If we take a look at Ephesians 2:4-7 we will find the use of the subjunctive mood. In this passage Paul is discussing the Christian's hope in Christ and the changed status. Paul says that because of God's great love for us, he made us alive in Christ and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ. This is a part of our changed status, but in verse 7 he goes on to speak about why God made us alive and raised us with Christ. He says, "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."[3] In this verse we come across the phrase "he might show" which is actually only one word in Greek and it is in the subjunctive mood.
Because the subjunctive is said to be the mood of possibility one might find it interesting that this verse contains one. If a person doesn't understand that the subjunctive can be used in other ways, such as that of purpose,[4] then they might come away with the idea that there is some doubt about whether or not God will show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ in the ages to come. This might be one of those places a little Greek can be dangerous or as Mounce says, "It's a little bit of pride that proves dangerous".[5]
In this verse, it seems clear to me that Paul is using the subjunctive to state the purpose.[6] A further clue that this is what's going on here is the inclusion of the conjunction ἵνα which indicates purpose.[7] It is not that God might or might not show the riches of his grace, he will. Why did God forgive us in Christ and seat us in the heavenly realms? So that in the ages to come he could display his grace and kindness.
[1]
Samuel Lamerson, English Grammar to Ace
New Testament Greek (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), 86.
[2] Ibid.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version
(Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eph 2:7.
[4] William
Mounce, Greek for the rest of us (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003),
187.
[5] Ibid,
xvii.
[6] Ibid,
187.
[7] [7]
William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian
Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 475.
