died – Ministry of Grace Church

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Romans 6:2 – Sin? No Way!

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Will

Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Truth to Learn

Our lives should no longer be characterized by sinfulness.

Behind the Words

“Certainly not!” is a familiar expression with Paul. It is translated from the Greek words mē genoito. Mē is a particle of negation, meaning “not.” Genoito is a form of ginomai, meaning “to begin to be” or “to cause to come into existence.” In this expression it is used in the very rare optative mood (there are fewer than 70 examples of the optative mood in the entire New Testament). A literal translation of these two words is “May it not be!” In today’s vernacular we might say “No way!”

“Died” is from the verb apothnēskō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and thnēskō, meaning “to die.” Hence, apothnēskō means “to die away from” or “to die off.”

We have talked before about the fact that Greek is an inflected language. That is, the form of a word indicates how it is used in a sentence. We see some of this in English. For instance “I” is a subject and “me” is an indirect object. The word translated “sin” is in the form of an indirect object. Hence, it could be interpreted as “in sin,” “to sin,” or “by sin.” Paul has already taught us that we are dead “in sin” and “by sin.” Now he is teaching us that we are also dead “to” or “with respect to” sin.

Meaning Explained

This verse is a direct response to the previous one: “Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound?” Paul’s response is, “No way!” He is proclaiming that we should never even consider continuing our sinful ways just so that God’s grace will increase. Paul carries this even further by asking, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” In other words, if we have, indeed, died with respect to sin, how can we possibly live with respect to sin any longer?

In order to understand this better, it might be helpful to understand what the concept of death really means. We think of death simply as “absence of life,” whereas in reality it means, “separation from life.” By looking at it this way, perhaps you can understand what Paul is saying. We who have been separated from sin (because God has cast our sins as far from us as the east is from the west) cannot possibly be continually in its presence anymore.

Before we were saved, we had no choice but to continually live in a sinful manner. After all, we were controlled by our sin nature. But, because our sins have been paid for and our sin nature has been crucified with Christ, we now have a choice as to how we live.

Application

Paul says we have an obligation to stay away from a life of sinfulness because God has declared us righteous. We also should be motivated by an intense sense of gratitude to God for wiping out our sin debt, which should cause us to want to live an obedient life that will testify to God’s grace!

So I ask you, “How do you want to live; in sinful selfishness or in grateful obedience?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:10 – Eternal, Living Faith

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Will

who died for us, that whether we should watch or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Truth to Learn

Faith in Jesus Christ means living with Him eternally.

Behind the Words

“Died” is from apothnēskō, which is composed of apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” used as an intensifier, and thnēskō, meaning “to die.” Literally, apothnēskō means “to die off,” but it is often used to refer to death of any kind.

The word translated “for” is huper (or hyper) meaning “over” or “above.” As used here it also means “for the sake of.”

The words “whether” and “or” are both translated from eite. It is composed of ei, meaning “if” or “whether” and te, meaning “both” or “also.” It is used in Greek to set items in contrast or opposition to one another.

Grēgoreuō is the Greek verb translated “watch.” It means “to keep wake” or “to be watchful.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating possibility or probability.

The word translated “sleep” is katheudō, meaning “to fall asleep.” It, too, is written in the subjunctive mood.

“We should live” is translated from the verb dzaō, meaning “to have life.” Like grēgoreuō and katheudō, it is expressed in the subjunctive mood.

Meaning Explained

In the previous chapter of his letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul began his current teaching regarding the rapture and the Day of the Lord. As he introduced the subject of the rapture, he said:

But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you not grieve as others who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

In this discourse on the rapture and the Day of the Lord, Paul has used the word “sleep” in two different ways. In teaching about the rapture, he used the term to refer to Christians who have died physically. In his teaching about the Day of the Lord, however, he used the word as a reference to those who are spiritually unaware. He contrasted those who are of the day (Christians) with those who are of the night (unbelievers). And, he warned us who are of the day to be awake (aware) and prepared for spiritual battles. In yesterday’s verse Paul reminded us that God did not place us in a situation where we will suffer His wrath (the Day of the Lord), rather in a situation to obtain salvation (raptured off the earth before the Day of the Lord). Also, in yesterday’s verse he reminded us that our salvation is through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Now, Paul says that Christ died for our sake. He didn’t die for Himself because He was without sin and was not facing the death sentence that we were facing. He died so that we could have eternal life. He died for our sake. Why did He die for us? He died for us so that we might live eternally with Him. It doesn’t matter whether we are physically alive or dead at the time of the rapture; all Christians, together, will live with him eternally. This, he tells us in the next verse, should be a comfort to all Christians.

Application

If you are a born-again Christian, you will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. If not, you will be separated from Him forever!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 4:14 – Returning With Him

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Will

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Truth to Learn

Christians who have died will come with Jesus at the rapture.

Behind the Words

There are three classes of conditional clauses (if statements) contained in New Testament Greek based on their grammatical construction. The clause that begins today’s verse is a first-class conditional statement; it assumes that the “if statement” is true. Therefore, in some cases we can substitute the word “since” for “if,” and we could start this verse off with “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again …”

“Believe” is translated from the Greek verb pisteuō, meaning “to believe in,” “to have faith in,” or “to trust in.” It is expressed as a present tense, active voice, indicative mood verb, indicating present, possibly continuous, action.

The verb “died” is from apothnēskō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from,” used as an intensifier and thnēskō, meaning “to die.” Thus, it literally means “to die off.”

“Rose again” is from the Greek verb anistēmi, composed of ana, meaning “up” and histēmi, which means “to stand.” Hence, it literally means “to stand up” or “to rise up.”

The words “will bring” are translated from the verb agō, meaning “to lead” or “to bring.” It is expressed here in the future tense, thus we translate it as “will bring.”

Koimaō is the Greek word translated “sleep.” It means “to cause to lie down to sleep.” In the New Testament it is often used in reference to the sleep of death. That is the manner in which Paul uses it here.

Meaning Explained

Beginning in the previous verse, Paul is teaching the Thessalonians (and us) about end-time events. This particular event is what we commonly refer to as “the rapture.” We will talk more about this word in verse seventeen. The first thing to learn from today’s verse is who is involved in this event. We are told here that it involves those who “believe that Jesus died and rose up.” In other words, this event involves born-again Christians. As we noted in Behind the Words, the word “believe” likely indicates current, continuous belief, that is, a belief that was not simply a one-time event, but something that has become an integral part of a person’s life.

One of my biggest concerns is that when the rapture takes place, many church members won’t notice, because the church will still be filled with “members.” I fear too many so-called Christians have said the “sinner’s prayer” without ever really believing to the point of a total commitment to Jesus. They may have knowledge of salvation but not truly be saved.

The other thing we learn here is that Christians who “sleep in Jesus,” those who have died physically, will return with Him. Since this event involves our Lord coming from the heavenly realms to the earth’s atmosphere (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17), those who “sleep in Jesus” will also be coming from the heavenly realms, from Paradise. In Luke 23:43 our Lord told the thief that on that very day he would be with Jesus in Paradise. From Matthew 12:40 we know that Jesus went into the “heart of the earth” when He died. But from 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 we know that Paradise is now up with the third heaven. In other words, Paradise has been moved! I think that’s what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 4:8 where he said that Jesus “led captivity captive.” In today’s verse Paul tells us that He will bring those who sleep in Jesus (who are now with Him in Paradise) will come with Him.

Application

The fact that you are following these daily Bible studies probably indicates that you are genuinely saved. I wonder how many people will miss the rapture because they simply see salvation as a free ticket into heaven rather than a life-changing commitment. They see Jesus simply as their Savior and not as their Lord. However, as Peter points out in 2Peter 3:18, He is both our Savior and our Lord.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 5:10 – Eternal, Living Faith

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Will

who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Truth to Learn

Faith in Jesus Christ means living with Him eternally.

Behind the Words

The word translated “for” is huper (or hyper) meaning “over” or “above.” As used here it also means “for the sake of.”

Grēgoreuō is the Greek verb translated “wake.” It means “to keep wake” or “to be watchful.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating possibility or probability.

The word translated “sleep” is katheudō, meaning “to fall asleep.” It, too, is written in the subjunctive mood.

“We should live” is translated from the verb dzaō, meaning “to have life.” Like grēgoreuō and katheudō, it is expressed in the subjunctive mood.

Meaning Explained

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Application

If you are a born-again Christian, you will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. If not, you will be separated from Him forever!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 4:14 – Returning With Him

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Will

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Truth to Learn

Christians who have died will come with Jesus at the rapture.

Behind the Words

The verb “died” is from apothnēskō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from,” used as an intensifier and thnēskō, meaning “to die.” Thus, it literally means “to die off.”

“Rose again” is from the Greek verb anistēmi, composed of ana, meaning “up” and histēmi, which means “to stand.” Hence, it literally means “to stand up” or “to rise up.”

Meaning Explained

Beginning in the previous verse, Paul is teaching the Thessalonians (and us) about end-time events. This particular event is what we commonly refer to as “the rapture.” We will talk more about this word in verse seventeen. The first thing to learn from today’s verse is who is involved in this event. We are told here that it involves those who “believe that Jesus died and rose up.” In other words, this event involves born-again Christians. As we noted in Behind the Words, the word “believe” indicates current, continuous belief, that is, a belief that was not simply a one-time event, but something that has become an integral part of a person’s life.

The other thing we learn here is that Christians who “sleep in Jesus,” those who have died physically, will return with Him. Since this event involves our Lord coming from the heavenly realms to the earth’s atmosphere (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17), those who “sleep in Jesus” will also be coming from the heavenly realms, from Paradise. In Luke 23:43 our Lord told the thief that on that very day he would be with Jesus in Paradise. From Matthew 12:40 we know that Jesus went into the “heart of the earth” when He died. But from 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 we know that Paradise is now up with the third heaven. In other words, Paradise has been moved! Perhaps, that’s what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 4:8.

Application

The fact that you are following these daily Bible studies probably indicates that you are genuinely saved. I wonder how many people will miss the rapture, however, because they simply see salvation as a free ticket into heaven rather than a life-changing commitment. That’s something to think about!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 8:34 – Our Defense Attorney

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:34 – Our Defense Attorney

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Truth to Learn

We are represented by the greatest defense attorney of all.

Behind the Words

The words “and furthermore” are from the Greek words mallon de. The word de is a conjunction that is most often translated as either “but” or “and.” It is always “post-positive,” that is, it always comes as the second word in a phrase although we translate it in English as the first word. The word mallon is an adverbial comparative which means “more than that.”

“Intercession” is from entugchanō, which means “to confer with,” but by extension it means “to speak in behalf of.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now makes a somewhat startling declaration. He has just told us that no one can bring anything to the charge of God’s chosen people because God has already justified us. That is, He has declared that we are righteous. Now Paul asks another of his rhetorical questions, “Who is he who condemns?” And his answer is that Christ is the only one who can get away with condemning because he has paid for our righteousness with his blood. In fact, what Paul says regarding the only one who can get away with condemning is, “It is Christ who died.” That is Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Perfect One who died to pay for the sins of the whole world.

Christ’s death is significant for sure, but Paul adds, “but more than that is also risen.” Christ’s resurrection is of even greater significance than His death because it is His resurrection that demonstrates that He is the Anointed One, the Christ. He is not a dead Savior, He is alive!

Paul continues with his description of Jesus as the only one who can legally condemn by saying that Christ is now “at the right hand of God,” He has already assumed the position of power over all of creation and is the One in the position of judgment. Only He can judge; only He can condemn!

But we Christians cannot be charged with any offense since God has already declared us as righteous and Paul has shown that the only one who can condemn is Christ himself (who will not condemn those of us whom the Father has already declared as righteous). But, there are some whom Christ does condemn: those who refuse his offer of salvation.

Paul now makes one final statement regarding our living Savior who is at the right hand of God. He says that Christ is the one “who also makes intercession for us.” Not only has the Father declared us righteous, but Christ is there at the heavenly court as our defense attorney making all of the legal arguments in our defense when the enemy accuses us.

However, that doesn’t mean we can sin all we want just because we’re already forgiven. If we are truly saved then we don’t want to sin and, in fact, we want to keep His commandments. That’s what John said in 1 John 2:3.

Application

Thank you Lord for saving me, for declaring me as righteous, and for defending my righteousness when I need it most!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 7:6 – Free to Serve

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Will

Romans 7:6

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Truth to Learn

We are free to serve God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Behind the Words

The word translated “delivered” is katargeō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down” but used here as an intensifier and argeō, which means “to be idle or inactive.” Katargeō, therefore, means “to become completely ineffective” or “to cease being effective.” As Paul used it here it means “we have been completely set free from the effect of the Law.”

“Held by” is from a form of katechō, which is also a compound word. This one is made up of kata, meaning “down” and echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Thus we see that katechō literally means “to be held down.” It is a picture of someone who he being held down on the ground so that they are powerless to do anything.

Meaning Explained

In the previous two chapters Paul has spent considerable time and energy pointing out two things. The first is, before we were saved we were slaves to sin because of the Law. The second is, when we were saved, our sin nature was put to death. That is, we died with Christ. As he has just shown in the past few verses, death releases us from the requirements of the Law. Therefore, this verse is the culmination and summation of the results of these things.

Since we are dead with respect to the Law, like the wife who is free to marry after her husband has died, we are no longer under the dictates of the Law and are free to serve God. We are no longer held down by the Law. We are free from it! Let me say that again. We are free from the Law!

We do not have to keep the Ten Commandments or any other part of the Law in order to be righteous in God’s eyes. In fact, you will remember that Paul told us that we couldn’t obtain righteousness by keeping the Law anyway because no one (except Christ) is able to keep all the Law.

The second half of this verse is really a key statement and I don’t want any of us to miss it. We have been set free from the law to “serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” In other words, before we were saved by grace, we were unable to keep the Law and, therefore, could not serve God because the letter of the Law made us sinful and abhorrent to God. But … now that we have been set free from the Law we can serve God in a way that we never could have before – in the spirit of righteousness. That is, since we are righteous in God’s eyes now, He will allow us to serve Him. We have spiritual life which we owe entirely to God. Therefore we should gladly serve Him with the life that He has given us.

Application

When we were saved we were set free from the penalty of our sins. We were also set free from the requirements of the Law and have become free to serve God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Are you serving God right now? If you are, are you doing so out of obligation or are you serving Him out of gratitude for what He has done for you? We should rejoice in our service for Him because we have been set free from bondage to the Law!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 6:10 – Identity Crisis?

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:10

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Truth to Learn

We have identified ourselves with Jesus Christ in His death to sin. We should also identify ourselves with Him in living for God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “once for all” is ephapax, which means “once and only once.” Though the translation above seems to indicate that Christ died once for everyone, it really says that He died once for all of time and eternity.

Meaning Explained

Paul makes a couple of key points in this verse that we all need to learn. The first is contained in the expression, “For the death that He died, He died to sin.” Paul is explaining the meaning and purpose for Christ’s death. The purpose of His death is that he died to sin. That is, he died paying the penalty for sin so that sin should no longer have dominion over any of us. His death paid for all our sins so, even though sin used to be our slave master, that bond has been destroyed and we are now free from the dominion of sin.

But his death means more than just that we are freed from sin. Paul says that He died once and only once. In other words, He will never have to die again because the sin penalty has been taken care of forever by His onetime death. Since the sin penalty has been taken care of once and for all, we will never have to die after we leave these mortal bodies. We will have to die physically (unless we are raptured) in order to shed these mortal bodies, but we will never have to die spiritually because our sins have been completely paid for.

Remember that death means separation, so we will never again be separated from God – for all eternity. This is not true for those who will be cast into the Lake of Fire. They will be eternally separated from God. That, in fact, is one of the worst torments that they will face in Hell, being eternally separated from God (eternally dead!).

The second half of this verse now tells us what’s on the other side of the coin. Since Jesus Christ will never die again, He lives with respect to God the Father who raised Him from the dead. That is, His life is a testimony to the power of God the Father. Likewise, we who have had our sin penalty paid once and for all (which, incidentally, becomes a problem for those who think they can lose their salvation since it was taken care of once for all time, not just until the next big sin). We now owe this eternal life that we possess to the one who paid our penalty for us.

Paul’s point is that when we were baptized we were identifying with Christ’s death, which He died to sin. And our baptism also identifies us with His life which we should now live to God.

We are indebted to Christ for paying our penalty and we are indebted to God the Father for graciously declaring us righteous. In gratitude and in debt we should now be living our life for God and not for ourselves.

Application

Now that you have identified yourself with Christ in dying to sin, are you being identified with Him in the way you live? Or, put another way, whom are you living your life for now? And, how thankful are you for the eternal life that you now possess?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 6:8 – Eternal Living with Christ

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:8

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Truth to Learn

We are currently living an eternal life with Christ.

Behind the Words

The word translated “believe” is pisteuō, which means “to believe” or “to have faith.” It is not simply a trust but a dogmatic belief. It is expressed as a present, active, indicative verb, which implies a current and ongoing belief, not just a momentary faith.

“Live with” is translated from the Greek word sudzaō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together with” and dzaō, meaning “to live.” Hence, it expresses a life that is characterized as living together with Christ.

Meaning Explained

This verse is not simply a reiteration of what was said in the previous three verses. It expresses a very deep truth about our new life in Christ. If we, that is our sin nature, died with Christ, then we live again in newness of life just as He is living again. There is a wonderful thing about the new life that Christ has. Because He has already died for sins and is resurrected, He will never die again. His life is eternal. So, if we are living together with Him, we have eternal life now as well.

There are actually two aspects of eternal life for us: future resurrected eternal physical life and current eternal spiritual life. We know that Jesus has eternal spiritual life because He is God, but He also has eternal physical life because He is completely human, and that human life has been raised from the dead so that death no longer has dominion over Him.

Because Jesus paid the price for our sins and we who believe in His death and resurrection have accepted the gift of grace from God, we too are promised to have eternal life with Him. We are promised that we will be raised from the dead. This is spoken of in one of the most precious passages of the entire Bible:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)

However, if you read ahead to verses ten and eleven you will see that the current verse is not referring to our resurrected life, but our life right now. Because we believe with an active ongoing belief, we also live together with Christ. And, if we are living with Him, we can’t also be living in sin. That’s one of the beauties of saving faith – it is also living faith.

Application

Think about this: if we are living “with” Christ right now because of our belief in His death and resurrection, we have eternal life (both aspects of it). If we currently have eternal life, then we can’t lose it (if it’s eternal it can’t end). In other words, if our faith is real we can’t lose this salvation we have!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 6:7 – Freed by Death

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:7

For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Truth to Learn

The death of our sin nature freed us from the bondage of sin.

Behind the Words

The word translated “slaves” in the previous verse is the Greek word douleuō, which is the verb form of doulos, meaning “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other. It refers to a person who has no rights of his own, one who exists only as the property of someone else.” Therefore, douleuō means “to be a slave.”

The word translated here as “freed” is the word dikaioō, which means “to justify” or “to declare righteous.” The word is expressed in the perfect tense. As we pointed out a couple verses back, the perfect tense in Greek refers to completed past action with a resultant state of being, where the emphasis is on the resultant state of being. The word following dikaioō, however, is apo, meaning “from.” When used in this way, the word dikaioo refers to our having been “freed from something” with the emphasis on the resultant state of being (we have been and, therefore, are now free from sin).

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that since our old man (our sin nature) was crucified with Christ, we should not serve sin. He is telling us that previously (before our salvation) we were not willingly serving sin but we were under bondage as a slave to sin. We had no choice but to obey our sinful lusts because of our sin nature. That is, we had no free will when it came to deciding whether we would obey our sinful nature or not, we had to!

Now that we have crucified our sin nature, however, we no longer have to be subject to sin. That’s what Paul is saying in the current verse, “he who died (our old man) has been freed from sin.

So, the point that Paul is making is, since our old man was crucified with Christ and is now dead, we are no longer forced to be a slave to our sin nature or to sin. We are now freed from that slavery. Do you see the point? We no longer have to obey our sinful impulses. We now have a choice. That is, we can choose to obey God or to obey our sin nature. Before we were saved we did not have this choice.

Does that mean that we always choose to obey God? Unfortunately, the answer is no. All too often, we choose to obey our sin nature instead of obeying God. That, as Paul taught us in the previous chapter, is where grace comes in. Even though we follow our own desires instead of God’s moral law, we have been declared righteous and we need not fear the wrath of God. But … we should not continue in our sinful ways. Our sin nature has been crucified so we have a free will to choose good over evil.

Application

This entire chapter of Romans is about recognizing that we are freed from the slavery of sin. We have a choice every day whether or not we will voluntarily submit ourselves to God. If we don’t submit to God then we will be submitted to sin, there is no middle ground.

Whom do you want to be submitted to?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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