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Kenneth Wuest
Kenneth Samuel Wuest (1893–1961) was an American preacher, New Testament scholar, and professor whose ministry focused on teaching and translating biblical Greek to deepen evangelical understanding of Scripture. Born in 1893 on Chicago’s north side, he grew up in a context that led him to Northwestern University, where he earned an A.B. in History and Greek in 1922, followed by studies at Moody Bible Institute, graduating in 1924. Converted in his youth, Wuest preached his first sermon at age 17 and later married Jeannette Irene Scholl in 1924, a fellow Moody student, though they had no children. His career began with brief teaching stints at Freewill Baptist Seminary in Ayden, North Carolina (1924–1925) and Brookes Bible Institute in St. Louis (1925–1929), before joining Moody Bible Institute in 1929 as Professor of New Testament Greek, a role he held until 1958. Wuest’s preaching ministry was distinctive for its scholarly bent, emphasizing the nuances of Koine Greek to illuminate Scripture for laypeople and students alike. He preached at evangelical gatherings and churches, often drawing from his extensive writings, which included over a dozen books like Bypaths in the Greek New Testament (1940) and The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (1961), the latter reflecting his goal to make Greek accessible through detailed, expanded renderings. A key contributor to the original New American Standard Bible, he joined the Evangelical Theological Society in 1957 and was awarded an honorary D.D. from Wheaton College in 1955. Wuest died on December 27, 1961, in Chicago, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose rigorous yet practical approach bridged academia and faith, influencing mid-20th-century evangelicalism through his teaching and translations.
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Sermon Summary
Kenneth Wuest emphasizes the believer's responsibility to recognize the broken power of sin and the possession of the divine nature, which empowers them to resist temptation and live a Christlike life. He explains that while sin was once unavoidable, post-salvation, sin is a choice, and believers must rely on the Holy Spirit to suppress their sinful nature and produce spiritual fruit. Wuest contrasts the victorious life of a Spirit-led believer with the defeated life of one who is unaware of their emancipation from sin. He encourages believers to actively reckon with their new identity in Christ and to stop allowing sin to reign in their lives. This understanding is crucial for living a life that pleases God.
Reckon on Christ
He is to take these facts into his reckoning as he deals with temptations that confront him or evil impulses that come from within. His attitude should be that, in view of the fact that the power of the evil nature is broken, he is under no obligation to obey its behests (Rom. 8:12). He has been emancipated from sin, and the proper procedure is to read God's emancipation proclamation to the insistent demands of the Adamic nature. The believer must also realize that whereas before salvation, he could not help it when he sinned, yet since God saved him, should he sin, it is because of his free choice, since sin's power has been broken. He is responsible for that sin. This should make him think twice before he contemplates an act of sin at the demand of the evil nature. Then, he must also count upon the fact of his possession of the divine nature. This will keep him from depending upon himself and his own strength in his effort to live a life pleasing to the Lord Jesus, and will cause him to throw himself upon the resources of God. He will be trusting the Lord Jesus to fill him with the Holy Spirit (John 7:37, 38), with the result that the Holy Spirit will do two things for him. He will suppress the activities of the evil nature (Gal. 5:17) and He will produce in the believer a Christlike life (Gal. 5:22-23). Paul says in Galatians 5:16, 17, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the cravings of the flesh, for the flesh has a strong desire to suppress the Spirit, and the Spirit has a strong desire to suppress the flesh, and these are entrenched in a permanent attitude of opposition to one another, so that you should not do the things that you would desire to be doing;" and in Galatians 5:22, 23, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control." Contrast this adjustment of the intelligent Spirit-taught saint, with that of the believer who is not aware of the fact that God has broken the power of sin in his life, with the result that he is more or less under its compelling power, try as he may to live free from sin. Since he is ignorant of the fact that God has placed within him His own nature, he depends upon himself and his own strength in an effort to defeat sin in his life and live a life pleasing to God. This believer is living a defeated life because he is not in proper adjustment to the new mechanical set-up of his spiritual being. . . The translation of verse 11 follows: "Thus also, as for you, constantly be taking into account the fact that you are those who are dead with respect to sin, and indeed those who are living ones with reference to God in Christ Jesus." A paraphrase may make things clearer yet. "Thus also, as for you, constantly be taking into account the fact that you are those who have had the power of sin broken in your lives and those who have had the divine nature implanted." The words in verse 12, "let not sin reign," are in a construction in the Greek which forbids the continuation of an action already going on. The word "reign" is in the Greek "reign as king." The tense speaks of habitual action. "That you should obey" is literally, "with a view to habitually obeying." The word "lusts" is literally "cravings." "Therefore" does not go back to "sin" but to "body." . . . "Lusts therefore" refers to the cravings of the human body, which cravings come from the sinful nature. The translation reads, "Therefore, stop allowing sin to reign habitually as king in your mortal bodies, with a view to your habitually obeying the cravings of that body." God is never unreasonable in His demands upon His own. What He asks of us is always within our ability to fulfill as we appropriate the divine resources of grace. Since the power to sin is broken and the divine nature is implanted, we are well able to keep sin from reigning in our bodies (Treasures from the Greek New Testament, pp. 96-98).
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Kenneth Samuel Wuest (1893–1961) was an American preacher, New Testament scholar, and professor whose ministry focused on teaching and translating biblical Greek to deepen evangelical understanding of Scripture. Born in 1893 on Chicago’s north side, he grew up in a context that led him to Northwestern University, where he earned an A.B. in History and Greek in 1922, followed by studies at Moody Bible Institute, graduating in 1924. Converted in his youth, Wuest preached his first sermon at age 17 and later married Jeannette Irene Scholl in 1924, a fellow Moody student, though they had no children. His career began with brief teaching stints at Freewill Baptist Seminary in Ayden, North Carolina (1924–1925) and Brookes Bible Institute in St. Louis (1925–1929), before joining Moody Bible Institute in 1929 as Professor of New Testament Greek, a role he held until 1958. Wuest’s preaching ministry was distinctive for its scholarly bent, emphasizing the nuances of Koine Greek to illuminate Scripture for laypeople and students alike. He preached at evangelical gatherings and churches, often drawing from his extensive writings, which included over a dozen books like Bypaths in the Greek New Testament (1940) and The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (1961), the latter reflecting his goal to make Greek accessible through detailed, expanded renderings. A key contributor to the original New American Standard Bible, he joined the Evangelical Theological Society in 1957 and was awarded an honorary D.D. from Wheaton College in 1955. Wuest died on December 27, 1961, in Chicago, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose rigorous yet practical approach bridged academia and faith, influencing mid-20th-century evangelicalism through his teaching and translations.