Tag: eido

Mark 14:44, 45; John 18:4-7 – Deception vs. Righteousness

Posted on by Will

44Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “The one I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead him away safely.” 45And directly coming to him, he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him … 4Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming  upon Him, went and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. 6Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they went backward and fell to the ground.

Truth to Learn

Those who are righteous are bold even in the face of danger.

Behind the Words

“Kiss” is translated from two different Greek words in this passage. In Mark 14:44 it is from phileō, meaning “to be fond of.” It is used here to indicate an act of fondness, in other words, a kiss. In verse 45, however, it is translated from kataphileō, which is a compound made up of kata, used as an intensifier and phileō. This represents “a fervent kiss.”

The word translated “knowing” in John 18:4 is a form of eidō, meaning “to know.” It is expressed here as a participle in the perfect tense. The participle indicates ongoing action and the perfect tense indicates action that occurred before the main verb (He went forward). In other words, previous to this event, Jesus already knew all that was going to happen to Him.

“Went backward” is from aperchomai eis ta opisō, which means “to go away backward.”

Meaning Explained

There is a very dramatic contrast in these verses between the manner in which the works of darkness and the works of righteousness are carried out. We see Judas, who selfishly betrayed Jesus, acting under false pretense with subtlety and deceit. He could simply have pointed to Jesus and told the others, “He’s the one.” If he had, however, the other disciples would immediately have known that he was a traitor.

Instead, Judas told the mob ahead of time that he would kiss Jesus as a sign that He was the one to take. This gave Judas “reasonable deniability” with the other disciples. Even though both actions would have accomplished the same purpose, in Judas’ mind the kiss would not appear to be a betrayal. Also notice that it was not the kind of kiss that would normally be expected from a disciple to his teacher, it was a fervent kiss which would indicate to the casual observer as if Judas greatly admired and respected Jesus. This was outright deception.

Jesus’ actions represent the polar opposite. Even though He already knew what was going to happen from the moment He surrendered Himself, to his death on the cross (and beyond), He boldly approached His captors. He asked who they were looking for and readily admitted that He was the one.

His response to the mob is interesting. He said “I am.” The word “He” does not appear in the Greek text. Notice that this is precisely the name that God gave to Moses when asked what His name was – “I am.” And the power of His name drove His captors flat onto their backs!

Application

Even in the face of serious consequences, being honest and forthright is the way the righteous behave. Do you have the courage to follow your Lord’s example?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2019 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 15:29 – Blessing Crammed Full

Posted on by Will

But I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Truth to Learn

We serve Christ with His full blessing.

 

Behind the Words

“I know” is translated from the Greek verb eidō. This particular verb has two meanings depending on the form used. One means “to see or perceive” and the other means “to know.” The form that Paul used here means “to know.” It is in the perfect tense implying past completed action with a continuing result, but with the emphasis on the result. So the best translation of this is probably, “I know” (because I have known for some time).

“Fullness” is from plērōma, derived from the verb plēroō, meaning “to fill completely” or “to cram full until there is no room to add anything more.” Thus, plērōma refers to the complete fullness (nothing left out).

“Blessing” is translated from eulogia, which is a compound word made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of logos, meaning “word.” Thus eulogia (from which we get our English word eulogy) refers to “the good words of a commendation or blessing.”

 

Meaning Explained

It’s interesting to note that Paul had no doubt that he would be going to Spain and stopping by Rome on the way. He starts off this verse with, “But I know that when I come to you.” You will notice that Paul said, “when I come to you,” not “if I come to you.” He was sure that God was leading him to visit Rome. And, when going to Rome, Paul “knew” that he would come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Some translations include the phrase “of the Gospel” toward the end of this verse However, these words are missing in most of the major manuscripts. As a result, many textual scholars leave this out in the translation. Here Paul is saying that he will come in the fullness of the blessing, not of the gospel of Christ, but of Christ Himself. There is a blessing that we get from the gospel, particularly because we believe it, and also as we share it. But there is a greater blessing that we get from Christ as our Master, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Advocate before the Father, our Lord, and as our future husband. He is “a friend that sticks closer than a brother,” as Proverbs 18:24 puts it.

As we mentioned in the previous verse, Paul was a driven person. He knew that his calling was to preach the Gospel message to those in the Gentile world who had never heard it. He was duty bound to fulfill his calling, and he would let nothing stop him from accomplishing his task, but he also knew that he was doing so with the full blessing of his Lord and Savior.

 

Application

We should never get tired of serving God in the area He has called us. We may get tired “in serving” but never “of serving.” When we get weary from performing the work He has called us to, we need to remember that we are doing so in the fullness of Christ’s blessing. Do you want the full blessings of Christ? Then serve Him with all your strength until you have completed the work He has called you to.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:14 – Personally Forbidden

Posted on by Will

I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Truth to Learn

What God forbids for me He may not forbid for you.

 

Behind the Words

“Know” is from the Greek verb eidō, which primarily means “to see.” However, it does not mean to simply to have a visual experience (that would be the Greek verb blepō), but to see with perception. Thus, eidō refers to the visual perception as well as the mental perception (understanding) of some truth or fact.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense which, in Greek, refers to completed action with a resulting state of being where the emphasis is on the resulting state of being.

The word translated “persuaded” is peithō, which means “to be persuaded or to be convinced.” This verb is also expressed in the perfect tense. So what Paul is saying is, “I have perceived and have been persuaded; therefore, I know and am convinced.”

“Unclean” is from the Greek adjective koinos, which means “that which is available to all” or “common.” Those things which were forbidden by the Law of Moses were available to the “common” people. Therefore, calling something “common” was the same as declaring it as “unclean” or “forbidden by the Law.”

The word “considers” is translated from logidzomai, which means “to reason, to impute, or to consider.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now gets back to the original topic with which he started off this chapter: whether we should abstain from certain foods or not. He begins this verse by making a strong statement of conviction. He says, “I know and am convinced.”  So, what is Paul so convinced about? He is convinced that “there is nothing unclean of itself.” The law abiding Jews were forbidden from eating certain foods, which all the rest of mankind were allowed to eat. Since all the common (non-Jewish) people ate this forbidden food it was referred to as common food meaning unclean or forbidden food. But, Paul is now saying that he is convinced that nothing is unclean, or forbidden, in and of itself.

He begins the next phrase with the Greek words ei me, which mean “except, unless, or but.” His teaching, therefore, is that even though nothing is unclean in and of itself, if a brother or sister is convicted by God that a certain food or activity is unclean then to him or her it is indeed unclean.

When I was first saved I liked to play pool, a lot! In fact, I spent nearly every waking moment at the pool table. God convicted me about the fact that pool had become more important to me than a relationship with Him. For me, playing pool was unclean, and I had to completely abstain from it in order to learn to get my focus on God. Many years later, after my walk with God had matured, I found that it was no longer wrong for me to play pool. God used this in my life to demonstrate how important it is not to let anything get in the way of my close walk with Him.

 

Application

Is there something in your life today that is unclean? Something which has come between you and a close fellowship with God? What are you going to do about it?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 13:11 – Wake Up!

Posted on by Will

Also this, knowing the time, that the hour has come for you to awake out of sleep, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Truth to Learn

It’s time for all Christians to wake up and get busy for God.

 

Behind the Words

The word “knowing” is from the Greek word eidō, which refers to perception and is translated as either “to know” or “to see (to understand a truth).”

The word “time” is from kairos. There really is no English equivalent to this word which refers to “a period of opportunity” or “a season.”

“Hour” is from the Greek word hōra, which refers to “an hour” as a specific period or point in time.

The word “awake” is from egeirō, meaning “to rise up from sleep.” And the word translated “sleep” is a form of hupnos or hypnos, which literally refers to “sleep” but is used here figuratively referring to “spiritual stupor or dullness.”

“Nearer” is from the Greek word enguteron, which is the comparative of engus, meaning “near in position or time.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul started off this chapter talking about the necessity of our submission to those who are in authority over us. This, he says, includes the payment of taxes to the taxing authorities and giving honor, paying the proper respect, to all authorities. He then segued into his next point of paying the debt of love to our fellow humans. One of the reasons for us loving our neighbors is the fact that it is what the second table of the Law is all about. It is how God expects us to behave toward others.

Another reason for us to treat those in authority over us with respect and for us to show true love to those around us is the fact that it is high time for us to be doing these things. As Christians, we have the obligation to be a witness to the unsaved by being Christ-like. We need to show forth the qualities that make us different from the rest of the world. When we were unsaved, we were walking around in the same hypnotized stupor as the rest of the world. Now that we have been illuminated by the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, it is time for us to wake up from this sleepiness.

We have the Holy Spirit living in us, who will teach us all things with a spiritual discernment that the unsaved are incapable of. It’s as if we have been injected with a powerful form of spiritual caffeine, and it is now time for us to wake-up and get to work out of gratitude for what He has done.

At the end of this verse Paul refers to our salvation being nearer than when we first believed. Most Christians think of salvation as occurring at the point in time when we first believed God’s message and accepted the blood of Christ as payment for our sins. In God’s record book we are already saved, but the consummation of that salvation will not occur until the return of Christ, when he raptures His church.

 

Application

The return of Christ could literally be any day now. Time is running out and we need to be busy for Him who bought us. In other words, what Paul is saying is:

Wake up, Christian!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 7:18 – Surrender is the Key

Posted on by Will

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but to perform what is good is not.

Truth to Learn

We can’t work, or fight, our way to victory as a Christian.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated, “I know” is eidō, meaning “to see with perception.” By implication it means “to know” or “to be aware of.” This word is used here in the perfect tense, which indicates past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the ongoing effect. What Paul means is that he knows it and has known it for some time because he learned it sometime in the past. That is, it’s not new knowledge to him.

Thelō is the Greek word translated “will.” As we saw in verse 16, this refers to our determined will.

“Perform” is from the word katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse fifteen, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us that it is the sin dwelling in him (that is, his sin nature, his predisposition to sin) that causes him to do things that he has determined not to do. He now amplifies that a little bit. He says that he is aware that there is nothing dwelling in his flesh (that is, dwelling in the non-spirit part of him) that is any good. You will recall that back in chapter 3 verses 9 and 10, Paul quoted part of Psalms 53:1-3 which says:

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable wickedness; there is no one doing good. God looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Every one has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is no one doing good, not even one.

The reason that there is no one doing good is because of this sin nature that dwells in each and every one of us. It is what drives us to do that which we don’t want to do and it is what keeps us from doing what we want to do.

Paul now restates the fact that he is determined to do what is good but he can’t. He says, “For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good is not.” The determination (will) to do good is there, but how to accomplish it isn’t. As much as Paul is determined to do right, his sin nature won’t always let him do it.

That’s why we have said before that an unsaved person has no choice but to sin. There is no free will in those who are unsaved. Those of us who are saved, however, have the Holy Spirit living in us and we do have free will. We can choose to obey God by turning our will over to the Holy Spirit and letting Him have control of our lives. So you see, the only way we can have the free will to obey God is to surrender that will up to Him. Only then can we even hope to obey. And because we have a sin nature, we then take it back and exert our own will, leading us to sin. We all know how frustrating this is.

 

Application

As we have said before, the way to victory in the Christian life is through surrender. We don’t stand up and fight to get the victory, we simply give in. It’s totally against everything we have ever learned. We have to surrender to win the battle. Let us all pray that we will continually surrender our will to Him who has declared us righteous. After all, we’re not righteous because we earned it, but because He declared it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 6:9 – No Separation, Ever!

Posted on by Will

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has lordship over Him.

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ can never die again!

 

Behind the Words

“Knowing”  is translated from the Greek word eidō, which can mean either “to see or perceive” or “to know” depending on its usage. Here is what The Complete Word Study Dictionary says about this word as it appears in Romans 3:9:

[It is] spoken of man's knowledge as a result of and only in view of his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. There are certain things that human beings simply cannot know intuitively unless they become the children of God.

The word is expressed here as a perfect participle. That is, we have known in the past and, as a result, we are continually knowing; we have continual knowledge.

The Greek word translated “has lordship” is kurieuō, the verb form of kurios, meaning “master, lord, or owner.” Thus, kurieuō refers to “lordship or ownership.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is a statement of fact regarding what we talked about in the previous verse. Paul starts off by saying “knowing that Christ … dies no more.” In other words, because we are saved, we have come to know and now are continually aware that Christ was raised from the dead. And, since He was raised from the dead, He will never die again because death no longer has lordship or ownership of Him. That is, death has no power or authority over Him.

Did you know that before the resurrection of Christ, the Devil, Satan himself, had the power to take life? It says so in the book of Hebrews:

Since, then, the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself also in like manner shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him having the power of death, that is, the devil, and might release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14, 15)

But now that Christ has been raised from the dead, He alone has the keys to death and Hades as it says in Revelation:

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last and the living one; and I became dead; and behold, I am living forever and ever. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (Revelation 1:17, 18)

Back in verse two we said that death means separation. Physical death means separation from this body. Spiritual death means separation from God. Since we know Christ as our Lord and Savior, we also know that we have eternal life with Him. We will never be separated from Him. And Paul says that we don’t simply think that we have eternal life, we know it!

 

Application

As Christians we are united with Christ and can never be separated from Him, ever; not in this life and not in the after-life. We are secure in Him and eternally with Him.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 2:2 – Certain Truthful Judgment

Posted on by Will

But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

Truth to Learn

God will certainly judge sinners, and He will do so based on truth.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated, “we know” is oidamen, a form of the Greek word idō, meaning “to see with perception.” By implication it means “to know” or “to be aware of.” This word is used here in the perfect tense.  The Greek perfect tense indicates past completed action with an ongoing effect, but the emphasis is on the ongoing effect. The best example of this is the expression, “He is risen.” Christ arose from the dead (a completed action in the past) with the ongoing effect being that He is alive today forever more. With oidamen, it’s like someone explaining something to you that you already know and you respond with, “I knew that!” What you really mean is that you know it and you have known it for some time because you learned it sometime in the past. That is, it’s not new knowledge to you.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just warned anyone who critically judges another regarding some sinful practice that they are guilty of doing the same thing. We noted in yesterday’s verse that the word for “judges” means “to judge between good and evil,” and that it was used in such a way as to imply condemnation. That’s how we humans tend to judge other people, and it’s not always based on fact but on emotion.

In today’s verse Paul says “we know that the judgment of God is according to truth.” The word translated “judgment” in this verse is from the same root as the word “judges” in the previous verse. It’s another of Paul’s frequent play on words. What he is saying is that God’s condemning judgment (unlike man’s condemning judgment) is according to truth. Those who sin against God will be judged someday, and their judgment and subsequent condemnation will not be based on God’s emotion, it will be based on the truth of their sins.

Because these Jewish Roman Christians were brought up in the Jewish tradition, they have always known that the judgment of God is according to truth. Throughout the Old Testament we see examples of God judging sinners for their sins, and we see that such judgment is always according to truth. This is portrayed so strongly that it became a fundamental doctrine of the Jewish faith.

But, to the Jewish mind, there is a secondary meaning of the expression “according to truth.” Not only is His judgment based on truth, He will truly judge. There is a certainty of His judgment and no one who sins against God will get away with it. He will truly judge everyone’s sin, if not in this life then certainly at the Great White Throne where all sinners will appear at the end of life. Thanks be to Jesus Christ whose blood paid the penalty of that judgment on our behalf! Through His sacrifice we are saved from that judgment.

 

Application

Let’s not wait until later to pray about our own condemning judgments of others. Let’s commit to each other that we will pay close attention to what Paul is teaching us and ask God to forgive us when we are judgmental of others. While we’re at it let us thank God that Jesus paid the penalty of our judgment!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Peter 1:12 – Continual Refresher Courses

Posted on by Will

So I will always remind you of these things, though having known them and having been firmly established in the truth you now have.

Truth to Learn

We need to be continually learning and refreshing our knowledge of God through His Word.

 

Behind the Words

“Having known” comes from a form of the Greek word eidō, meaning “to see,” that is, “to perceive.” As such, it is also used to express perception in the form of experiential knowledge. Hence, it is often translated as “to know.” It is expressed here as a perfect active participle, which implies past continual accumulated action. We could actually translate the meaning as, “having already perceived and come to understand …”

He then says that we have also been “established” which is from the Greek word stēridzō, meaning “to be firmly set in place” or “to be grounded.” This verb is also a perfect participle, but is in the passive voice (something done to us).

 

Meaning Explained

Peter begins this verse with another connective word, “So.” He told us that we need to develop the Christian character qualities of faith, morality, knowledge and understanding, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. He said that in developing these we become fruitful, we maintain our spiritual vision, and we become stabilized on the foundation. And, he told us that developing these will cause us to receive a splendid entrance into the presence of the King. Therefore, Peter is compelled to continually remind us of these truths.

Obviously, he thinks that there is great importance in developing these qualities. That is why he has used such strong language in urging us to work hard on them and why he gives such evidence of their effect on us. Therefore, he tells his readers, he personally will not be negligent in constantly reminding them (and us) of these things. It is not that Peter thinks we have not yet learned what he has told us. In fact, he makes it clear that he knows that these truths have already been learned.

In other words, Peter is saying that he believes his readers have already worked hard at developing these character qualities in themselves, having perceived their importance, and having become firmly established, not in the past but “in the truth you now have.” There is some disagreement as to exactly what Peter is referring to by this expression. Either it refers to all the truth that has been learned from God’s holy Word, or it is a specific reference to the gospel truth, the truth in which we were saved. Whichever it is, Peter wants to make sure that it is constantly taught and re-taught so that we will be firmly grounded in it.

It is incumbent on us all, not just preachers, to constantly remind each other of the importance of things that we have already learned. Not so much because we forget, but because the cares of this life, the things of the world, and our own sin nature cloud our memory and distract us from our mission.

 

Application

Let us never get to the point where we think we know all there is to know about living a victorious Christian life. No matter how much we know about the Bible and our faith, we can always learn more. We all need continual refresher courses in living a life committed to our faith and submitted to our God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 3:7 – Walk, or Just Talk?

Posted on by Will

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, for we were not disorderly among you;

Truth to Learn

The most effective proclaimer of the Gospel truth is someone who lives the kind of life he preaches about.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “know” is eidō, which means “to see with perception.” As in English, this verb can refer to visibly seeing something and perceiving what it is, or it can mean “to see with the mind,” that is, “to know.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect.

“You ought” is from the Greek word dei, meaning “it is necessary.” It is a bold statement by Paul, for he is not saying “you could …” or even “you should.” He is saying “you need to follow our example.”

“Imitate” is translated from mimeomai, from which we get our English word “mimic.” It means “to imitate” or “to follow as an example.”

The words “we were not disorderly” are from the word ou and the verb atakteō. Ou expresses absolute negation (the Greek word mē expressed conditional negation). Atakteō is from the same root as ataktos, which we saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to be disorderly.” It is used in a military sense, indicating soldiers who have broken ranks and are not following an orderly course of action.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse, Paul instructed the Christians in Thessalonica to withdraw themselves from those who are disorderly, those who are not demonstrating obedience to God. You may also recall that the main purpose of this letter was to correct teaching regarding the Day of the Lord. There had been people who falsely taught that this time of God’s vengeance had already begun.

Based on this verse and the following seven or eight verses, Paul appears to be teaching how to identify the difference between those who teach true doctrine and those who teach false doctrine. His first teaching in this regard is that Paul and his companions were not disorderly. And we will find out in the coming verses that they worked hard for what they had.

There are many preachers today who tell you what you want to hear. They claim that God wants you to be wealthy or that God wants you to be completely healed. They are very charismatic, presenting themselves as someone who can lead you out of your misery into an earthly life of peace and prosperity, and usually asking you to send them money “for their ministry.” Paul, on the other hand, was humble, apparently not very tall or charismatic, and supported his own ministry by working as a tent maker. Which of these two types of preachers do you want to follow as an example of Christian teaching and Christian living? Paul was bold enough to tell people, “Do as I do, not just as I say.”

 

Application

Who is your favorite preacher or Bible teacher? Is he someone who lives an exemplary life of a submitted servant? Does he just talk the talk, or does he also walk the walk?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 2:6 – Holy Spirit Power

Posted on by Will

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.

Truth to Learn

Only God can completely control Satan.

 

Behind the Words

The words “you know” are from the Greek verb eidō, which means “to see with perception,” or “to know.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating a past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect.

“Restraining” is translated from katechō. This word is made up of kata, meaning “down,” but used here as an intensifier and echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Thus, katechō means “to hold firmly” or “to suppress.”

“Revealed” is from apokaluptō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and kaluptō, meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” Therefore, apokaluptō means “to uncover” or “to reveal.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is another one that is cryptic enough that theologians and Bible scholars have been discussing it for centuries. But before we talk about that which is not perfectly clear, let’s talk about what is very clear. The people in Thessalonica did know what Paul was talking about. He clearly tells them, “You have known in the past and now know perfectly well what is restraining.” Apparently, Paul had previously taught them about this restraining force so that he didn’t need to be specific about it in this letter.

Unfortunately for us, since Paul wasn’t specific about this restraining force, we don’t know for sure what it is. Some of the suggested explanations include human government, preaching of the gospel, the Jewish nation, the church, Michael the Archangel, and the Holy Spirit. Although we can’t know for certain, we can come to a pretty good logical conclusion based on what we know from other portions of Scripture.

As described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4: 8-10, this “man of sin” or “lawless one” accomplishes his deeds through the power of Satan. We know that nothing about mankind can restrain Satan. And, Michael the Archangel would not even bring an accusation against him:

Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 1:9)

But we do know someone who is more powerful than Satan:

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

So, we can logically conclude that Paul must be talking about the Holy Spirit as that which restrains the power of Satan, preventing him from revealing the “man of sin” until God’s appointed time.

 

Application

Even though we are told in James 4:7 that resisting the Devil will cause him to flee, we don’t have the power to stop him. Only God can do that. Battling Satan and his demons can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit, and even then, we only know victory when we are submitted to God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved