Tag: convinced

Romans 14:5 – Always In His Presence

Posted on by Will

One person judges one day above another; another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

Truth to Learn

Everything we do is in God’s presence and should be done as if He were the only one we are doing it for.

 

Behind the Words

“Fully convinced” is translated from plērophoreō, which is made up of plerēs, meaning “full” and phoreō, meaning “to fill.” So, literally, the word means “to fill full,” but it also means “to fully accomplish” or “to persuade completely.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous three verses Paul talked about the arguing that existed within the church at Rome regarding what food is permissible to eat. This arguing was based on the assumption by some that Christians have to keep the Law just as Jews have to. The current verse now takes on another of the arguments that the legalizers and the freedomizers had. This argument was over the Mosaic ordinances of the Sabbath.

According to Paul, some in the Christian church in Rome believed that a certain day was to be set aside “as unto the Lord”, that is, it was to be considered as sacred above the other six. Others in the church believed that all days were to be honored the same. Clearly, in the Jewish faith it was a requirement to “keep the Sabbath day” by not performing any work at all, rather observing it as a day of rest. However, since the resurrection of our Lord was on Sunday, others in the church argued that Sunday was to be treated like a Sabbath day and no work was to be performed on Sunday. Still others argued that all days were holy to the Lord, and since we are no longer under the demands of the Law, it was permissible to work on any day of the week.

In a church that we previously attended (not the one that argued over carpeting), I had a member severely chasten me for mowing my lawn on Sunday. He specifically pointed out that we were to refrain from work on Sunday. Whereas I’m sure that his admonition was intended to assist me in being more Christ-like in my behavior, it nonetheless bothered me that this same person would always take his family to a restaurant on Sunday, thus requiring someone else to work on Sunday in order to serve him and his family. This contradiction of word and action made his comments to me seem more hypocritical than helpful. After all, if it is wrong to work on Sunday, how can it be right to cause someone else to work for you on Sunday?

As Paul will point out in the following verses, whatever we do should be done “as unto the Lord.” We should be focused on Him and His grace no matter what we observe or don’t observe, and we should do everything as if it was done for God and God alone. Remember, we are no longer under the Law as Paul said earlier in this letter to the Christians in Rome:

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. (Romans 3:28)

 

Application

If we do everything “as unto the Lord,” we will neither be burdened with the requirements of the Law, nor will we have the freedom to sin as we please. Instead, we will behave as if He were right there with us at all times. Do you live each day as if Christ were beside you at all times? If you don’t, you should, because He is!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:21 – Timeless Performance

Posted on by Will

and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to do.

Truth to Learn

God’s ability to keep His promises never changes.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “being fully convinced” is plērophoreō, which is a compound made up of plerēs, meaning “full,” and a form of phoreō, which means “to fill.” Hence, in its root meaning this word implies that something is “fully filled” or “completely full.” By implication it means “to fulfill, to thoroughly accomplish, or to be completely convinced.” In this case it means that Abraham’s faith was as complete and solid as humanly possible. There was no room for doubt.

“Able” is translated from dunatos, which is the noun form of the verb dunamai, meaning “to be strong” or “to be able;” that is, to have the power to do something. Hence, dunatos means “having the power or ability.”

The word translated “is” is the verb eimi, which is the verb of being (“to be”). It is expressed here in the present tense, active voice, indicative mood which implies current action. In other words, it should be translated “He is.”

“To do” is from the Greek verb poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.”

 

Meaning Explained

You will recall that in the previous verse we noted Abraham’s faith was consistent and strong (not wavering at all) and his faith glorified God. This verse adds some further definition to that faith which Abraham had. The first thing that Paul says in this verse is that Abraham was fully convinced. This is another way of saying that he had no doubts at all. This may sound like a repetition of what was said in the previous verse, but there is a subtle difference. Not only was Abraham’s faith not wavering (growing stronger and weaker over time), but it was as fully filled-up as it could possibly be.

The thing that Abraham was fully convinced about was that God is able to do what He had promised (that Abraham would be the father of many nations). You will notice that I said “is able to do” not “was able to do.” As noted in “Behind the Words,” the form of this verb indicates current action (He is able to do). So what’s the significance of this? It is as significant as what Jesus said when He was discussing with the Jews about what it really means to be a son of Abraham. When the Jews asked Him if He was greater than Abraham, He said:

Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I AM! (John 8:58)

He did not say “before Abraham was, I was” because Jesus, being God, is eternal. He never ceases to exist and, in fact, He exists simultaneously at all points in time past, present, and future. Likewise in the verse we are looking at today, the Apostle Paul says, “what He had promised, He is also able to do.”

 

Application

God’s ability to perform his promise to Abraham, and His ability to fulfill the promises that He makes to us today through his Word, never ceases to exist. He is always able to fulfill them. In other words, His power and His commitment to us are eternal and they never change. Hallelujah!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 2:19 – Shine the Light

Posted on by Will

and are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

Truth to Learn

Biblical truth is a light to those in darkness. We must share it.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “convinced” is peithō, meaning “to convince.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, implying past completed action with an ongoing effect with the emphasis on the effect. Hence, these Christians are convinced themselves that they are guides to the (spiritually) blind and a light to those who are in darkness.

“Guide” is from the Greek word hodēgos, which is made up of hodos, meaning “a way or a path” and a form of hēgeomai, meaning “to lead.” Therefore, you can see that this word refers to one who leads the way.

The word “blind” is translated from the noun form of the verb tuphloō, meaning “to envelop with smoke” or “to be unable to see clearly.” This word is used to describe someone who cannot see but it is also used metaphorically to refer to someone who does not understand some truth.

 

Meaning Explained

Not only were these Christians in Rome proud of their Jewish heritage and the fact that they had the Law as their guide into spiritual truths, they also believed themselves to be the only ones possessing God’s truth. Because of this, they believed that they were better informed with regard to spiritual truths and, therefore, were the only ones truly able to provide spiritual insight to the Gentiles.

Boy, talk about arrogance! Unfortunately, there are a number of people in Bible believing churches today that have that same attitude. Just because we have the truth in the Bible and have been instructed by great Biblical teachers does not mean that we are any better than anyone else. Let us guard against this sinful arrogance. An interesting thing to note is that the message of salvation was first given to the Jews, according to Jesus. Here’s what He said to a Samaritan woman:

You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  (John 4:22)

However, the Jews forgot that their purpose was to share the good news of salvation, not hoard it to themselves.

The apostle Paul realized that he had a precious message (the truth of the gospel) and that he needed to share it with everyone. However he did not consider himself as better than others or even as more important. On the contrary, he felt that he had an obligation to preach the gospel and that he would be judged if he did not preach it. Here’s what he said in his first letter to the Christians at Corinth:

For if I preach the gospel, no glory is to me, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!  (1 Corinthians 9:16)

He knew that the truth he had learned about God was precious, but he did not let himself get arrogant about it. Instead, he shared the gospel message to anyone who would listen.

 

Application

Don’t hoard the truth. Let’s all share the gospel and other truths in the Bible, but let’s do it with a humble heart, submitted to the God of the Bible and giving Him the glory.

It’s what we all have been commanded to do!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:21 – Timeless Performance

Posted on by Will

Romans 4:21

and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Truth to Learn

God’s ability to keep His promises never changes.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “being fully convinced” is plērophoreō, which is a compound made up of plerēs, meaning “full,” and a form of phoreō, which means “to fill.” Hence, in its root meaning this word implies that something is “fully filled” or “completely full.” By implication it means “to fulfill, to thoroughly accomplish, or to be completely convinced.” In this case it means that Abraham’s faith was as complete and solid as humanly possible. There was no room for doubt.

“Able” is translated from dunatos, which is the noun form of the verb dunamai, meaning “to be strong” or “to be able;” that is, to have the power to do something. Hence, dunatos means “having the power or ability.”

The word translated “is” is the verb eimi, which is the verb of being (“to be”). It is expressed here in the present tense, active voice, indicative mood which implies current action. In other words, it should be translated “He is.”

“Perform” is from the Greek verb poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.”

Meaning Explained

You will recall that in the previous verse we noted Abraham’s faith was consistent and strong (not wavering at all) and his faith glorified God. This verse adds some further definition to that faith which Abraham had. The first thing that Paul says in this verse is that Abraham was fully convinced. This is another way of saying that he had no doubts at all. This may sound like a repetition of what was said in the previous verse, but there is a subtle difference. Not only was Abraham’s faith not wavering (growing stronger and weaker over time), but it was as fully filled-up as it could possibly be.

The thing that Abraham was fully convinced about was that God is able to do what He had promised (that Abraham would be the father of many nations). You will notice that I said “is able to do” not “was able to do.” As noted in “Behind the Words,” the form of this verb indicates current action (He is able to do). So what’s the significance of this? It is as significant as what Jesus said when He was discussing with the Jews about what it really means to be a son of Abraham. When the Jews asked Him if He was greater than Abraham, He said:

Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I AM! (John 8:58)

He did not say “before Abraham was, I was” because Jesus, being God, is eternal. He never ceases to exist and, in fact, He exists simultaneously at all points in time past, present, and future. Likewise in the verse we are looking at today, the Apostle Paul says, “what He had promised, He is also able to perform.”

Application

God’s ability to perform his promise to Abraham, and His ability to fulfill the promises that He makes to us today through his Word, never ceases to exist. He is always able to fulfill them. In other words, His power and His commitment to us are eternal and they never change. Hallelujah!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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