good – Page 2 – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: good

1 Peter 2:12 – For His Glory

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Will

having your behavior good among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of inspection.

Truth to Learn

Our good behavior will bring glory to God.

Behind the Words

“Behavior” is translated from anastrophē, which literally means “to turn again.” By implication it means “to move around.” It’s a reference to the way we behave as we move back and forth through this life on earth.

The word translated “good” is kalos, which literally means “beautiful” but by figure, as used here, it means “good in quality or character.”

The word translated “inspection” is episkopē, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “over” and a form of skopeō, meaning “to give attention to.” Hence, it primarily refers to an inspection. Some scholars believe this refers to the day that God visits a person to open his or her eyes to the truth of the gospel. That is, the day they are “saved.” Others, however, believe that this refers to the day when God will judge the unbelievers. Since the term primarily refers to an inspection, it is more likely that Peter is referring to the Day of Judgment.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that Peter is telling us we need to exert our will to keep ourselves away from (or abstain from) fleshly lusts. Now he tells us that we should exhibit “good” behavior. Not only do we need to avoid letting our lusts control us, we need to behave in a manner that is generally regarded as good. And in whose presence are we to behave this way? The Gentiles.

“Wait a minute,” you say, “I thought Gentiles were non-Jews?” The word translated Gentiles in this verse is ethnos. Back in verse 9 we talked about the fact that God has made us a “holy nation” The word translated “nation” in that verse is this same Greek word, ethnos. It means “a race of people” or “a nation of people,” and Peter is using it here in the vernacular sense of those who are not of us or, more specifically, those who are not Christians. We are to live an exemplary life, a life without reproach, in front of the unsaved.

The reason, according to Peter, is that in living this way we may, by our good works, cause the unbelievers to glorify God in the day of inspection. These same people who deride us and treat us with disregard or contempt will give God glory one day.

Perhaps our current good behavior will be used as evidence against those who speak evil against us, showing that their attitude toward God was wrong. It does not appear that we will derive any personal satisfaction out of such judgment, and we are not to live godly lives for our own benefit. We are to live this way so that God will receive praise and glory.

Application

We are not here on this earth to do great things for ourselves; we are here to serve Him. Let us strive to live humble, godly lives and do good works, not for ourselves, but so that God will be glorified! After all, He is worthy!

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 2:17 – Comfort For Our Walk

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Will

comfort your hearts and may He establish you in every good word and work.

Truth to Learn

Comfort is God’s doing, but walking in faith is up to you.

Behind the Words

“Comfort” is translated from the Greek verb parakaleō. This word has the same root as the word translated “consolation” in yesterday’s verse. It means “to comfort, encourage, and challenge” just as a coach does for an athlete. It is expressed here in the rare optative mood; there are less than 70 uses of the optative mood in the New Testament. The optative is the mood used when a writer is expressing an action as possible.

Kardia is the word translated “heart.” The English word “cardiology” (the study of the heart) is obviously from this Greek word. It refers not only to the physical heart, but figuratively to “the seat and center of human life, including thoughts and feelings.”

The word “establish” is from stēridzō, which is derived from histemi, meaning “to stand or to set in place.” Stēridzō means “to make firm” or “to place securely.” This verb, as a parallel verb with parakaleō (comfort), is also expressed in the optative mood.

Agathos is the word translated “good.” This word refers to the general character or quality of goodnesaying.”

Ergon is the Greek word translated “work.” It refers to “something done or performed, an act or a deed.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is directly connected with the previous one. In fact, grammatically, verse sixteen is the subject of the sentence and this verse is the predicate. You will recall that in the previous verse Paul equated the Father and Jesus Christ as one by using singular verbs with the plural subject. He continues that form in today’s verse. Though this sentence has a plural subject (Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father), the verbs “comfort” and “establish” are singular verbs.

There are two key lessons to learn from Paul’s prayer. The first is that our God is the one who comforts our hearts and who makes our standing firm. In his teachings at the Last Supper in the upper room, Jesus said this to His disciples:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hss or usefulness.

“Word” is from the Greek noun logos, which refers to “an expression of intellect.” That is “a word or a

eart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

In other words, He said, “Don’t allow your hearts to be troubled or afraid.” Modern day psychology indicates that worry and fear are the results of our own minds; that is, we do it to ourselves. Comfort and peace, on the other hand, are the result of outside agents working on us to sooth us. Paul is praying for God to be that outside agent working on us both to comfort us and to make our standing firm.

The other thing we learn from today’s verse is that the Christian life is not just about what we claim to be. We all know people who profess to be Christian, but the manner in which they live their lives does not demonstrate true faith. In other words, don’t just talk the talk, also walk the walk. Let your Christian witness be the way you act and the way you treat others. You may know the words of Christianity, but do you do the works?

Application

Think about your faith this way: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Remember, don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:21 – Find Good and Hold On

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Will

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Truth to Learn

We are to look for good and hold on to it when we find it.

Behind the Words

Dokimadzō is the Greek verb translated “test” in today’s verse. This Greek word means “to test something to determine its worth.” It is the word used of testing gold or other precious metals to determine its value. There is another Greek word often translated “test.” It is peiradzō, which is often translated “tempt.” It is distinguished from dokimadzō in that it is a test or a temptation to try to induce sinfulness.

The word translated “hold fast” is katechō, which is made up of kata, used as an intensifier and echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Katechō means “to hold firmly” or “keep hold of.”

“Good” is from the Greek noun kalos, which refers to that which is good in quality or character. In other words, it refers to “something that is beautiful or that is morally or constitutionally good.” A different Greek noun, agathos refers to “some deed that is useful or beneficial to others.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is in the middle of a series of short statements about a fruitful Christian walk. He started off with three attitudes: rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. He follows these up with five actions that demonstrate a life submitted to God.

In both of the previous two verses Paul used a grammatical form that indicates that we are to stop doing certain things. It is common in Paul’s teaching to follow up negative commands (things we are not to do, or that we are to stop doing) with a positive replacement (what we are to do instead). In today’s verse he commands us to do two things to replace the actions we are to stop doing. The first thing is to test all things with the purpose of finding good. Instead of suppressing the working of the Holy Spirit and treating prophecies with scorn, we are to test all things. Since verses nineteen and twenty were focused on workings of the Spirit through spiritually gifted men, it is reasonable to assume that he is still talking about the use of spiritual gifts. Instead of taking a negative position against workings of the Spirit, we should test them to see if they are truly of the Spirit of God or simply manifestations of the will of man.

In 1 Corinthians 12:10 Paul talks about the use of the gifts in the church, and immediately after the gift of prophecy, he mentions the discerning of spirits, that is, a spiritual gift of determining whether the prophecy is truly from the Spirit of God. Also, immediately after mentioning the gift of tongues, he cites the interpretation of tongues. Discerning of spirits and interpreting tongues are both gifts that test the use of spiritual gifts.

Finally, in today’s verse Paul commands us to cling to whatever is inherently good. In order to do that, we have to be constantly on the look-out for good things. When we see good things or encounter good people, we are to emulate them and make such things part of our own Christian walk.

Application

Instead of being negative about everything that takes place in our churches, we need to be positive and look for the good things and good people who demonstrate actions born out of love for our Savior and other people.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:15 – Do Good, Not Evil

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Will

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for one another and for all.

Truth to Learn

Don’t retaliate when you experience evil. Do good instead.

Behind the Words

The word translated “renders” is apodidōmi, which is composed of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” Literally, it means “to give from,” that is, to act in response to action done. Specifically, it refers to retaliation. Some translations have this as “return” or “repay.”

Kakos is the Greek word translated “evil.” This word refers to external actions that are “worthless, bad, or evil.” A different Greek word, ponēros, refers to wickedness or maliciousness as an internal motivation.

“For” is translated from anti, meaning “opposite” or “against.” Here it indicates action directed against someone else.

“Always” is from pantote, which is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” and tote, meaning “then, in terms of time.” Thus, pantote means “all the time” or “always.”

The word “pursue” is from the verb diokō, which means “to pursue (in a good sense” or “to persecute (in a bad sense).”

Agathos is the word translated “good.” It refers to the quality or characteristic of goodness or usefulness.

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse, Paul taught us how we are to respond to certain issues within the church. We need to caution those who are unruly or disruptive, reminding them of the need for peace and orderly conduct in the church. We also need to provide comfort and encouragement for those who are overcome with fear and doubt. And, we need to support those who are weak physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He also said that we are to do these things with an attitude of patience.

Now he tells us what not to do, and what to do instead. Each one of us at one time or another has been the recipient of malicious action, whether it was intentional or not. The normal response, driven by our sin nature, is to strike back – to get even. After all, the Old Testament teaches “an eye for an eye,” right? But that’s not what the New Testament teaches. Paul says, “Don’t repay evil for evil.” Instead of retaliating for something evil that was done to us, Paul says we need to go after what is good.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example of this. He claimed to be the Son of God (which He truly is), thus claiming to be equal with God. (Matthew 26:63, 64) Because of this, He was condemned to die. He was then ridiculed, beaten, and hung on a cross to die. Even those standing around him said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:40) Jesus did not deserve any of this kind of treatment, and He could have simply spoken the words and those mocking Him would have died. Instead, he chose to do what was ultimately the kindest, most loving thing anyone has ever done. He stayed on the cross and gave His life as payment for your sins and mine. He did what was good for all.

Application

The next time someone does something evil to you, remember what Jesus did for you. Remember what Paul teaches us: pursue what is good for all. This will glorify God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:28 – Give or Take

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Will

The one stealing, let him steal no more, but rather let him labor, working what is good with his own hands, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Truth to Learn

Overcome the problem of stealing by giving to others.

Behind the Words

The words “stealing” and “steal” are from kleptō, from which we get our English word, kleptomaniac. It means “to take something that belongs to someone else without permission or legal right.”

“Labor” is translated from the Greek verb kopiatō, which basically means “to feel fatigue, especially from hard labor.”

“Working” is from ergadzomai, meaning “to be engaged in labor.” It usually refers to a specific trade or profession.

“Good” is from agathos, which refers to “the general characteristic of goodness or usefulness.”

The word translated “hands” is cheir, which originally meant the entire arm from the shoulder to the end of the fingers. Later, it referred only to the hand.

“Give” is translated from metadidōmi, which is made up of two words. The first is meta, indicating accompaniment (being with someone or something). It is different from sun, which implies a joining or a union between people or things, whereas meta implies simply being in the presence of someone or something. The other word is didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus metadidōmi implies sharing something with those around you.

Meaning Explained

Back in verse seventeen Paul began teaching us how we are to behave as members of the body of Christ. First, he told us not to behave like the Gentiles who do not believe in God. Then, in verse twenty-two he began giving us guidelines on what our behavior should look like. We are to take off our sin nature and put on the new nature which God created for us. One of the characteristics of taking off the old man and putting on the new man is to stop lying and to tell the truth instead. Other characteristics of putting on the new man are getting angry for the right reasons and not letting anger last, leading you into sin.

Now he teaches us another characteristic of putting on our new nature. Literally, the Greek reads, “Let the one stealing, steal no more …” Not every Christian has an obvious problem with stealing any more than every Christian has an obvious problem with anger. We all have issues with these things to some degree, but some of us have an especially severe case of one or more of these. Some people have little respect for the property of others and take whatever they can, even though it doesn’t belong to them. Paul is speaking directly to these people, telling us that the solution is to create things ourselves that we can share with those who have greater needs than we do.

There are many excuses for stealing, from feeling like we deserve to have something more than someone else to simply wanting something and believing the owner doesn’t need it or won’t miss it. Whatever the excuse, Paul says, “Stop doing it!”

Application

If you have a problem with “borrowing” things from others (with no intention of returning them), you need to develop the habit of giving things to others who have less than you or giving your time to help the less fortunate. Can you do that?

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 2:17 – Comfort For Our Walk

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Will

comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

Truth to Learn

Comfort is God’s doing, but walking in faith is up to you.

Behind the Words

The word “establish” is from stēridzō, which is derived from histemi, meaning “to stand or to set in place.” Stēridzō means “to make firm” or “to place securely.”

Agathos is the word translated “good.” This word refers to the general character or quality of goodness or usefulness.

“Word” is from the Greek noun logos, which refers to “an expression of intellect.” That is “a word or a saying.”

Ergon is the Greek word translated “work.” It refers to “something done or performed, an act or a deed.”

Meaning Explained

There are two key lessons to learn from Paul’s prayer. The first is that our God is the one who comforts our hearts and who makes our stand firm. In his teachings at the Last Supper in the upper room, Jesus said this to His disciples:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

The other thing we learn from today’s verse is that the Christian life is not just about what we claim to be. We all know people who profess to be Christian, but the way they live their lives does not demonstrate true faith. In other words, don’t just talk the talk, also walk the walk. Let your Christian witness be the way you act and the way you treat others. You may know the words of Christianity, but do you do the works?

Application

Think about your faith this way: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:21 – Find Good and Hold On

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Will

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Truth to Learn

We are to look for good and hold on to it when we find it.

Behind the Words

“Good” is from the Greek noun kalos, which refers to that which is good in quality or character. In other words it refers to “something that is beautiful or that is morally or constitutionally good.” A different Greek noun, agathos refers to “some deed that is useful or beneficial to others.”

Meaning Explained

In 1 Corinthians 12:10 Paul talks about the use of the gifts in the church, and immediately after the gift of prophecy, he mentions the discerning of spirits, that is, a spiritual gift of determining whether the prophecy is truly from the Spirit of God. Also, immediately after mentioning the gift of tongues, he cites the interpretation of tongues. These are both gifts that test the use of spiritual gifts.

Application

Instead of being negative about everything that takes place in our churches, we need to look for the good things and good people who demonstrate actions born out of love for our Savior and other people.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:15 – Do Good, Not Evil

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Will

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Truth to Learn

Don’t retaliate when you experience evil. Do good instead.

Behind the Words

“For” is translated from anti, meaning “opposite” or “against.” Here it indicates action directed against someone else.

“Always” is from pantote, which is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” and tote, meaning “then, in terms of time.” Thus, pantote means “all the time” or “always.”

The word “pursue” is from the verb diokō, which means “to pursue (in a good sense” or “to persecute (in a bad sense).”

Agathos is the word translated “good.” It refers to the quality or characteristic of goodness or usefulness.

Meaning Explained

Application

The next time someone does something evil to you, remember what Jesus did for you. Remember what Paul teaches us: pursue what is good for all. This will glorify God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:28 – Give or Take

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Will

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Truth to Learn

Overcome the problem of stealing by giving to others.

Behind the Words

The words “stole” and “steal” are from kleptō, from which we get our English word, kleptomaniac. It means “to take something that belongs to someone else without permission or legal right.”

“Labor” is translated from the Greek verb kopiatō, which basically means “to feel fatigue, especially from hard labor.”

“Working” is from ergadzomai, meaning “to be engaged in labor.” It usually refers to a specific trade or profession.

The word translated “hands” is cheir, which originally meant the entire arm from the shoulder to the end of the fingers. Later, it referred only to the hand.

“Good” is from agathos, which refers to “the general characteristic of goodness or usefulness.”

Meaning Explained

Back in verse seventeen Paul began teaching us how we are to behave as members of the body of Christ. First, he told us not to behave like the Gentiles who do not believe in God. Then, in verse twenty-two he began giving us guidelines on what our behavior should look like. We are to take off our sin nature and put on our new nature that God created for us. One of the characteristics of taking off the old man and putting on the new man is to stop lying and tell the truth instead. Other characteristics of putting on the new man are getting angry for the right reasons and not letting anger last, leading you into sin.

Application

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 14:21 – Good For Whom?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:21 – Good For Whom?

It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

Truth to Learn

Consider the good of others more important than your own.

Behind the Words

The word translated “good” is a form of kalos, which means “good as to quality or character.”

“Stumbles” is translated from the Greek verb proskoptō, which we have seen a couple of times recently. It means to “to stub on” or “to trip up.”

The word “offended” is translated from the verb scandalidzō, the noun form of which we have also talked about recently. This word means, “to entrap” or “to entice to sin.”

“Is made weak” is from the Greek verb astheneo, which means “to be weak or sickly.”

Meaning Explained

Now Paul summarizes what he has been saying in the past few verses. Since it is a summary of his instruction, let’s look carefully at what he does and what he doesn’t say. First of all Paul says that “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything …” So what he is saying is that these things are not good for us to do.

Now, notice that there are qualifications to those things which are not good for us to do. The first qualification is, “by which your brother stumbles.” If your drinking wine or eating a certain kind of food causes your brother to stumble in his walk with God, then it is not a good thing for you to do.

The second qualification is, “or is offended.” We should not do anything that will lead a brother or sister to act contrary to his or her own convictions. If we know that other Christians are convicted that eating certain foods is wrong, we should not eat those types of food in their presence or try to convince them that it is OK for them. To them it is a spiritual conviction and it is up to God to convince them otherwise (if their conviction is wrong). Because of the unfortunate translation of scandalidzō as “offended,” we may be inclined to read this verse as if it said, “it is good not to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor anything that your brother takes offense at, or disagrees with.” Just because a brother or sister considers wrong something which our own conscience allows doesn’t mean we stop doing it. But by the same token we don’t argue with them about it, we don’t force them to do it, and we don’t flaunt it in front of them.

The third qualification is, “or is made weak.” Again, we see that our actions could cause the faith of a brother or sister to be negatively affected because of his or her convictions. So, how do we know what we should do and what we shouldn’t do when it comes to spiritual convictions that we hold different from our brother or sister in Christ? Paul will answer that question in the following two verses.

Application

There is a fine line between what Paul is teaching here and situational ethics. Situational ethics says that something may be wrong to do in one situation but not wrong in another. What Paul is teaching is that it is always wrong to consider your own needs more important than a fellow Christian. The bottom line is that we should do those things that build-up other Christians and we should avoid those things which will cause other Christians harm. If we always consider the good of others more important than our own, God will be pleased with our actions.

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: