Perfect and Imperfect Tense: A Language Lesson

 

Beloved, have we been getting things wrong? Have we grown so accustomed to using fragments of bible verses that we’ve created, for ourselves, a lack of understanding of spiritual things?

For the most part, the New Testament was written in Greek, and in the Greek language, much like English, verbs have different tenses; past, present, future and so on. However, in Greek, there are two that are not exactly like those used in English – perfect and imperfect tense.

Let’s briefly delve into a language lesson.

The perfect tense is used to indicate an action which happens just one time and even though it’s never repeated, it has an ongoing effect into the future. This can be seen in John 19:30 (ESV),

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

“It is finished” is rendered in Greek with one word, “Tetelestai”. This word is written in the perfect tense which denotes, as previously mentioned, an action completed in the past with results that carry on into the future indefinitely.

This final word from Jesus as He hung on the cross, “It is finished”, signified that His mission on earth was complete, accomplished or brought to an end, yet it had only just begun.

Similarly, the perfect tense is at work in 1 John 2:12 (ESV),

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.

Here, it’s used in “are forgiven” referring to “your sins” – once and for all, past sins, present sins and future sins have been forgiven, “for His name’s sake” because “It is finished”.

The imperfect tense, on the other hand, describes an action that is continuously repeated; it’s habitual, it’s incomplete.

And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. – Matthew 27:30 (ESV)

Taken at face value, this can be interpreted as a one-time occurrence, but the verb used in Greek, “etypton”, rendered in the imperfect tense, indicates that this was a repeated action, Jesus was hit on His head over and over again.

And this perfect and imperfect tense language lesson takes us into the real topic at hand concerning our use of fragments of bible verses.

As Christians, we like to say to other Christians as a threat or a warning or condemnation, “Sin separates you from God” and I wondered if that’s biblically correct, not as a blanket statement but more so as a direct charge levied by believers upon believers. I never bothered to look into it until recently while researching the “conviction of sin” doctrine for a previous blog post.

You see, if Romans 10:9 says that a person who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, will be saved and if 1 John 2:12 says that your sins are forgiven (perfect tense), which means for all time as far as the east is from the west, and if Jesus declared “Tetelestai” from the cross, then why would sin separate a believer from God?

Of course, if it’s believed that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin, then it’s not far fetched to believe it’s because sin separates the believer from God. This must have arisen from somewhere. Then voila, I found it in Isaiah 59:2 (ERV),

It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them. 

It’ s right there, plain as day, in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. There’s no doubt about this truth; sins separate you from your God but that’s only one verse from an entire chapter. What’s the reason for this separation?

That’s because your hands are covered with blood from the people you murdered. You tell lies and say evil things. You can’t be trusted, even in court. You lie about each other and depend on false arguments to win your cases. You create pain and produce wickedness. (v 3-5)

This and much more was the diagnosis of the sins that caused the separation from God of a people who persisted in doing evil but the problem was not with God. God still possessed the power to save, to hear and to answer but these people were mired in sin. God was not obligated to save them if they refused to acknowledge their iniquitous condition and dire need of saving.

Under the old covenant there was separation, the people could not even approach Mt Sanai and it was not uncommon for God to forsake mankind and hide His face from them, for in Deuteronomy 31:17 (ESV) God Himself said,

Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’

Isaiah had prophesied about the coming Saviour; a prophetic word which pointed to a new covenant,

Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, for his own sins! But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed—and we were healed! – Isaiah 53:4-5 (TLB)

So, it is clear that sin does separate people from God, that is not being disputed, however Isaiah’s prophecy is also quite clear, in that, for believers, Jesus Christ was wounded and bruised for our sins; Jesus paid a very heavy price for the sins of every one of us

We—every one of us—have strayed away like sheep! We, who left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us! – Isaiah 53:6 (TLB)

In that day, the people were told of future events, things to come and when that time came, Jesus Christ was separated from God for us (Psalm 22), so that as believers we would never be separated from God because of the new dispensation – the covenant of grace – inaugurated by the death of Jesus, the propitiation for our sins.

He died in our place to take away [is the atoning sacrifice/propitiation for] our sins [his death pays the penalty and removes God’s anger from us] and not only our sins but the sins of all people [the whole world]. – 1 John 2:2 (EXB) [see also 4:10; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17]

Jesus saved us by dying in our place to take away all our sins, so that we may live free in this present time (perfect tense).

for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. – Romans 3:26 (NLT)

Anyone who believes in Jesus with a sincere intention to follow Him, the grace of God instantly takes effect in their life like a spiritual safety net. God could show no greater love for sinful mankind by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us (Romans 5:8 AMPC).

Beloved, when God laid the sins of the entire world upon Jesus Christ, the gap of separation was closed for whosoever accepts and believes by faith in Jesus; they will have peace with God (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-21) and can no longer be separated from Him for any reason.

As believers, our sins have been forgiven – the proof is written in the perfect tense – but that is not an invitation to sin. As Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the believers in Rome,

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. – Romans 5:20-21(MSG)

What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God’s] grace? Certainly not! And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose].  – Romans 6:15 &18 (AMP)

Through His crucifixion Jesus fulfilled the old covenant (Matthew 5:17) and instituted the new. Our coming to the cross is a very tangible experience (see Colossians 2:14); to be covered (atoned for) with the Blood is a real power (see Ephesians 1:7) – it’s not just a covering but a thorough washing.

As a believer, God’s Spirit lives inside you (see Romans 8:9) so, God never leaves you nor forsakes you (Hebrews 13:5) and, according to Matthew 28:20, Jesus is with you forever.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Perfect and Imperfect Tense: A Language Lesson” ©2026 May 28. 2026

 

 

Prayer for the spiritual journey

 

Lord God Almighty, I pray that I will never become lazy on my spiritual journey.

Help me dear God to remain eager, fervent, zealous, and steadfast.

Thank You for giving me strength for the journey and for clearing the path I need to take.

Thank You for giving me energy that will enable me, through faith and practice, to go the distance without becoming weary.

Thank You for steady feet that keep me from falling.

As I journey, help me not to focus on the length of the road ahead but to keep my eyes fixed on You.

I pray to walk closely with You Lord each and every day and that I will not be tempted to give up.

I make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.

Amen †

 

  

Shelley Johnson “Prayer for the spiritual journey” ©2026 May 27, 2026

 

Blessings, Let us Pray

 

Proverbs 10:6a (NIV) as it is written,

Blessings crown the head of the righteous

Dear God, thank You that this promise is for me because I have been made righteous through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ my Saviour and His finished work.

I believe therefore I speak words of abundance into my life.

I am receiving now, the fullness of God’s blessings that crown my head that are reserved for the righteous!

I expect these blessings to pour down upon me and surround me on every side.

I thank You O God for Your bountiful provision!

I thank You that I am blessed beyond my imagination!

I seal this prayer in the matchless name of Jesus Christ my Lord.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Blessings, Let us Pray” ©2026 May 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin, Righteousness and Judgment

Because I have heard it, I am sure that you must have heard it too, and that is,

“It’s the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin.”

Haven’t you heard that before? I have, many times, and I believe it to be biblically sound doctrine. After all I have only heard it from Christians. But I wondered where it came from, so I went searching through the bible for book, chapter and verse, and voila, I found it in the Gospel of John.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin – John 16:8 (ESV)

Jesus was talking to His disciples, preparing them for what was to come after His death and in this verse, He’s referring to the Holy Spirit. So, herein lies the justification for our belief that the Holy Spirit convicts us.

But this is not the whole verse; this is just a fragment of the verse, there’s more. Jesus did not stop at the word “sin”, he went on to say, and righteousness and judgment:

The entire verse tells us that there are three things that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of,

•        Sin
•        Righteousness
•        Judgment

This was news to me. This is showing us three separate groups; so, what is this verse really about? What was Jesus really saying to His disciples then and is saying to us now?

Every person in the world is in one of these groups; you’re either in sin, or in righteousness, or in judgment but you can’t be in more than one group and there’s no overlapping and we come to this conclusion because of verses nine to eleven that follow,

• concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 
•  concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 
•   concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

And then we’re confronted by the pronouns “they”, “you” and indirectly “he”.

When it comes to sin, Jesus uses the pronoun “they”. Why? Who is Jesus referring to? He is talking to His disciples, believers in Him, therefore the “they” could not be them, otherwise He would have said “you”.

The disciples believe in Jesus, so “they” who do not believe are unbelievers. The first group in verse 9 is group one – the “Sin” group, unbelievers to whom the conviction of sin is specifically targeted. They are convicted, proven guilty, concerning their sin of unbelief in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of sin, for those who do not believe in Jesus, that conviction is a wake-up call for them to recognize that they are in the wrong group and in need of the Saviour, Jesus.

Group two – the “Righteousness” group of verse 10. For this group, Jesus uses the pronoun “you”, a clear indication that this verse is directed to those He is speaking to, the disciples, who are believers. Believers are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ERV)

The Holy Spirit convicts, bears witness to, believers of their right-standing before God (see Romans 8:16). Jesus is no longer in the world physically but has given us His Spirit so that we can still believe in Him (see John 12:36).

The conviction of believers’ righteousness is to reinforce that those who believe in Jesus are always in right-standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood (Romans 3:25 GNT). People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood (Romans 3:25 NLT).

The third group, group three – “Judgment”, verse 11. In the last group, Jesus is speaking about the ruler of this world, Satan, who is convicted, found guilty, by the Holy Spirit, of his judgment because he is already judged and pronounced guilty as charged.

Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. – John 12:30-31 (NLT)

Within these three groups everyone who is in the world is accounted for,

•         Unbelievers
•      Believers
•       Satan

It is a list of persons that are mutually exclusive, since as mentioned previously, no one can be in more than one group and taken as a whole, they make up the entire world so it’s collectively exhaustive.

Beloved, fragmenting bible verses is a dangerous practice as it leads us into erroneous doctrine. The verse that has been used to base our “conviction of sin” doctrine, plainly demonstrates that point.

Reading the verse in its entirety, together with the accompanying verses that follow shows that there are three actions that the Holy Spirit performs and these actions are applied to three separate groups and attached to each one is a reason for targeting each group.

So, this is merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg concerning the intriguing topics of sin, righteousness and judgment. Apostle Paul takes us much deeper in his letter to the Romans in which you will find a detailed and comprehensive look at all you need to know about sin, righteousness and judgment.

Incidentally, this “conviction of sin” doctrine is not new, the apostle dealt with it in his day and had to set things right (see Romans 8) but that’s a topic for another blog post.

For today, we have seen from John 16:8-11, that there is no basis for believing that believers in Jesus are convicted of their sins by the Holy Spirit, or by the Father, or by the Son but the Holy Spirit does remind those who believe in Jesus that God has declared them innocent because of His Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Sin, Righteousness and Judgment” ©2026 May 25, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As long as you have Jesus

 

photo courtesy Chionsu Barclay

It’s important for us to see verses from a different and deeper perspective, especially those familiar, often-quoted verses. Keep in mind that the Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12); it has the ability to manifest when we speak it,

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. – Psalm 119:89 (ESV)

God’s Word is powerful, it is unchangeable, does not return to Him with no effect (Isaiah 55:11) and it is the creative activity of God, so, we must be cognisant of what we are saying when we are boldly declaring the Word over our lives.

After all, if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you (Mark 11:23 ERV), more so with His own Word.

It is from this mindset that we are going to look at a verse from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we have committed to memory to quote at will.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Straightforward enough but is it as straightforward as we think? What prompted the apostle to write this to the Philippians?

Philippi, though small, was a bustling city. It’s location in Northern Greece made it a major trade route which exposed the Philippians to many people from various cultures who passed through the city. It was the gateway to the East.

After the battle of 31 B.C., Philippi was constituted a Roman colony and the leading city in that part of Macedonia (Acts 16:12 ERV), making the Philippians Roman citizens just as Paul was however, unlike Paul, without Jewish influence, they were purely pagan.

Apostle Paul’s visit to Philippi as the first European city to hear a Christian missionary, informed his choice of the strategy of his evangelism. As his fellow Roman citizens, his manner of teaching could not take its usual form of Rabbi and disciple but was more of a partnership rather than that typical relationship; it was a mutual relationship, unique in this regard.

Additionally, Paul uses language and concepts that the people of Philippi would understand, so this letter is not like his usual letters.

Several remarkable conversions to Christianity and miraculous events occurred in Philippi (see Acts 16) which created an intimate friendship between the apostle and the members of the Philippian church. Even though the congregation consisted of Gentiles, they were Paul’s joy and crown (Philippians 4:1), in whom he saw the future of the church as the fruit of faith in them was unmistakably evident.

I am so happy, and I thank the Lord that you have again shown your care for me. You continued to care about me, but there was no way for you to show it. – Philippians 4:10 (ERV)

Paul, imprisoned for his faith and for spreading the Good News, was writing from gaol to the church. Their long-time concern and support for the apostle never wavered even though at times they hadn’t the opportunity of showing it. Paul’s letter was occasioned by their gifts of funds, clothing and other favours. But he wanted them to know that those things did not constitute their friendship, partnership and faithfulness.

This letter covers a gamut of complex matters and in the final chapter, where our favourite verse resides, Paul is mostly focused on his persecution for the sake of Christ, yet because of his deep affection for and gratitude to the Philippians, he is not only giving them thanks but encouragement for their own troubles as well.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. – Philippians 4:11-12 (ESV)

These verses, which lead us into verse 13, must be taken into account if our oft-quoted verse is to be properly understood. Here, Paul speaks of being “content” in any situation, the Greek word he would have used is “autarkes”.

“Autarkes” is self-sufficient, which was in Roman philosophy a favourite virtue among the stoics and cynics and signified the ultimate mastery over one’s own life. Paul was using this to signify something even deeper by aligning it to Jesus Christ.

He is conveying to the Philippians and to us that he is content, not in his own strength but that his ability to be content, to be self-sufficient comes from somewhere else. Paul’s self-sufficiency was empowered by God through his relationship with Christ. Even imprisoned, he was “autarkes”.

And it is with all this in mind, we can now read what Paul wrote in verse 13,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Paul had previously identified the source and power of his affection (1:8) now he was identifying the same source as the source and power of his strength.

As long as you have Jesus, you are “autarkes”. This verse has nothing to do with personal goals and ambitions. This is about finding contentment in Christ and not in anything else or anyone else; it’s detachment from the things of this world and attachment to the Kingdom of God.

Beloved, you can do all things – everything and anything – through Jesus who gives you the strength to do so. It is Jesus who gave Paul the ability to survive on very little and it is that same Jesus who gives you that same ability.

Paul was leading the Philippians to rely on and experience the dependence on God to meet their needs just as God met his needs and, this passage about needing very little, as long as you have Jesus, still rings true today.

As long as you have Jesus, you can rely on Him completely, not needing the things of this world for your joy and satisfaction.

As long as you have Jesus, you can live on little, centring every part of your life on Him.

As long as you have Jesus, you must spread the gospel, struggle for it and give everything to ensure that everyone hears the better than Good News.

And it is in all these pursuits that Jesus gives you His strength; strength to do all things that you may think you’re not good at or the things you believe you’re not worthy of doing or equipped for or meant for.

You and I, as long as we have Jesus, we can do all things through Him who gives us strength to stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. (Philippians 1:27-28 NIV)

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “As long as you have Jesus” ©2026 May 24, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praying necessary prayers

 

Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed. And please pray for me. Pray that truth will be with me before I even open my mouth. Ask the Spirit to guide me while I boldly defend the mystery that is the good news— for which I am an ambassador in chains—so pray that I can bravely pronounce the truth, as I should do. – Ephesians 6:18-20 (VOICE)

Apostle Paul understood that he, as a leader of the church, was in dire need of prayer. He wrote to the church in Ephesus exhorting them not just to pray always and about everything and in every way and to keep on praying feverishly but he also made a plea for them to pray for him.

We seem to think that there’s no need to pray for members of our clergy. Priests, pastors, ministers, vicars, bishops, deacons, apostles and preachers need our prayers. Even the pope is in need of prayer.

Praying necessary prayers for our spiritual leaders is crucial so that, according to Paul, truth will be with them before they even open their mouths, the Holy Spirit will guide them while they boldly defend the mystery that is the Gospel and they bravely pronounce the truth as they should do.

Hold your church’s leaders up before God, giving thanks for them in Jesus’ name.

Pray that divinely directed words will be on their lips and their mouths will not transgress in judgment.

Pray that their hearts remain in God’s hands and they will remain obedient to God’s leading.

Pray for God to bless them and make them a blessing to His people.

Pray for lovingkindness, compassion, mercy and faithfulness to preserve them.

Pray that their ways and actions will always please God.

Pray that they will listen carefully to God’s voice and that your church is elevated by uprightness and is in right standing with God because they take heed.

Pray that if there is anything for which they need to repent, that they will do so without hesitation.

Now declare that your church is established and made secure by righteousness and is stable in the Lord because your leaders are genuine men and women of God.

Beloved, as you pray, mention the names of those for whom you are praying necessary prayers, trusting that what you say will happen.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Praying necessary prayers” ©2026 May 23, 2026

Why are you holding on?

 

Recently, I came across something that I had never thought about before and was immediately struck by a certain bible verse. But before I divulge the verse, let me tell you about what led to this lightning bolt.

Looking at a globe of the world, if you were to travel north from anywhere in the world towards the Arctic or North Pole, after reaching that point, anywhere beyond it, you’ll then be heading south; right?

And if you continue making that entire longitude circumference journey, you will always go from south to north or from north to south.

However, it doesn’t work in that same way when you’re heading in an easterly direction on the globe to get to the west. You just continue heading east.

North to south and vice versa is finite but heading east is infinite, you’ll always be heading east. Traveling along that line of latitude in either direction is a continuous journey.

You probably know this already but for me, it was something that never crossed my mind, yet still, that wasn’t even the mind-blowing element. My mind exploded when, pondering this new discovery, Psalm 103 came dancing into my thoughts, not every verse – verse 1, verse 2 and I thought nothing of it until, suddenly, skipping over several verses it came to rest on the one that says,

as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.

Verse twelve was the verse that catapulted me into praise mode. How could it not?

I had a brand-new understanding of what David was saying.

“As far as the east is from the west” is an endless, incalculable distance; it’s never-ending, immeasurably more than we can ever imagine, extending indefinitely beyond what we are able to fathom.

says the Lord: For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10, 12 NRSVUE)

The author of Hebrews reiterates that same promise in Hebrews 10:17, which incidentally, is the repeating of a prophecy found in Jeremiah 31:34.

Beloved, God does not hold on to our sins, why are you holding on to the sins of others? If God can let go of our sins, remove them as far as the east is from the west, cast all [our] sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19) and remember [our] sins no more, why are you holding on? What is your reason for not letting go?

Do you weaponize the sins of others to use against them? Because that’s exactly what some of us do. Even those of us who stand at pulpits.

And then there are those of you who keep replaying your own sins in your mind, living guilty and punishing yourself as if Jesus Christ never hung on the Cross.

As long as you keep remembering your sins and the sins of others, that God, in His love, compassion and mercy, has already completely forgiven, you are crucifying Christ again and again.

Why are you holding on? What is your reason for not letting go?

You know of God’s wonderful gift of forgiveness through His beloved Son Jesus, but haven’t you truly accepted it? If you had, then you would not be holding people’s sin over their heads and condemning them every chance you get.

Holding on to any sins without forgiving the perpetrator of said sins, yourself included, reveals a problem of love.

Holding on to any sins without forgiving the perpetrator of said sins, yourself included, is tantamount to a rejection of divine love.

Why are you holding on?

God has forgiven and forgotten our sins, so who are you to keep holding on to them?

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Why are you holding on?” ©2026 May 22, 2026