Tag: by

Romans 3:30 – Faith for All

Posted on by Will

since it is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Truth to Learn

God will justify anyone who comes by faith.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word starting off this verse is different depending on which Greek text is used. Some have it as epeiper, meaning “since indeed” whereas others have it as eiper, meaning “if on the whole.” Although the epeiper is a stronger assertion, they both imply that what follows is a true statement.

The word “by” is from the Greek word ek, meaning “out of, from, or by means of.” In other words, it implies origin.

“Through” is translated from dia, meaning “through,” or “through which.” In other words, it implies instrumentality.

 

Meaning Explained

Since Paul has just demonstrated that Jehovah is the God of both the Jews and the Gentiles and that man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law, he now takes the next step in his explanation. He says that it is one God who will justify both the Jews and the Gentiles and that justification comes not from keeping the Law but through faith.

The construction of this verse is a little confusing and has been argued back and forth for centuries (in my opinion it is an example of senseless quibbling). Some say that even though the prepositions are different, they are used to express the same thing. They would interpret this phrase as, “… who will justify circumcision by faith and uncircumcision by the same faith.”

Others would argue that the Jews are justified by (out of) the faith which Abraham had and which they now also have, whereas the Gentiles must acquire such faith independently in order to receive justification through such faith. If you think that this is an unnecessary splitting of hairs, I agree with you. The point is that God will declare a person righteous based on faith, whether a Jew or a Gentile.

The two points that Paul has been making all along in this chapter are: 1 – There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to justification, and 2 – The only way to obtain justification is by faith.

If you look back through the Old Testament you will see a number of examples where men were justified by faith. For instance, Noah believed God was going to send a flood and demonstrated that faith by building an Ark. Abraham believed that he was going to have a son even when he and Sarah were too old to have children. Moses believed God was going to release the Israelites from bondage when he went in and challenged Pharaoh to “let my people go.”

Throughout the ages, men (and women) have been saved by faith, not by works. That is precisely what Paul is teaching these Jewish Christians in Rome.

 

Application

The message of salvation is very simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s not, believe and keep the Ten Commandments. It’s not, believe and join the church. It’s not, believe and be baptized. It’s simply “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s all there is to it – just believe.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:18 – Evidence in Action

Posted on by Will

But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Truth to Learn

Good works are the evidence of our salvation.

Behind the Words

The word translated “someone” is the Greek word tis, which is an indefinite personal pronoun, meaning “some person” or “a certain person” or “someone.” James is using this device to present a rhetorical challenge.

“Show me” is translated from deiknuō, meaning “to show” or “to display.” It is used here in the imperative mood. The subtlety of the imperative mood is that it expresses action that is not taking place but which the speaker wants to take place. This is why it is most often expressed in English as a command. Hence, James is saying, “Your faith is not showing, therefore show me your faith …”

The word translated “without” is the Greek word chōris, which means “separately, by itself, or apart from.” So, James is not talking about a faith that does not have works, he is talking about a faith separated from its works. That’s a subtle distinction but one that I believe James is making.

“By” is translated from ek, a Greek preposition meaning “out of.” So, James is actually saying, “…I will show you my faith out of my works.” In other words, the works are the evidence of the faith.

Meaning Explained

James has just said that faith without works is dead. In order to show that he means that faith cannot exist apart from works, he carries the discussion one step further. He assumes that the reader is arguing that salvation is by faith alone. That is, faith and works are separate and faith is the only thing. James states very clearly here that the works are the evidence of the faith. He is not claiming that we are saved by works, rather he says that once we are saved, our actions and deeds will be the evidence of that saving faith.

James now uses a hypothetical person to make the challenge:

You think that faith is the only important thing in the Christian walk and works have no place in salvation. Therefore, show me the evidence of your faith in something other than works, and I will show you the evidence of my faith, which is my works.

The Apostle John expressed a very similar thing in his first general epistle:

Whoever has worldly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how does the love of God remain in him? (I John 3:17)

Once again, let me state very clearly what James is and isn’t teaching. He isn’t teaching that we are saved by works, for we cannot earn our salvation; we are saved by grace through faith and faith alone. What he is saying is, if we are genuinely saved, the evidence of that salvation will be the way we treat other people, especially those brothers and sisters in Christ who have needs that we can fill.

Application

Is there evidence of your faith in what you say and do? Or, here’s another way of asking the same question, “If you were arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 1:14 – Temptation’s Source

Posted on by Will

But each one is tempted by his own desires, being drawn away and enticed by them.

Truth to Learn

We may want to blame someone or something else for our sinfulness, but each of us is to blame for our own sin.

Behind the Words

James tells us that each and every one of us is tempted, not by God, but by his (or her) own “desires.” This is translated from the Greek work epithumia which is made up of epi, which means “above or over” (as in epidermis) and thumia, which means “the mind.” What this word represents is overly strong desires of the mind. It is often translated as “lusts.”

The words “drawn away” are from the Greek word exelkō. This is made up of ex meaning “out of” or “away from” and helkō, meaning “to drag” or “to draw.” This word was used by Jesus in John 6:44 where He said that the Father draws men to Him. Hence, this word means to be pulled away or drawn away.

The word translated “enticed” is deleadzō, from the noun delear which means “bait.” And what is the purpose of bait on the end of a hook? It is to entice and entrap a fish. Metaphorically, this word means “to trick or entice.”

In the previous verse we noted that the word “by” was translated from apo, referring to source rather than agency. In this verse the word “by” is translated from hupo which indicates agency. In other words, our overly strong desires are the very things (the agency) which cause us to be tempted.

Meaning Explained

When we sin, we have no one to blame but ourselves. We cannot claim the old Flip Wilson line, “The devil made me do it!” And we cannot blame our parents, or the way we were raised. The sin comes from within and it can only be taken care of from without; that is, by the blood of Christ. He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

We all have desires and they are necessary for sustaining life. We have the desire to eat, we have the desire to rest when we are tired, we have sexual desire, we have the desire to achieve, and many others. All of these are good and necessary in the proper balance. It is when any one of these becomes too great, even uncontrollable, that we get tempted to sin.

This is not to say that Satan and his fallen angels have no part in our temptation. In both Matthew 4:3 and 1Thessalinians 3:5 we find that our adversary is referred to as “the tempter.” The world system, which he controls, is made up of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

No matter who or what the source of our temptations may be, James is telling us that the agency of our temptation is our own desires which we allow to get out of control. When this happens, those lusts draw us from God’s way and entrap us in our own selfish ways.

Application

We all sin. It’s a fact of life. None of us has complete control of our fleshly desires. But we do have a Savior who did not sin and who gave His life to pay for ours. Let us thank our God for the blood of Christ and for the faith to believe in Him.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 1:11 – Discuss, Don’t Argue

Posted on by Will

For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.

Truth to Learn

Discussions are good, but arguments are bad.

Behind the Words

The words “it has been declared” are translated from the Greek verb dēloō. This word means “to signify” or “to make known.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense indicating action that was completed at a point in time in the past.

“By” is from the Greek preposition hupo, which usually means “under or beneath.” However, when used with a noun in the genitive case, as it is here, it indicates agency and is translated as “by, through, or from.”

The word “Chloe” is transliterated from the Greek word chloē, which is a feminine noun meaning “green.” Chloe was apparently a prominent person in the church at Corinth. It is not completely clear whether Chloe was a man or a woman.

“Contentions” is translated from eris, meaning “strife” or “contention.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul began this correctional teaching regarding the divisions that had sprung up in the Corinthian church. Here he tells us how he learned about the infighting that had developed. He says that it was signified to him by those who are of Chloe’s household. Since this is the only mention in the Bible of Chloe, we don’t know for sure whether Chloe was a man or a woman. However, since chloē is a feminine noun, it is most likely that Chloe was a woman. We also don’t know whether Chloe was part of the church in Corinth or part of the church in Ephesus, where Paul wrote this letter from. However, it is unlikely that Paul would have mentioned her by name if she was in the church in Corinth, since that might have caused even more harsh feelings within that already contentious church.

The apostle tells us that what he heard is that there were “contentions” within the church about which he will elaborate further in the next verse. It is good, and even important, to have discussions within the body of Christ. But, when discussion turns into fighting, it’s time to check our attitudes and emotions. The word eris (strife or contention) is listed as one of the works of the flesh in Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like (Galatians 5:19-21a)

It is clear from this list that heated arguments are just as bad as some of the other evil outpourings of our sin nature. And such sinful arguments can spring from the most innocent of topics, like what color of carpeting to put in the sanctuary or whether it is proper for your pastor to own a nice car.

Application

Let’s have open and informed discussions within the church. Let’s share what God has taught us from the Bible. But let’s not allow these discussions to turn into fighting or personal attacks. Instead, let us be humble and discuss things with love in our hearts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Corinthians 1:4 – Give Him Your Best

Posted on by Will

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

We should give our best to any ministry we are involved in.

Behind the Words

“I thank” is translated from the Greek verb eucharisteō, which means “to be thankful,” “to show oneself grateful,” or “to give thanks.” It is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and charidzomai, meaning “to grant as a favor.” This word is also used as giving thanks before eating a meal as in Acts 27:35.

The word translated “always” is pantote, which is made up of a form of pas, which carries the idea of “oneness and a totality of the whole” and tote, meaning “at which time.” Put together, this word expresses the idea of “all the time” or “always.”

“Given” is from a form of the verb didōmi, which means “to give.” It is expressed here as an aorist passive participle. Thus, it indicates something given to the subject (you) in the past.

The Greek word translated “by” is en. Although by implication this word can show instrumentality (by), its basic meaning is positional (in). Therefore, this indicates that the grace that we were given is “in Christ Jesus.”

Meaning Explained

Paul knew that he was about to give the Christians in Corinth some very heavy criticism, so he starts out with a very positive message. He starts with a description of some of the things that happened at the time of salvation. The thing foremost in his mind is the grace of God. This is a constant theme in all of Paul’s letters because it is something incredibly wonderful. The salvation we have from God is freely given, not because we deserve it, but because He chose to give it to us. This is without a doubt the greatest gift we could ever hope to receive. It is by God’s grace that we are part of His family and it is for that gift of grace that Paul is continually thankful.

Once again, notice that Paul regularly prays about his ministry and for the people to whom he ministers. All of us who are actively serving God in the church should follow Paul’s example. Not only should we be praying that God will use us for His glory in the work we do for Him, we should be thanking Him for whatever fruit we see. This should also serve as a reminder to us that whatever fruit we might see is not a result of our own brilliance, talent, or hard work. The bringing forth of fruit is God’s doing. Later in this letter to the Corinthians Paul says,

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:7)

Some of you may respond with, “Well, if God produces the fruit, why should I work so hard? He’ll bring forth fruit whether I work hard or not.” First of all, that’s a very selfish viewpoint with regard to our service for God. Secondly, we work hard for Him because He deserves our best. As a result of the grace He has shown to us, we should give our best and serve Him in a manner befitting a King.

Application

Are you currently working in a ministry in your local church? Are you working hard, giving it your best, or are you just “getting by.” Remember that you’re not just working for your pastor or for your church, you’re working for your Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Give Him your best!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved