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Question 10
The lesson argues the Greek kauch?ma is usually positive (“glory/rejoicing”) and that translating it as “boast” has nudged Protestants to associate works with something negative; how might that translation shift affect discipleship (motives for obedience, fear of “works-righteousness,” reluctance to pursue holiness), and what practical changes would it require in the way you talk about good works before and after conversion?
Another way to ask: If the Greek word often means “glory” or “rejoicing” instead of “boast,” how could that change the way Christians think about good works and obedience? What would you change in how you talk about good works before and after conversion?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript, translating *kauch?ma* as “boast” can subtly train Christians to treat works as suspect and prideful, while “glory/rejoicing” leaves room for good works to be genuinely commendable—just not the basis of salvation. Practically, it would mean speaking of good works as positive fruit that glorifies God, while still insisting salvation is only by grace through Christ’s blood.

Support from Transcript:

  • The teacher notes older translations (pre-1952) used “glory” or “rejoice,” while modern ones often choose “boast.”
  • He says *kauch?ma* is “almost always used in a positive sense,” while “boast” is “almost always a negative word.”
  • Modern translation choices can make people “associate works with boasting, something negative.”
  • If Romans 4:2 concerns pre-salvation godly works, “rejoice or glory are better translations,” and Paul is not “maligning such works.”
  • He concludes: Paul “never attacks godly works… before… or after” salvation; we’re saved “only by grace through the blood of Christ,” yet “good works must follow our initial salvation.”
Discussion Follow-ups How would your church’s tone change if “good works” were discussed as something that can bring “glory” rather than suspicion? What phrases could you stop using because they imply obedience is automatically self-righteous?

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