Paul uses the noun form in Romans 8:20, and it is defined as "emptiness, futility, purposelessness, and transitoriness." The adjective form appears to take the idea of deception and adds connotation. Paul uses these words to convey the following meanings: " kenos means 'vain' because something is without content mataios means 'vain' because something is deceptive or ineffectual." Thus, as Paul uses these contrasting words, kenos refers to the concept of a faith or grace that is void of content, whereas something that is mataiotes, while appearing to be useful in all reality it is not! This is important when Paul uses the adjective in Romans 8 nature appears to be functioning as God designed, but in reality it is not. Paul uses kenos in verses 10 and 14 and mataios in verse 17. The only time they appear in a common text is I Corinthians 15. The word kenos, frequently translated "vain," is often used to convey a similar notion to mataios. The idea of "vanity" can be stated in the two Greek words, kenos and mataios, and it is interesting to observe their 6 similarities and differences. Our English translations reflect the word as "vanity of vanities." One lexicon identifies both the noun and adjective in terms of "value" and so defines them "useless, futile, empty." It is interesting to note that this adjective is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word, hebel, in the Book of Ecclesiastes. The adverb maten, translated "in vain" appears twice. The adjective, mataiotes, translated "vanity" occurs three times. The noun, mataios, translated "vain" or "vanities" in the KJV is used six times. The Greek word mataios and its derivatives appear 11 times in the New Testament. The first step in examining the word "vanity" ( Romans 8:19) is to note its meaning and use. We need to determine when Paul said it occurred and to what extent its effect was spread. ![]() Its announcement is presented in Genesis 3, but Paul's commentary on it in Romans 8:19-21 is the key to our understanding of this event. We Christians need to understand the nature and timing of God's curse on the creation. ![]() On the other hand, God's revelation through nature provides overwhelming evidence that all these aspects did indeed exist for a long time period previous to God's creating Adam. Observe how one man puts it: While the sin we human beings commit causes us all naturally to react negatively to decay, work, physical death, pain, and suffering, and while ultimately all this is somehow tied to God's plan to conquer sin permanently, there is nothing in Scripture that compels us to conclude that none of these entities existed before Adam's first acts of rebellion against God. Today there are a growing number of Christians who directly insist that God, not man, is to blame for the condition of the world. The question might be stated: "If God exists, why does He allow His creation to suffer physical and moral evil? He either must not be powerful enough to deal with evil, or else He does not care enough to deal with it." This is called "the problem of evil." The issue casts doubt on the character and ability of God it lays the blame for the present condition of His creation at His feet. ![]() This assumption has caused many to question the reality of God's existence or God's goodness. We accept these tragedies, but through it all there seems to be an unspoken assumption that our world has always been the way we currently see it. We ourselves react negatively to news of a natural disaster in which many are killed and suffer, both physically and emotionally. Have you ever seen a National Geographic special that featured a lioness chasing a gazelle and eventually eating it? As the gazelle is fleeing for its life, one can see the terror in its eyes.
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