Tag: bring up

Romans 10:7 – Risen Christ

Posted on by Will

or, "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ is God and He is risen from the dead!

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “abyss” is the Greek word abussos, from which we get our English word, abyss. It is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of buthos, which refers to “the bottom or depth of something.” Hence, this word properly means “something that is so deep as to be perceived as bottomless.” In the New Testament this word is used to refer to the depth of the oceans, but it is also used to refer to the bottomless pit in Hades where spirit beings (like fallen angels) are incarcerated. This word is only used two times outside of the book of Revelation, here and Luke 8:31.

“Bring up” is from the verb anagō, which is made up of ana, meaning “up, again, or away” and agō, meaning “to lead or to bring.”

 

Meaning Explained

This part of Paul’s reference to the Old Testament is not identical to what is contained in Deuteronomy (either in the Hebrew version or the Septuagint), but the sense of it is the same. Moses referred to going to the region beyond the sea. In the time when Moses made this statement, sea travel was very difficult, and to travel to the region beyond the sea was a task of nearly infinite proportion. Also, the ancients believed that the ocean was bottomless. Moses was telling the Israelites that the commandment (that which could bring righteousness) was not far away from them, and it did not require a huge effort to obtain it. He was referring to faith, not a task to be done.

What Paul is saying about the righteousness of faith is essentially the same thing; it is not far away and it does not require huge effort to obtain it. However, since sea travel in Paul’s day was far easier than in Moses’ day, a direct quotation of Moses would not carry the impact that it did in Moses’ day. Instead, Paul uses the concept of descending into the abyss. Since Paul is talking about bringing Christ up from the dead in this verse, he obviously is referring to Hades. Note that Paul is NOT saying that someone has to go down and bring Christ up from the dead because He has already risen. In fact, only God could accomplish this. Paul’s statement is that we don’t have to do this impossible thing in order to obtain faith. As in the previous verse, the monumental task of bringing Christ up again from the dead could not produce righteousness. In fact, it’s just the other way around, only the righteousness of God in Christ could raise Him from the dead.

It is interesting to note that the two primary attacks against our faith are in regard to these two aspects of Christ. Attackers say that He is not God (He did not come down from heaven) and He is not alive today (He has not been raised from the dead). We can’t prove these two facts, we can only accept them by faith, the faith which produces righteousness.

 

Application

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is 100% God and He is 100% man. As such, he completely satisfied God’s law of righteousness and then voluntarily gave his life for us, proving His righteousness by rising from the dead. Amen!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 6:4 – Godly Parenting

Posted on by Will

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Truth to Learn

Parents should be an example of God’s love in the way they raise their children.

Behind the Words

The words “provoke … to wrath” are translated from the Greek verb parorgidzō, which is made up of para meaning “near” or “beside,” implying movement toward something, and orgidzō, meaning “to provoke” or “to cause anger.” Hence, parorgidzō literally means “to move someone to the point of anger.”

The words “bring them up” are from ektrephō. This is composed of ek, meaning “out of” but used as an intensifier, and trephō, meaning “to stiffen or fatten;” that is, “to nourish.” Ektrephō means “to bring up a child” or “to nurture a child.”

“Training” is from paideia, which refers to “education and training accomplished through instruction and discipline.”

“Admonition” is translated from the Greek word nouthesia, which is made up of nous, referring to “the mind” or “intellect” and a derivative of ththēmi, meaning “to place” or “to stand.” The basic meaning of nouthesia is “to instruct by calling attention to something or by giving a warning.”

Meaning Explained

Paul’s current subject of instruction is about how we are to behave within a family. At the end of the last chapter he talked about how a husband and wife are to relate to each other. In the past few verses he talked about how we are to think and act with respect to our parents. Now he teaches how fathers (and mothers) are to treat their children.

During the first century, the world was under Roman domination. With each area the Romans defeated, they imposed their laws and their lifestyle. For the most part, however, they allowed the conquered countries to continue their own religious practices as long as they recognized the emperor (Caesar) as a god also. Within Roman society the man was ruler of his household and could do almost anything he wanted with his wife and children. In that society wives and children were viewed as little more than possessions. Because of this, abuse and what we would consider crimes against women and children were commonplace in Roman households.

In teaching about family relations within a Christian household, therefore, Paul addresses the role of the father more than any other member of the family. In today’s verse he tells fathers what to do and what not to do with regard to their children. First, he tells Christian fathers (and by association, Christian mothers) not to drive their children to anger. In Colossians 3:21 we learn that this actually causes children to become discouraged. Then, he tells fathers to educate their children, to train them, and to give them warnings about the consequences of certain actions. Paul tells them to do all this within the framework of God’s guidance and oversight.

Application

How we raise our children has a profound influence on how our children will relate to God later in life. If we demonstrate godly parenting, we can be firm, correcting, and loving all at the same time, demonstrating how God loves and treats us. Do your children see God in the way you are raising them?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Romans 10:7 – Risen Christ

Posted on by Will

Romans 10:7 – Risen Christ

or, ” “Who will descend into the abyss?” ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ is God and He is risen from the dead!

Behind the Words

The word translated “abyss” is the Greek word abussos, from which we get our English word, abyss. It is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of buthos, which refers to “the bottom or depth of something.” Hence, this word properly means “something that is so deep as to be perceived as bottomless.” In the New Testament this word is used to refer to the depth of the oceans, but it is also used to refer to the bottomless pit in Hades where spirit beings (like fallen angels) are incarcerated. This word is only used two times outside of the book of Revelation, here and Luke 8:31.

“Bring up” is from the verb anagō, which is made up of ana, meaning “up, again, or away” and agō, meaning “to lead or to bring.”

Meaning Explained

This part of Paul’s reference to the Old Testament is not identical to what is contained in Deuteronomy (either in the Hebrew version or the Septuagint), but the sense of it is the same. Moses referred to going to the region beyond the sea. In the time when Moses made this statement, sea travel was very difficult, and to travel to the region beyond the sea was a task of nearly infinite proportion. Also, the ancients believed that the ocean was bottomless. Moses was telling the Israelites that the commandment (that which could bring righteousness) was not far away from them, and it did not require a huge effort to obtain it. He was referring to faith, not a task to be done.

What Paul is saying about the righteousness of faith is essentially the same thing; it is not far away and it does not require huge effort to obtain it. However, since sea travel in Paul’s day was far easier than in Moses’ day, a direct quotation of Moses would not carry the impact that it did in Moses’ day. Instead, Paul uses the concept of descending into the abyss. Since Paul is talking about bringing Christ up from the dead in this verse, he obviously is referring to Hades. Note that Paul is not saying that someone has to go down and bring Christ up from the dead because He has already risen. In fact, only God could accomplish this. Paul’s statement is that we don’t have to do this impossible thing in order to obtain faith. As in the previous verse, the monumental task of bringing Christ up again from the dead could not produce righteousness. In fact, it’s just the other way around, only the righteousness of God in Christ could raise Him from the dead.

It is interesting to note that the two primary attacks against our faith are in regard to these two aspects of Christ. Attackers say that He is not God (He did not come down from heaven) and He is not alive today (He has not been raised from the dead). We can’t prove these two facts, we can only accept them by faith, the faith which produces righteousness.

Application

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is 100% God and He is 100% man. As such, he completely satisfied God’s law of righteousness and then voluntarily gave his life for us, proving His righteousness by rising from the dead. Amen!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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