Improper Prepositions: Living Authentically Before God

# Improper Prepositions

"Improper Preposition" can be translated as "Improper Preposition," "Adverbial Preposition," "Informal Preposition," or "Irregular Preposition." To simplify, we translate it as "Improper Preposition" because its root is originally an adverb that is used as a preposition. They are called "improper" because they are never used as prefixes to other words, whereas true prepositions have this characteristic. True "proper" prepositions—those with preposition roots—have the function of combining with verbs, called compound verbs, and carry a different meaning from the root verb. In reality, there are many "improper prepositions" than true prepositions, and they frequently appear in the New Testament.

For example: χωρίς (choris), used as an improper preposition in John 20:7, means "apart, by itself"; in Matthew 13:34, it means "without."

Daily life also contains many things that are "improper" rather than "proper." And what is improper is not necessarily wrong—artificial flowers, for instance, can enhance the beauty of our surroundings. Artificial flowers and plastic plants are used in large offices to decorate interiors and brighten rooms. In food, we have "imitation crab," which is not made from real crab meat but is processed by food companies to look like crab and taste like crab. Similarly, "improper prepositions"—which are not originally prepositions but are used as prepositions—also serve to enrich sentences with their own unique purpose.

However, when it comes to our spiritual life, we cannot have anything that is "fake," "improper," or "processed" to suit our own purposes. We must live truthfully with ourselves and do all things authentically according to God's Word. We cannot live with "multiple faces," as the saying goes: showing kindness outwardly while harboring deceit; speaking of compassion while harboring malice; old crows singing like phoenixes; borrowing peacock feathers; appearing gentle on the outside while false within; thinking ourselves ginseng when we are radishes; preaching vegetarianism while cutting meat; appearing cheerful and kind on the surface while harboring malice that kills without a blade. Even worldly people condemn those who live inauthentically or wear many masks before others, saying: "How many spectators does your performance have, that you work so hard playing a role? If you do not live with sincerity, do not preach morality." Former U.S. President George Washington said, "Without morality and integrity, the most brilliant talents and the most glorious achievements can never receive the respect and win the admiration of the most valuable people in humanity." How pitiful for those who live inauthentically!

But blessed are we that we have God—He is the One who truly lived, truly died to bear all the sins of the world upon Himself, and truly rose again—the eternal, everlasting, boundless One! Therefore, God also desires that we always live truthfully before Him. No one is perfect, and neither are we. We must know who God is and always live authentically before Him, for He knows all things, all our thoughts; nothing hidden can be concealed from God, as the letter to the Hebrews reveals: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). Moreover, God grieves when His people live falsely before Him, and He always has just punishment for them. The Israelites sometimes lived deceitfully before God, and He spoke through the prophet Isaiah, saying: "These people draw near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based merely on human rules they have been taught... Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, 'Who sees us? Who will know?'" (Isaiah 29:13-15).

We truly do not want God to bear the burden of our sins any longer, and we do not want to face God's condemnation and judgment! So let us repent and confess our sins to Him when we have sinned; do not hide your sins! Let us genuinely fear God, obey His Word, and do all things out of gratitude for what God has done to save us from death in hell. Let us always meditate on Scripture to know clearly what God teaches and do accordingly. "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be above all the earth" (Psalm 57:11). "Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them" (Psalm 69:34). We pray that the Holy Spirit will teach us to always live truthfully with God and with all people; to fear God and love others; to live grateful to God and serve Him, helping others know God and receive Jesus Christ as Savior! Thank You, God! Amen!

*In a world of truth and falsehood, who can truly discern?* *Does anyone know clearly the reality of life?* *Schemes, deception, and harm to others—* *How can they hide from Heaven's eyes?* *Wisdom begins with knowing God—* *Almighty and all-knowing, eternal is He alone.* *Humble yourself in submission and do what is right;* *Repent of sin and transform your heart.* *Only He—the trustworthy One to depend upon—* *True God forever living, with all our hearts we praise!

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