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Romans 12:13 – Pursuit of Generosity

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Will

Romans 12:13 – Pursuit of Generosity

distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Truth to Learn

Selfless sharing is a sure sign of a committed Christian.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “distributing” is koinonointes, which is derived from the word koinonia, meaning “to have things in common” or “to share things with others.” Thus we see that the command is not to distribute to the less fortunate what the more fortunate have donated. Paul is telling us to give of our own possessions to meet the needs of others.

The word “needs” is from chreia, a form of chreos, meaning “a debt.” In the current usage, chreia refers to “that which someone is lacking or has need of.”

“Saints” is a translation of the Greek word hagios, meaning “something that inspires awe.” It is the word which is often translated as “holy” particularly in reference to the holiness of God. It also carries with it the notion of being “set apart.” Specifically, it refers to something that is set apart from common use and set apart to be used for God.

The words “given to” are from diōkō, meaning “to pursue” or “to persecute.”

Meaning Explained

Continuing on with Paul’s description of how Christians ought to live their lives, he says that we should be, “distributing to the needs of the saints.” Let us first address the term “saints.” It does not refer to someone who has been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church even though they are referred to by the Church as “saints;” instead, it refers to those who have been set apart by God, those who have been saved by God’s grace. Hence, all Christians are saints.

What we are told here is that we should willingly share what we have with fellow Christians who are in need. Even those of us who think we don’t have very much can share some of what we have with other Christians who have even less.

Paul also tells us that we should be pursuing hospitality, not just being willing, but actively pursuing such opportunities. This was a necessary virtue in the first century, when houses of public accommodation were scarce. It is not so much a necessity today in our society, which may be one reason why we have become more isolated from each other rather than more closely engaged with one another. One never knows who a stranger really is, for in the book of Hebrews we are told,

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:2)

Also, in Matthew’s gospel Jesus taught:

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. (Matthew 10:40)

If we are truly in God’s family then we should show all kindness in sharing with our brothers and sisters in the Lord!

Application

I have known some Christians who are constantly looking for opportunities to share what they have to meet the needs of others. These people are usually smiling. I have also seen Christians who hoard what they possess and seldom give to those in need. These people don’t seem to smile very often.

Do you smile a lot?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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Romans 8:27 – Holy Intercessor

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:27 – Holy Intercessor

Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Truth to Learn

The Holy Spirit knows what to say and how to say it when He prays to the Father for us.

Behind the Words

The word translated “searches” is the Greek verb ereunaō, which means “to investigate, explore, or make inquiry.”

“Mind” is translated from phronema, a derivative of the verb phroneō, meaning “to think or to have a mind set.” Hence, phronema means “the thinking or mindset” that is to say “the tendency or inclination of the mind.”

“Intercession” is translated from the Greek word enthugchanō. We looked at a form of this word in yesterday’s verse. It is a compound word made up of en, meaning “in” and thugchanō, which literally means “to strike an opponent with a weapon.” When these two words are combined, however, the word has the meaning of “to fall in with or in behalf of another” or “to make a defense or appeal with another person.”

The word translated “saints” is the Greek word hagios, which means “a holy one” or “sanctified (set-apart) one.” Contrary to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, you don’t have to be canonized in order to be a saint. Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has been justified and cleansed of all sins, has been set-apart (sanctified) by God as His own, and is referred to as a “saint” in the New Testament.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that the Spirit of God within us prays for us when we are spiritually or physically weak. There are many who believe that this verse applies to us any time we are praying since, compared to God, we are always weak. But whether it is in those times when we think we are weak or at all times since we are spiritually weak compared to Him, the Holy Spirit is our perfect prayer partner.

Notice that the words “the will of” are in italics in our translation (The New King James Version). These are words inserted by the translators; there are no equivalent words in the Greek text. A more literal translation of the last phrase of the current verse would be: “because He makes intercession for the saints according to God.” That is to say, the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit is according to what God has determined, not according to our wants or desires.

When we put this all together we see why the Holy Spirit is such a perfect prayer partner. It is because He (God, who is the one who searches our hearts and knows us even better than we know ourselves) also knows what His own thinking is and, therefore, can speak directly to the Father for us in the most effective way and in perfect keeping with the will and purpose of God the Father.

Application

I have heard Christians say, “I’m not very good at praying.” What Paul is telling us is that we don’t have to be. In Phillipians 4:6 he tells us, “let your requests be made known to God.” We don’t have to use a lot of theological words, with an occasional “Thee” and “Thou” sprinkled in. We simply have to open our hearts and talk directly to God. Then, the Holy Spirit will be our interpreter, our representative to the Father.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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Romans 1:7 – The Called Saints

Posted on July 16, 2009 by admin

Romans 1:7

To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

All Christians have been called by God, and we are saints.

Behind the Words

“Beloved” is translated from agapētos, meaning “one who is loved.” It is from the verb agapaō, which means “to love with a self-sacrificing love.”

The word translated “saints” is the Greek word hagios, which means “something which is pure and set-apart for God’s use.”

Meaning Explained

As I said when we looked at the first verse of this letter, it is customary for such a letter to contain a salutation in the opening portion identifying both the sender and the intended audience. Paul identifies himself right away, but not until verse seven does he identify his intended recipients. This epistle was written to the Christian believers who were at that time living in the city of Rome, center of the great Roman Empire. This letter was written around the year 58 AD, which would be very early in the reign of Nero (the Christian hater) as Emperor.

From the English translation it appears that Paul is saying that he is writing to everyone in Rome, proclaiming them to be beloved of God and to be given the title of saints. That’s not what the Greek sentence construction says, however. It says, “to the ones who are in Rome, who are beloved of God, who are saints that are called ones.” In other words, the letter is to those people in Rome who are both beloved of God and who are called. This is the same calling that is referred to in the previous verse.

For those of you who don’t believe in the doctrines of election and eternal security, I want to be very clear. The Apostle Paul believed in both of these doctrines and taught them as truth. He believed that genuine Christians are those who were “chosen in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him” (Ephesians 1:4). We are not Christians because we did something; we are Christians because God did something. For that reason, Paul says that we are “saints” who have been called by God.

And yes, every Christian is a saint! It does not require special canonization by the church for us to be saints. The Bible teaches very clearly that all believers are saints. I want to emphasize, as we pointed out in the previous verse, that Paul is not saying that the beloved of God are referred to as saints, rather that we are called by God to be saints.

Paul then completes this verse with a standard blessing of grace and peace from both God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Application

The thing I want us all to take away from today’s verse is the privilege and honor we have as Christians that we have been specifically selected by God and called to a life of holiness and service to the King of Kings. What a great honor! Anything less than complete submission and obedience to Him does not meet His expectation of us and is a waste of time and effort.

Humbling, isn’t it? Are you up to the challenge?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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