Tag: as

Romans 12:3 – He’s Great, Not Us

Posted on by Will

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think of yourself with reasonable judgment, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Truth to Learn

We must make an honest appraisal of ourselves.

 

Behind the Words

Paul starts off this verse with, “For”, implying that this verse is directly connected to the previous one in thought and intent.

In this verse Paul makes one of his familiar play-on-words with the word phroneō, which refers to “the mind, thinking, or a mindset.” Literally, Paul says that each of us should “not over think ourselves beyond what we ought to think, but to think toward sound thinking.”

The words translated “reasonable judgment” is sōphroneō, which means “to be of a sound mind” or “to be mentally self-controlled.”

The Greek word translated “as” is hōs, which is a tiny word with numerous nuances of interpretation. We could interpret its use here as, “in recognition of the fact that.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us we should be transformed by renewing, or renovating, our minds. That is, we need to completely change the way that we think.

We in the United States, like the Romans of Paul’s time, tend to think of ourselves as a little bit better than others because we are part of a successful, powerful, influential country. And we tend to measure our own personal worth by our position, our income level, and our heritage. Couple that with the fact that we as Christians think of ourselves as better than the pagans and other unbelievers because we know the truth about God and they don’t. In other words, we are very proud of ourselves. It’s likely that the Jewish Christians in Rome felt exactly the same way about themselves.

Now that Paul has politely admonished us to offer ourselves up to God, recognizing that He is our master and we are His slaves, he tells us to quit being so arrogant! Of course, Paul is not as blunt as that, but in essence that’s what he’s saying. He gives us a guideline as to how we ought to think of ourselves; “in recognition of the fact that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Everything we have and are has come directly from God. Even the measure of faith that we have, as small as it may be, has its source in God alone. Do you see that? This Christian faith which we have was measured out to us by God. We didn’t come up with it by ourselves.

When we recognize that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blame before Him” (Ephesians 1:4), we must submit to the fact that all things are under God’s control. And no matter how great we think we are as a nation, as a church, or as a person, we must recognize that we are nothing more than sinners deserving of Hell, who have been saved by God’s grace, not by anything of our own doing. Though we are adopted children of the King of Kings, we are at our best when we recognize that we are lowly slaves of our Master who bought us body, soul, and spirit, and paid for us with the blood of His own son.

 

Application

So – don’t waste your effort thinking about how great you are! Instead, think about how great our God is!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:11 – Father Paul

Posted on by Will

as you know how we were encouraging, and comforting every one of you, as a father does his own children,

Truth to Learn

We all need some comfort, encouragement, and challenge.

 

Behind the Words

The word “as” is from the Greek word kathaper. This word is made up of katha, meaning “as” and per, meaning “very.” The word kathaper literally means “exactly as” or “just as.”

“You know” is translated from the verb eidō, which means “to see with perception.” As in English, this verb can refer to visibly seeing something and perceiving what it is, or it can mean “to see with the mind,” that is, “to know.”

The word “encouraging” is from parakaleō. It is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” and kaleō, meaning “to call.” It is a picture of someone being “called alongside” for the purpose of coaching, encouraging, challenging, and comforting.

“Comforting” is translated from paramutheomai, which is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” and mutheomai, meaning “to make a speech” or “to tell a tale.” Paramutheomai means “to speak soothingly” or “to console.”

 

Meaning Explained

Back in verses six through eight, Paul used the metaphor of a mother caring for her infant children to show how tenderly he and his companions ministered to the Christians in Thessalonica. Now he changes his metaphor to that of a father. At the time this letter was written it was the mother’s responsibility to feed and care for the children. The father’s responsibility was to help the children mature, to challenge them, to encourage them, and to comfort them.

First of all, notice in the previous verse that Paul called the Thessalonians as witnesses of his behavior among them. Now he says that they know from observation how he raised them in the faith. These two facts further indicate the close relationship he had with the people who were under his spiritual care. He wasn’t some demagogue, preaching fire and brimstone from the pulpit while keeping his distance from his congregation. He was directly involved with them daily, on a personal level.

When the spiritual battles and hardships of life caused them to become discouraged, he encouraged them. When they experienced set-backs and failures, he comforted them. However, he didn’t let them wallow in their self-pity and he certainly didn’t coddle them. Instead, he challenged them to grow in their faith walk. He taught them the difficult aspects of walking closely with their God. He used examples from his own life to show them that we all have difficulties in this life, but we don’t give up. When our sin nature or life’s problems knock us down, we get back up and get back into the race. It’s this kind of discipline that makes us stronger. The writer of Hebrews said a similar thing about staying in the race:

… let us lay aside every burden, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1b)

 

Application

Are you going through difficult times? Has life, or sin, knocked you down? If so, get back up, fix your eyes on God, get back in the race, and “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, be men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:2 – Noisily Versus Quietly

Posted on by Will

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will come quietly, the rapture noisily.

Behind the Words

“Know” is translated from the verb eidō, which refers to “seeing with perception and comprehension.” Thus, it takes on the meaning of “knowing” or “understanding.” In English someone might explain something and then say, “Do you see what I’m saying?” In such a case, they are not asking about vision but about understanding. This is the sense that eidō has in today’s verse.

The word translated “perfectly” is akribōs, which means “accurately” or “exactly.” It is not an expression about perfection, but of accuracy.

Hēmera is the word translated “day.” It can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or, as in today’s verse, it can refer to the timeframe of a specific event.

The word “as” is from the Greek word houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.”

The word “thief” is from kleptēs. This is derived from the verb kleptō (from which we get our English word kleptomaniac, meaning someone who has an obsession with stealing things). Kleptē refers to someone who steals things, that is, “a thief.”

“Night” is translated from nux, which refers to the time period from sundown to sunrise.

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse we see a couple more reasons why the rapture (the Day of Jesus Christ) and the Day of the Lord are two distinctly different events. When Paul introduced the topic of the rapture back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, he said “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,” meaning that they were ignorant of the facts surrounding the rapture. In yesterday’s verse he said, “you have no need that I should write to you,” and in today’s verse he completes that thought. The reason that they didn’t need additional information is because, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

Apparently, Paul had previously taught the Christians in Thessalonica the facts about the Day of the Lord. Since they had accurate knowledge about the Day of the Lord and were ignorant concerning the rapture, they must be two different things. One of the possible reasons for this is that the Old Testament has numerous references to the Day of the Lord, but there are no references to the rapture. Since the Old Testament is the only Scripture the Thessalonians had, they could only have learned about the Day of the Lord from it.

The other thing to note is how these two events occur. The rapture occurs with a loud proclamation and a trumpet blast. The Day of the Lord, on the other hand, comes like a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t announce himself and he doesn’t make a lot of noise; he comes quietly and secretly. In other words, the rapture will come with lots of noise, but the Day of the Lord will come quietly, like a thief.

Application

Christians, keep your ears open, listening for the shout and the trumpet blast. You’ll be gone when the Day of the Lord comes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 12:4 – Sacrificial Body Parts

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:4 – Sacrificial Body Parts

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,

Truth to Learn

We are to function in the body of Christ as He chooses.

Behind the Words

Paul once again starts off the verse with “For” indicating that this and the following verse are closely linked to the previous verse.

The Greek word translated “as” is kathaper, which is an adverb made up of katha, meaning “as” and per, meaning “very” or “very much.” Though this translates rather awkwardly into English as “very much as,” the notion in Greek is that there is about to be a comparison of two things that are very much like each other. He describes the first of these two things in this verse and the second one in the next verse.

The word translated “members” is the Greek word melos, which means “a limb or other body part.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us not to “over think” ourselves. That is, we are not to think of ourselves as more important or more elevated than we really are. After all, we are only what we are because God has made us thus. He now goes on to show us that our importance, yea our very identity, exists in relation to the body of Christ, the church. Paul uses the metaphor of a physical body to show this.

He tells us, “we have many members in one body.” In other words, there are many different body parts in the body of Christ. In the second part of this verse Paul states that all these body parts don’t have the same function. Each part is important to the health of the entire body in a different way.

Each one of us has a body that is made up of a whole bunch of parts; arms, legs, head, spine, eyes, skin, liver, mouth, heart, sweat glands, nasal mucous, finger nails, etc. Some of these are more attractive than others and some are more obvious than others. Some we don’t even notice until they go into hyperactive mode, and then we tend to dislike them because they produce unpleasant sensations. But – they are ALL very necessary and we would be handicapped without any one of them. The same is true of the body of Christ.

This is the crux of what Paul is going to be talking about in the next 12 verses. We each have a place in the body of Christ and God has individually gifted each one of us for our unique function with spiritual gifts. But before we get wrapped up in the discussions about spiritual gifts, let’s remember how Paul started this out.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

There is no use in continuing the discussion about spiritual gifts if we are not first, totally submitted to our Lord Jesus Christ and totally committed to serving Him in the position and capacity that He has chosen for us! If we have offered ourselves as living sacrifices then we no longer have a say in how God chooses to use us.

Application

Have you offered yourself up to God to be used in whatever manner He determines? Are you a living sacrifice, or are you still in control of your own life?

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 12:3 – He’s Great, Not Us

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:3 – He’s Great, Not Us

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Truth to Learn

We must make an honest appraisal of ourselves.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off this verse with, “For”, implying that this verse is directly connected to the previous one in thought and intent.

In this verse Paul makes one of his familiar play-on-words with the word phroneō, which refers to “the mind, thinking, or a mindset.” Literally, Paul says that each of us should “not over think ourselves beyond what we ought to think, but to think toward sound thinking.”

The word translated “soberly” is sōphroneō, which means “to be of a sound mind” or “to be mentally self-controlled.”

The Greek word translated “as” is hōs, which is a tiny word with numerous nuances of interpretation. We could interpret its use here as, “in recognition of the fact that.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us we should be transformed by renewing, or renovating, our minds. That is, we need to completely change the way that we think.

We in the United States, like the Romans of Paul’s time, tend to think of ourselves as a little bit better than others because we are part of a successful, powerful, influential country. And we tend to measure our own personal worth by our position, our income level, and our heritage. Couple that with the fact that we as Christians think of ourselves as better than the pagans and other unbelievers because we know the truth about God and they don’t. In other words, we are very proud of ourselves. It’s likely that the Jewish Christians in Rome felt exactly the same way about themselves.

Now that Paul has politely admonished us to offer ourselves up to God, recognizing that He is our master and we are His slaves, he tells us to quit being so arrogant! Of course, Paul is not as blunt as that, but in essence that’s what he’s saying. He gives us a guideline as to how we ought to think; “in recognition of the fact that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Everything we have and are has come directly from God. Even the measure of faith that we have, as small as it may be, has its source in God alone. Do you see that? This Christian faith which we have was measured out to us by God. We didn’t come up with it by ourselves.

When we recognize that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him” (Ephesians 1:4), we must submit to the fact that all things are under God’s control. And no matter how great we think we are as a nation, as a church, or as a person, we must recognize that we are nothing more than sinners deserving of Hell, who have been saved by God’s grace, not by anything of our own doing. Though we are adopted children of the King of Kings, we are at our best when we recognize that we are lowly slaves of our Master who bought us body, soul, and spirit, and paid for us with the blood of His own son.

Application

So – don’t waste your effort thinking about how great you are! Instead, think about how great our God is!

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: