Posts

Ephesians 1:7 – Far, Far Away

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Will

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Truth to Learn

Our sin penalty is paid and our sins are sent-far, far away.

Behind the Words

The word “redemption” is from apolutrōsis. This compound word is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of the verb lutroō, meaning “to pay a ransom.” Apolutrōsis refers to the act of releasing captives from their captivity because of the payment of a ransom that has been paid for them.

“Forgiveness” is from aphesis, made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and hiēmi, meaning “to send.” Thus, aphesis refers to the sending away of sins from the sinner.

The word translated “sins” is paraptōma. This word is made up of para, meaning “to the side” and a form of piptō, meaning “to fall.” Therefore, paraptōma literally refers to “a falling by the wayside.” Some claim that this is an accidental sin as opposed to a deliberate sin (which they claim would be represented by the Greek word parabainō), but the consistent uses of these two words do not support such a claim. Paraptōma is always used to indicate deliberate acts of sin.

Meaning Explained

To begin with, in today’s verse we have to ask ourselves the question, “Who is being referred to by ‘Him’?” The answer is that it refers to “the Beloved One” from the previous verse; in other words, it refers to Jesus Christ.

As we pointed out in the previous verse, this opening passage of Ephesians portrays God the Father shining the spotlight on His grace. In the current verse Paul is explaining to us one of the characteristics of this grace. Because of the grace of God, we have redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. Without God’s grace, we are captives of sin and, as Paul teaches in the book of Romans, we are in bondage to sin. We cannot free ourselves and we must obey our master (sin). However, by the grace of God, the blood of Christ (His death on the cross) is paid as the ransom to release us from the bondage of sin.

And, through the grace of God, our sins are forgiven. But what does it mean to have forgiveness? As we saw in “Behind the Words,” the Greek word is aphesis. Therefore, God does not simply “excuse” our sins, He sends them far away from us. Here’s how the psalmist expressed it:

He has not done to us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy over those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:10-12)

Also, the writer of Hebrews, in discussing the blood of Christ, says what God does with our sins because of His sacrifice:

"their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17)

Because of the blood of Christ and as a result of God’s grace, our sins have been completely removed from us. Not simply forgiven, but completely cast away and forgotten by God. And remember, this applies to ALL of our sins, past, present, and future.

Application

What a precious truth! Through God’s amazing grace He has chosen us, He has adopted us as His children, and He has cast our sins away from us and He no longer even remembers them. As a result, He sees us as sinless and righteous as His own Son, Jesus Christ!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:6 – Amazing Grace

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Will

to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He favored us in the Beloved One.

Truth to Learn

Because of His grace, God loves us with the same love He has for Jesus Christ.

Behind the Words

The word “praise” is translated from epainos, composed of epi, meaning “upon” or “on” and ainos, meaning “praise given for benefits received.” Epainos refers to applause or commendation given in recognition of something that was done.

“Glory” is from doxa, which is derived from the verb dokeō, meaning “to think or suppose.” Doxa primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable opinion.” In a secondary sense it means “reputation, praise, honor, or splendor.”

“Grace” is from charis which we looked at back in verse two. It refers to “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.”

The expression “favored us” is from charitoō, which is a verb form of charis. It means “to endue with special honor” or “to greatly favor.”

“Beloved” is translated from agapaō, meaning “to love with a perfect, self-sacrificing love.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis in on the effect. That is, God perfectly loved the Second Person of the Godhead (His Son) in the past, and the result is that He is His beloved Son.

Meaning Explained

The opening phrase of this verse, “to the praise of the glory of His grace” is a Hebraism, that is, a method of thought of the Hebrew people. The meaning they would ascribe to this phrase is “to His glorious grace!” In other words, by His choosing us and determining beforehand that we will be adopted as His children, God is shining the spotlight fully on His amazing grace. God did not have to choose us and He did not have to legally make us His children. We do not deserve to be chosen by Him, and we certainly do not deserve to be adopted into His family. And, He did not do these things for our benefit; He did them to show to all of creation how magnificent His grace is.

Were it not for God’s holiness and righteousness, we wouldn’t need His grace. Because He is holy, he is completely separated from all sin and sinfulness. Therefore, but for His grace, He could not fellowship with us. Because He is righteous, He always does what is right, and He must judge (condemn) every sin and every sinner. Therefore, but for His grace, we are condemned as sinners and destined for Hell.

In the second chapter of this letter, Paul will get into a deeper explanation of this marvelous grace of His. For now, he tells us that by this grace, “He graced us in the beloved.” In other words, He showed great favor and bestowed great honor on us by placing us in His beloved Son. In Him we possess all that the Father loves in His Son. Thus, we are perfectly loved!

Application

What a blessing to know that God sees His beloved Son every time He looks at a Christian. The Father loves you and me with the same love with which He has always loved the Son. By His grace, He does not see us in our sin and sinfulness. Instead, He loves us with the love of Christ! How great is that?!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:5 – Holy Adoption

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Will

having predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Truth to Learn

Not only has God chosen us, He also has adopted us.

Behind the Words

“Having predestined” is the translation of the verb prooridzō. The first half of this compound word is pro, meaning “before in time or place.” The second half is horidzō (from which we get our English word horizon), meaning “to mark out or create a boundary,” that is, “to establish or determine.” Therefore, we see that prooridzō means “to establish or determine something beforehand.”

The phrase “adoption as sons” is from huiothesia, which is made up of huios, meaning “son” and a form of tithēmi, meaning “to set in place.” Huiothesia, therefore, refers to the action of establishing a person as a son, not by natural birth but by legal action.

“Good pleasure” is from eudokia, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of the verb dokeō, meaning “to think.” Thus, eudokia refers to “good thoughts.” It stresses the freedom of an intention regarding what is good. Thus, it could be translated as “good intent” or “kindness.”

The word translated “will” is thelēma, indicating a determination. It is one of two nouns translated “will.” The other is boulēma which implies a desire. Therefore, we can translate the end of this verse as “… according to the good intent of His determination.”

Meaning Explained

The expression “having predestined us” is grammatically tied to “He chose us” in the previous verse. Thus we see that in eternity past, when God chose us (to be holy and without blemish), He also predestined us. That is, before time began God also established ahead of time (pun intended) that we would be legally adopted as His children. One exciting thing about this is what Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans:

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption by which we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs, truly heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, (Romans 8:15-17a)

Because God chose us, He also adopted us, making us legally his children and heirs to all that He has. This adoption has two aspects. Presently, we Christians are God’s children, having access to our Father and the spiritual riches He has bestowed upon us. The future aspect is alluded to in Romans 8:23:

And not only so, but also we ourselves having the firstfruit of the Spirit, also we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly expecting the adoption, the redemption of our body.

As adopted children, God will one day provide for us a perfect, heavenly body.

Finally, we are told that He has done this according to His own determination, which He is pleased with. It is not legally required of Him, even by His own righteousness. He did it simply because He wanted to do it.

Application

Thank you, God, for choosing me and for adopting me into your heavenly family. In gratitude I offer all that I am and all that I have to be used to bring glory to your name!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:4 – God’s Choice

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Will

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us be holy and without blemish before Him in love,

Truth to Learn

God chose those who would accept Christ as Savior.

Behind the Words

“Chose” is translated from the verb eklegō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” and legō, meaning “to choose.” Hence, we see that eklegō means “to choose out” or “to select.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense (past completed action) and the middle voice (action done by the subject to himself), so it could be interpreted as “He chose for Himself.”

The word “foundation” is from the Greek word katabolē. This is another compound word; it is made up of kata, meaning “down” and a form of ballō, meaning “to throw.” Hence, it literally means “to throw down.” It is the word used of deposited seed or of laying a building’s foundation.

The expression “for us to be” is translated as “that we should be” in some translations. In this form it appears to be a translation of the Greek subjunctive mood (the mood of probability or possibility), but it is not. It is the verb eimi, the verb of being (I am, you are, etc.), but it is written as an infinitive. In other words, it should literally be translated as “for us to be …”

“Without blemish” is the translation of amōmos, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not,” and mōmos, which refers to “a blot, a flaw, or a blemish.” Thus amōmos means “without blemish.”

“Before Him” is katenōpion, which means “directly in front of” or “in His very presence.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that God the Father blessed (aorist tense, indicating a completed action in the past) us with all spiritual blessings. In the same way, before the foundation of the world, God the Father chose us for Himself. Paul also tells us that God’s purpose in choosing us was so that in Jesus Christ, we will be Holy and flawless in His very presence. Let’s look at this a piece at a time.

God chose us. Paul makes it very clear that God selected us (all who are saved). The fact that this verb is in the middle voice indicates that God chose for Himself, for His own reasons. Paul doesn’t tell us that God chose those of us whom He knew would one day accept Christ as Savior. In fact, we are not told what God’s criteria were for selecting us. However, he states very clearly that God chose us. It was His choice, not ours.

When did this choosing (election) occur? Paul says that it was before “the throwing-down of the world,” in other words, before time began. And what was the purpose for choosing us? It was not so that we could avoid the punishment of Hell. It was so that we will be able to stand in His presence, set-apart from the rest of humanity, with righteousness as spotless as the Lamb. God now sees us as perfect and He wants perfect fellowship with us!

Application

Does this mean that we are relieved of any responsibility in believing God’s truth and accepting the blood of Christ as payment of our sins? Absolutely not! God’s election and our responsibility are two opposites that are both taught in the Bible. How can this be? We don’t know, but God does! And, the fact that God chose us should at once drive us to our knees and put thanks and praise in our hearts and on our lips!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:3 – Spiritual Blessings

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Will

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Truth to Learn

God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Behind the Words

There are two Greek words translated “blessed” in the New Testament. The first is makarios, meaning “fortunate, well off, or happy.” The other one is eulogētos, from which we get our English word eulogy. It is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of logos, meaning “a word.” Hence, eulogētos means “good words” or “well-spoken of.” When used as God blessing a person, eulogētos means “to look on with favor, to act in a person’s life and accomplish His purposes instead of allowing the person to have his or her own way.” In the current verse, both words translated “blessed” and the word translated “blessing” are forms of eulogētos.

“Spiritual” is translated from pneumatikos, which is derived from pneuma, meaning “spirit.” Thus, pneumatikos means “that which pertains to the spiritual realm as opposed to the earthly or physical realm.”

The words “heavenly places” are translated from epouranios, which is made up of epi, meaning “above, over, or on” and a form of ouranos which refers “heaven.” Epouranios means “that which pertains to heaven” or “the heavenly realm.”

Meaning Explained

Paul starts out this verse by giving praise to God the Father. He states very clearly here that, although Jesus Christ is God and part of the trinity, He is subservient to the Father since he refers to Him as “the God and Father” of Jesus Christ. Since all Christians are “in Christ” (Romans 12:3, 2Corinthians 5:17), He is also our God and Father.

There is some discussion among Biblical scholars as to the exact meaning of Paul’s expression “spiritual blessing.” Some claim that he is referring to “every blessing of the Holy Spirit,” especially since that would make mention of all three persons of the Godhead in this verse. Others (with whom I would agree) see this as an expression of spiritual blessing as opposed to worldly or material blessing. This makes more sense since the realm of the blessing is “in the heavenlies.” Notice that in the Old Testament, from Abraham onward, God’s promise of blessing was focused on material, earthly things. Not so, in the New Testament. The blessings He promises us are not fame and fortune; they are spiritual riches like eternal life, adoption as sons by God, and reigning with Him. Keep in mind that our citizenship is in heaven, not this world (Philippians 3:20).

Finally, Paul tells us that these spiritual blessings, which we have already been blessed with, are in Christ. Our blessings are not in religion, good works, or obedience; they are in Christ Jesus our Lord and they are acquired by faith.

Application

We live in a physical world and we are surrounded by the world system, characterized by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But we are commanded not to love the things of this world (1John 2:15). Instead, Paul will describe a number of spiritual blessings because he wants us to focus on our spiritual blessings, not the material ones.

Where are you looking for your blessings, my Christian friend? In the things of this world? Or in the things of God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:2 – Grace and Peace

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Will

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

Paul prays for God to show His grace to us and grant us peace.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Grace” is charis, which is derived from the verb chairō, meaning “to rejoice.” Charis refers to “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.”

“Peace” is translated from eirēnē, which means “peace or tranquility.” It is a state in which there is no perceived threat or cause for worry present.

“Lord” is from the Greek word kurios, which is derived from the noun kuron, meaning “might” or “power.” Thus, kurios refers to the one possessing might or power; that is, it refers to “one who is supreme in authority” or “one’s owner.”

Meaning Explained

This verse, which expresses the Apostle Paul’s natural tenderness toward those whom he loves, is sort of like the calm before the storm. Whereas the first two or three verses in this chapter seem like drinking from a peaceful babbling brook, what comes after these verses may seem like trying to drink from a fire hose.

Though part of the salutation of the letter, this verse actually expresses a prayer from the apostle. Since Paul spent three years with the Christians in Ephesus, he developed a close relationship with, and fondness for, them. His first expression of fondness is that he prays for grace for them. Christians often think of grace as “unmerited favor,” which it surely is when used in reference to the grace that God has shown to us in granting us the righteousness of Christ and eternal life through Him. But, since Paul is addressing this letter to Christians who already know the grace of God with regard to salvation, this is a different flavor of grace. This is living grace, the favor and good will from God that brings gratification and joy to the everyday lives of Christians.

In addition to grace, Paul prays for peace to be bestowed on all who read this letter. Throughout the years, from the first century until now, faithful Christians have enjoyed periods of peace as well as periods of persecution. Paul is well aware of the trials and troubles that we will encounter throughout our journey on this earth and expresses this prayer for peace even when we are in the midst of such troubles.

He recognizes and tells us not only the source of grace and peace, but the mediator through whom these are passed on to us. There are three persons in the Godhead, each one of whom is completely God, but there is a hierarchy that the three persons have agreed on. The Father is the first person of the three. The Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) is the second person of the three and is voluntarily submitted to the authority of the Father. And, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead who is voluntarily submitted to the authority of both the Father and the Son. Paul tells us here that grace and peace are from our Father and from (or through) our Lord Jesus Christ.

Application

Do you know the peace of God that surpasses all our understanding (Philippians 4:7)? Are you experiencing His grace in your life? Are you fully submitted to His will? These are the things that Paul looks for and expects from those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:1 – Paul’s Letter to You

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Will

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the decision of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful ones in Christ Jesus:

Truth to Learn

If you are a Christian, this letter was written to you!

Behind the Words

“Apostle” is transliterated from the Greek word apostolos, made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and a form of the verb stellō, meaning “to withdraw from” or “to send forth.” Thus, apostolos, as it is used here, means “one who is sent out by Christ.”

The word translated “decision” is thelēma, which indicates “a determination or decision.” The verbs thelō and boulomai are both translated “to will” but boulomai expresses a desirous will (wish) whereas thelō expresses a determined will (decision).

“Saints” is from hagios, which literally refers to something which causes awe. Its root meaning is “that which has been set apart from common use to Godly use.” As we will learn from Paul in this letter, all Christians have been set-apart by God; that is, all Christians are saints.

Meaning Explained

Paul begins this letter with a typical salutation identifying himself (Paul the apostle) as the writer. He immediately sets the tone for this letter by indicating that his apostleship is a result of God’s determination (it was God’s decision). One of the key underlying themes of this letter is the complete sovereignty of God in choosing whom He determines. This doctrine of “election” has been hotly debated since the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth century; however, writings of the early church fathers indicate that the early church readily accepted it. Throughout this letter we will see that Paul clearly teaches that God chose us, not because we decided to get saved, but because He decided to save us.

The next phrase in this opening verse, “To the saints who are in Ephesus,” has been questioned by some. The reason for this is because the words “who are in Ephesus” are omitted in two key Greek manuscripts. Some scholars believe that the letter was written with these two words intentionally omitted, allowing copyists to insert the name of a particular church to make it more personal. An overwhelming number of the manuscripts, however, contain the words “who are in Ephesus;” therefore, it is reasonable for us to conclude that this letter was specifically addressed to the church in Ephesus.

The final phrase of this verse indicates that Paul intended that is should be read by more than just the Ephesians. He addresses this letter to all the “faithful ones in Christ Jesus.” This is not a reference to those who have a sense of fidelity and perseverance, but to those who are “of the faith.” In other words, this letter was sent to the Christians who lived in Ephesus and to anyone else who has professed faith in Jesus Christ. If you have accepted the blood of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins and have declared Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then this letter was written specifically to you.

Application

The God of all creation, the great I AM who lead Moses and the Israelites through the wilderness, wants you to know Him completely. It’s not very often that we recognize that God had the Bible written for you and me individually. This letter called Ephesians was written to you, Christian!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians – Background

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Will

The City of Ephesus

The city of Ephesus was located on the eastern coast of Asia Minor (present day Turkey). It was nearly 200 miles due east from Athens across the Aegean Sea (the body of water that separates Greece from Turkey). This very large metropolis, located on the Cayster River, was the capital of the Roman province called Asia. Its primary claim to fame was the presence of the magnificent temple to the goddess Dianna (the Greek goddess Artemis). This temple was one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Today, only half buried ruins occupy the site of this once great commercial city.

Who Wrote This Letter?

According to Ephesians 1:1 and 3:1, this letter was written by the Apostle Paul. The genuine Pauline authorship is attested to by many of the early church fathers including Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Valentinus, Hippolytus, Polycarp, Tertullian, and Ignatius.

Toward the end of his second missionary trip, Paul visited Ephesus for a short while where he disputed with the Jews in the synagogue of the city (Acts 18:19-21). After Paul left Ephesus, the work was carried on by Apollos (Acts 18:24-26) and by Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26). On his second visit to Ephesus, Paul remained there more than two years (Acts 19:10). In fact, for three years according to Acts 20:31. During this time, he preached the gospel with such success that it affected the entire city and province (Acts 19:17-20). The conversion rate of Ephesians was so significant that it stirred up the fears of the local silversmiths who profited from the worship of Diana. They raised such a commotion that Paul was forced to leave the city.

On his last journey to Jerusalem, he sailed by Ephesus and summoned the elders of the Ephesian Church to meet him at Miletus where he delivered a stirring farewell address to the people he loved so (Acts 20:18-35).

When Was This Letter Written?

This letter is believed to have been written by Paul after his arrest in Jerusalem during his subsequent imprisonment in Rome. The most likely date of writing is AD 62 or 63.

From Where Was This Letter Written?

We know that this letter was written while Paul was a prisoner (Ephesians 6:20), and hence must have been written either at Cæsarea or at Rome. Some scholars relegate it to the first place, but the general consensus is that it belongs to the group of letters which were sent from his Roman prison. This letter was written to the Ephesians most likely during the early part of his imprisonment at Rome immediately after the letter to the Colossians, to which it bears a close resemblance in many passages. Tychicus was the messenger to whom, on the same journey, were entrusted both this letter (Ephesians 6:21) and the letter to Colosse (Colossians 4:7).

Why Was This Letter Written?

Paul’s reason for writing this letter is based on his foresight that false teachers would spring up in the church after his death. He was concerned that their false doctrines would draw away disciples after them and do great harm in the church. Therefore, the design of this letter was to establish the believers in the doctrines of the Gospel so they might not be carried away with the errors of the deceivers.

Paul puts great care into establishing the doctrines of grace, predestination, election, eternal security, redemption by Christ, and salvation by the free grace of God completely apart from works. He also deals with the nature and usefulness of the Gospel ministry, of gifts necessary for it, and of the various duties of religion incumbent on Christians. He speaks to the Ephesians as a “type” or example of the Church universal. Hence, “the Church” throughout the Epistle is spoken of in the singular, not in the plural.

Outline of Ephesians

Section 1 – Doctrine

Ephesians 1:1, 2 — Introduction

Ephesians 1:3-14 – Blessings to God for His work of mercy in saving us.

Ephesians 1:15-23 — A prayer that we might fully avail ourselves of the advantages of God’s eternal mercy.

Ephesians 2:1-3 — Our former unsaved state, dead in sin

Ephesians 2:4-7 — Regeneration through God’s mercy

Ephesians 2:8-10 — Salvation by faith apart from works.

Ephesians 2:11-22 — The reconciliation of both Jews and Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-12 — The revelation of the mystery that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of God with the Jews.

Ephesians 3:13-21 – Paul’s prayer that we might grow to know God better.

Section 2 – Practical Application

Ephesians 4:1-16 — An exhortation to keep the unity of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:17-24 — A challenge to quit our former manner of life and to develop a new way of living in righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:25-5:20 — Specific actions & attitudes to cease, with a challenge to be kind, tender hearted, and forgiving, giving thanks to God.

Ephesians 5:21-33 — The responsibilities of husbands and wives.

Ephesians 6:1-3 — The responsibilities of parents and children

Ephesians 6:4-9 — The responsibilities of masters and servants

Ephesians 6:10-20 — Conducting Christian warfare.

Ephesians 6:21-24 — Closing remarks.

James 5:20 – A Converted Sinner

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Will

let him know that the one turning a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Truth to Learn

We need to proclaim the truth of God to all people.

Behind the Words

“Sinner” is translated from the Greek word hamartōlos, from the verb hamartanō, meaning “to miss the mark” or “to sin.” The word hamartōlos refers to a person whose life is characterized by sin, one who is constantly sinning.

The word translated “soul” is psuchē (or psyche), which is a derivative of the verb psuchō, meaning “to breath.” Hence, it refers to the immaterial portion of man.

The Greek word kaluptō is translated here as “cover.” This word means “to envelop or wrap around, like the bark of a tree.” That is, it means “to completely cover over” or “to hide.”

“Multitude” is from plēthos, which is derived from the verb plēthō, meaning “to fill.” Hence, plēthos means “fullness” or “a very large number.”

Meaning Explained

Though the previous verse speaks of those who have known the truth (believers) and have turned away from it, this verse seems to be talking about the conversion of the unsaved. Let’s see why this is so. In the previous verse James addressed his audience as “brothers.” He also said in the previous verse, “… if any among YOU should stray …” referring to someone who is part of this group of brothers.

In this verse he starts out with, “let HIM know …” The “him” referred to is the one who causes the conversion, that is, the brother. The next part of this verse literally reads, “… the one turning back a sinner from his wandering way shall save a soul from death …” James is not talking about saving a body from death, but a soul. He is not talking about physical death, but spiritual death. So, either he is proposing that a Christian can lose his or her salvation, or he is talking about an unsaved person. The key can be found just a few words earlier, “… he who converts a sinner from …” This refers to a person whose life is characterized by sin, not a born-again Christian. As the Apostle John teaches us:

Everyone remaining in Him does not sin. Everyone sinning has not seen Him nor known Him. (1 John 3:6)

Now you may say, “But everyone sins, even saved Christians!” And you are correct. What John is talking about (as is James) is a person who continually, or habitually, sins. Now, of the one who does not abide (or remain) John says:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained (continued) with us. But they went out so that it might be revealed that they are not all of us. (1 John 2:19)

In other words, James is telling us that there are people who call themselves Christians who know the truths of God’s word but who have never truly submitted to the will of God. These who have called themselves “brothers” have wandered away after erroneous doctrines. James tells us that if we bring them back to the truth and to a saving faith, we are doing a great work (actually, God is doing a great work through us) in the plan of salvation!

Application

We need to reach out, not just to those who have never heard the message of salvation, but also to those who have heard the word but have turned away. We will not reach them through fighting and arguing. We must reach out to them with the Word of truth proclaimed graciously, in love, for God’s glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 5:19 – Wandering from the Truth

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Will

My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth, and someone should turn him back,

Truth to Learn

We need to lovingly reach out to those who have strayed from the truth.

Behind the Words

There are a couple of words we want to look at in this verse. The first is “stray.” Some translations have this as “err” or “wander.” The Greek word is planaō which means “to stray,” “to roam,” “to wander,” or “to be out of the way.” The implication is that this person knew the truth and has since changed direction and has wandered into something that is not the truth. This word is expressed in the subjunctive mood as part of a 3^rd class conditional clause, indicating that it is possible, but there is no assumption as to whether it is true or not.

The other word we want to look at is “turn” which comes from the Greek epistrephō, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” or “over” and strephō, meaning to turn. Hence, epistrephō literally means “to turn upon” or “to turn toward.” Here it carries the meaning “to turn back around to the original way.” This again emphasizes the fact that the person was originally going the correct way, has since turned away, but has now turned back around to the truth.

Meaning Explained

This verse does not stand on its own, but needs the next verse to make complete sense. We as Christians need to be ever on the guard against seducing doctrines that draw us away from the truth. That’s why it is so important for us to be reading the Bible daily and listening to doctrinally sound preachers, always seeking confirmation from the Spirit of God and the Bible itself as to the things that are being taught. Look at what was said of the believers in Berea concerning the teaching of Paul and Silas. These believers went directly to the Word to verify what they were being taught.

And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who having arrived went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:10,11)

Today’s verse is not talking about salvation, even though the word “convert” is used in some translations rather than “turn … back.” It is talking about a believer who has been led into false doctrine.

People who are trained to spot counterfeit money are not taught what all the various fakes look like, instead they are taught in excruciating detail what the real thing looks like. Likewise, we will be able to detect false doctrine only when we know without a doubt what true Biblical doctrine is. In the next verse we will see that James speaks very strongly about the effect of false doctrine.

Application

You obviously want to know the truth of God’s Word, otherwise you wouldn’t be going through these daily devotional verse studies. But it can’t stop here. You need to be reading your Bible daily and regularly hearing good sound preaching based on God’s Word and nothing else. Only by thoroughly knowing the true doctrines taught in the Bible will you be able to detect false doctrine.

In God's service, for His glory,