Chapter 3
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1 Τοσοῦτον
οὖν
ἔλεος
ποιήσαντος
αὐτοῦ
εἰς
ἡμᾶς,
πρῶτον
μέν,
ὅτι
ἡμεῖς
οἱ
ζῶντες
τοῖς
νεκροῖς
θεοῖς
οὐ
θύομεν
καὶ
οὐ
προσκυνοῦμεν
αὐτοῖς,
ἀλλὰ
ἔγνωμεν
δι'
αὐτοῦ
τὸν
πατέρα
τῆς
ἀληθείας·
τίς ἡ γνῶσις ἡ πρὸς αὐτόν, ἢ τὸ μὴ ἀρνεῖσθαι δι' οὗ ἔγνωμεν αὐτόν; |
Since then He did us such mercy, first of all, that we who are living do not sacrifice to the dead gods, nor do we worship them, but through Him we have known the Father of truth.
What else is this knowledge toward Him, if not to deny Him by whom we have known Him? |
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2 λέγει
δὲ
καὶ
αὐτός·
Τὸν ὁμολογήσαντά με ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω αὐτὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ πατρός μου. | Yes, He Himself says, “Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before the Father” {See Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8}. |
| 3 οὗτος οὖν ἐστὶν ὁ μισθὸς ἡμῶν, ἐὰν οὖν ὁμολογήσωμεν δι' οὗ ἐσώθημεν. | This then is our reward, if we will truly acknowledge Him through whom we were saved. |
| 4 ἐν τίνι δὲ αὐτὸν ὁμολογοῦμεν; ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν ἃ λέγει καὶ μὴ παρακούειν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐντολῶν, καὶ μὴ μόνον χείλεσιν αὐτὸν τιμᾶν, ἀλλὰ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας. |
But how do we acknowledge Him?
When we do what He says and are not disobedient to His commandments, and not only honour Him with our lips, but with our whole heart and with our whole mind. |
| 5 λέγει δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ· Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἄπεστιν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. | Now He also says in Isaiah, “This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” {Isa. 29:13}. |
Summary
This passage transitions from contemplating God’s mercy to detailing the practical obligations that flow from it.The author argues that genuine gratitude and spiritual knowledge (γνῶσις) are manifested not through passive belief or mere lip service, but through active obedience and open confession of Christ. Drawing upon the words of Jesus (cf. Matt 10:32) and Isaiah (Isa 29:13 / Matt 15:8), the author redefines true "confession" (ὁμολογία) as an all-encompassing, wholehearted adherence to Christ’s teachings.
Significant Greek Expressions
τοῖς νεκροῖς θεοῖς ("dead gods"):
A sharp apologetic contrast with the "living" believers (ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες). It highlights the stark transition from dead, lifeless idols to the worship of the living "Father of truth" (τὸν πατέρα τῆς ἀληθείας).
ἡ γνῶσις ἡ πρὸς αὐτόν ("knowledge concerning Him"): The author redefines spiritual "knowledge" (γνῶσις)—a key concept in early Christian and surrounding Greco-Roman thought—not as secret or abstract intellectual doctrine, but as active fidelity: "not denying Him through whom we came to know Him" (τὸ μὴ ἀρνεῖσθαι).
ὁμολογήσω / ἐνώπιον ("acknowledge / confess" / "before"): The verb ὁμολογέω means to confess, acknowledge, or declare openly. Paired with ἐνώπιον ("in the presence of / before"), it echoes the Gospel call to public alignment with Christ, which promises a reciprocal acknowledgment before God the Father.
ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν ἃ λέγει ("in doing what He says"): This phrase grounds confession in ethics and conduct. For the author, confessing Christ (ὁμολογοῦμεν) is fundamentally actionable: it consists of active obedience rather than formal recitations.
μὴ παρακούειν ("not disobeying / ignoring"): From παρακούω, which literally means to hear carelessly, turn a deaf ear, or deliberately disregard. Disobedience is framed as a refusal to listen properly to Christ's commandments.
ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας ("with all our heart and with all our mind"): Directly echoing the Shema / Great Commandment (cf. Deut 6:5, Mark 12:30). It establishes that worship must engage the whole person—both the affective/volitional center (καρδία) and the intellectual capacity (διάνοια)—contrasting sharply with superficial, lip-service devotion (τοῖς χείλεσιν).