theos – Page 2 – Ministry of Grace Church

Romans 16:27 – To God Be The Glory!

to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all the glory and all of our praise.

Behind the Words

“God” is from the Greek noun theos. This is probably derived from the Greek theteres (a placer of things) because the Greeks believed that their gods were the placers and disposers of things (thus, they had a god of fire, a god of wind, etc.) In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) the title of God (elohim) is always translated as theos, even though elohim is plural and theos is singular.

“Alone” is translated from monos, meaning “unaccompanied, alone, only, or single.”

The word translated “wise” is sophos, meaning “the ability to skillfully apply the knowledge that one posesses.” The meaning of sophos in the New Testament, like its Hebrew equivalent chōkmah, differs from the classical meaning in at least two ways. First of all, the biblical concept of wisdom is God-centered rather than man-centered. It refers to a fear of God and an understanding of His ways. Secondly, Biblical wisdom implies the possession of a certain adeptness or practical ability in applying knowledge.

“Glory” is from the word 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.”

Meaning Explained

Paul’s closing benediction to his letter to the Christians in the church at Rome is the longest benediction contained in any of his letters.

In this final verse, he is proclaiming, first of all, the fact that only God is wise. In Greek, word order is significant, with the most important word being first. The Greek text for this verse reads, “only wise God.” Thus, his emphasis is on the fact that only God is truly wise. To our singularly wise God belongs “great reputation, honor, and splendor” because of the fact that He alone is wise.

This honor that God so richly deserves is earned in and through the person of Jesus Christ. Only a God of infinite wisdom could have developed a plan whereby we, God’s created race made filthy by the stain of our sin, could be so perfectly cleansed by the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God.

Because of this salvation plan which reconciles God’s moral righteousness with the brilliance of His wondrous mercy, He will receive all the glory from all of creation for all of eternity. Truly, He is worthy!

Application

Throughout eternity we will give God the glorious expression of our praise. In order to be fully prepared for that experience, we should be practicing every day by proclaiming His glory and declaring His praise. To God be the glory!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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Romans 9:5 – God Over All

of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Truth to Learn

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Creator of heaven and earth.

Behind the Words

The word translated “fathers” is pater, which is a primary word meaning “father” but it is often used as a reference to any ancestor. It is the word from which we get our English word patriarch (father-ruler).

“Eternally” is from the expression eis tous aiōnas, which literally means “unto the ages.” The Greek word aiōn refers to an indefinitely long period of time (an age). Hence, eis tous aiōnas is a reference to eternity.

Meaning Explained

In this verse Paul continues listing the special privileges that the Jews had in Jehovah God:

“Of whom are the fathers” – This is a reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who each had a special relationship with God. Paul will refer to these three as well as others in this chapter as examples of those whom God chose for special blessing.

“From whom, according to the flesh, Christ came” – This is the greatest privilege and promise that was given to the Israelites: that the promised Messiah, the Christ, would (and did) descend directly from the same lineage as theirs. Before Jesus came to earth to take on human form, He was promised as the Savior of the Jews. They believed that he would rescue them from all foreign rulers. To no other people did God promise the Savior of the world to be of their lineage. The Jews took great pride in this and believed that it meant He would come only for the Jews.

In the Greek the expression “according to the flesh” comes after “Christ came.” So it should read “from whom Christ came, according to the flesh.” Paul’s point is that Christ is a descendant of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob) but only in regard to his flesh. This is a clear statement against the Catholic theology stating that Mary is the mother of God. Paul says that she is the mother of Jesus only with regard to the flesh.

“Who is over all, the eternally blessed God.” – He then clearly states that Christ is over all things. That is, His position is above all creatures of all creation. But Paul does not stop there. He now declares that Jesus Christ is God. It would be nearly as appropriate to translate this as “who is God over all.” The apostle is making a statement of the deity of Jesus Christ (He is God), but he is not simply saying that He is a god but the God who is above all things.

The words translated “eternally blessed” appear after the word for God (theos) in the Greek text. It was commonplace for Jewish writers to include this doxology immediately after mentioning the title of God when used in reference to Jehovah God.

Application

This verse shows that the Jewish people had bragging rights as to the lineage of the Messiah. But He is not just a Jewish man. He is Almighty God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth!

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: