Tag: and

Romans 12:6 – Benevolent or Malignant

Posted on by Will

But having different gifts according to the grace that is given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;

Truth to Learn

Each Christian is gifted for the benefit of the body of Christ.

 

Behind the Words

Paul begins the verse with a coordinating conjunction de, which can be translated as “and” or as “but” or several other English words. In each case, however, the purpose is to show the direct connection between the previous phrase and the following one.

The word translated as “gifts” is the Greek word charismata, which refers to “that which has been bestowed gratuitously.” In other words, it wasn’t earned and isn’t deserved; it was simply imparted out of benevolence.

“Prophecy” is translated from the Greek word prophēteia, which is the noun form of prophēteuō. According to The Word Study Dictionary, this word means “to foretell things to come; to declare truths through the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit whether by prediction or otherwise.” In other words, it includes both the “foretelling” of events before they happen and the “forth-telling” of the truths of God’s Word. The primary gift of the prophet in the early church involved both of these.

This list of spiritual gifts is clearly punctuated as a coordinated list as can be seen by the Greek grammatical construction. Each of the gifts in this and the two following verses is preceded with the Greek word eite, which is another kind of coordinating conjunction. It is as if these had been listed as “bullet points” with each occurrence of eite being a bullet. There is no apparent order of importance or hierarchy in this list, it is simply a list.

 

Meaning Explained

Now that Paul has explained to us that the church is like a body made up of many differing parts, he begins to describe some of the functions that these various parts perform and the special enabling that we have to perform these functions. We, the members of the body of Christ, have gifts. These gifts were given to us according to, or with respect to, or as part of, the grace that was given to us. Paul is telling us that these gifts were given to us at the point in time that the grace of God was bestowed upon us, when we were given the righteousness of Christ. In other words, these gifts were given to us when we were saved. They are not part of a “second blessing” nor are they gifts that we earn as we become mature Christians. They were given to us once, for all time, just as our salvation was given to us once, for all time and eternity.

Remember, as you read through this list of gifts, they were given to us as members of a body and they are to be used to make the body healthy. They are not given for personal profit (not even to the prophet J), but for the good of the body.

 

Application

Do you know what spiritual gift(s) God has blessed you with? Are you using it (them) for the good of the body?

Keep in mind that there is a kind of cell within the human body that has no regard for the cells around it. Its only purpose is to feed itself so it can grow. It’s called cancer!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:13 – Service Honors

Posted on by Will

But I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am indeed an apostle of the Gentiles, I honor my ministry,

Truth to Learn

Service to God is a great privilege and an honor, which should humble us now and forever.

 

Behind the Words

Many translations of this verse start off with the word “For” which is translated from the Greek word gar. However, there is significant evidence in favor of the Greek word de, meaning “and” or “but” rather than gar.

The word translated “honor” is the Greek word doxadzō, (from which we get our word doxology) which means, “to consider glorious or full of honor.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul said that the gospel message has gone out to the Gentiles because of the stumbling of the Jews. He has been speaking about the Jews and he knows that those who hear his message will become more focused on the problems of the Jews than on their own relationship with God and responsibility to serve Him.

So, he is about to tell the Gentiles that he is sharing this with them for a couple of purposes. The first is to provoke his fellow Jews to jealousy as he will point out in the next verse. The other purpose is to warn the Gentile Christians not to be too complacent and proud, because their salvation is a gift just as the salvation of the Jews is a gift, which he will point out later in this chapter.

But he now explains why he is making such statements directly to the Gentile believers. It is because Paul was called specifically to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. This is evident by what God said to Ananias in Acts 9:15 when God sent him to place his hands on Paul (then called Saul) to restore his sight. When Ananias resisted God’s call, claiming Saul to be a persecutor of the church, God said:

Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

In the current verse Paul then says, “I honor my ministry.” This is a much misunderstood statement. Paul is not bragging about his ministry, but is saying that he considers his calling as the Apostle of the Gentiles both a great honor and a great responsibility. He says that he believes that the calling which he has received is one of great importance and as such he will not rest until he has fulfilled it completely. Paul is not claiming to be proud of his ministry. He is humbled by the high calling to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

 

Application

Is that how you feel about the ministry that God has called you to? Do you know what ministry God has called you to? As part of the body of Christ, we each have a responsibility (a calling). You have not been saved just to spend eternity in Heaven. You have been saved to serve, and you should be serving in the responsibility to which you have been called. If you are serving in the body of Christ simply because you have been asked to do something, perhaps you should pray and ask God if you are serving where He wants you to serve.

When we are serving where God wants us, as Paul did, we will see our service as a great honor and we will glorify God in it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 3:19 – Knowledge by Experience

Posted on by Will

and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

Truth to Learn

You can only really know God’s love by experience.

 

Behind the Words

“And” is translated from the word te, which is a particle of connection meaning “and, also, or even.”

The word translated “to know” is the infinitive form of ginōskō, which refers to “knowing something completely, usually by experience.” So, we could say “to fully know.”

“Surpasses” is from huperballō, which is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “above” or “beyond” and ballō, meaning “to throw.” Thus, we see that huperballō literally means “to throw beyond.” In general usage the meaning is “to exceed” or “to go beyond.” It is expressed here as a participle (being beyond).

“Knowledge” is from gnōsis. This is derived from ginōskō, which we just looked at.

Putting all this together we see that the opening part of this verse could be translated, “and to know by experience the love of Christ which is beyond knowing …”

 

Meaning Explained

We are in the middle of a worshipful prayer of the Apostle Paul which he is praying for his beloved friends in the church at Ephesus. By extension, this prayer is presented on behalf of all Christians. The first two of the four petitions in this prayer were that God the Father would strengthen our inner man by means of God the Holy Spirit and Christ might finally settle down and feel completely at home through faith.

The third petition began in verse seventeen and ends in today’s verse; it is “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.”

The crux of all this is in today’s verse: “for us to fully experience the love of Christ which is beyond intellectual knowledge”. Not only does Paul pray that we might understand how huge and all-encompassing (width, length, depth, and height) God’s love is, he also prays that we, through experience might know that which is unknowable.

There are many people (saved and unsaved) who talk about the love of God but who don’t really know God’s love. According to Paul, it is not something that you can study and learn about by reading books and listening to others talk about. Sure, you can recognize God’s love at work, but you can’t gain a full understanding of it that way. Only those who have experienced God’s love through His mercy, His grace, His miraculous provision, and His comfort in times of need can really know what it’s like.

 

Application

If you’ve never gone through times of difficulty in your Christian walk, if you’ve never felt helpless and had to rely completely on Him, if you’ve never felt trapped by your own sinfulness, begging for His mercy, if you’ve never fallen before God with a completely broken spirit, then you don’t really understand His love. If you have, then you know by experience the kind of love that only God can show! Praise be to God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 3:19 – Knowledge by Experience

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:19  – Knowledge by Experience

to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Truth to Learn

You can only really know God’s love by experience.

Behind the Words

There is a tiny Greek particle that is left out of our translation here. It is the word te, which is a particle of connection meaning “and, also, or even.” Thus, this verse should start out, “and to know …”

The word translated “to know” is the infinitive form of ginōskō, which refers to “knowing something completely, usually by experience.” So, we could say “to fully know.”

“Passes” is from huperballō, which is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “above” or “beyond” and ballō, meaning “to throw.” Thus, we see that huperballō literally means “to throw beyond.” In general usage the meaning is “to exceed” or “to go beyond.” It is expressed here as a participle (being beyond).

“Knowledge” is from gnōsis. This is derived from ginōskō, which we just looked at.

Putting all this together we see that the opening part of this verse could be translated, “and to know by experience the love of Christ which is beyond knowing …”

Meaning Explained

We are in the middle of a worshipful prayer of the Apostle Paul which he is praying for his beloved friends in the church at Ephesus. By extension, this prayer is presented on behalf of all Christians. The first two of the four petitions in this prayer were that God the Father would strengthen our inner man by means of God the Holy Spirit and for Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith.

The third petition began in verse seventeen and ends in today’s verse; it is “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.”

The crux of all this is in today’s verse: “for us to fully know (by experience) the love of Christ which is beyond intellectual knowledge” [my paraphrase]. Not only does Paul pray that we might understand how huge and all-encompassing (width, length, depth, and height) God’s love is, he also prays that we might know that which is unknowable.

There are many people (saved and unsaved) who talk about the love of God but who don’t really know God’s love. According to Paul, it is not something that you can study and learn about by reading books and listening to others talk about. Sure, you can recognize God’s love at work, but you can’t gain a full understanding of it that way. Only those who have experienced God’s love through His mercy, His grace, His miraculous provision, and His comfort in times of need, can really know what it’s like.

Application

If you’ve never gone through times of difficulty in your Christian walk, if you’ve never felt helpless and had to rely completely on Him, if you’ve never felt trapped by your own sinfulness, begging for His mercy, if you’ve never fallen before God with a completely broken spirit, then you don’t really understand His love. If you have, then you know by experience the kind of love that only God can show! Praise be to God!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

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:

Romans 12:6 – Benevolent or Malignant

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:6 – Benevolent or Malignant

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;

Truth to Learn

Each Christian is gifted for the benefit of the body of Christ.

Behind the Words

Paul begins the verse with a coordinating conjunction de, which can be translated as “and” or as “but” or several other English words. In each case, however, the purpose is to show the direct connection between the previous phrase and the following one.

The word translated as “gifts” is the Greek word charismata, which refers to “that which has been bestowed gratuitously.” In other words, it wasn’t earned and isn’t deserved; it was simply imparted out of benevolence.

“Prophecy” is translated from the Greek word prophēteia, which is the noun form of prophēteuō. According to The Word Study Dictionary, this word means “to foretell things to come; to declare truths through the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit whether by prediction or otherwise.” In other words, it includes both the “foretelling” of events before they happen and the “forth-telling” of the truths of God’s Word. The primary gift of the prophet in the early church involved both of these.

This list of spiritual gifts is clearly punctuated as a coordinated list as can be seen by the Greek grammatical construction. Each of the gifts in this and the two following verses is preceded with the Greek word eite, which is another kind of coordinating conjunction. It is as if these had been listed as “bullet points” with each occurrence of eite being a bullet. There is no apparent order of importance or hierarchy in this list, it is simply a list.

Meaning Explained

Now that Paul has explained to us that the church is like a body made up of many differing parts, he begins to describe some of the functions that these various parts perform and the special enabling that we have to perform these functions. We, the members of the body of Christ, have gifts. These gifts were given to us according to, or with respect to, or as part of, the grace that was given to us. Paul is telling us that these gifts were given to us at the point in time that the grace of God was bestowed upon us, when we were given the righteousness of Christ. In other words, these gifts were given to us when we were saved. They are not part of a “second blessing” nor are they gifts that we earn as we become mature Christians. They were given to us once, for all time, just as our salvation was given to us once, for all time and eternity.

Remember, as you read through this list of gifts, they were given to us as members of a body and they are to be used to make the body healthy. They are not given for personal profit (not even to the phophet J), but for the good of the body.

Application

Do you know what spiritual gift(s) God has blessed you with? Are you using it (them) for the good of the body?

Keep in mind that there is a kind of cell within the human body that has no regard for the cells around it. Its only purpose is to feed itself so it can grow. It’s called cancer!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

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:

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

Posted on by Will

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all our praise for only He is worthy.

Behind the Words

There is a three-fold expression that Paul uses in the first part of this verse which is very simple and yet profound. In the Greek Paul says ex autou kai di autou kai eis autou ta panta. Let’s look at this in detail.

The word kai simply means “and” and the word autou means “him, that is, in relation to him or with respect to him.” Next, let’s look at the three words ex, di, and eis. All three of these are prepositions. The first, ex is a form of ek, meaning “from” or “out of,” implying that He is the source. The second preposition is di, a contraction of dia, meaning “through, either as movement or as the instrument of action.” Finally, the third preposition is eis, meaning “into” or “unto.” Paul then finishes the first phrase with the two words, ta panta which mean “all things,” or “everything.” Thus, Paul says that all things originate with God, He is the instrument of action for all events, and all things will culminate in Him.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, from which we get our English word doxology. It is derived from the verb dokeō, meaning “thought or opinion, particularly favorable human opinion.” Thus, we see that doxa means “dignity, glory, or honor.” This word is sometimes translated as “praise” or “worship,” since that is the highest possible form of favorable human opinion.

The Greek expression translated “forever” is eis tous aiōnas. This literally means “unto the ages” or “forever.”

Putting this all together we see that this verse says: All things come from God, are created and sustained by God, and ultimately belong to God. Therefore, He alone should receive our praise both now and forever! Amen.

Meaning Explained

Paul ends this chapter of Romans with a doxology that we would all do well to meditate on. He says that everything which exists, both physical and spiritual, has its source in God and God alone. Everything that is, exists through God’s instrumentality, that is, it has come into being as a result of His creative action. Finally, everything that exists belongs to God and will be laid at His feet, and all creatures will give Him the glory. We see this in the heavenly scene painted for us by the Apostle John in the book of the Revelation:

the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)

Application

Think about that as you celebrate Christmas this year!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

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:

Romans 11:13 – Service Honors

Posted on by Will

Romans 11:13 – Service Honors

For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

Truth to Learn

Service to God is a great privilege and an honor, which should humble us now and forever.

Behind the Words

This verse starts off with the word “For” which is translated from the Greek word gar. However, there is significant evidence in favor of the Greek word de, meaning “and” or “but” rather than gar.

The word translated “magnify” is the Greek word doxadzō, (from which we get our word doxology) which means, “to consider glorious or full of honor.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul said that the gospel message has gone out to the Gentiles because of the stumbling of the Jews. He has been speaking about the Jews and he knows that those who hear his message will become more focused on the problems of the Jews than on their own relationship with God and responsibility to serve Him.

So, he is about to tell the Gentiles that he is sharing this with them for a couple of purposes. The first is to provoke his fellow Jews to jealousy as he will point out in the next verse. The other purpose is to warn the Gentile Christians not to be too complacent and proud, because their salvation is a gift just as the salvation of the Jews is a gift, as he will point out later in this chapter.

But he now explains why he is making such statements directly to the Gentile believers. It is because Paul was called specifically to be an Apostle to the Gentiles. This is evident by what God said to Ananias in Acts 9:15 when God sent him to place his hands on Paul (then called Saul) to restore his sight. When Ananias resisted God’s call, claiming Saul to be a persecutor of the church, God said:

Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

In the current verse Paul then says, “I magnify my ministry.” This is a much misunderstood statement. Paul is not bragging about his ministry, but is saying that he considers his calling as the Apostle of the Gentiles both a great honor and a great responsibility. He says that he believes that the calling which he has received is one of great importance and as such he will not rest until he has fulfilled it completely. Paul is not claiming to be proud of his ministry. He is humbled by the high calling to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Application

Is that how you feel about the ministry that God has called you to? Do you know what ministry God has called you to? As part of the body of Christ, we each have a responsibility (a calling). You have not been saved just to spend eternity in Heaven. You have been saved to serve, and you should be serving in the responsibility to which you have been called. If you are serving in the body of Christ simply because you have been asked to do something, perhaps you should pray and ask God if you are serving where He wants you to serve.

When we are serving where God wants us, as Paul did, we will see our service as a great honor and we will glorify God in it!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

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: