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Romans 1:19 – Our God Revealed

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Will

because what may be known of God is evident among them, for God has revealed it to them.

Truth to Learn

God does not hide Himself from mankind.

Behind the Words

The phrase, “the thing which may be known” is from the Greek to gnoston, which literally means “that which is knowable.”

“Evident” is translated from the Greek word phaneros, which means “to cause to shine” or “to cause to appear.” Therefore, it could be translated as “made to appear” or “revealed.” The words “has revealed” are translated from the verb form of this same word.

The word “among” is translated from the Greek preposition en, which denotes a position in place or time. As it is used here it implies “in the presence of.” So, even though some translations read “in them” or “within them,” it could also be translated as “among them.” Paul is not saying “that which may be known of God is revealed inside each person” rather, he is saying “that which may be known of God is revealed among mankind.” This interpretation is further supported by the following verse.

Meaning Explained

The reason that God’s anger is revealed against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men is because they suppress and deny the truth about God. “But,” you may ask, “how can they suppress and deny the truth about God if they don’t know the truth in the first place?” In other words, “How can God hold men accountable before Him if they never know Him?”

Paul anticipates this question and answers it in today’s verse and the verse to follow. Not all things about God are apparent or even knowable by the finite minds of humans. However, there are many things about God that are knowable such as His godliness, His presence, and His power. The reason we know that God is revealed among mankind, according to Paul, is because God has personally revealed Himself among mankind. In the next verse, Paul will go on to explain how God has revealed Himself among us.

The point is that our God does not want to be separated from us. He doesn’t want to be hidden from us. He wants to have a personal relationship with us. As we will see in the next verse, He has revealed Himself to all of mankind through creation. In spite of that, most of mankind chooses to ignore the evidence of creation and refuses to acknowledge Him. Therefore, God sees mankind as unrighteous and irreverent. Nonetheless, He still sent His Son to die on the cross so that we could become righteous and experience close, personal fellowship with Him. And we can experience this personal relationship with Him, not just for a few years, but for all of eternity.

Application

Paul is telling us in these verses that God has already revealed Himself to all of mankind and, as a result, all of mankind is without excuse. We, who have believed the additional revelation about Jesus Christ, have been credited with a righteousness that we didn’t earn and that we don’t deserve. These facts alone should cause all Christians to fall to their knees praising God for His mercy and His revelation!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 1:6 – God’s Saving Call

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Will

among whom are you also the called ones of Jesus Christ;

Truth to Learn

Every Christian is one of God’s special called ones.

Behind the Words

The word translated “nations” in the previous verse is ethnos, (from which we get the English word ethnic) meaning “a race of people,” and in the New Testament it implies a “non-Jewish people.” Hence, it is sometimes translated as “gentiles.”

“Among” is translated from the Greek word en, which denotes “a fixed position in place, time, or state.” It implies a condition at rest, not changing or moving.

The words “the called ones” are translated from the Greek word klētos, meaning “those who have been called.”

Meaning Explained

The “among whom” in this verse refers to “all nations” from the previous verse. Paul is making a subtle, but very profound, statement about the Roman Christians in this verse. They were Roman citizens, which means that they were among the most powerful and dominant people of their time. The Roman people of that day knew this to be true and were likely to be arrogant about it, just as Americans have been for the past 100 years of so.

Spiritually, however, Paul tells them they were simply “among” the other nations. He is telling these people that politically they may have been the elite, but in terms of spirituality, they were not of the chosen tribe of Israel; therefore, they were no better off spiritually than any of the other gentiles. But he immediately makes a different distinction about them spiritually. He refers to them as “the called ones.”

When we think of calling someone today we simply think of calling out their name without any implication as to their response or lack thereof. This Greek word, however, has a different meaning. It carries with it the notion of a command with the implication that there has been a positive response. Paul explains this calling later in this letter. In Romans 8:28-30 he says:

And we know that all things work together for good to those loving God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the firstborn among many brothers. And whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

It is very clear from this passage that those who have been called by God (the called of Jesus Christ) have already been justified (saved) as well. Hence, we see that Paul is telling these particular Roman citizens that although they are no better spiritually than any other nation due to their heritage; they are very special to God because they are among his “chosen” ones.

Application

Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is one of God’s chosen ones. Rather than making us lazy in our Christian walk, though, it should both humble us and motivate us to commit ourselves to Him and the work He has for us to do.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 2:3 – Wrath Avoidance

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Will

among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Truth to Learn

Before we were saved we were destined for God’s wrath.

Behind the Words

The word “among” is translated from the Greek preposition en, meaning “in” or “among.”

“Conducted” is from the verb anastrephō. This is made up of ana, meaning “again” and strephō, meaning “to turn.” So, literally it means “to turn again.” When used of a person it is a metaphor meaning “to live one’s life.”

Epithumia is the Greek word translated “lusts.” It is made up of epi, meaning “over” or “above” and a form of thumos, which refers to “a passion or desire of the mind.” Thus, epithumia refers to “overly strong desires.”

The word “doing” is from the Greek verb poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.” It is expressed here as a present participle, so it means “doing.”

“Desires” is translated from thelēma which refers to “an act of determination.” So, it really means more than “desires.” It means “those things which we decided to do.”

“Flesh” is from sarx, which literally refers to “the meat or flesh of a living creature.” This word is commonly used to refer to the physical part of our existence as opposed to the spiritual part.

The word “mind” is translated from dianoia which refers to “deep thought” or “imagination.”

“Nature” is from the Greek word phusis, which is derived from the noun phuō, meaning “to bring forth in birth.” It is used here as a metonym in reference to our natural inclination.

The word “wrath” is translated from orgē, which means “desire, strong emotion, anger, or wrath.”

“Others” is from the Greek word loipos, which is from the verb leipō, meaning “to lack” or “to leave something where it is.” In other words, it refers to “that which is left.” So, it could be translated as “the remainder” or “the others.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that before we became Christians we lived according to the ways of the world system in which we live. Our behavior was influenced by Satan who controls those who don’t believe in Christ.

What he tells us in today’s verse is that we used to live our lives controlled by the lusts of our flesh. Another way of saying this is that we used to be controlled by our sin nature. In the book of Romans, Paul calls it our “old man,” and he tells us that we used to be the slaves of sin:

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be nullified, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Romans 6:6)

Because we were controlled by our fleshly desires and our imagination, Paul says we were children of wrath just like the rest of unsaved humanity. What he means is that before we were saved, we were God’s enemies and subject to his wrath. Some Christians think of God as a vengeful God, waiting for us to slip up so He can punish us. Other Christians don’t like to think of God as vengeful and exhibiting wrath; they like to think of God as a God of love. He is both. Those who receive Jesus Christ will one day experience God’s love completely, whereas those who reject Jesus Christ will one day experience the full fury of God’s wrath.

… And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15c)

Application

As a Christian you still have a sin nature, but you don’t have to be controlled by it. Instead, you can submit your will to God and allow the Holy Spirit to control your life.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 3:18 – When Wisdom is Foolish

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Will

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Truth to Learn

Use your gifts with wisdom, but not worldly wisdom.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “deceive” is exapataō. This word is made up of ex, used as an intensifier and apataō, meaning “to seduce” or “to deceive.” Thus, exapataō means “to completely deceive.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command, not just a suggestion. This is indicated in English by the use of the word “Let.”

“Himself” is translated from the third person pronoun heautou, meaning “himself, herself, or itself.” Paul could have used the middle case (subject acting on itself) of the verb exapataō, but added this word instead, to emphasize self-deception.

“Among” is from the Greek preposition en, meaning “in” or “inside.” It is an indication that Paul is talking about someone inside the church, as opposed to an outsider.

Dokeō is the word translated “seems.” It refers to the subjective mental estimate or opinion regarding something.

The word translated “age” is aiōn, which refers to a period of time. If he had been referring to people or society, he would have used the word kosmos (world system). By using aiōn, he is specifically referring to the current time in which we are living, as opposed to the “age to come.”

Meaning Explained

Keep in mind that Paul has been talking about the divisions that had occurred in the church in Corinth. These divisions had been caused by various groups within the church claiming to follow one leader in the church to the exclusion of others. This may have been the result of certain teachers having the reputation of, or self-proclaimed possession of, great wisdom. Throughout the second chapter of this letter, Paul taught specifically regarding the “wisdom of this world” as opposed to the “foolishness of the gospel.” He said of himself and the other apostles:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)

Paul’s comments in today’s verse and the two that follow are directed specifically at those leaders of the Corinthian church who believed themselves to be wiser or more gifted than others. Paul is not saying that education, training, and experience are not good or desirable for church leaders. He is not speaking against the possession of such things; rather, he is speaking directly to those who have become proud of such possession and who somehow believe they are better than others who don’t.

Application

All Christians have gifts which have been given to them for the work of building up the church. Let us use those gifts in a humble manner, giving all the glory to the one who has given us these gifts, for only He is worthy.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 2:3 – Wrath Avoidance

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Will

Ephesians 2:3 – Wrath Avoidance

among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Truth to Learn

Before we were saved we were destined for God’s wrath.

Behind the Words

The word “among” is translated from the Greek preposition en, meaning “in” or “among.”

The word “fulfilling” is from the Greek verb poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.” It is expressed here as a present participle, so it could be translated as “doing.”

“Desires” is translated from thelēma which refers to “an act of determination.”

“Flesh” is from sarx, which literally refers to “the flesh of a living creature.” This word is commonly used to refer to the physical part of our existence as opposed to the spiritual part.

The word “mind” is translated from dianoia which refers to “deep thought” or “imagination.”

The word “wrath” is translated from orgē, which means “strong emotion, anger, or wrath.”

Meaning Explained

What he tells us in today’s verse is that we used to live our lives controlled by the lusts of our flesh. Another way of saying that is that we used to be controlled by our sin nature. In the book of Romans, Paul calls it our “old man,” and he tells us that we used to be the slaves of sin:

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Romans 6:6)

Because we were controlled by our fleshly desires and our imagination, Paul says we were children of wrath just like the rest of unsaved humanity. What he means is that before we were saved, we were God’s enemies and subject to his wrath. Many Christians don’t like to think of God as vengeful and exhibiting wrath; they like to think of God as a God of love. He is both. Those who reject Jesus Christ will one day experience the full fury of God’s wrath.

He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15)

Application

As a Christian you still have a sin nature, but you don’t have to be controlled by it. Instead, you can submit your will to God and allow the Holy Spirit to control your life.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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