bold – Ministry of Grace Church

But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was revealed to those who did not ask for Me."

Truth to Learn

Be bold in proclaiming the truth!

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “very bold” is apotolmaō, which is a compound word made up of apo, used as an intensifier and tolmao, which means “to be bold, or confident, or daring.”

“Found” is translated from heuriskō, which means “to find or discover, whether by searching or not.”

The word “seek” is from dzēteō, which means “to look for, to seek, or search for something.”

“Revealed” is from emphanēs, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “into” and phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul quoted Moses in the book of Deuteronomy as evidence that the Jews should have well known that the Gentiles would come to know God even though they weren’t seeking after God in Moses’ time. Therefore, it should have been obvious to the Christian Jews in Rome that God had indeed turned to the Gentiles after the Jews rejected the Messiah.

Paul now quotes Isaiah to show that he, too, had proclaimed the same message hundreds of years after Moses did. This quotation is from the opening portion of Isaiah chapter 65:

I have been sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that was not called by My name, I said, “Behold me, Behold me,”. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on the bricks; who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the towers; who eat swine's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. (Isaiah 65:1-5)

Clearly, this is a scathing rebuke upon the Israelites who would not pay attention to Moses and to those who did not listen to Isaiah. In fact, when Paul introduced this quotation he stated that Isaiah is very bold in saying this. Why was it so daring for him to deliver this message? Remember what he said in Isaiah 53:1? “Lord, who has believed our report?” It was bold of Isaiah to proclaim this because he knew that his fellow Jews would not believe him and would, in fact, attack him for being so negative to them.

Application

Doesn’t that sound like many Christians today? If you confront them about their liberal, watered-down theology, their blatant sinfulness, or their legalism, they deny what you say and attack you for not being more forgiving and loving or for not being more “inclusive” in your theology.

I would rather be thought a “fundamental fanatic” when confronting ungodliness than to be well liked because of being willing to compromise on what the Bible says. How about you?

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Peter 2:10

This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;

Truth to Learn

Some false teachers only care about their own desires.

Behind the Words

The words “corrupt desire” are translated from the Greek words, epithumia miasmou. The word epithumia refers to “overly strong desires” or “lusts.” The other word, miasmou means “contaminated or polluted.” We could translate these two words as “perverse lusts.”

The words “despise authority” are from the Greek words kuriotētos kataphronountos. The first of these is from the root, kurios which means “lord or master” and the other is a compound word made up of kata, meaning “against” or denoting evil and phroneō which means “to think or have a mindset.” Hence these words mean “to think evil of their masters” or “to despise authority.”

“Not afraid to slander celestial beings” is translated from doxas ou tremousin. The word doxas means “glories” or “glorious ones.” The word ou means “not” and tremousin means “to dread” or “to be terrified of.” Hence, it literally means, “they have no dread of the glorious ones.”

Meaning Explained

Peter has just told us that the Lord knows how to keep the ungodly from escaping the judgment that is due them. Now he says that this is especially true of these false teachers, those who “follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature.” They have a way of life that caters to their appetites, especially their perverse lusts. They have so allowed their lusts to overpower them that they have become corrupt and perverse. Yet, in their mind, their actions seem normal.

Peter also says that they “despise authority.” These are people who don’t like anyone telling them what to do; that is, they don’t have respect for authority, either civil or religious. They certainly don’t want a God who tells them what to do, so they invent a theology that gives them control over their god.

But Peter doesn’t stop here. He continues to describe these false teachers as “bold and arrogant;” that is, they think far too highly of themselves. He also says that they “…are not afraid to slander celestial beings” In other words, these false teachers have no fear of those who are worthy of praise and glory and will freely slander or blaspheme them.

Wow! Peter certainly doesn’t pull any punches when he talks about these false teachers. They have become self-absorbed and self-seeking. Their entire focus is inward instead of God-ward. For the most part, however, these false teachers appear outwardly good and honorable, hiding the reality of their desires behind a façade of devoted religiosity.

We have talked in the past about the fact that the central notion of sinfulness is really “self-ness,” making our own decisions and considering only ourselves. That’s the opposite of submission to God.

Application

Now, the question is, are you submitted to God, or are you more like these false teachers who serve their own overpowering desires? Only you can answer these questions. Think carefully before you answer, and be honest with God.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: bold

Romans 10:20 – Bold Proclamation

2 Peter 2:10 – Selfish or Submitted?