Tag: dia touto

2 Thessalonians 2:11 – Hardened Hearts

Posted on by Will

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, so they will believe the lie,

Truth to Learn

Hardening one’s heart toward God is never a good idea.

 

Behind the Words

The expression “for this reason” is translated from the Greek words dia touto, which literally mean “through this.”

“Will send” is from pempō, meaning “to dispatch” or “to send.” It is expressed here in the present tense, indicating current action. However, this may be seen as a “prophetic present tense” in which the action is spoken of as current with regard to the future events (when the antichrist is revealed). For this reason, most translations express this as a future tense.

Energeia is the word translated “strong.” It is composed of en, meaning “in” and ergon, meaning “work.” Thus, energeia refers literally to something that is engaged in work. In other words it means “working” or “energizing.”

“Delusion” is from planē, which means “a wandering out of the right way” or “a straying from what is right.” Objectively, it refers to that which is a fraud, a deception, or a delusion.

The word translated “lie” is pseudos, of which we saw another form in verse nine. It refers to something that is not truthful. Some translations say “a lie” but the definite article is included in the text, so the proper translation is “the lie.”

 

Meaning Explained

Because this verse starts off with “for this reason,” we have to determine what it is referring to. It is a reference to “…because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” It is because the earth dwellers, living at the time when the lawless one is revealed, refuse to believe God’s truth that God will send them an “energized deception.”

This immediately brings to mind what happened to the Pharaoh of Egypt when Moses delivered God’s demand that he let the children of Israel leave Egypt. Reading Exodus chapters seven through ten we see a progression of “Pharaoh’s heart grew hard” (Exodus 7:13, 22; 8:9, 32) to Pharaoh hardened his heart,” (Exodus 8:15; 9:12, 34, 35) to the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27). Initially it was Pharaoh’s own sinful nature that caused his heart to become hardened against God. Then Pharaoh consciously hardened his own heart against God. Finally, in an act of judgment against him, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Even today, many people have a hardened heart toward God and the gospel message. In the last days the earth dwellers will have consciously hardened their own hearts against God, “refusing to receive the love of the truth.” Finally, God will send such energized deception on the part of the antichrist that they will not be able to believe the truth but will believe the lie conveyed to them. Paul vividly describes this progression in his letter to the Christians in Rome (Romans 1:18-32).

So what is this lie? Perhaps it began with Satan’s message to Eve, “and you will be like God.” In today’s secular humanism it is believed that we are our own god. In the final days, there will be one who deceptively “proves” himself to be God.

 

Application

Refusing to listen to God’s truth can have terrible consequences. Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean it can't happen to you. Remember what happened to Jonah?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 3:7 – Focusing On Others

Posted on by Will

because of this, brothers, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith.

Truth to Learn

Paul was concerned about how his own persecution was affecting the faith of others.

 

Behind the Words

“Because of this” is from the Greek words dia touto. The word dia denotes the channel of action, that is, “on account of” or “by means of.” Touto means “this.” Therefore, dia touto literally translates as “on account of this” or “because of this.”

“Brothers” is the translation of adelphos, which is made up of a, indicating unity and delphus, which refers to the womb. Therefore, literally this word means “someone having the same birth origin.” Since all Christians are “born of the Spirit,” we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The word “affliction” is translated from thlipsis, which we saw back in verse three. It means “pressure, stress, trouble, or affliction.”

The word translated “distress” is anagkē, which can refer to “necessity” or to “an oppositional compelling force.”

“We were comforted” is from the Greek verb parakaleō, which we saw back in verse two where it was translated as “encourage.” It is a picture of someone being called alongside to challenge and encourage. In this verse it could be translated as “comforted” or “encouraged.”

Pistis is the Greek word translated “faith.” It is based on the verb peithō, meaning “to persuade” or “to win over by persuasive discussion.” Pistis refers to the state of having been firmly convinced of a truth.

 

Meaning Explained

As we have mentioned before, word order is very important in Greek. The thought or idea expressed first is the most important. In today’s verse, the Greek word order says, “because of this, we were comforted, brothers, concerning you …” You may recall from verses one and five that Paul wanted to know about how the Thessalonians were doing, but he had not heard any word from them. He knew that he and his co-workers had only spent a brief time with these young Christians and he was concerned that the persecution that they were facing might have weakened their faith. So, Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage them and to see how strong their faith was.

But it was not just the persecution of the Thessalonians that Paul was uncomfortable about. Paul was concerned that the persecution and affliction that he and his companions were suffering might be affecting the faith of his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. This may be only a subtle distinction, but it demonstrates something significant about the Apostle. He was not focusing on himself and his own circumstances, but on how his circumstances might be affecting others.

 

Application

Part of human nature is to look-out for ourselves, to do all we can to ensure that we are safe and comfortable. Pure and undefiled faith in God, however, means trusting God and being concerned about the safety and wellbeing of others. What are you putting your trust in and whose wellbeing are you most concerned about?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 3:7 – Focusing On Others

Posted on by Will

therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith.

Truth to Learn

Paul was concerned about how his own persecution was affecting the faith of others.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is from the Greek words dia touto. The word dia denotes the channel of action, that is, “on account of” or “by means of.” Touto means “this.” Therefore, dia touto literally translates as “on account of this” or “because of this.”

“Brethren” is the translation of adelphos, which is made up of a, indicating unity and delphus, which refers to the womb. Therefore, literally this word means “someone having the same birth origin.” Since all Christians are “born of the Spirit,” we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The word “affliction” is translated from thlipsis, which we saw back in verse three. It means “pressure, stress, trouble, or affliction.”

The word translated “distress” is anagkē, which can refer to “necessity” or to “an oppositional compelling force.”

“We were comforted” is from the Greek verb parakaleō, which we saw back in verse two where it was translated as “encourage.” It is a picture of someone being called alongside to challenge and encourage. In this verse it could be translated as “comforted” or “encouraged.”

Pistis is the Greek word translated “faith.” It is based on the verb peithō, meaning “to persuade” or “to win over by persuasive discussion.” Pistis refers to the state of having been firmly convinced of a truth.

Meaning Explained

As we have mentioned before, word order is very important in Greek. The thought or idea expressed first is the most important. In today’s verse, the Greek word order says, “therefore, we were comforted, brothers, over you …” You may recall from verses one and five that Paul wanted to know about how the Thessalonians were doing, but he had not heard any word from them. He knew that he and his co-workers had only spent a brief time with these young Christians and he was concerned that the persecution that they were facing might have weakened their faith. So, Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage them and to see how strong their faith was.

But it was not just the persecution of the Thessalonians that Paul was uncomfortable about. Paul was concerned that the persecution and affliction that he and his companions were suffering might be affecting the faith of his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. This may be only a subtle distinction, but it demonstrates something significant about the Apostle. He was not focusing on himself and his own circumstances, but on how his circumstances might be affecting others.

Application

Part of human nature is to look-out for ourselves, to do all we can to ensure that we are safe and comfortable. Pure and undefiled faith in God, however, means trusting God and being concerned about the safety and wellbeing of others. What are you putting your trust in and whose wellbeing are you most concerned about?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved