calling – Ministry of Grace Church

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2 Peter 1:10 – Secure Salvation

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Will

Therefore, my brothers, instead be all the more diligent to make your calling and election firm. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,

Truth to Learn

If you are truly saved, then you are completely saved, forever!

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from dio, which means “for which, wherefore, or therefore.”

The word “diligent” is translated from the Greek verb spoudadzō, which comes from the same root as one of the words we looked at in verse five, spoude. It refers to “speed, earnestness, diligence, or zeal.” It is used here in the imperative mood, indicating a command. In the context of the past few verses, this could possibly be translated as “zealous.”

“Calling” is from the Greek klēsis, which refers to “an invitation.” And the word “election” is from the Greek eklogē, which comes from eklegō (to choose), referring to something that was “chosen” or “selected.”

The word “firm” is from “bebaios,” meaning “fixed” or “firm.” Figuratively, this word refers to the foundation upon which something is built. Literally, we could translate this word as “foundational,” meaning that which is sure, firm, secure, and upon which other things can be built.

The expression “you will never stumble” is translated from ou me ptaisēte pote, which literally means, “no not stumble ever.” The double negative, although improper in English, is a way of emphasizing the point in Greek. We could translate this as “you will in no way stumble, ever!”

Meaning Explained

Peter has been talking about the character qualities that all Christians need to develop in order to be mature, and he spoke in verse nine about the consequences of not diligently pursuing these qualities. Those who don’t work hard at developing these qualities actually become less Christ-like and become blinded, unable to see the truth, and they become forgetful of the work done to wipe out the consequences of their sins. Therefore, says Peter, work even harder at developing these Christian characteristics.

When Peter says to “make your calling and election firm” he is not saying “to eliminate doubt” about them. He is not questioning the doctrine of election; rather he is affirming it by saying that we are to be diligent in demonstrating the firmness of our calling and election. The word “if” is not in the original Greek. Literally he says, “for doing these things there is no way you would stumble, ever!”

There has been much debate about what he means that there is no way we would ever stumble. But if we look at the next verse we see that he is talking about our entrance into the everlasting kingdom. In other words, Peter is telling us that as we build on the sure foundation of our salvation, which was made sure by our calling and election, then we will absolutely never lose our salvation, ever!

Application

Perhaps you have been taught that if you commit certain kinds of sins you will lose your salvation. According to Peter, however, if you are demonstrating your salvation by developing these character qualities, it is proof that you are saved, and you will never ever lose your salvation.

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 1:11 – Don’t Complain, Give Thanks!

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Will

To this end we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good intent of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

Truth to Learn

Trials are good for Christians. Don’t complain – thank God.

Behind the Words

“To this end” is translated from the Greek words eis ho. Eis means “to, into, or unto” and ho is a relative pronoun meaning “who or which.” So, we see that these two words literally mean “to which.”

The words “would count … worthy” are from the verb axioō, which is based on the noun axios, meaning “value or worth.” Therefore, axioō means “to determine the value or worth of something.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood indicating possibility or probability.

Klēsis is the Greek word translated “calling.” It is based on the verb kaleō, meaning “a call or invitation to people, inviting them to come or to go somewhere.”

The word “fulfill” is from plēroō, meaning “to fill-up or to make completely full.”

“Good intent” is translated from eudokia, which is made up of eu, meaning “good or well” and dokeō, meaning “to think.” Thus eudokia, means “good thoughts” or “good intent.”

Meaning Explained

The apostle Paul would probably not get good grades in a Greek writing class because his sentences are often long and run-on. A good example is shown here in 2 Thessalonians. The sentence immediately preceding the current verse began back in verse three and doesn’t end until verse 10. As a result, it takes deep inspection to determine what he means by “to this end” at the beginning of today’s verse.

The crux of what Paul has been talking about is “we thank God because your patience and faith are growing as a result of your persecution and suffering. And, this growth is evidence of God’s righteous good judgment toward you and His severe judgment against unbelievers.” Basically, he prayed that God would show them His goodness at His return and in the future kingdom.

Now, Paul expresses another prayer. Instead of future blessing, however, he prays for their present blessing. He first prays that we might be found to be worthy of our calling to be a Christian. Trials do not make a person; they simply reveal what a person is really made of. A faithful, committed Christian will demonstrate his or her worth in the middle of trials. Weak or wishy-washy Christians in the midst of trials will only moan and complain, showing how little value their faith has. God knows our hearts even before we encounter trials, but we only recognize how strong our faith is when we are in the heat of battle.

Right now, God wants you to know how much He desires to bless you. That’s one of the reasons He allows persecution and suffering of His children. Trials are not a bad thing for Christians, they are good for us!

Application

When you encounter trials in your Christian walk or when you suffer for being a Christian, don’t complain to God; instead, thank Him for showing His love to you.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:18 – Two Great Truths

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Will

the eyes of your heart being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Truth to Learn

There are two great truths here. The first is that the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truth to us. The other is that you are highly valued by God and will be cherished for all eternity.

Behind the Words

The word “heart” is translated from the Greek word kardia. Although this word is used to describe the physical heart of a person, in the New Testament it is used exclusively in a figurative sense in reference to the seat of the desires, feelings, affections, passions, and impulses. Some Greek manuscripts do not contain the word kardia here. Instead they have the word dianoia. This is made up of dia, meaning “through” or indicating division, and a form of the verb noeō, meaning “to exercise the mind.” Therefore, we see that dianoia indicates something that has been thoroughly thought through, thus “understanding.” This word does not appear in most Greek manuscripts; instead, kardia (heart) is used. So, “heart” is the preferred reading.

“Enlightened” is the translation of phōtidzō, which is derived from phōs, meaning “light.” Phōtidzō means “to shine the light on something” or “to make something visible.”

“Hope” is from the Greek word elpis, meaning “that which is hoped for.” The meaning of this word, however, is not simply something wished for; it includes a full expectation of it actually happening.

The word “calling” is translated from klēsis, a shortened form of the verb kaleō, meaning “to call.” Thus, klēsis refers to “a calling” or “an invitation.”

“Riches” is from ploutos, which refers to “wealth made up of things of value.”

Meaning Explained

This verse contains the continuation of Paul’s prayer for all saints. In the previous verse he asked that God the Father might give us wisdom and revelation through the Holy Spirit. Now he tells us about some of the effects of that revelation provided by the Holy Spirit.

He tells us here that it will produce enlightenment. The Greeks believed that the heart was not just the seat of the emotions, but of understanding and determination as well. So, Paul is saying that the eyes of our heart should receive light. We all know that in the darkness we cannot see or recognize things very well; however, when something is illuminated we can see with both our vision and our perception. That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit does for us. He shines the light of truth on things that we see and hear. Because of this illumination, we can understand spiritual truths which we otherwise would not have understood.

There are three particular spiritual truths which we can know as a result of the Spirit’s illumination. Two are in this verse and the third is in the next verse. Here he tells us about the hope and assurance we have of eternal life as a result of God’s invitation. He also tells us how great the glory of His inheritance is. This is not a reference to our inheritance, which we talked about in verse fourteen. This is a reference to the rich inheritance that Jesus Christ will receive in heaven: all the saints, who will spend eternity with Him.

Application

You may not think or yourself as being worth very much, but God sees each one of us as extremely valuable. We, the bride of Christ, will be the Father’s gift to the Son for all eternity.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 1:26 – Calling the Lowly

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Will

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

Truth to Learn

God calls lowly sinners to His kingdom and to His family.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “you see” is blepō, which means “to look at” or “to see.” The form of this verb is ambiguous. It could be present tense, active voice, indicative mood, meaning “you see.” But it could also be present tense, active voice, imperative mood, meaning “look at!”

“Calling” is from klēsis, which refers to “an invitation.” As we explain below, here it refers to those who respond to the invitation and accept it by faith.

The word translated “mighty” is dunatos, meaning “that which is powerful.”

Eugeneis is the Greek word translated as “noble.” It is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and genos, meaning “a race” or “a family.” Thus, eugeneis literally means “well born” or “born into a good family.”

Meaning Explained

In verse twenty-four, Paul told us that to those of us who are called, the gospel message is “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Back in verse nine we talked a little more about this calling. It does not refer to everyone who has heard the gospel message; it refers to everyone who has believed the good news. Now he gives us some additional information about those of us who believe.

Remember that Paul has been contrasting the wisdom and power of the world system with the wisdom and power of God. To the world, especially the wisest, the most powerful, and the ruling class, the death of Christ and the gospel message are foolishness. It is likely for this very reason that He did not call many of them. Notice that Paul does not say that none of them are called, rather he says that very few of them are called. Instead, God pours out His grace on the “foolish,” the powerless, and the common people. To the world this seems like foolishness because these people have little or nothing to offer Him, which is precisely Paul’s point. Jesus, in one of His prayers, put it this way:

At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (Matthew 11:25)

Later, in verse twenty-nine, Paul tells us God’s reasoning: “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” In our fleshly nature we want to take some or all of the credit for our salvation, but all the credit and all the glory belongs to God. Our salvation is not ours because we have done anything; this salvation is ours because God has done everything and has freely given it to us. It was not given to us because we deserve anything. It was given to us because we do not deserve anything except eternal damnation. That’s God’s wisdom!

Application

If you are a born-again Christian, it is not because you have done anything; it is because God has done everything for you. That should drive all of us to our knees with thankful hearts!

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 1:11 – Don’t Complain, Give Thanks!

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Will

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

Truth to Learn

Trials are good for Christians. Don’t complain – thank God.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek words eis ho. Eis means “to, into, or unto” and ho is a relative pronoun meaning “who or which.” So, we see that these two words literally mean “to which.”

Klēsis is the Greek word translated “calling.” It is based on the verb kaleō, meaning “a call or invitation to people, inviting them to come or to go somewhere.”

The word “fulfill” is from plēroō, meaning “to fill-up or to make completely full.”

“Good pleasure” is translated from eudokia, which is made up of eu, meaning “good or well” and dokeō, meaning “to think.” Thus eudokia, means “good thoughts” or “good intent.”

Meaning Explained

Application

When you encounter trials in your Christian walk or when you suffer for being a Christian, don’t complain to God; instead, thank Him for showing His love to you.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:1 – Serve One, Serve All

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Will

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

Truth to Learn

We are all called to serve in God’s church.

Behind the Words

“Prisoner” is from desmios, which is derived from the verb desmeō, meaning “to bind.” Thus, desmios means “someone in bonds” or “a prisoner.”

The word “beseech” is translated from the Greek verb parakaleō, which is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” or “near” and kaleō, meaning “to call.” Therefore, we can see that literally this word means “to call near.” In usage, the basic meaning is “to comfort,” “to encourage,” or “to challenge.”

“Walk” is from peripateō. This is made up of peri, meaning “around,” “through,” or “with respect to” and pateō, meaning “to walk.” This Greek word means “to walk around.” It is used as a reference to how a person lives his or her life.

The word “calling” is klēsis, which is derived from kaleō, “to call.” It refers to “an invitation.”

“You were called” is translated from the verb kaleō, “to call.” It is expressed in the aorist tense indicating past completed action which occurred at a point in time (not a process).

Meaning Explained

The Apostle Paul starts off this verse reminding his readers that he is a prisoner of the Lord. This is very similar to the way he started off the previous chapter. There, he did so to introduce his ministry to the Gentiles and the mystery regarding the church. Here, he reminds them that he is a prisoner because he is about to challenge his readers to live a life that is characterized by service to others rather than serving self. As a prisoner, he is a supreme example of this.

Most of the first three chapters of this letter were focused on teaching doctrine. In the remainder of the letter, Paul focuses on duty. Another way to say this is, previously he taught us what to believe; now he will teach us how to behave.

As you can see from Behind the Words, in this verse Paul uses several forms of the word kaleō (to call). This is typical Pauline style. He likes to play on words like this as a device to drive home his message. He is in prison because God called him to preach the gospel to Gentiles, thus angering religious Jews who thought he was perverting Judaism. He was more concerned with serving God than he was with protecting himself. In fact, before his final trip to Jerusalem, where he was arrested, he was told by a prophet that he would end up in chains:

When he [the prophet Agabus] had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.' " (Acts 21:11)

Paul was totally dedicated to the ministry to which he had been called. Now he will be challenging us to be just as dedicated to the ministry to which each of us has been called.

Application

Every Christian has been called by God to serve within the body of Christ. Each of us has a function to perform for which God has specifically gifted us. There is no excuse for any of us not to be serving. Are you performing the ministry to which you have been called by God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:18 – Two Great Truths

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Will

Ephesians 1:18 – Two Great Truths

the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Truth to Learn

There are two great truths here. The first is that the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truth to us. The other is that you are highly valued by God and will be cherished for all eternity.

Behind the Words

The word “understanding” is translated from dianoia. This is made up of dia, meaning “through” or indicating division, and a form of the verb noeō, meaning “to exercise the mind.” Therefore, we see that dianoia indicates something that has been thoroughly thought through, thus “understanding.” This word does not appear in most Greek manuscripts; instead, kardia (heart) is used. So, “heart” is the preferred reading.

“Enlightened” is the translation of phōtidzō, which is derived from phōs, meaning “light.” Phōtidzō means “to shine the light on something” or “to make something visible.”

The word “calling” is translated from klēsis, a shortened form of the verb kaleō, meaning “to call.” Thus, klēsis refers to “a calling” or “an invitation.”

“Riches” is from ploutos, which refers to “wealth made up of things of value.”

Meaning Explained

He tells us here that it will produce enlightenment. As we said earlier, the word “understanding” should probably be replaced by “heart.” The Greeks believed that the heart was not just the seat of the emotions, but of understanding and determination as well. So, Paul is saying that the eyes of our heart should receive light. We all know that in the darkness we cannot see or recognize things very well; however, when something is illuminated we can see with both our vision and our perception. That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit does for us. He shines the light of truth on things that we see and hear. Because of this illumination, we can understand spiritual truths which we otherwise would not have understood.

Application

You may not think or yourself as being worth very much, but God sees each one of us as extremely valuable. We, the bride of Christ, will be the Father’s gift to the Son for all eternity.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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2 Peter 1:10 – Secure Salvation

Posted on April 15, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:10

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,

Truth to Learn

If you are truly saved, then you are completely saved, forever!

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from dio, which means “for which, wherefore, or therefore.”

The word “eager” is translated from the Greek verb spoudadzō, which comes from the same root as one of the words we looked at in verse five, spoude. It refers to “speed, earnestness, diligence, or zeal.” It is used here in the imperative mood, indicating a command. In the context of the past few verses, this should probably be translated “diligent” or “zealous.”

The word “sure” is from “bebaios,” meaning “fixed” or “firm.” Figuratively, this word refers to the foundation upon which something is built. Literally, we could translate this word as “foundational,” meaning that which is sure, firm, secure, and upon which other things can be built.

The expression “you will never fall” is translated from ou me ptaisēte pote, which literally means, “no not fall ever.” The double negative, although improper in English, is a way of emphasizing the point in Greek. We could translate this as “you will in no way fall, ever!”

Meaning Explained

When Peter says to “make your calling and election sure” he is not saying “to eliminate doubt” about them. He is not questioning the doctrine of election; rather he is affirming it by saying that we are to be diligent in demonstrating the firmness of our calling and election. The word “if” is not in the original Greek. Literally he says, “for doing these things there is no way you would fall, ever!”

There has been much debate about what he means that there is no way we would ever fall. But if we look at the next verse we see that he is talking about our entrance into the everlasting kingdom. In other words, Peter is telling us that as we build on the sure foundation of our salvation, which was made sure by our calling and election, then we will absolutely never lose our salvation, ever!

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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