occur with some frequency, being specially characteristic of the Ep. to Heb. (cf. 2Pe 1:10; 2Pe 1:19, Rom 4:18, 2Co 1:7. Heb 2:2; Heb 3:6; Heb 6:18-19; Heb 9:17, Php 1:7). In Luk 23:47 occurs, Certainly this was a righteous man; and in Luk 4:23 , Doubtless ye will say to me (cf. Act 21:22; Act 28:4, 1Co 9:10); but these are adverbial qualitatives of no great importance. [It is hardly necessary to remark that in the great majority of the passages in which the word certain occurs in the English versions, it renders the indefinite pronoun , where it has nothing to do with certainty, but is merely an idiomatic phrase equivalent to some in a quite indefinite sense].
With this use of language it is instructive to compare the opposite uncertainty which is expressed by , , commonly translated perplexed, though the meaning is rather that of hesitancy than of perplexity, as one finds no way out of a difficulty, and so is brought to pause. These words occur in Luk 21:25 and Joh 13:22 doubting of whom he spake (cf. Act 25:20, 2Co 4:8, Gal 4:20). it is also worth while to compare such occasional use of as given assurance unto all men (Act 17:31); and that of , full assurance (Col 2:2, 1Th 1:5, Heb 6:11).
But apart from special terms expressing certainty, the broad fact itself has, of course, a large place in the Gospels and in the mind of the Lord Jesus. This is usually represented by saying that a person or a thing is known, where is the verb employed. This verb is a perfect-present, and by its very form indicates the possession of knowledge, not its acquirement. In a number of passages the sense is accordingly best rendered not by I know, but by I am sure of.
The following are instances from the Gospels of this way of expressing certainty:Fear ye not, for I am certain that ye are seeking Jesus who was crucified (Mat 28:5); Master, we are certain that thou speakest and teachest straightforwardly (Luk 20:21); We speak what we are certain of, and bear evidence of what we have seen (Joh 3:11); No longer do we believe through thy report, for we ourselves have heard and are certain (Joh 4:42); What sign doeat thou that we may feel certainty, and may trust thee? (Joh 6:30); This is Jesus the son of Joseph; we are certain of his father and mother (Joh 6:42, cf. Joh 7:27); Give glory to God; we are certain this man is a sinner. He therefore answered, If he is a sinner I am not so certain; of one thing I am certain, that, being blind, henceforth I see (Joh 9:24-25); Even now I am certain that whatsoever thou mayest ask of God, God will give thee (Joh 11:22); He that hath seen beareth witness, and his witness is true (), and he is certain that he speaketh true (), that ye also may believe (Joh 19:35, cf. Joh 21:24). sometimes is used of Gods knowledge with its unerring certainty; and at other times of mans knowledge of God which springs from personal trust and love.
It is characteristic that the grounds on which certainty is shown in the Gospels to rest are moral grounds rather than intellectual; for commonly it is moral certitude, not scientific security, which is in view. On the one hand, the foundation of certainty is the faithfulness of God: this is well illustrated in the case of Zacharias (Luk 1:18-20), and in that of Mary (Luk 1:37-38). On the other hand, certainty is won through mens trust () in God or in Christ. So the Lord said, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain and shall not doubt () in his heart, but shall believe he shall have it (Mar 11:23 | Mat 21:21). To Peter as he began to fear and sink He said, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (, Mat 14:31). And when it is recorded of the disciples to whom the Lord appeared after His resurrection, that they saw him, and worshipped, but some doubted (, Mat 28:17), He met this mixed regard by a great personal affirmation, and a great charge laid on them, which formed in point of fact the strongest appeal to their most certain trust. See, further, art. Assurance.
Literature.See the it. at Assurance, and addE. White, Certainty in Religion; J. Clifford, Christian Certainties; W. R. Harper, Religion and the Higher Life, pp. 88100; G. A. Coe, Religion of a Mature Mind, 109132; A. E. Garvie, The Gospel for To-day, 34: Princeton Theol. Rev. i. 138 (Warfield); Homiletic Rev. xlvi 413 (Wright); Expos. Times, vii. 438, 533.
E. P. Boys-Smith.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Certainty
(Lat. Certus, sure) The alleged indubitability of certain truths, especially of logic and mathematics. — L.W.