I hope you all don’t mind me stopping long enough this morning to investigate part of a typical Pauline Sentence! Oh, what a mind that man of God was given!

Speaking of that long list, primarily known as “the works of the flesh,” Paul wrote: “of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things ….” Galatians 5:21, mid-verse!

I think this “time sequence” clause illustrates a facet of Paul’s preaching that is ultra-important! “Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past …” 

The verb “to tell before” is in Greek “prolego.” That’s a combination of a preposition and a verb, really. “Pro” means “before” 44 times in the New Testament. That’s 44 of a total of only 48 instances, occurrences in Scripture. Then “lego” merely means “to speak, to talk.”

So, technically, “prolego” means “to say something ahead of time,” in advance. “To predict” something is going to happen!

Paul is essentially saying …“I have been preaching for a long time that these sins of the flesh will become more and more apparent! As people pursue their lives apart from the Hand of Almighty God. Not under the influence of the Holy Spirit!”

Wow!

And Paul was right!

Should he see things today as they are (with humanity being even further along on that “17 sin list”) … he would be aghast, I suspect. Though he did write: “Evil men and seducers shall wax (become) worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13

Then, in today’s Text, Paul continues … “Of the which I tell you before, AS I HAVE ALSO TOLD YOU IN TIME PAST …” Seems that Paul does not mind having repeated a truth, if his hearers are particularly slow of learning!

Here Paul employs the Greek verb “proepo,” (translated in our King James Bibles as “have told in time past”) which is essentially the same as “prolego.” But here the tense is different, hence the translation variation. (“Prolego” is present tense. “Proepo” is aorist tense! These grammatical verb properties do matter!)

Wow!

I believe Paul is saying this … I HAVE WARNED YOU IN THE PAST THAT THESE THINGS (THESE SINS) WILL BECOME MORE AND MORE APPARENT! And now, I AM WARNING YOU YET AGAIN THAT THEY ARE HERE (WITH A VENGEANCE), AND YOU NEED TO DILIGENTLY AVOID THEM! 

Although (in an effort to be totally honest) the published Greek scholars use different phraseology to express this line of Paul’s. For example:

“Let me tell you again, as I have before …” 

“This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know.”

“I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously.”

“I warn you, as I warned you before …”

Just samples, these four.

Of the great Apostle Paul repeating!

But necessarily so!

And all I can say is “AMEN!”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

I have now found a similar particularly “Pauline” clause in 2 Corinthians 13:2 … “I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time …”

Then another in Philippians 3:18 … “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.”

Then in 1 Thessalonians 3:4 … “For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know …”

This too, 2 Thessalonians 2:5. “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

Yes, some things must be repeated!

Wow!