SPECIAL TOPIC: CONSIDER

SPECIAL TOPIC: CONSIDER

This term, logizomai, is used thirty-four times by Paul but fewer than seven times in the rest of the NT. It reflects Paul's logical presentation of truths and then as encouragement to think through the issues clearly.

The term is a major theological word because of

Its use in the Septuagint for personalized truth (cf. The New International Dictionary of NT Theology, vol. 3, p. 823)
Its use in Gen. 15:6 (LXX), which Paul used to justify OT righteousness based on a free gift of God through faith (cf. Rom. 4:3)
Its use for "counting" or "imputing." This sense is clearly seen in Rom. 4:3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,22,23,24 and Gal. 3:6. This theological usage implies depositing something into someone else's bank account. God imputes the righteousness of Jesus into our account (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). Also, God does not count or impute sin to our account (cf. 2 Cor. 5:19). What an amazing God! What an effective Savior! What a wonderful gospel!
It may have been a technical term used by Sophists in their rhetorical presentations (see Bruce W. Winter, Philo and Paul Among the Sophists).

Modern believers should also carefully consider what they believe about the faith and why. Our mental and verbal abilities are part of the image of God in mankind. We must worship God with our minds (cf. LXX, Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37). We need to be able to give an account of the hope that is in us (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15). We must think through our faith beliefs for our own stability and for evangelism.

See the videos on the trustworthiness of Scripture online at www.freebiblecommentary.org, in the second yellow box, "Discipleship Material" I. B.