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Romans 9:25 – His Beloved Children

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Will

As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved."

Truth to Learn

God chooses people, not nations, and all of His chosen ones are His beloved children.

Behind the Words

The word “people” is from laos, which refers to “a people, nation, or a number of people joined together by common bonds.” Another word translated “people” is nēmos, which refers to one’s own populace. Paul is showing that God’s people are not just a single nation or ethnic group, but His own select group of people united in Him.

“Beloved” is from a form of agapaō which means “to esteem or love, indicating a commitment of the will and of finding one's joy in something or someone.” It is the kind of self-sacrificing love in which the lover is focused on the best possible good for the beloved rather than self.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul turned a corner in his dissertation on the doctrine of election. He left off his discussion as to why and how His choosing is true. He now goes on to show the Jewish Christians in Rome the fact that God has always had a plan for non-Jews (Gentiles) as well as the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Jews).

As we already pointed out, the Jewish Christians in the early years of the church believed that the Jews were a called nation. That is, the sons of Jacob had a special privilege in their relationship with God simply because God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since this previous verse would come as a shock to many of these Jewish Christians, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophets to show that it has always been God’s plan to select from the Gentiles as well as from the Jews.

The quotation in this verse is from the book of the prophet Hosea in which he says

And I will have mercy on No-mercy. And I will say to Not-my-people, You are My people. And they shall say, My God. (Hosea 2:23)

Since the Jewish believers were so proud of the fact that to them had been entrusted the Oracles of God (see Romans 3:2), and they believed, as we do, that these Holy Scriptures contained the very words of God, this becomes a very powerful demonstration to these Jewish Christians that the church is to be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter discovered this in a miraculous way in chapter 10 of the book of Acts. Paul makes a very powerful argument to the Gentile members of the church in the book of Ephesians that the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross broke down the wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles.

But now in Christ Jesus you who then were far off became near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, He having made us both one, and having broken down the middle wall of partition between us, (Ephesians 2:13-14)

Application

We who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can rejoice in the fact that He chooses individuals to his family. And, as individuals we are to serve Him in joyful thanksgiving because He has chosen us to be His own children. Are you a true child of God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:13 – Love and Hate

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Will

As it is written, "I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau."

Truth to Learn

God chooses whom He loves and whom He hates.

Behind the Words

The word translated “loved” is from the verb agapaō, which refers to a self-sacrificing love.

“Hated” is from the Greek verb miseō, which refers to “an active hatred that is made evident in words and actions.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now quotes another Old Testament passage for his Roman Jewish Christian readers to consider. It is quoted from Malachi 1:2, 3

"I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD.

"Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."

Now, I can just hear some of you saying, “But that’s not fair! God is love, according to I John 4:8, 13, so how can He hate anyone?” Perhaps from our human perspective it does not appear fair, but we know that God is righteous, that is, He always does what is right. Therefore, if He says that he loved Jacob and hated Esau then we have to accept that it is righteous love and righteous hatred.

Let’s look at a couple of things the Bible says about God:

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, Jehovah your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:1,2)

God is a Holy God, that is, He is set-apart from all sin and sinfulness. He is pure and without sin! He always does that which brings glory to Himself. He is holy!

because I will proclaim the name of Jehovah, ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock; His work is perfect. For all His ways are just, a God of faithfulness, and without evil; just and upright is He. (Deuteronomy 32:3,4)

According to this verse, all of God’s ways are just; they satisfy perfect justice and they are absolutely right. He is without evil; He is just and upright.

God does not always tell us why He does things, but if we believe that He is a holy and just God and if He is without evil as these verses proclaim, then God’s choosing is without sin and it is right and just. He cannot do otherwise.

So … even though we don’t understand how or why He chooses some to righteousness and not others, we have to believe that His choosing is right, and just, and holy!

Application

Paul is very clear in his teaching that God had a love for Jacob that He did not have for Esau. And, he already made it clear that this distinction was made independent of the actions of either of them. God’s choice is always right and without sin. Who are we to argue with Him?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:8 – Death for Sinners

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Will

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Truth to Learn

Christ died for sinners. That means you and me!

Behind the Words

The word translated, “demonstrates” is from the Greek word sunistēmi, which is a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together” or “with” and histēmi, meaning “to set or place something.” Therefore, in its root meaning, sunistēmi means “to place things together.” But figuratively it means “to set something before someone.” That is to say, “to declare, show, or to make known and conspicuous.” Hence, we see the translation here being “demonstrates.”

There are two different words translated “love” in the New Testament. The first is phileō and the other is agapaō. The verb phileō is based on the word philos, meaning “a friend or someone you are endeared to.” Therefore, phileō refers to a feeling of endearment as you would feel toward a special friend. Agapaō, the word used in the current verse, refers to an act of the will in which one places the welfare of another of greater importance than one’s one welfare. It is a self-sacrificing love like God showed to us.

The words “we were still sinners” are translated from the Greek expression eti hamartōlōn ontōn hēmōn, which literally translates to, “we still being sinners.” The verb tense indicates that it is present continuous action. It is not something that ceased happening in the past.

Meaning Explained

In the last verse Paul said that it is unlikely that anyone would be willing to die for a person who is outwardly religious. But, he said that it is possible that someone would be willing to die for someone else who in not only outwardly religious but kind, benevolent, and generous. However, he implied that it is highly unlikely that anyone would be willing to die for unrighteous and undeserving sinners like you and me. Now he tells us how God’s love operates.

God, with His agape love, is willing to sacrifice for us. No one else would be willing to die for sinners like you and me. But God demonstrates how marvelous his self-sacrificing love for us is; even though we are still sinners, Christ died for us! He didn’t wait for us to become righteous by ourselves because we are without the ability to do so! And though we may have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, we are still sinners. However because of our faith, as we saw in the previous chapter, God has declared us righteous. We didn’t actually stop being sinners when we got saved, but God stopped seeing us as sinners. He now sees us having the righteousness of Jesus Christ because the death of His Son paid the penalty for our sins, and He credited righteousness to us in His record book.

The Apostle John puts the capstone on this and offers up a challenge to us:

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11)

Application

Thank you God, for loving a sinner like me and for giving the precious life of your only begotten Son to pay for my sinfulness! Because I am so undeserving, I am eternally grateful!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 2:17 – Christ-like Behavior

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Will

Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Truth to Learn

Treating others respectfully is not an option for Christians; we are commanded to do it! Jesus Christ is our example.

Behind the Words

The word translated “honor” is timaō, which means “to place a value on” or “to revere.” The first use of this verb in the current verse is in the aorist tense and imperative mood, implying the command, “in every case render the honor due.” The other three verbs in this verse (Love, Fear, and Honor) are all in the present tense, imperative mood, indicating continual and habitual action that we are commanded to do.

“Love,” from the Greek word agapaō, refers to the self-sacrificing, God-type love that is more focused on the good of the loved one than on self.

The word “brotherhood” is adelphotēs, a form of adelphos (brother) that refers to a collective of brothers, hence a fraternity or brotherhood. This word is rarely found in Greek writings other than religious texts. It is used as a specific reference to fellow Christians.

The word translated “fear” is phobeō (from which we get the English word “phobia”). It literally means “to frighten.” In the passive voice, as it is here, it means either “to be afraid of” or “to be in awe of.” Peter probably means both.

Meaning Explained

Peter here continues the discourse that he started in verse eleven. This is how we should conduct our lives while here on this earth. We are not to be contrarians, against everything everyone else stands for, rather we are to live as obedient servants representing well the One who has called us and to Whom we belong.

We are to honor each person with the specific honor due him or her. We are to continually demonstrate self-sacrificing love to other Christians, being more concerned for their welfare than we are for our own. This characteristic has distinguished Christians from all other people throughout the centuries since the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

We are also to continually fear God (both in the sense of being in awe of Him and fearing His position and power). And we are to continually honor those in civil authority over us. The apostle Paul said a very similar thing in his letter to the Christians in Rome:

Let every soul be subject to higher authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the existing authorities are appointed by God. … Give therefore to all their due: tax to whom taxes are due, tribute to whom tribute is due, fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due. (Romans 13:1, 7)

Challenge

Let me challenge each of you to stop right now and take stock of how you behave toward others. Do you treat all people with respect, independent of their appearance? Do you demonstrate that special self-sacrificing love toward your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you have a holy fear of our God? And do you show respect to civil authorities? Hmmmm!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 1:22 – Purified Evidence

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Will

having purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly with a pure heart,

Truth to Learn

There should be evidence of our salvation if it is real.

Behind the Words

“Purified” is the translation of a form of hagnidzō, which means “to make clean” or “to purify.” Figuratively, it means “to set apart” or “to sanctify.” In this context it is a reference to our having cleansed our souls from sin. It is expressed here in the perfect tense indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect; we have been cleansed, therefore we are forever pure.

The word translated “obeying” is hupakoē, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” and a form of akouō, meaning “to hear.” It refers to someone who not only hears instruction, but also submits to it and obeys it.

“Brotherly love” is from the Greek philadelphia, which is made up of a form of philos, meaning “a friend” and adelphos, meaning “a brother.” Hence, this word literally refers to brotherly friendship or brotherly love.

The word translated “sincere” is the Greek anupokritos, which literally means “without acting” or “without hypocrisy.”

The word “love” in the latter half of this verse is translated from the Greek, agapaō, which refers to Godly, self-sacrificing love. It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating that it is a command, not a suggestion.

Meaning Explained

A more literal translation of this verse might be, “Having purified your souls in obedience to the truth through the Spirit, resulting in sincere brotherly love, fervently love one another out of a pure heart.”

What Peter is saying is that one of the evidences of obedience to God’s truth is a purification of our souls. That is, when we submit to the knowledge that we are sinners, that God demands purity, and we accept the blood of Christ as payment for our sins, we are saved and we are spiritually purified. The evidence of that salvation is displayed by our brotherly love for others. Now that we have attained that level of purity, Peter commands us to take the next step by fervently loving other Christians self-sacrificingly, and to do so sincerely, out of a pure heart.

When asked which is the greatest commandment, Jesus responded to the questioning lawyer,

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

This is the same message Peter is trying to get across to us in today’s verse.

Application

Is your salvation evident by the way you treat others? Do your unsaved friends now see you as different? Kinder? Do you place the welfare of your brothers and sisters in Christ above your own?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:25 – Sacrificial Love

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Will

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

Truth to Learn

Husbands are to sacrifice for their wives.

Behind the Words

The word translated “love” is agapaō, which refers to “good will” or “benevolence,” that is, acts of goodness toward someone else. There is another verb translated “love” in the New Testament. It is phileō, referring to a “brotherly love” or “fondness” as expressed between good friends. It is based on feelings. Agapaō, on the other hand, indicates a love in action, not just feelings or emotion. It implies action which is directed toward the benefit of the beloved, even at the expense of personal sacrifice on the part of the loving one. Therefore, agapaō is often referred to as “a self-sacrificing love.” It is expressed in today’s verse in the imperative mood, indicating a command to husbands, not simply a suggestion.

“Gave up” is translated from paradidōmi, which is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus, paradidōmi literally means “to give to the side of.” The picture is that of someone surrendering something to someone else. The word is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicative mood. This implies action that was performed at a point in time in the past (not a continuous action, but a single act). Jesus Christ expressed the purest form of agapē love when He gave Himself up to be crucified in our place.

“Her” is translated from the Greek pronoun autēs, which is singular and feminine. One reason for this is that in Greek the pronoun must agree in number and gender with the noun it refers to, and the Greek word for church (ekklēsia) is a singular, feminine noun. It is also significant, however, that Paul is equating the church with wives, which is also a feminine noun. Some translations use “it” in reference to the church, since the English word church is neuter and requires a neuter pronoun. However, in keeping with good Greek grammar and to preserve the comparison that Paul is making between the church and wives, we have translated it as “her.”

Meaning Explained

Having established the order of authority within a marriage relationship and the responsibility of a wife, Paul now talks about the husband’s position in a marriage. Wherever authority is given, there is also responsibility. This is especially true here where the Apostle commands all husbands to love their wives. As we pointed out in Behind the Words, this love that a husband is to have for his wife is not just a feeling, it is action. Men are commanded to be more concerned about the wellbeing of their wives than their own wellbeing. They are to sacrifice themselves for their wives.

In the previous two verses, Paul gave women an example of submission, that of the church’s submission to Christ as the head of the church. He now uses this same relationship between Jesus Christ and His church as an example of how husbands are to love their wives. Jesus Christ loves the church so much that He offered himself on the cross. He literally sacrificed His own life for the good of the church. Men, this is the type of love that we are to demonstrate for our wives. Men, if you are abusing your wife, either physically or emotionally, you are not demonstrating agapē love, you are demonstrating selfishness, which is just the opposite!

It is interesting to note that women are never commanded to love their husbands with an agapē love. In Titus 2:4 we find that older women in the church are to teach younger women to love their husbands. However, the word translated “love” in that verse is not agapaō, but phileō, an affectionate love. Women are not commanded to sacrifice themselves for their husbands, but husbands ARE commanded to sacrifice themselves for their wives.

One of the things that Paul is telling us men is that if we demonstrate true self-sacrificing love for our wives, constantly doing those things which demonstrate care, protection, and goodness for her, she will want to place herself under our authority. Doing so will not be a burden to her, but a joy.

Application

Men, the next time you have an argument with your wife, remember that God commands you to sacrifice your own wellbeing for hers. Therefore, making reconciliation is up to you. Always have her best interests in mind, not your own. Love her like Christ loves us!

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,

James 2:8 – Love Others

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Will

If indeed you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;

Truth to Learn

The greatest thing we can do for others is to love them like we love ourselves.

Behind the Words

“Fulfill” is the word teleō, which means “to fulfill” or “to complete.” It is a stronger word than the normal tēreō, which means “to keep” or “to observe.” This verb is in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. This identifies the verb as one of current, continuous action. So, he is saying, “If you are really continually fulfilling …”

The Greek word translated “royal” is, basilikos which means “regal” or “preeminent.” This means that it is the highest or preeminent law, which should guide our every action.

Nomos is the Greek word translated “law.” This word refers to the entire body of the law which the Jews were to keep. James could have used the word entolē, meaning “commandment,” for it is a commandment that he quotes. His purpose for using nomos, however, is to say that the entire set of commandments is summed-up in one, and it is the preeminent one.

The word “love” is the Greek agapaō, the self-sacrificing love which Christ demonstrated for us on the cross.

Meaning Explained

So, what is this highest, or preeminent, law that James is talking about? According to Jesus, when asked by a lawyer what the greatest law is:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

James is quoting what Jesus called the second greatest commandment. So why does he say that it is the preeminent one? The two that Jesus cited have to do with our relationship with God the Father and our relationship with other people. If we look at the Ten Commandments we see that the first four apply to our relationship with God and the other six apply to our relationship with others. Therefore, when Jesus quoted the two greatest commandments he was summing-up all ten.

James, on the other hand, is only dealing with our relationship with others, so he quotes the preeminent commandment having to do with how we treat others. He says that if we live our lives by continually loving others with a self-sacrificing love, this is good. This is James’ summary of his discussion in the previous six verses on how we treat rich people and poor people differently based on their appearance. He will complete his summary in the next verse.

Application

Though we sometimes don’t want to admit it, we all love ourselves. We take care of ourselves, we feed ourselves when we get hungry, we buy things for ourselves, and we even choose a mate for ourselves based on what we like. We spend many waking hours thinking about things that will please us. When we do this, our focus is on ourselves. James says that our focus should be on others to the same degree.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:25 – Sacrificial Love

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Will

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Truth to Learn

Husbands are to sacrifice for their wives.

Behind the Words

“Gave” is translated from paradidōmi, which is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus, paradidōmi literally means “to give to the side of.” The picture is that of someone surrendering something to someone else. The word is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicative mood. This implies action that was performed at a point in time in the past (not a continuous action, but a single act).

Meaning Explained

Having established the order of authority within a marriage relationship and the responsibility of a wife, Paul now talks about the husband’s position in a marriage. Wherever authority is given, there is also responsibility. This is especially true here where the Apostle commands all husbands to love their wives. As we pointed out in Behind the Words, this love that a husband is to have for his wife is not just a feeling, it is action. Men are commanded to be more concerned about the wellbeing of their wives than their own wellbeing. They are to sacrifice themselves for their wives.

Application

Men, the next time you have an argument with your wife, remember that God commands you to sacrifice your own wellbeing for hers. Therefore, making reconciliation is up to you. Love her like Christ loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:6 – Amazing Grace

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Will

Ephesians 1:6 – Amazing Grace

to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Truth to Learn

God loves us with the same love He has for Jesus Christ.

Behind the Words

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

Meaning Explained

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 loves us with the love of Christ! How great is that?!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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