Tag: because of

Romans 8:10 – A Spirit of Righteousness

Posted on by Will

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Truth to Learn

Because we have been declared righteous, we are alive with a life that will last eternally.

 

Behind the Words

In order to fully understand the current verse we have to look at a Greek grammatical construction known as “Correlative (or paired) Conjunctions.” That is, a pair of conjunctions that have a correlation between each other. The conjunctions are men and de. They are used in the following manner, “men (followed by the first phrase) … de (followed by the second phrase).” The effect of this construction is to say, “on the one hand (first phrase), but on the other hand (second phrase).” In today’s verse men is used before the phrase “the body is dead because of sin” and de is used before the phrase ”the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

The word translated “because of” is dia, which means “through.” As in English, this word has two meanings. The first is a preposition of motion; it implies motion through a place. The other is a preposition of instrumentality; it implies the instrument or cause of something In this situation it can be translated as “by reason of” or “because of.” In today’s verse dia is used instrumentally.

As we have mentioned before, in Biblical Greek there are three types of conditional clauses. The first class condition assumes the condition to be true and can sometimes be translated as “since,” although not always. In today’s verse Paul is speaking to Christians and is assuming “Christ is in you.”

 

Meaning Explained

What Paul says in this verse is “And if Christ is in you, (assumed to be true) on the one hand the body is dead because of sin, but on the other hand the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” In other words, if Christ is in you, that is, if you are saved, then your body is technically dead because of your sinfulness, but because you have accepted Christ as Savior, through the grace of God (who has declared you to be righteousness), your spirit is alive and you will spend eternity in the presence of God because of that righteousness.

In the next verse Paul will explain further what he means when he days that our Spirit is alive.

What he doesn’t say, but clearly implies, is that if you aren’t saved (if you don’t have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in you) then your body is still dead because of sin. But, because you are a sinner and have not been declared righteous, you have no hope of spiritual life. You will have to pay the penalty for your own sins and you will enter the presence of the Almighty as an unrighteous sinner; you are spiritually dead (now and forever).

 

Application

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then praise be to God that your entrance into His presence will not be just as a cleansed former sinner, but as an adopted son (or daughter) whom God has declared “righteous.”

This salvation that we hold so dear is not just our “get out of Hell free” card. It’s not just our “ticket into Heaven.” It is the undeserved privilege and honor of standing before our Holy God as one who has fulfilled all righteousness and one who possesses His life giving Spirit for all eternity.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:4 – Abundant Mercy

Posted on by Will

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Truth to Learn

Because of God’s mercy we don’t get what we deserve. It’s not fair, it’s mercy!

 

Behind the Words

The word “rich” is translated from plousios, which is the condition of having ploutos, meaning “wealth or riches, in money or possession.” Figuratively, it means “to have an abundance of something.”

“Mercy” is from the Greek noun eleos. This word refers to “sorrow over the misfortune of others, which disposes a person to overlook personal offenses and to treat an offender better than he or she deserves.” It is sometimes translated as “compassion.”

“Because of” is a translation of the Greek preposition dia, which means “through, either positionally or instrumentally.” In the current verse it means that God’s mercy is a result of His love.

The adjective “great” is from polus, meaning “much or many.” This is not a measure of size. That would be the Greek word megas. Polus is a measure of quantity or magnitude.

The words “love” and “loved” are from the same root, agapē. This word refers to a kind of love in which the lover is focused on that which will do the most good for the loved one. It is a self-sacrificing love which places the good of the loved one above the good of self.

 

Meaning Explained

In the past few verses the Apostle Paul has been describing how we were dead in sin before we were saved. Our manner of life was controlled by Satan and his world system. We followed the lusts of our flesh and we were deserving of the full weight of God’s wrath.

Here he goes on to describe how all that was changed. The instrument of our change, freedom from the bondage of sin, was God, Himself. We know how rich our God is. In the fiftieth chapter of Psalms we are told that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills (in the Old Testament wealth was measured by how many animals you owned). Paul now tells us that His wealth is not just in material things; He also has an abundance of mercy, that is, He is rich in mercy. Because of this mercy, we Christians will not receive from God the wrath that we truly deserve. Instead, He will be compassionate and merciful toward us.

This mercy that God shows to us is an outgrowth of His love. This love and mercy are so great toward us that He forgives us of all our sins (past, present, and future). Throughout the Bible, forgiveness means more than removal of blame. It includes completely forgetting the offending act. In fact, in the book of Psalms, as a description of God’s forgiveness, we are told:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:12)

We learn in Romans that the penalty for our sins is death. Instead of our death, however, God gave up the life of His Son, who did not deserve death, as the ransom to set us free from death. Because we Christians have accepted Christ’s blood as the payment for our sins, God has forgiven, forgotten, and completely cast away our sinful acts.

 

Application

The next time you complain to God that things are not fair, that you are not getting what you deserve, remember that what you deserve is death and the wrath of God. However, because of His mercy and His great love with which He loved us, He has forgiven our sins and has given us eternal life. Our response to His mercy should be gratitude demonstrated by a life of submission to Him. Let’s take a few minutes right now and thank God for His mercy. Let’s recommit to serving Him out of a heart of gratitude.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 3:14 – Worship Him

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:14  – Worship Him

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Truth to Learn

God wants us to worship Him.

Behind the Words

The phrase “For this reason” is translated from toutou charin. Toutou means “this” and charin is the direct object form (accusative case) of charis, which means “a favor or a gift.” When charin is used as a preposition, as it is here, it means “through favor of” or “because of.” Therefore, toutou charin means “because of this” or “for this reason.”

“Bow” is from kamtō, which means “to bend;” that is, “to bend the knees in homage or worship.”

“Father” is translated from patēr, which generally refers to “the male parent.” In its plural form it refers to both father and mother. Here it refers to the first person of the Godhead.

The phrase, “of our Lord Jesus Christ” does not appear in the oldest Greek manuscripts and probably should be omitted.

Meaning Explained

Paul started off the first verse of this chapter with the same expression, “For this reason.” He then got side-tracked with an explanation of his ministry of revealing the mystery of the church. Now he finally gets back on track. So, what is Paul referring to when he says, “For this reason?” In order to answer that question, we have to look back at the end of chapter two. There Paul talked about how we Gentiles were once far away from God, without Christ, strangers from God’s covenant promises to Israel, and having no hope since we were without God. He also says that now, through Jesus Christ, we Gentiles have access to God along with the Jews. Then he told us that we are being built as God’s temple as His dwelling place.

Because of this, because we Gentiles now have the same access to God that the Jews have had, Paul says he bows in humble submission to God the Father. Notice that he does not say that he bows to Jesus, but to “the Father.” Nowhere in Scripture are we told to worship Jesus, bow to Jesus, or pray to Jesus. Neither are we told to worship, bow to, or pray to the Holy Spirit. Now, before you get out your clubs and prepare to beat me as a heretic, let me be clear that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are each (and all) God. We ARE told to worship God, to humble ourselves to God, and to pray to God. But we are not told specifically to worship Jesus or the Holy Spirit, or to pray to either one of them. Jesus said:

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (John 4:23)

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6)

I may be accused of splitting hairs here, but if the Father wants us to worship Him and we are told to pray to Him, then we shouldn’t start our prayers with, “Dear Jesus …”

Application

Because of what God has done for us, because He has given us access to Himself through the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, let’s bow to Him and worship Him with all our heart! Without His plan and His work, we would be destined for Hell.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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Ephesians 2:4 – Abundant Mercy

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:4  – Abundant Mercy

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Truth to Learn

Because of God’s mercy we don’t get what we deserve. It’s not fair, it’s mercy!

Behind the Words

The word “rich” is translated from plousios, which is the condition of having ploutos, meaning “wealth or riches, in money or possession.” Figuratively, it means “to have an abundance of something.”

“Mercy” is from the Greek noun eleos. This word refers to “sorrow over the misfortune of others, which disposes a person to overlook personal offenses and to treat an offender better than he or she deserves”

“Because of” is a translation of the Greek preposition dia, which means “through, either positionally or instrumentally.” In the current verse it means that God’s mercy is a result of His love.

The adjective “great” is from polus, meaning “much or many.” This is not a measure of size, that would be the Greek word megas, it is a measure of quantity.

The words “love” and “loved” are from the same root, agapē. This word refers to a kind of love in which the lover is focused on that which will do the most good for the loved one. It is a self-sacrificing love which places the good of the loved one above the good of self.

Meaning Explained

In the past few verses the Apostle Paul has been describing how we were dead in sin before we were saved. Our manner of life was controlled by Satan and his world system. We followed the lusts of our flesh and we were deserving of the full weight of God’s wrath.

Here he goes on to describe how all that was changed. The instrument of our change, freedom from the bondage of sin, was God, Himself. We know how rich our God is. In the fiftieth chapter of Psalms we are told that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills (in the Old Testament wealth was measured by how many animals you owned). Paul now tells us that His wealth is not just in material things; He also has an abundance of mercy. Because of this mercy we will not receive from God what we truly deserve, His wrath.

This mercy that God has shown to us is an outgrowth of His love. This love and mercy are so great toward us that He forgave us of all our sins (past, present, and future). We learn in Romans that the penalty for our sins is death. Instead of our death, however, God gave up the life of His Son, who did not deserve death, as the ransom to set us free from death.

Application

The next time you complain to God that things are not fair, that you are not getting what you deserve, remember that what you deserve is death and the wrath of God. Instead, because of His mercy and His great love with which He loved us, He has given us eternal life. Our response to His mercy should be gratitude demonstrated by a life of submission to Him. Let’s take a few minutes right now and thank God for His mercy. Let’s recommit to serving Him out of a heart of gratitude.

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: