Tag: didasko

Romans 12:7 – His Gifts, His Choice

Posted on by Will

or service, let us use it in our serving; the one teaching, in the teaching;

Truth to Learn

We all have gifts to be used within the church, but God determines which gift or gifts we have been given.

 

Behind the Words

The word that is translated “service” is the Greek word diakonian, which is translated elsewhere as “deacon.” It means “one who attends to the needs of others” or “one who serves.” This is a gift of helping others who are in need.

“Teaching” is translated from didaskō, which is a causative form of the verb daō, meaning “to learn.” Didaskō means “to teach” or “to cause someone to learn.”

 

Meaning Explained

It is at this point that most expositions on these current verses veer off and begin to talk about the various leadership positions within the church (prophet, deacon, teacher, preacher, elder). Notice, however, that Paul is talking about the gifts that God has bestowed on the various members of the body. He is not (in these verses at least) talking about the gifted people. I know it’s a subtle distinction, but Paul’s focus is on the gifts provided by the giver (God) and how they are to be used for the benefit of the body.

In the case of the gift of service, it is the ability to recognize those who are in need and being willing and able to humble oneself to the position of servant to assist them. In my mind it is one of the most important gifts within the church but one which few people aspire to.

The next gift talked about is the gift of teaching. I am sure that we all have known people who can take the Word of God and open it up in such a way that it becomes clearer to us; someone who makes learning the history and doctrines of the Bible exciting and fun. This is a person who has the gift of teaching in the church. Remember that these gifts are abilities or talents that God has bestowed on individuals. The gift does not require years of education to use it effectively, although often the proper education will enhance one’s ability to use the gift.

According to Paul, these gifts are given to individuals in the church differently according as His grace sees fit. Some of us may have several of the gifts and some may only have a single gift. How many we have or even which one we might have is not important. What is important is that we make use of the gift within the framework of the church. If God has gifted you in a certain area and you are not using that gift within the church, then you are not using that gift as God intended. If you don’t know in what area God has gifted you, instead of asking God for a particular gift, learn all you can about all of them and ask God to show you the area in which He has gifted you. Remember, when you placed yourself on the altar, you turned over all decision making to God.

 

Application

One day all Christians will appear before the Bema seat of Christ where we will receive rewards for what we have done with what God has given us. My prayer is that each of us will be able to look God straight in the eye and say, “Lord I have used what you have given me to the best of my ability to bring praise to You! You are worthy, O Lord!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 2:21 – Preaching by Example

Posted on by Will

You, therefore, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who are preaching not to steal, do you steal?

Truth to Learn

Obeying God’s Word is more important than teaching it.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “teach” is didaskō, which is a prolonged form of a primary verb daō, meaning “to know” or “to teach.” Didaskō specifically means “to teach or instruct by word of mouth.”

“Preach” is translated from the Greek word kērussō, meaning “to herald, announce, or proclaim publicly.” It is especially applied to “preaching, publishing, or proclaiming a religious truth or doctrine.”

The word “steal” is translated from kleptō, meaning “to steal.” It is the root of our English word kleptomaniac, which refers to someone who has an overwhelming compulsion to steal.

 

Meaning Explained

As we said yesterday, this is the verse where Paul starts his toe stompin’. Previously, he has been showing the Jewish Christians in Rome how privileged they were to have had the sacred Scriptures and how proud they were because of it. Now he points out that having and teaching the Law are not the same thing as obeying the Law.

He starts off with, “you, therefore, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself?” The implication is very clear. They were in need of the teaching just as much as those to whom they were giving the teaching. Likewise, he says, “You who are preaching not to steal, do you steal?” Again, the obvious answer is that they were guilty of doing the thing they were preaching against.

When we were looking at verse thirteen of this chapter of Romans, we noted the similarity between what Paul was saying and what James said in his letter:

But become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)

But now let me take a little bit of liberty with verse thirteen and express it as Paul might have after having given today’s verse,

For not the teachers of the Law are just with God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

It’s bad enough that these Jewish converts to Christianity were more focused on listening to the reading of God’s word than on doing it. It is even worse that they were teaching others the truths of God’s word without practicing them themselves.

Christians have been entrusted with the sacred Word of God. By God’s grace our eyes have been opened and we know that the Bible is truth. Our commission is to share this truth with the world around us. But, we must be careful that we don’t simply preach and teach the truth without living it as well.

 

Application

Let’s continue to proclaim God’s gospel message to the entire world, but let’s also commit to redoubling our efforts to being totally obedient to God’s Word.  May our obedience to God’s Word be our witness to the rest of the world!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 2:15 – Stand Firm and Hold Fast

Posted on by Will

Therefore, brothers, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Truth to Learn

We must learn truth and hold fast to what we know is true.

Behind the Words

“Stand fast” is from the stēkō, which is derived from the verb histēmi, meaning “to stand.” As it is used in the New Testament, stēkō means “to stand firm in faith and duty.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

The word “hold” is translated from krateō, which is based on the word kratos, meaning “strength.” Krateō means “to take hold of” or “become the master of.” It implies a degree of force with which one brings a person or thing wholly under one’s power, even when resistance is encountered. It, too, is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

Paradosis is the Greek word translated “traditions.” It is based on paradidōmi, meaning “to deliver teaching.” Thus, paradosis refers to doctrine, instruction, or a tradition delivered or communicated from one person to another (usually orally).

The words “you were taught” are from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.”

The words “whether” and “or” are both translated from eite, which is made up of ei, meaning “whether” and te, meaning “and.” This word is used to set items in contrast or opposition to one another. It is used at the beginning of the comparison and again between the two things being compared.

Meaning Explained

You may recall from earlier in this letter that the Christians in Thessalonica were disturbed because false teachers had come to them and taught that the Day of the Lord (the Tribulation) had already come. Some of these false teachers had even claimed that their false teaching had come from the Apostle Paul and his companions.

Now, having taught them about the things that must happen before the Day of the Lord, Paul teaches them how to detect and avoid such false teachings in the future. He starts off with a command to stand fast, that is, to not waver back and forth between good doctrine and bad. He adds to this the command to master the good teaching and hold firmly to it.

Keep in mind that in the first century of the church, the only “Scripture” that Christians had was what we call “the Old Testament.” Paul and others were traveling from area to area preaching the new truths and they and others of the Apostles had begun sending letters to churches teaching the truths of the Christian faith. In some cases it was hard for the people to distinguish between good doctrine and false teaching. Therefore, Paul taught them to hold fast to the teaching that they knew to be genuine. This would help them to identify false teaching from others.

In some ways, it us just as easy for us to be deceived by false teaching. If we don’t regularly read and study the Bible for ourselves, instead simply depending on what we are taught by others, it is easy to accept teaching that is not true.

Now, a quick word about traditions. Just because a church has held to long taught traditions, doesn’t mean that they are the truth. The word here translated “traditions” refers specifically to good doctrine and sound teaching. Again, we must be familiar enough with what the Bible actually teaches in order to distinguish between long held traditions and good doctrine.

Application

In these last days it is especially important to know what the Bible teaches. In 2 Timothy 4:3 Paul warned Timothy that many will not want sound doctrine. Stand firm in the faith and hold on dearly to what you know is truth. Don’t be deceived!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:21 – Living The Truth

Posted on by Will

if indeed you heard Him and you were taught by Him, as truth is in Jesus:

Truth to Learn

Christians know the truth and should live as such.

 

Behind the Words

“If indeed” is the translation of the Greek word eige, which is made up of ei, meaning “if” and ge, meaning “indeed.”

The Greek verb akouō, meaning “to hear” is translated here as “you heard.” It is expressed in the aorist tense and the indicative mood, indicating real action which occurred at a point in time in the past. Some translations have this as “you have heard,” but a more accurate translation of this word is “you heard.”

“You were taught” is from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.” It is expressed in the aorist tense, passive voice, and indicative mood, indicating past completed action done to the subject (you). Thus, the proper translation is “you were taught.”

“Truth” is from the Greek word alētheia which means “that which is real and true.” In the New Testament it is translated as “truth” or “reality.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the opening part of this verse, it may appear that Paul is questioning whether or not the Christians in Ephesus are really saved. The expression “if indeed you heard Him” seems to imply that they may not have. However, if we look at the Greek grammar of this expression, we learn something entirely different. In Greek there are four types of conditional clauses; however, only three of them appear in the New Testament. They are referred to as first class conditional, second class conditional, and third class conditional clauses. In the first class conditional clause there is an underlying assumption that the “if statement” is true. An example might be, “If you want to live, you have to keep breathing.” The assumption is that you want to live. In the second class conditional clause there is an underlying assumption that it is false. An example of this might be, “If I were you I wouldn’t do that.” The assumption is that I am not you. The third class conditional makes no assumption about the truth of the “if statement.”

Based on the grammatical structure of the “if statement” in this verse (ei used with a verb in the indicative mood), it is a first class conditional clause. In English a close approximation of the first class conditional clause would be to replace “if” with “since.” If we apply this and the translation suggestions mentioned above, this verse would read, “Since indeed you heard Him and you were taught by Him, for the truth is in Jesus.”

We who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have heard the truth, and we have believed the truth. Therefore, as Paul said in verse seventeen, we should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. We are not in the dark, and we are not blinded by Satan; therefore, we should live our lives in accordance with what God desires from us.

 

Application

When I was a young Christian, I heard a question that really made me think about how I live my life. It is this: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” How about you, would you be found guilty?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 2:15 – Stand Firm and Hold Fast

Posted on by Will

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Truth to Learn

We must learn truth and hold fast to what we know is true.

Behind the Words

“Stand fast” is from the stēkō, which is derived from the verb histēmi, meaning “to stand.” As it is used in the New Testament, stēkō means “to stand firm in faith and duty.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

The word “hold” is translated from krateō, which is based on the word kratos, meaning “strength.” Krateō means “to take hold of” or “become the master of.” It implies a degree of force with which one brings a person or thing wholly under one’s power, even when resistance is encountered. It, too, is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

Paradosis is the Greek word translated “traditions.” It is based on paradidōmi, meaning “to deliver teaching.” Thus, paradosis refers to doctrine, instruction, or a tradition delivered or communicated from one person to another (usually orally).

The words “you were taught” are from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.”

Meaning Explained

You may recall from earlier in this letter that the Christians in Thessalonica were disturbed because false teachers had come to them and taught that the Day of the Lord (the Tribulation) had already come. Some of these false teachers had even claimed that their false teaching had come from the Apostle Paul and his companions.

Now, having taught them about the things that must happen before the Day of the Lord, Paul teaches them how to detect and avoid such false teachings in the future. He starts off with a command to stand fast, that is, to not waver back and forth between good doctrine and bad. He adds to this the command to master the good teaching and hold firmly to it.

Keep in mind that in the first century of the church, the only “Scripture” that Christians had was what we call “the Old Testament.” Paul and others were traveling from area to area preaching the new truths and they and others of the Apostles had begun sending letters to churches teaching the truths of the Christian faith. In some cases it was hard for the people to distinguish between good doctrine and false teaching. Therefore, Paul taught them to hold fast to, to master, the teaching that they knew to be genuine. This would help them to identify false teaching from others.

In some ways, it us just as easy for us to be deceived by false teaching. If we don’t regularly read and study the Bible for ourselves, instead simply depending on what we are taught by others, it is easy to accept teaching that is not true.

Now, a quick word about traditions. Just because a church has held to long taught traditions, doesn’t mean that they are the truth. The word here translated “traditions” refers specifically to good doctrine and sound teaching. Again, we must be familiar enough with what the Bible actually teaches in order to distinguish between long held traditions and good doctrine.

Application

In these last days it is especially important to know what the Bible teaches. In 2 Timothy 4:3 Paul warned Timothy that many will not want sound doctrine. Stand firm in the faith and hold on dearly to what you know is truth. Don’t be deceived!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Ephesians 4:21 – Living The Truth

Posted on by Will

if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Truth to Learn

Christians know the truth and should live as such.

Behind the Words

“If indeed” is the translation of the Greek word eige, which is made up of ei, meaning “if” and ge, meaning “indeed.”

The Greek verb akouō, meaning “to hear” is translated here as “you have heard.” It is expressed in the aorist tense and the indicative mood, indicating real action which occurred at a point in time in the past. A more accurate translation of this word would be “you heard.”

“Have been taught” is from the verb didaskō, meaning “to teach.” It is expressed in the aorist tense, passive voice, and indicative mood, indicating past completed action done to the subject (you). Thus, a more accurate translation would be “you were taught.”

“Truth” is from the Greek word alētheia which means “that which is real and true.” In the New Testament it is translated as “truth” or “reality.”

Meaning Explained

In the opening part of this verse, it may appear that Paul is questioning whether or not the Christians in Ephesus are really saved. The expression “if indeed you have heard Him” seems to imply that they may not have. However, if we look at the Greek grammar of this expression, we learn something entirely different. In Greek there are four types of conditional clauses; however, only three of them appear in the New Testament. They are referred to as first class conditional, second class conditional, and third class conditional clauses. In the first class conditional clause there is an underlying assumption that the “if statement” is true. An example might be, “If you want to live, you have to keep breathing.” The assumption is that you want to live. In the second class conditional clause there is an underlying assumption that it is false. An example of this might be, “If I were you I wouldn’t do that.” The assumption is that I am not you. The third class conditional makes no assumption about the truth of the “if statement.”

Based on the grammatical structure of the “if statement” in this verse (ei used with a verb in the indicative mood), it is a first class conditional clause. In English a close approximation of the first class conditional clause would be to replace “if” with “since.” If we apply this and the translation suggestions mentioned above, this verse would read, “Since indeed you heard Him and were taught by Him, for the truth is in Jesus.”

We who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have heard the truth, and we have believed the truth. Therefore, as Paul said in verse seventeen, we should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk. We are not in the dark, and we are not blinded by Satan; therefore, we should live our lives in accordance with what God desires from us.

Application

When I was a young Christian, I heard a question that really made me think about how I live my life. It is this: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” How about you, would you be found guilty?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

 

Romans 12:7 – His Gifts, His Choice

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:7 – His Gifts, His Choice

or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;

Truth to Learn

We all have gifts to be used within the church, but God determines which gift or gifts we have been given.

Behind the Words

The word that is translated “ministry” is the Greek word diakonian, which is translated elsewhere as “deacon.” It means “one who attends to the needs of others” or “one who serves.” This is a gift of helping others who are in need.

“Teaches” is translated from didaskō, which is a causative form of the verb daō, meaning “to learn.” Didaskō means “to teach” or “to cause someone to learn.”

Meaning Explained

It is at this point that most expositions on these current verses veer off and begin to talk about the various leadership positions within the church (prophet, deacon, teacher, preacher, elder). Notice, however, that Paul is talking about the gifts that God has bestowed on the various members of the body. He is not (in these verses at least) talking about the gifted people. I know it’s a subtle distinction, but Paul’s focus is on the gifts provided by the giver (God) and how they are to be used for the benefit of the body.

In the case of the gift of ministering, it is the ability to recognize those who are in need and being willing and able to humble oneself to the position of servant to assist them. In my mind it is one of the most important gifts within the church but one which few people aspire to.

The next gift talked about is the gift of teaching. I am sure that we all have known people who can take the Word of God and open it up in such a way that it becomes clearer to us; someone who makes learning the history and doctrines of the Bible exciting and fun. This is a person who has the gift of teaching in the church. Remember that these gifts are abilities or talents that God has bestowed on individuals. The gift does not require years of education to use it effectively, although often the proper education will enhance one’s ability to use the gift.

According to Paul, these gifts are given to individuals in the church differently according as His grace sees fit. Some of us may have several of the gifts and some may only have a single gift. How many we have or even which one we might have is not important. What is important is that we make use of the gift within the framework of the church. If God has gifted you in a certain area and you are not using that gift within the church, then you are not using that gift as God intended. If you don’t know in what area God has gifted you, instead of asking God for a particular gift, learn all you can about all of them and ask God to show you the area in which He has gifted you. Remember, when you placed yourself on the altar, you turned over all decision making to God.

Application

One day all Christians will appear before the Bema seat of Christ where we will receive rewards for what we have done with what God has given us. My prayer is that each of us will be able to look God straight in the eye and say, “Lord I have used what you have given me to the best of my ability to bring praise to You! You are worthy, O Lord!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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