because – Ministry of Grace Church

Because the carnal mind is enmity toward God; for it is not submitted to the law of God, indeed it can’t be.

Truth to Learn

When we’re controlled by our flesh, we’re not submitted to God, we’re in open rebellion to Him.

Behind the Words

This current verse starts off with the Greek word dioti, which is a compound word made up of dia, meaning “through” and hoti, meaning “that.” So, literally it means, “through that” or “because of the fact that.” In other words, this verse explains why it is true that “to be carnally minded is death.”

The word translated “enmity” is the Greek word echthra, which means “the hatred and hostility openly displayed against one’s enemy.” It is most often translated as “enmity,” although in Galatians 5:20 it is translated as “hatred.”

“Submitted” is from the Greek word hupotassō, which is made up of hupo (or hypo), meaning “under” and tassō, meaning “to arrange in an orderly manner” or “to rank.” It is a military term meaning to place in rank under someone else’s authority.

Meaning Explained

The current verse answers the first half of the previous verse:

For to be carnally minded is death

The reason, according to Paul, is:

Because the carnal mind is enmity toward God

The reason that being fleshly minded is death is because it is in open hostility to God. Therefore, it cannot be in submission to God or His law. When we place ourselves in a position of submission to another, we are by definition at peace with them and recognize their authority over us. When we refuse to be in submission, we rise up in revolt and are by definition in open hostility and rebellion against their authority. They are opposite ends of the spectrum and are mutually exclusive. That is, you can’t be both in submission and in rebellion. You are either one or the other. In fact, Paul goes on to tell us that when we are being controlled by our flesh, we cannot place ourselves in submission to God. It’s impossible!

When we are being carnally minded, when we are allowing our fleshly lusts to control our thoughts and actions, we are not being submissive to God and we are, in fact, in open rebellion to His will. When we are in open rebellion to God, we have separated ourselves from Him. This, by definition, means that we are dead to God; we have broken fellowship with Him and we are not at peace.

Application

Do you have those times when you feel lifeless and totally separated from God? That’s the effect of sin. It breaks our fellowship with God. Were it not for the grace of God through the blood of Christ, we could never restore that fellowship. But because of what Christ did for us, we can come to the throne of grace, confessing our sins and having our fellowship restored because God has declared us righteous.

Do you feel lifeless and separated from God right now? Do you? Be honest with yourself!

If you do, get down on your knees and do something about it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Because God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Truth to Learn

We need to realize what God has given us and fight for Him.

Behind the Words

“Because” is from hoti, meaning “that” or “because.” It serves to introduce something that is the reason for what was just said.

The Greek word translated “appoint” is tithēmi, which means “to set” or “to put in place.” Here it means that God did not place us in a position in which we would receive His wrath.

“Wrath” is from orgē, which properly means “strong desire” or “excitement of the mind,” that is “strong passion.” By implication it means “punishment,” but it is most often translated as “wrath.”

Peripoiēsis is the Greek word translated “obtain.” It is made up of peri, meaning “around” and a form of poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.” Thus, peripoiesis carries the meaning of surrounding yourself with things. It is most often translated with the English words “acquire” or “obtain.”

“Salvation” is translated from sōtēria, which refers to “safety, deliverance, or preservation from danger or destruction.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse, Paul exhorted us to put on the breastplate of faith and love as well as the helmet of salvation. This is to be followed by being of a sober mind, thinking logically and rationally with a mind that is not under the influence of extreme thought patterns. You may know Christians who are so worried about losing their salvation that they have a difficult time moving forward in their Christian walk. Others are caught up in experiencing miraculous demonstrations of God’s Spirit and become distracted when they aren’t seeing such signs in their own lives. Still others are so bound by legalism that they spend all their effort trying not to break the rules their church has bound them with. All of these types of Christians are wearing so much spiritual fluff and have their minds so filled with distractions that they can’t effectively engage the enemy. As a result, they are easily defeated when they face spiritual battles.

Instead, Paul wants us to be dressed for battle and mentally prepared. The source of that mental preparation is knowledge of what the Bible actually teaches. The only way we can do this is to engage in regular, consistent reading and studying of God’s Word.

So, why should we always be prepared for spiritual battle? Why shouldn’t we live like the world, like those who have no clue regarding what the future holds? Because God did not put us here to receive His wrath; we will not experience the Day of the Lord. Instead we will be resurrected from the earth and granted complete salvation, that salvation which only comes from faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, out of a heart of true thanksgiving and gratitude, we should take up sides, put on the battle gear, and get ready to do battle for Him!

Application

Consider what God has done for us through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Consider what He has promised us, both now and eternally. Given what He has already done, how can we possible just drift through life? We need to get in the race! We need to engage in battle! We need to give our all to serving Him who gave us the most precious gift we could possible get!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: because

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