“also the One” (Eph. 4:10, NKJV)
We will attempt to conclude our detour concerning the importance of the fruit of the Spirit in this teaching. In the previous teachings we learnt that all seed is metonymically linked to the life in Jesus Christ, in Whom all life has its origin. We did not refer to this rhetorical concept in this way, but are doing it now for the sake of increased clarity.
Metonymy is an important Biblical stylistic device that is characterised by referring to a matter by another name. A matter that is closely linked to another, is named as if it is that other matter, or is, in an almost metaphoric sense, associated with it. For instance, when we read of Wall Street in the newspaper it is often not only used to refer to a physical street in Manhattan, New York City, but also in metonymic terms is associated with the complete financial industry and the stock exchange in the United States of America. Also think of the White House or the Pentagon, or Hollywood. “Expounding” Moses and the prophets (Luke 24:27) actually means, in metonymic terms, to expound their writings. It is important to realise that one matter that is referred to as another is not a symbolic reference to it (as Abdul Gabbar Al-Sharafi: Textual Metonymy: A Semiotic Approach insightfully points out). Also very important: “When people use metonymy, they do not typically wish to transfer qualities from one referent to another as they do with metaphor.” (Daniel Chandler, Semiotics for Beginners). In short one could then perhaps phrase it by noting that metonymy corresponds to the phrase “the same as”.
God speaks the LOGOS-AS-LIFE as THE ORIGIN OF EVERYTHING, and He carries, in Himself, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2). This is metonymically THE BEGINNING in which God expresses the mystery of His Life. This is also metonymically THE LIGHT, and it is metonymically THE SEED. From this methonymic RHEMA-AS-SEED we find the metonymic expression of THE SONS OF THE LIGHT (Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5). They carry, in metonymic terms, THE FRUIT, which Prov. 11:30 terms, also metonymically, THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS, which is a metonymic TREE OF LIFE. All people eat of this tree of life (Ezek. 47:12), and thus THE SEED OF LIFE metonymically gains access to all people. It lies there and the Spirit of God hovers over it until God speaks: “Let there be light!” and thus they are metonymically given the opportunity to also, like the sons of light, metonymically become THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (John 12:36)!
We explained earlier that in the eternal seed of Christ is a secret life through which the believer lives. This fruit exists so that the entire world can partake of it. But we often hinted at the fact that it also has a wondrously hidden goal, and now it is clear – God makes it possible, in this way, for the rest of the world to receive the seed of Christ in this unexpected manner! Indeed it is as Hos. 14:8 notes: “Your fruit is found in Me.” Selah!
- Selah: Explain the concept of metonymy to someone.
- Read: 6-8.
- Memorise: 6:16.
