Posts

Romans 14:18 – Becoming God Pleasers

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:18 – Becoming God Pleasers

For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Truth to Learn

Serving Christ pleases God and gains the respect of others.

Behind the Words

The expression “in these things” is from the Greek en toutois, most likely referring to “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Some Greek texts have en toutō (in this), however the meaning is essentially the same (in this three-fold description of kingdom living; righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit).

“Serves” is translated from douleuō, which is the verb form of the noun doulos, meaning “a bond slave whose will is completely submitted to his master/owner.”

The adjective “acceptable” is translated from euarestos, made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and areskō, meaning “to please” or “to be agreeable.” Thus, euarestos literally means “well pleasing.” I prefer this translation over “acceptable” because it shows us that it’s not simply okay with God, but that He really likes it.

“Approved” is from dokimos, which is based on the verb dokimadzō, meaning “to test something to ascertain its worth.”

Meaning Explained

The three characteristics of the kingdom of God spoken of in the previous verse are seen by some as a comprehensive division of true living Christianity. The first, righteousness, is a description of our standing with God (He sees us as having the righteousness of Christ). The second, peace, is a description of our relationship with others (especially other Christians). And joy in the Holy Spirit is a description of how others see us (full of calm delight) when we are completely submitted to God.

In verse thirteen of this chapter Paul told us that serving others is more important than serving ourselves. If you go back to the Ten Commandments given to Moses, you will notice that serving others instead of self fulfills the second table of the Law (Commandments seven through ten). The point that Paul is making in the current verse is that serving God is more important than serving self. That fulfills the first table of the Law (Commandments one through six). We’re told that limiting our own freedoms based on what might cause a fellow Christian to stumble is an act of serving Christ (being His bond slave) and this is “well pleasing to God.”

Paul then goes on to say that not only does it greatly please God when we sacrifice our own desires in favor of those of our brothers or sisters, but this kind of action is “approved by men.” Those who see your behavior for what it really is will think it a worthy or noble thing that you have done.

We are not supposed to do things just to impress others, but this is one of those cases where if we are applying ourselves to pleasing God, we will also receive recognition from others for our good deeds.

Application

We would all like to be the kind of person who pleases our Heavenly Father and who receives recognition from others for our unselfish lifestyle. Unfortunately, we still have a sin nature which draws us back to our selfish ways. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, however, we can become the kind of Christian we want to be. Let’s pray!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:17 – Calm Delight

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:17 – Calm Delight

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Truth to Learn

Building up the body of Christ creates a sense of calm delight.

Behind the Words

“Eating” is from the Greek noun brōsis, which is derived from the same root as brōma (food) which we saw in verse fifteen. Brōsis refers to the act of eating and by extension it refers to the food being eaten.

“Drinking” is from posis, which refers to the act of drinking and by extension to the drink itself.

The word translated “righteousness” is dikaiosunē, which refers to the character or quality of being righteous (always doing what is right) or just (guided by truth and fairness). It is a state of being in which God charges no blame because either there is no wrong to be blamed or the wrong has already been paid for and done away with.

“Peace” is translated from eirēnē, which can mean “a state of tranquility” or “the absence of war or the threat of war.”

The word translated “joy” is charis. This word does not refer to “excitement and jubilation.” It refers to “gladness and calm delight.”

Meaning Explained

There are several uses of the term “the kingdom of God” in the New Testament. In some places it refers to the heavenly kingdom that will exist in the new heavens and the new earth after the current heavens and earth have been destroyed. In other places it refers to the earthly kingdom that will be in place during the Millennium, with Christ on the throne in Jerusalem. And in still others it refers to the spiritual kingdom that exists here and now, where Christ is reigning in the hearts of Christians. Although Paul’s use of the term here could refer to any or all of these meanings, it appears that Paul is talking about the spiritual kingdom that exists today of which all Christians are members.

Even though eating and drinking are necessary for our earthly existence, these are not the things that are really important in our spiritual existence. In Matthew 4:4 Christ, Himself, when tempted to create bread from the rocks after having not eaten for 40 days in the wilderness, told Satan,

It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

The kingdom of God to which we belong today is not centered in the physical world, but in the spiritual world. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our daily walk with Him are neither enhanced nor depreciated by what we do or don’t eat or by whether we treat one day as sacred above the others or not. Instead, our focus should be on the spiritual body of Christ by treating each other with righteousness (doing what is right), being at peace with other Christians, and creating conditions that make for joy among all Christians.

Application

Instead of arguing about what foods we can and can’t eat or getting hung-up on how others treat “the Lord’s day,” let’s do what we can to help nurture and grow the body of Christ, the church. By doing so, instead of strife and contention we can all experience a sense of peace and calm delight even in the midst of a world that is filled with evil.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:16 – The Right Thing?

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:16 – The Right Thing?

Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;

Truth to Learn

Sometimes doing “the right thing” can cause harm to others.

Behind the Words

“Good” is translated from agathos, meaning “benevolent, profitable, or useful.” There is another Greek word translated “good.” It is kalos, which refers to the intrinsic character or quality of goodness. Agathos, however, is often used to express the quality of actions or deeds.

The words “spoken of as evil” are translated from the verb blasphēmeō. The noun form, blasphēmia, is the source of our English word “blasphemy.” The verb is made up of a form of blaptō, meaning “to hinder” or “to injure” and phēmē, meaning “a saying” or “a rumor.” Hence, blasphēmeō means “to say something injurious about someone else.”

Meaning Explained

By “your good” in this verse Paul is referring to the things that your conscience and the Spirit of God allow you to do. Paul has already told us that nothing is unclean in and of itself. As long as it is not something specifically forbidden in the New Testament (like getting drunk or eating that which you know has been offered to idols) and you have a clear conscience toward God about doing it, then it is okay. But if that “right thing,” which your conscience and the Spirit of God allow you to do, causes your brother or sister to stumble in their own Christian walk, then you need to reconsider whether it is really “the right thing” after all.

The principle here is that the welfare of your brothers and sisters is more important than your own satisfaction. In fact, that’s exactly what Paul told the church at Philippi:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

The example that Paul used in this case was Jesus Christ. Even though He is divine, that is, part of the godhead (He is God), He lowered himself and took on the form of a man and offered up His perfect life and His righteousness so that we might be saved and be given the righteousness that He alone deserves. And Paul said a very similar thing to the Corinthians:

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. (1Corinthians 10:23-24)

If we are constantly striving to strengthen and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ and we are seeking to please God our Father, then we will not be very focused on what we want for ourselves. When we are focused only on ourselves, however, even the good things that we see as permissible can end up causing trouble for others.

Application

Let’s all consider how our actions can affect the spiritual lives of other Christians. Are we so determined to do “the right things,” that we don’t care if they cause other Christians to stumble? Wouldn’t it be better to abstain from a permissible practice than to cause harm to a brother or sister in Christ?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:15 – Spiritual Body Building

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:15 – Spiritual Body Building

Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

Truth to Learn

We should all build up other members of the body of Christ.

Behind the Words

The word translated “grieved” is the Greek word lupeō. This is the verb form of the noun lupē, meaning “sorrow.” Thus, lupeō, means “to be made sad or sorrowful or to be made to grieve.”

“Food” is from the Greek noun brōma, which refers to “food which is chewed such as meat or vegetables as opposed to a drink which is not chewed.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now turns to the Gentile converts in the Christian church in Rome. He previously warned the Jewish converts not to judge others for eating food that the Jewish converts still believed was forbidden. Now he tells those who believe all foods are permissible not to intentionally eat food that they know will grieve their brothers who think certain foods are still forbidden.

Apparently, there were those former Gentiles in the church at Rome who still held the Jewish converts in distain. Knowing that the former Jews in the church would be grieved to see them eating supposedly “forbidden” food, they intentionally ate those foods and made it known to the Jewish converts. Paul admonishes them that this is not behaving in a loving manner. In fact, the Jewish converts were behaving in a more loving manner when they were grieving for those who ate this supposed forbidden food, for it was out of love for their brothers that they were grieved. There is a roughly parallel passage to this in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1Corinthians 8:8-13)

If you have a conviction from God about something, don’t force that conviction on your brother; instead, let God deal with your brother in His own manner and time. And if you know that your brother has a conviction from God about something, don’t flaunt your lack of conviction in that area in your brother’s presence. That’s just downright mean. We should be an example to our brothers and sisters to strengthen them. We should not do anything to make them weaker!

Application

No one in their right mind will cause harm to part of his or her own body; that would cause the whole body to suffer. Likewise, a Christian should never do anything which will cause the body of Christ to suffer. If we truly love one another, we will do all we can to build up the body of Christ.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:14 – Personally Forbidden

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:14 – Personally Forbidden

I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Truth to Learn

What God forbids for me He may not forbid for you.

Behind the Words

“Know” is from the Greek verb eidō, which primarily means “to see.” However, it does not mean to simply to have a visual experience (that would be the Greek verb blepō), but to see with perception. Thus, eidō refers to the visual perception as well as the mental perception (understanding) of some truth or fact.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense which, in Greek, refers to completed action with a resulting state of being where the emphasis is on the resulting state of being.

The word translated “persuaded” is peithō, which means “to be persuaded or to be convinced.” This verb is also expressed in the perfect tense. So what Paul is saying is, “I have perceived and have been persuaded; therefore, I know and am convinced.”

“Unclean” is from the Greek adjective koinos, which means “that which is available to all” or “common.” Those things which were forbidden by the Law of Moses were available to the “common” people. Therefore, calling something “common” was the same as declaring it as “unclean” or “forbidden by the Law.”

The word “considers” is translated from logidzomai, which means “to reason, to impute, or to consider.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now gets back to the original topic with which he started off this chapter: whether we should abstain from certain foods or not. He begins this verse by making a strong statement of conviction. He says, “I know and am convinced.” So, what is Paul so convinced about? He is convinced that “there is nothing unclean of itself.” The law abiding Jews were forbidden from eating certain foods, which all the rest of mankind were allowed to eat. Since all the common (non-Jewish) people ate this forbidden food it was referred to as common food meaning unclean or forbidden food. But, Paul is now saying that he is convinced that nothing is unclean, or forbidden, in and of itself.

He begins the next phrase with the Greek words ei me, which mean “except, unless, or but.” His teaching, therefore, is that even though nothing is in and of itself unclean, if a brother or sister is convicted by God that a certain food or activity is unclean then to him or her it is indeed unclean.

When I was first saved I liked to play pool, a lot! In fact, I spent nearly every waking moment at the pool table. God convicted me about the fact that pool had become more important to me than a relationship with Him. For me, playing pool was unclean, and I had to completely abstain from it in order to learn to get my focus on God. Many years later, after my walk with God had matured, I found that it was no longer wrong for me to play pool. God used this in my life to demonstrate how important it is not to let anything get in the way of my close walk with Him.

Application

Is there something in your life today that is unclean? Something which has come between you and a close fellowship with God? What are you doing about it?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:13 – Judge Yourself

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:13 – Judge Yourself

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Truth to Learn

Our actions should not hinder the relationship between our brother or sister and the Lord Jesus Christ; it should enhance it.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off this verse with the Greek word mēketi, which is made up of mē, meaning “not” and eti, meaning “anymore.” Hence, mēketi means, “not any more” or “no longer.” It carries the notion that there is something which was being done which will cease to be done.

This use of the verb “judge” is from the Greek verb krinō, which is in the subjunctive mood, implying action which is possible or probable. So this phrase could be translated, “Therefore we should not judge one another any more, …”

“Resolve” is also translated from krinō; however, here it is expressed in the imperative mood meaning “you must do this.” It is as if Paul were saying, “Therefore you should not judge one another anymore, but you must judge yourselves in this.”

The word translated “stumbling block” is proskomma, which refers to “something that someone hits or runs into.” Figuratively this refers to something that someone stubs their toe on or trips over.

The word translated “a cause to fall” is skandalon, which is “the trigger of a trap which when touched causes the trap to close.”

Meaning Explained

This verse contains the second half of the conclusion that Paul started in the previous verse. There we were told that the reason we are not to judge other Christians is because each of us will give an account of ourselves, not of others, to God at the judgment seat of Christ.

Now he reiterates how we should behave toward other Christians. First, we are to stop condemning each other. Notice that Paul uses the pronoun “we” in this phrase, indicating that he, too, needs to stop judging other Christians.

The second thing that Paul tells us here is more forceful than the first. He commands us to judge our own actions so that we won’t cause other Christians to fall. And, we are to judge our own actions to ensure that we don’t do anything that will cause our Christian brother or sister to sin. In other words, we are to be constantly watching our own actions to ensure that what we do doesn’t either cause another Christian to stumble in their walk with God or cause them to become entrapped in sin.

Some translations express skandalon as “an offense.” Though this is a reasonable translation, it is often misunderstood. It does not refer to something that will offend another Christian, rather something that will cause them to be ensnared by sin.

Application

Are you watching your Christian brothers and sisters in order to judge their actions as right or wrong? Or are you watching and judging yourself to ensure that you do not do something that will cause your brother or sister in Christ to stumble or sin?” Again, it’s a matter of where your focus is!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Truth to Learn

All Christians will have to testify regarding what they have done for God while on this earth.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off the current verse with the Greek words ara oun, which basically mean, “So, in conclusion, …” This expression applies to what he will say in this and the following verse.

“Each” is translated from the Greek word hekastos, meaning “each one” or “every one.” It is expressed in the singular, indicating that we will be standing individually before the Judge. Only our individual actions will matter.

The word “give” is didōmi, which means “to deliver up” or “to give over.” And “account” is logos, meaning “a word” or “something said.” Thus, it appears that we will each have to talk about how we spent the life that was given to us.

“Himself” is the reflexive pronoun heautou, indicating that the account given will be that of the one giving the account not of anyone else.

Meaning Explained

Let me start off by saying that this verse clearly shows that Paul believed that Jesus Christ is God. You will notice that this verse is still in reference to the judgment seat (bematos) of Christ, and it is clearly Jesus Christ who is sitting on this seat. Also, in John’s gospel account our Lord taught that the Father entrusts all judgment to the Son.

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)

Yet in this verse, Paul tells us that we will have to give an explanation of our actions to God. Jesus Christ is the Creator, our Savior, our Judge, and our God.

The next thing that Paul has to say regarding our appearance before the bema seat of Christ is that “each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.” That is, when we appear before Christ’s judgment seat, we will have to give an explanation of what we have done for Him. We will not be called upon to give testimony about anyone else, nor will He be calling us as a witness to anyone else’s actions, only our own. Therefore, since God’s focus at the judgment seat of Christ will be on our works done for His glory, our focus in this earthly life needs to be on what we are doing for God, not on what other Christians are or aren’t doing.

Also, notice very carefully that this is a judgment of our works, not our sins. According to 2Corinthians 5:10, which we looked at a couple of verses back, this judgment will be “according to what each person has done.” Our sins, on the other hand, have already been judged. They were judged at the cross when Christ paid the penalty for all our sins with His blood. When we believed God’s promise, like Abraham we were declared righteous. All of our sins – past, present, and future – were judged and paid for; hence, they cannot be the subject of the judgment seat of Christ.

Application

Let us all judge our own actions, not the actions of other Christians, so that He will judge them worthy on that day! We would all rather receive rewards than the smell of smoke.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:11 – He Is LORD!

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:11 – He Is LORD!

For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

Truth to Learn

We need to recognize God’s sovereignty now as we will eternally.

Behind the Words

“Confess” is translated from the Greek verb exomologeō, which is made up of ex, meaning “out,” used here as an intensifier and homologeō, meaning “to agree with, to have the same thoughts as, or to assent.” Homologeō is usually translated as “confess” which means to agree with God regarding His verdict against our sin. Thus, exomologeō means “to proclaim in agreement that God is who He claims to be.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is quoted from Isaiah 45:23 which says:

I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.

As can be clearly seen, this is not a direct quotation for there are a couple of significant differences. Isaiah says, “I have sworn by Myself” whereas Paul says, “As I live.” We learn in Hebrews 6:13 that God can swear by no one greater than Himself. We also know from Exodus 3:14 that Jehovah is the self-existing one; He has life in Himself. So, Paul’s expression, “As I live” is a declaration by God that He is the author of life itself, and as such, there is no one greater than He is. So it is roughly equivalent to “I have sworn by Myself.”

The other significant difference between Isaiah 45:23 and Paul’s quotation of it is that Isaiah says “every tongue shall take an oath,” whereas Paul says “every tongue shall confess to God.” The Hebrew word translated “take an oath” is the same word translated “I have sworn.” It means to swear an oath. The expression “every tongue shall take an oath” means that everyone will swear an oath of allegiance to the supreme God. Thus, again, what Isaiah said and what Paul is saying are effectively the same.

The context of Isaiah’s proclamation seems to imply that every tongue among the Israelites will swear the oath of allegiance, and the context of the current verse (at the bema seat judgment) implies every tongue among the righteous. Thus, it appears to be a different event from Philippians 2:10, 11 which involves all created beings, righteous and unrighteous.

Paul’s point in the current verse, and the reason he quotes the particular passage in Isaiah, is that we should not be judging or despising our brothers and sisters in Christ because we (Christians) will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and there we will all bow before Him and confess that He is our Lord, our Judge, and our God

And, if we are submitted to Him and committed to doing His will now, then we will be too busy to worry about whether or not our brother or sister is convicted the same way we are.

Application

We are all guilty of casting judgment against our fellow Christians from time to time. Our sin nature wants to exalt itself by condemning others, but this is nothing more than selfish pride. Instead, we need to submit to our Lord and Master and focus our attention on serving Him in a manner that will please Him and bring glory to His name. If we all do that, we won’t be judgmental of other Christians and together we can proclaim His sovereignty and majesty.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:10 – Rewards For Works

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:10 – Rewards For Works

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Truth to Learn

Christ will judge all the works of all Christians.

Behind the Words

The word translated “judgment seat” is the Greek word bematos, which means “an elevated step often with a seat upon it where a judgment or tribunal is held.” In the 1st century A.D. a bematos was where the victor in a race or other contest was awarded a crown (wreath) by the judge who sat on the bema seat. A bematos was always used as a place to hand out awards.

Meaning Explained

If we compare this verse to verse three we will see that Paul is talking to both the Jewish converts and the Gentile converts in the church at Rome. Back in verse three Paul told the Jewish believers not to “judge” the Gentile believers, and he told the Gentile believers not to “despise” the Jewish believers. The words in this verse translated “judge” and “show contempt” are these same two words. The reason we should not judge or show contempt to other believers is that Christians are all going to appear before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ. At this bema seat Christ will judge the works of all believers, Jew or Gentile. Those who are judged will be given rewards, in the form of crowns, for the works they have done while on this earth.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2Corinthians 5:10)

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1Corinthians 3:12-15)

It is the works of believers that are judged at the bema seat. We shall receive rewards for the works which have been done for Him. The works which we have done for ourselves will be burned up. According to 1Corinthians 3:13, the fire will “try” our works. This word is the Greek word dokimadzo, which means “testing or proving a thing to find its worth or goodness.” Hence, the judgment of the bema seat is for the purpose of finding good so that rewards can be given, not for the purpose of finding bad to be punished. Also notice that as the fire “tries” our works, those which are worthless will be burned up. There is no penalty or punishment, simply a loss of what was done because it is worthless in God’s eyes.

Application

We should not be judging the things that our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing. Instead, we should be focusing on doing works of righteousness that will bring glory to God, which He will judge and for which He will reward us.

Are you performing works that are worthy of reward from your Lord? Or are you too busy being critical of your brother or sister in Christ? We are not the judge, He is!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 14:9 – Lord Of All

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:9 – Lord Of All

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ is Lord of all!

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “rose” is anhistēmi, which is made up of ana, meaning “again” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Hence, anhistēmi means “to stand-up again” or “to rise again.” This word, however, is missing in many manuscripts and is rejected by many Biblical scholars. Fortunately, this does not materially alter the meaning or intent of this verse because it is the fact that Christ both died and lives again that makes Him the Christ and our Savior.

“Lived again” is from the verb anadzaō, made up of ana, meaning “again” and dzaō, meaning “to live.”

The verb translated “might be Lord” is from the Greek word, kurieuō, which is based on the noun kurios, meaning “lord.” Kurieuō means “to have or exercise rule or authority over.” This word carries the idea of His being “proprietor” or “owner” as well as “ruler.” It means that He exercises entire dominion over us, as our sovereign Lord and Master.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about the fact that we don’t have control of the time of our death. That is strictly up to our Lord. He is our owner and our master if we have truly submitted to Him and accepted Christ’s death on the cross as payment for our sins. That’s Paul’s point in this verse. It is that Lordship of Christ over us for which He died and lives again. He shed His blood and came back from the dead so that He might be our Lord whether we are alive or dead.

Since both “life” and “death” are used throughout the New Testament in reference to both the physical and spiritual realms, it is unclear whether Paul’s statement is regarding all living creatures, all of mankind, or only those whom God has declared righteous. The context up to this point in Paul’s letter would seem to indicate that he is referring to the righteous ones. In verse eleven, however, it becomes clear that Paul is including every intelligent creature (both physical and spirit).

Jesus Christ, the second person of the godhead, has always been Lord over all created beings; however, it is a result of belief in His resurrection from the dead, the fact that He is alive, that descendants of Adam are declared righteous. Thus, it appears that Paul’s reference here is to both saved and unsaved (spiritually alive and spiritually dead), whether they are physically alive or dead. It is not unlike Paul at all to use such a “play on words” to drive home the truths of his teaching. Jesus Christ is Lord of all—those who are alive physically as well as those who are dead physically, and He is Lord of those who are alive spiritually as well as those who are dead spiritually. He is Lord of all!

Application

After death, those who have rejected Christ will learn, to their horror, that they have rejected God Himself. Their eternal fate will have been sealed with no chance to change their mind. For those of us who have believed in His death and resurrection, we know Him as Savior right now. We also have a choice to believe and live like Jesus Christ is our Lord. After death we will completely know His lordship over us. Are you living now as if He is your Lord, or is He just your Savior?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to: