Use of determiner "first"
Hi. In the book called "IN CHRIST JESUS" by Arthur Tappan Pierson, in Chapter 1, titled "The Epistle to the Romans," we have these two sentences at the beginning, although not one right after the other.
1) We can have, in Christ Jesus, nothing else, unless and until we have first justification -- a new standing before God.
2) Hence the first unfolding of grace in the epistles is the plain revelation of God's marvelous plan, whereby sinners get the standing of saints.
Now, I'm wondering why do the phrases "first justification" and "the first unfolding of grace in the epistles" have the word "first" in front of them when I thought "first" is reserved for countable nouns. I think a gerund (I think the word "unfolding" is a gerund) can be countable but haven't seen a gerund with the word "first" in front of it yet. Is it correct? Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
Anonymous until we have first justification 'first' is an adverb here, meaning 'before anything else'. It need not even appear before the noun 'justification'. This could have been written in any of the following ways: until first we have justification until we first have justification until we have justification first Anonymous the first unfolding of grace Here 'unfolding' is used as a normal countable noun, not as a gerund.
- Anonymous until we have first justification 'first' is an adverb here, meaning 'before anything else'.
- It need not even appear before the noun 'justification'.
- This could have been written in any of the following ways: until first we have justification until we first have justification until we have justification first Anonymous the first unfolding of grace Here 'unfolding' is used as a normal countable noun, not as a gerund.
- It implies that there may be more unfoldings to follow.
- (Compare: This is the first gathering of our family since last July.
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Anonymousuntil we have first justification
'first' is an adverb here, meaning 'before anything else'. It need not even appear before the noun 'justification'. This could have been written in any of the following ways:
until first we have justification
until we first have justification
until we have justification first
0Religious writing can bee a bit hard to interpret.
until we have first justification seems to me to be a literary way of saying until we first have justification.
As for the gerund, first is OK. eg I did my first dancing when I was 10 years old.
0
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