Tag: dunamai

Ephesians 6:13 – Prepare for Battle

Posted on by Will

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Truth to Learn

We need to be prepared for spiritual battle at all times.

Behind the Words

Analambanō is the Greek word translated “take up.” It is composed of ana, meaning “up” or “again” and lambanō, meaning “to take.”

“You may be able” is translated from the verb dunamai, which means “to have the ability or the authority to do something.” It is expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating the possibility or probability of happening.

The words “to stand” are from the verb anthistēmi, made up of anti, meaning “against” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Thus, it literally means “to stand against.”

“Having done” is from the Greek verb katergadzomai, which is composed of kata, meaning “down” used here as an intensifier and ergadzomai, meaning “to work.” Katergadzomai means “to perform a task until it is completely finished.”

The word translated “all” is hapas. This word is made up of hama, meaning “together” and pas, meaning “all.” Hapas means “absolutely everything.”

Meaning Explained

As we have noted before, whenever you see a verse start out with “therefore” or “wherefore,” you need to look carefully at what it is “there for.” In this case, Paul is saying “because we are wrestling against spiritual forces (evil angels) in hand-to-hand combat, we need to put on all of the weapons that God provides for us.

It is not our own armor that we are to put on, however, it is God’s armor. In Greek mythology, the gods provided special armor for the heroes. Paul is playing off that idea by showing that our God provides us with the armor we need for battle.

What does Paul mean by, “the evil day?” One view sees this as every day since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Since the day that Satan attacked and defeated Adam and Eve, evil has been present on this earth. These evil days won’t end until our Lord returns to conquer all evil. The other view is that the evil day refers to any time that we are actively battling the forces of evil. No matter which of these two is correct, the fact is that Christians are in face-to-face conflict with the forces of evil each and every day.

What’s even more important is that when we are attacked by Satan and his warriors, we need to be ready. Once the battle has begun, it’s hard to put on the armor. We need to have it on at all times. Some Roman soldiers complained about the weight of their armor, so they took it off as soon as the battle was over. Then, because of lack of exercise and practice fighting in the armor, they became quickly fatigued and were not able to stand firm against their rival, making themselves easy targets.

The expression “having done all” means that we have prepared ourselves and we have stood against the enemy with the victory of our King. As a result, at the end of the battle we are still standing, not having been defeated.

Application

Let’s pay close attention to the next few verses so we can put on the armor and be practiced and prepared for battle. Fighting a battle is not easy, but we can win, for God is on our side.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Ephesians 6:11 – Protective Armor

Posted on by Will

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Truth to Learn

We Christians need protective armor for our spiritual battles.

Behind the Words

“Put on” is translated from the verb enduō, which is made up of en, meaning “in” and the verb duo, meaning “to sink.” Thus we see that enduō, literally means “to sink in;” that is “to get into” or “to put on” a garment or an outfit. It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating something that we are to do to ourselves (not done to us by someone else).

“Whole armor” is from the Greek word panoplia. This word is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” or “every” and hoplon, meaning “an implement, a tool, or a weapon.” We see that panoplia literally means “every tool” or “all the weapons.”

The words “be able” are from the Greek word dunamai, meaning “to have the ability or the authority to do something.”

“Wiles” is from methodeia which, as you can see, is the source of our English word “method.” Methodeia refers to “following an orderly procedure or process.” It is expressed here in the plural indicating that Satan has more than one method.

The word “devil” is translated from the Greek word diabolos, which is from the verb diaballō, meaning “to falsely accuse.” Thus, diabolos is “a false accuser.”

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be strengthened in God and in the power of His strength. He told us to do this because, whether we like it or not, we are at war. In today’s verse, he tells us who we are at war with and what we are to do about it. We are at war with the false accuser, Satan.

Because we are God’s soldiers and we are at war, Paul tells us that we need to be prepared for battle. In order to be prepared, we need to have all the weapons available to us and we need to use them in the appropriate way. As we said in Behind the Words, the word panoplia refers to all the “weapons,” and yet the translators translated it as “the whole armor.” The reason for this is that all but one of the weapons described are defensive weapons; that is, protective armor.

We need this armor in order to be able to take a stand against Satan and his minions. We need to do battle against all of his methods. So, the obvious question is, “What are the methods that Satan uses?” Nowhere in Scripture are we ever given a specific list, but here are some of them: he opposes God’s workers (Zechariah 3:1), he perverts God’s word (Matthew 4:6), he hinders God’s servants (1Thessalonians 2:18), he blinds people’s minds from knowing the truth (2Corinthians 4:4), and he snares the righteous (1Timothy 3:7).

Yesterday we used a sports analogy talking about the final pep-talk a coach gives his team just before the big game. However, no self-respecting coach would give such a pep-talk and then send his team out on the field without the proper protective gear. Without the protective “armor,” a football player or a soldier would be slaughtered, no matter how skilled and prepared they might be. We are no different in this battle.

Application

Fighting spiritual warfare without the proper protective equipment is a sure-fire recipe for defeat. We need to be prepared and protected before we go into battle. Pay attention as Paul describes our armor in the next few verses.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Ephesians 3:20 – Mighty Prayer Power

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:20  – Mighty Prayer Power

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Truth to Learn

God is able to answer our greatest and mightiest prayers.

Behind the Words

“Now” is translated from the connective particle de, which usually serves to introduce a new thought or idea. It is variously translated as “and, but, now, or moreover.”

“Able” is translated from the Greek verb dunamai, meaning “to have the ability or power to do something.”

The words “exceedingly abundantly” are translated from the Greek word huperekperissou. This is a double compound word made up of huper (hyper) meaning “above” or “beyond,” ek, used as an intensifier, and a form of perissoteros, meaning “abundantly more.” Thus, you can see that this word expresses the idea of “more than a huge amount.”

“Ask” is from aiteō, which we saw back in verse thirteen, meaning “to ask” or “to beg.” It is expressed here in the middle voice, so it could be interpreted as “ask for ourselves.”

The word “works” is from the verb energeō, which means “to be actively at work.” It is expressed as a participle.

Meaning Explained

Before we get to today’s verse, let’s look at something we left out of yesterday’s verse. The second half of that verse contained the fourth in a series of petitions in Paul’s prayer to God the Father. He prayed that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. But, what does he mean by “the fullness of God?” The best way to answer this question is by Scripture itself. In Colossians 2:9 Paul said, “For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” So, when Paul prayed that we might be filled with all the fullness of God he was asking that we be completely filled with Christ.

Paul now closes his prayer with a doxology. Translating this doxology is a little tricky, let’s see why. The words “above all” are part of an independent clause associated with the verb translated “do.” The next clause in the Greek text begins with “exceedingly above” and is associated with “all that we ask or think.” Therefore, the first part of this verse should probably be translated as, “Now to Him who has the power to do beyond all, exceedingly above all that we ask for ourselves or think …”

This doxology proclaims the power that the Father has to answer our prayers. Since the word translated “works” is a participle, it indicates a continual working, not an off- and-on thing. Also, God’s power (His ability) is greater than that possessed by any created thing. It is so great, according to Paul, that it exceeds that which is necessary to satisfy anything we could ask for and above all that we could even think of asking.

Paul’s expression “the power that is working in us” is probably a reference to the Holy Spirit of God, for it is the Holy Spirit that manifests God’s power to mankind.

Application

When we pray to God the Father, we should not pray selfishly. Neither should we pray sheepishly; that is, we should not be afraid to ask God to do great and marvelous things. Rather, we should pray boldly, so that when our prayers are answered the credit can go to no one other than our great and powerful God. Answered prayers bring praise to God alone!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Ephesians 3:4 – Uncovering the Mystery

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:4  – Uncovering the Mystery

by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

Truth to Learn

Mysteries are revealed in the Bible.

Behind the Words

“When you read” is translated from anaginōskō. This word is made up of ana, used as an intensifier and ginōskō, which means “to know.” Initially this word meant “to perceive accurately.” Later it came to mean “to recognize” and in some cases “to read.” In the New Testament it is always used in reference to reading. It is expressed here as a present participle.

“May” is the translation of the word dunamai, which means “to be able” or “to have power.”

The Greek word translated “understand” is noieō. This word means “to exercise the mind,” that is “to comprehend” or “to understand.”

Sunesis is the Greek word translated “knowledge.” This word is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of the verb heimi, meaning “to send” or “to put.” This sunesis literally means “that which is put together;” that is to say, “perception” or “knowledge.”

Putting this all together we see that a more literal translation of this verse would be: “by the reading of which you are able to understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),”

Meaning Explained

This is one of those verses which has very little meaning without the verses surrounding it. You may recall that in the previous verse Paul talked about the fact that a mystery had been revealed to him. He also alluded to the fact that he had previously written to the Ephesians about this mystery. That previous writing is probably a reference to what he said in Ephesians 1:9-12.

He goes on to explain that this mystery is the gathering together in one place (heaven) of all created things which belong to Christ (both those things in heaven and those things on earth). This mystery also includes the fact that Gentiles, who had previously been alienated from God’s chosen people (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), are now part of the same family, the family of God. We also learned recently that this mystery was not revealed to Paul by a human teacher, but by God, Himself. Now, because of what Paul has already written concerning this mystery, the readers of this letter are able to understand the mystery also.

Application

Today it is in vogue to declare that all people are part of God’s family. And, there are some churches which teach that we will all go to heaven. After all, a loving God wouldn’t really send some people to Hell where they would suffer eternally with no possibility of being rescued from it, would He? The answer is a resounding Yes!

All of us have sinned and deserve eternal hell because we don’t measure up to God’s standard of righteousness. But He has provided a way for us to obtain His righteousness. All we have to do is believe that the blood of Jesus Christ is the payment for our sins. Those who believe that Jesus died to pay for their sins will be gathered to Heaven someday. Those who reject His blood sacrifice will die in their sins and will be condemned by God to spend eternity in Hell. Have you accepted the blood of Jesus as payment for your sins?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Romans 16:25 – Stabilizing Power

Posted on by Will

Romans 16:25 – Stabilizing Power

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began

Truth to Learn

The power of God is revealed in the gospel message.

Behind the Words

“Him who is able” is from the word dunamai, from which we get the word dynamite. It refers to “one who has the power, ability, or authority to do something.”

The word translated “establish” is stēridzō, which means “to set firmly in place.”

“Revelation” is from the Greek word apokalupsis. This is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “away from” and a form of kaluptō, meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” Therefore, we can see that this word means “to have the cover taken away,” that is “an uncovering” or “a revealing.”

“Mystery” is translated from musterion, which refers to “a sacred mystery, something that was previously hidden but which is now made known.”

The word “secret” is translated from the Greek verb sigaō, meaning “to keep silent.”

Meaning Explained

In the past there has been much debate among Greek scholars as to whether this and the following two verses belong here or at the end of chapter fourteen. A number of reliable manuscripts have it at the end of fourteen, but a number of others have it placed here. Nearly all English translations present it here at the end of the epistle.

This benediction (a formal proclamation of blessing and praise) to God is basically a summary of Paul’s entire ministry. Paul gives this praise to “Him who is able to set us firmly in place.” That is, God is the only one who has the power and authority to make our salvation and subsequent walk with Him firm and secure. This secure salvation is the result of the gospel message. Paul refers to it as his gospel because it is the message that was given to him to deliver to the Gentiles.

This gospel (good news of salvation from our sins) is communicated by the preaching of Jesus Christ. That is, salvation comes from hearing about and believing that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. As proof of His sinless life and the acceptance of His blood as payment for our sins he rose from the dead and is alive today.

Paul refers to this gospel message as “the mystery which was kept silent since the world began.” He calls it this because even though it is alluded to throughout the Old Testament (from Genesis through Malachi), it was hidden from the Jews and hidden from the rest of mankind until revealed to the world by Jesus Christ, Himself.

Paul will continue with this benediction in the next two verses.

Application

Every Christian should get a tingle of excitement when talking about the gospel message. Through it the power of God to save sinners from the just penalty of their sins is communicated. The proclamation of the gospel opens up hearts and transfers the citizenship of lost souls from the family of doom to a firm place in the family of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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