Unrestricted Access (Part 2) (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; 3:12; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 4:16; Acts 27:17)

SAFE HARBOR

Not only clubs and condos, but in addition, certain events require access, or a pass designating that you have the privilege to enjoy everything that the association has to offer, because you are a member, or have been given, by your relationship to another, entrance into all that is available, the swimming pool, hot tub, water slide, steam room, games room, golf simulator; everything the complex or event has to offer.

ACCESS: HISTORICAL USE

In Hellenistic Greek, the word (prosagōgē), [προσαγογε], 4318, is used 3 times in the New Testament [Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; 3:12], and is translated 'access', on each occasion. The term was used to describe the granting of an audience or the right to approach a king or high official. There was, in fact, an official at the Persian court called the (prosagōgeus), 'the introducer', whose function it was to introduce people into the royal presence.

(Prosagein) had the special usage of 'introducing a person into the presence of a king' Cyrus expected anyone who wanted anything from him to get into favour with his friends and, through them, to ask for a prosagōgē, ‘an introduction to the royal presence’ [William Barclay, New Testament Words (London: SCM Press Ltd, 1964), 244].

GREEK DEFINITION

The word is translated in the KJV, in all 3 uses [Rm.5:2; Eph.2:18; Eph.3:12] as 'access'. Access is the translation of prosagoge (προσαγογε), a word made up of the verb agō (ἀγω) which means “to go,” and the preposition pros (προς) which means “toward, facing.” [Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 21 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 79].

Prosagoge (προσαγωγή, 4318), is lit., “a leading or bringing into the presence of” (pros, “to,” ago, “to lead”), denotes “access,” with which is associated the thought of freedom to enter through the assistance or favor of another. [W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 7].

CHRIST: OUR INTRODUCTION

1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God..." The verb prosagō (προσαγω) is used in I Peter 3:18 in the expression, “that He might bring us to God.” One of the main purposes of His suffering, for our sins, is so He could bring us to God, the Father, or, in other words, 'grant us permanent access' into the welcoming presence of our Father God.

THE ACT OF BRINGING INTO HIS PRESENCE

“Access” is prosagōgē (προσαγωγη), “the act of bringing to, a moving to.” Thayer says, “that friendly relation with God whereby we are acceptable to Him and have assurance that He is favorably disposed towards us.” The word is made up of agō (ἀγω), “to bring,” and pros (προς), “facing,” thus, is used of a person who brings another into the presence of a third party. Moulton and Milligan in their Vocabulary of the Greek Testament give as the meaning of the verb, “to present, introduce.” They quote from a secular document of the second century, “Cronion, who now happens to be in Alexandria, will bring them before his highness the high-priest.”

PERMANENT

Romans 5:2 says, "Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand..." The word 'have' and 'stand' are both in the perfect tense in Greek, speaking of something permanent, meaning, "...through Him [Christ Jesus] we have permanently obtained access by faith into this grace in which we permanently stand..."

SAFE HARBOR

In the papyri the word was also used in the technical sense of “a landing stage.” It is thought that it was used as a nautical term for the approach of a ship to a haven or harbor where it could land. Thus the total idea in the word would be access into and rest in a haven or harbor. [Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 21 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 79].

In Hellenistic Greek prosagōgē was used as ‘a place for ships to put in’. Plutarch speaks of a general who drew up his troops on terrain in front of the sea where there was no prosagōgē, no place for ships to put in (Aemilius 13). [William Barclay, New Testament Words (London: SCM Press Ltd, 1964), 244].

OBTAINING HELP IN HIS PRESENCE

There is a personification of 'Faith', in Romans 5:2, granting us permanent 'access' into grace (charis), or God's presence. Hebrews 4:16 says, "let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need", emphasizing (timely) 'help'. Where the phrase 'Let us come' (proserchomai) is in the present active tense, meaning, "Let us keep on coming". The word 'help' is boetheia (βοήθεια, 996) the undergirding support, fastened securely around the vessel, that keeps the ship solid and together in times of severe storms that may assail. The plural term is used literally in Acts 27:17, the only other place it is used in the NT. It is a nautical term referring to the "frapping", or binding tightly, with ropes or cables, under a ship, to hold it solidly together. "...they used helps (boetheia), undergirding the ship..." (Acts 27:17).

SUMMARY

Not only have we obtained permanent access into the presence of God, but we can keep on coming into His presence and permanently stand in His presence, and it's a safe place, like a ship finding a safe harbor to anchor. He has provided the 'help', in a timely fashion, like the ropes or cables wrapped around a ship, holding things together, in the vicious storms of life that come against us, bringing us into the safe, secure place of His presence.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours