Tag: ethnos

Romans 15:9 – Body Composition

Posted on by Will

and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. As it is written, "For this reason I will profess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name."

Truth to Learn

All Christians are members of the same body.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “Gentiles” is ethnos, which refers to “a group of people belonging together and living together.” In classical Greek this word is also used in reference to a flock of sheep or a swarm of bees. In New Testament Greek (Koinē Greek), however, it generally refers to a race of people and is often translated as “nation.” When used by Jews it almost always refers to the all people who are not Jewish, thus the term “Gentile.”

“Profess” is from exomologeō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” but used here as an intensifier and homologeō, meaning “to have the same mind about something.” Homologeō is usually translated “confess.” Thus, exomologeō means “to express complete agreement” or “to profess.”

 

Meaning Explained

Whereas the Jews received the fulfillment of their promises in the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross (see previous verse), we Gentile believers did not have those promises made to us. We have been brought to God through Jesus Christ, not because He was promised to us but because of His mercy in forgiving our sins through the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. As a result of that mercy, we Gentile believers now glorify God. Before we received this mercy, we were unable to glorify God because we did not know Him. But because of His mercy, and through His grace, we are now also partakers of the intimate fellowship with Almighty God, which results in our own proclamation of glory and praise to God.

At this point, Paul quotes a passage from the Psalms:

Therefore, I will praise you among the nations, O LORD, and sing to your name. (Psalms 18:49)

In the Psalms the praises of God come among the Gentiles as well as among the Jews; hence, the Jewish converts in the church in Rome should not look down upon the Gentile converts because God has included both in His family and has made both part of His body and His bride. Paul expresses it this way in his letter to the Ephesians,

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, (Ephesians 2:13-15)

So if God has made the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers one through the blood of Christ, then we should accept each other as fellow heirs and not be concerned that we celebrate this marvelous salvation in different manners.

 

Application

There is no room for racism or ethnic discrimination among Christians. We are all nothing more than sinners saved by grace, and we are all part of the body of Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:18 – Faithful Expectation

Posted on by Will

who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."

Truth to Learn

Abraham’s faith was an unwavering, fully-expectant faith.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “hope” is the Greek word elpis, which means “hope” or “anticipation.” In English when we think of “hope,” we think of desiring something but not really expecting it to happen, or at best, thinking that there is a chance of it happening. This Greek word, however, means, “the desire of something with the expectation that it will happen.” It is more than just “simple hope,” it is “expectant hope.” For this reason, this word is often translated as “faith.”

“Believed” is translated from the Greek word pisteuō, which means “to believe in something to the point of having complete trust in it.” Again, the concept is not “yeah, I suppose I believe,” but “I know because I absolutely believe!”

The word “nations” is translated from the Greek word ethnos, which means “a race, a nation, or a group of people belonging and living together.” When contrasted to Jews, it is often translated as “Gentiles.” Here it is appropriately translated “nations.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now makes a reference again to the events surrounding Abraham’s moment of salvation, the point in time when God declared him as righteous. Here’s how Moses recorded it back in the book of Genesis:

Then He brought him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens, and count the stars if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6)

Today’s verse is a dramatic statement of the type of faith that Abraham showed when he believed God’s promise that he would be the father of many nations. It says, “Who, contrary to hope …” meaning that it was beyond reason for him to expect it. And yet he, “… in hope believed …” That is, Abraham had complete trust in the fact that this thing would happen without a doubt!

The thing that he believed was that he would be the father of many nations just as God had told him. So why should this be considered beyond expectation? Because Abraham was about 80 years old and Sarah, his wife, was about 70 when the promise was made. They were both beyond child producing years, and yet Abraham fully believed that not only was God capable of doing it, he believed without a doubt that God would do it. Now that’s faith!

What we sometimes overlook here is that Sarah lived thirty-seven years after Isaac was born. And, after Sarah’s death Abraham remarried (at the age of about 140) and had six more sons by his second wife, Keturah (See Genesis 23:1; 25:1,2).

 

Application

Is the faith of Abraham the kind of faith that you had when you believed that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, thus saving you for all eternity?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:29 – Non-Exclusive God

Posted on by Will

Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,

Truth to Learn

No group of people has exclusive rights to God and His truth.

 

Behind the Words

“Only” is translated from the Greek word monon. This is probably derived from the verb menō, meaning “to remain” or “to stay.” Hence, monon means “that which remains, alone, or only.”

The word “not” is translated from ouchi, which is derived from ou, the absolute “not” in Greek. However, ouchi is a stronger form meaning “not at all” or “no way!”

“Yes” is from the Greek word nai, which implies strong affirmation. We could reasonably translated this as “yes, certainly.”

The word “Gentiles” is from ethnos, meaning “a group of people belonging together and living together, a race, or a nation.” It has been used historically by Jewish writers (as it is here) as a reference to those people, or nations, who are not Jewish.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just stated in conclusion that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law. To a Jew this would imply that the Law is void, otherwise why have they been working so hard for all these centuries to satisfy the Law through works.

Paul is saying that if justification could come from the Law (and only from the Law, as the Jews thought) then He must only be the God of the Jews since they are the only ones who had the Law. That’s why Paul asks the question, “Or is He the God of the Jews only, and not also of the gentiles?” He then immediately answers the question, “Yes, He is the God of the Gentiles also.”

The apostle is not making a casual statement here. The use of ouchi and nai indicate that he is making a couple of very strong statements: “Is He not at all also the God of the Gentiles? He most certainly is also the God of the Gentiles!”

The Jews knew that Jehovah is the God of all mankind, but they also knew that only the Jews had the Law. This made them selfish about the Scriptures and their relationship with God. They began to believe that Jehovah was their God exclusively, but Paul is bursting that bubble. Not only is He the God of both the Jews and the Gentiles but, as he will state in the next verse, He justifies (declares as righteous) both the Jews and the Gentiles. That would have come as a shock to many Jewish Christians who believed that God only justifies those who keep the law. It also may come as a shock to Christians today who believe we have to keep a lot of “rules” to be saved or to stay saved.

 

Application

Once again, we can see a strong parallel between the attitude of the Jewish people at the time of Christ and the attitude of Christians today. The Jews believed they had exclusive rights to God and were unwilling to share Him with Gentiles, building a wall between Jews and Gentiles. Since Christians have been given the Great Commission, we are commanded to share the Gospel with the whole world. But many denominations believe only they have “the correct” truth, thus building walls between Christians.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 2:24 – Visible Evidence

Posted on by Will

For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you," as it is written.

Truth to Learn

The actions of some Christians bring shame to our God.

 

Behind the Words

The word “blasphemed” is transliterated from the Greek. That is, the Greek word is brought directly over into English. The Greek word is blasphēmeō, which is made up of a form of blax, meaning “slow” or “stupid” and phēmē, meaning “rumor” or “fame.” It refers to “abusive or reviling words, especially an attack on someone’s name or reputation.”

“Gentiles” is translated from ethnos, meaning “a race” or “a tribe.” It is used by Jews to refer to anyone who is not a Jew, implying idolatry and ignorance of God. It was used by early Christians in a similar way in reference to those who are ignorant of God.

 

Meaning Explained

For the past few verses Paul has been telling the Roman Christians (and us) that talking about faith and a relationship with God means nothing unless that faith is put into practice. It doesn’t matter how much we know about God and about what He expects of us if we aren’t putting it into action. Now he takes it one step further. He says that not only did the Christians in Rome dishonor God by not keeping the Law, he says that they are the reason that the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles. In this case, the term Gentiles is a reference to those who are not Christians. It’s one thing to be known as the people of God. It’s quite another thing to be known as the people of God but live such a life that God is disparaged because of you.

In this verse Paul says “as it is written” but he does not specifically mention where it is written. The implication is that he was quoting scripture but he recognized that these people knew the scriptures well enough that he didn’t have to quote it. He may have been talking about one of the following passages:

And now what have I here," says the LORD, "For My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail," says the LORD, "And My name is blasphemed continually every day.  (Isaiah 52:5)

Therefore say to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profane among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah,’ says the Lord Jehovah, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.’”  (Ezekiel 36:22, 23)

Keep in mind that to those who are unsaved and know that we are Christians, we are God’s representatives. The way we behave reflects directly on our God. What they see in us may be all they know of God. What kind of a God do we portray?

 

Application

I’m once again reminded of a saying I heard as a young Christian, “If you were convicted for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Well, would there?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 2:14 – Moses’ Law vs. Natural Law

Posted on by Will

for when Gentiles, not having the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law unto themselves,

Truth to Learn

Even those who don’t know the Law can do some good.

 

Behind the Words

“Gentiles” is translated from the Greek word ethnos, which generally refers to “a tribe” or “a nation.” In Jewish writing it nearly always refers to “non-Jewish people” or “Gentiles,” though it is sometimes translated as “nations.”

The word translated “by nature” is the Greek word phusis, derived from the verb phuō, meaning “to produce from seed.” Phusis refers specifically to “natural birth” and has come to mean “that which is part of a person’s nature.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is now showing the Jewish Christians in Rome that having the Law and living by it is not sufficient reason to feel confident. As he said in the previous verse, simply hearing the Law is not good enough to demonstrate a person’s righteousness; instead one must be a doer of the Law.

Lest we get confused here, Paul is not claiming that any of us can be justified by obeying the Law of Moses or the Ten Commandments. As he will point out later, there is no one who keeps the whole Law, and if we break one of the commandments, then we are guilty of all of them. The only one to keep the whole Law is Jesus Christ. For that reason, he is righteous. In the next chapter of this letter Paul will quote from Psalms 14 as he informs his readers:

As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;” (Romans 3:10)

Yet, somehow the Jews believed that it was possible to keep the Law. This is precisely the notion that Paul is in the process of systematically proving false. To the Jew, and therefore to most of the early Christians, the Law was supreme and keeping the letter of the Law was paramount. That’s how they gauged how good they were.

What Paul is saying in today’s verse is, even though the Gentiles do not have the Law (the Old Testament), they still do some good things. And by doing so they demonstrate that there is a natural law that governs man independent of the revealed Law in the Old Testament. In the next couple of verses Paul will proclaim that the Great Judge will judge the Gentiles according to that natural law, and their consciences.

But salvation (being righteous) can only come by faith. Man is capable of doing good things, but not enough to satisfy a perfect, righteous, holy God. Whether it is the Law of Moses or the natural law, man is incapable of satisfying it completely. And Christians today sometimes develop a mindset that we are good Christians if we keep all the rules of the church. That really is no different from the early Christians believing that they could be saved by keeping the Law.

 

Application

Obeying God is good. It’s what He wants us to do. It’s what we ought to do, but it won’t save us because we can never be good enough. That’s why we need the grace of God, and that’s why salvation can only come through faith. As Paul will tell us later in this letter, God does not look favorably on the Christian who lives by all the rules; He looks favorably on the Christian who lives by faith.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 1:6 – God’s Saving Call

Posted on by Will

among whom are you also the called ones of Jesus Christ;

Truth to Learn

Every Christian is one of God’s special called ones.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “nations” in the previous verse is ethnos, (from which we get the English word ethnic) meaning “a race of people,” and in the New Testament it implies a “non-Jewish people.” Hence, it is sometimes translated as “gentiles.”

“Among” is translated from the Greek word en, which denotes “a fixed position in place, time, or state.” It implies a condition at rest, not changing or moving.

The words “the called ones” are translated from the Greek word klētos, meaning “those who have been called.”

 

Meaning Explained

The “among whom” in this verse refers to “all nations” from the previous verse. Paul is making a subtle, but very profound, statement about the Roman Christians in this verse. They were Roman citizens, which means that they were among the most powerful and dominant people of their time. The Roman people of that day knew this to be true and were likely to be arrogant about it, just as Americans have been for the past 100 years of so.

Spiritually, however, Paul tells them they were simply “among” the other nations. He is telling these people that politically they may have been the elite, but in terms of spirituality, they were not of the chosen tribe of Israel; therefore, they were no better off spiritually than any of the other gentiles. But he immediately makes a different distinction about them spiritually. He refers to them as “the called ones.”

When we think of calling someone today we simply think of calling out their name without any implication as to their response or lack thereof. This Greek word, however, has a different meaning. It carries with it the notion of a command with the implication that there has been a positive response. Paul explains this calling later in this letter. In Romans 8:28-30 he says:

And we know that all things work together for good to those loving God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the firstborn among many brothers. And whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

It is very clear from this passage that those who have been called by God (the called of Jesus Christ) have already been justified (saved) as well. Hence, we see that Paul is telling these particular Roman citizens that although they are no better spiritually than any other nation due to their heritage; they are very special to God because they are among his “chosen” ones.

 

Application

Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is one of God’s chosen ones. Rather than making us lazy in our Christian walk, though, it should both humble us and motivate us to commit ourselves to Him and the work He has for us to do.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 4:5 – Uncontrolled Desires?

Posted on by Will

not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Truth to Learn

Uncontrolled passion is bad for a marriage and Christian faith.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “passion” is pathos, which is derived from the verb paschō, meaning “to suffer.” In general usage it refers to strong emotion, either as suffering or as passionate emotion. In the New Testament it is used twice with epithumia (strong desire), and once with atimia (dishonorable).

“Lust” is from the Greek word epithumia, which is made up of epi, meaning “on” or “over,” used as an intensifier, and thumos, meaning “an violent action of the mind” such as anger or strong desire. Thus epithumos refers to overly strong desire or lust.

Ethnos is the Greek word translated “Gentiles.” It refers to “a nation” or “a race of people.” In Hebrew writing it generally refers to all non-Jews. When Paul used the term he often means all peoples who are neither Christian nor Jewish. In the current verse he makes it clear that he is talking about non-Christians.

 

Meaning Explained

In the first three chapters of this letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul put considerable time and energy into addressing the concerns of the church there. They were under considerable persecution and some believed that Paul had deserted them, fleeing from the same persecution they were suffering. In response, he expressed in very tender terms how much he loved them and was concerned about their welfare. He also informed them that he had tried to return to them but was hindered. Therefore, he had sent Timothy to them to help them grow in their faith. Upon Timothy’s return, Paul learned that the Thessalonians had a strong faith and had as much fondness for Paul as he did for them.

Paul then began the doctrinal teaching portion of this letter. The first subject that he addressed head-on was that of sexual promiscuity, which seems to have crept into the church. This is not surprising, since Macedonia and Achaia (all of modern day Greece) were dominated by paganism. The practices of these pagan religions frequently involved acts of sexuality. In fact, many of these religions employed temple prostitutes as part of their “religious” observances.

One of the difficulties for recent converts to Christianity was, and is, separating themselves from the pleasurable (though sinful) practices that they had previously thought to be normal and acceptable. One of the major differences between religion and Christianity, however, is the fact that God does not want religious observance from us, He wants a relationship. He wants more than a casual relationship, He wants an intimate relationship, and promiscuity destroys intimacy, whether it occurs before marriage or within a marriage. He tells them here that the way to avoid the desire for extra-marital affairs is for a man to nurture and care for his wife (or wife-to-be), developing an intimate relationship with her, not based on passionate lust.

Marriage is a picture of our relationship with God. It is one of submissive fellowship and genuine love. Clinging to and putting your faith in anything other than God is like infidelity in a marriage, it damages the relationship and fellowship.

 

Application

You may not have a problem with uncontrolled passion and lust in your marriage, but do you have a problem with selfish desires and unfaithfulness in your relationship with God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:16 – Proclaim It Fearlessly

Posted on by Will

hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has suddenly come upon them to the uttermost.

Truth to Learn

Christians are to share the Gospel, in spite of persecution.

 

Behind the Words

“Hindering” is translated from the Greek verb kōluō, which is related to the noun kolos, which refers to “a dwarf.” The verb kōluō means “to weaken” or “to cut off.” In its common usage, it means “to hinder, restrain, or prevent.”

Laleō is the verb translated “speaking.” It refers to verbal conversation in general, as opposed to the content of the conversation, which would be the word legō.

The word “Gentiles” is from the Greek noun ethnos. This word literally refers to “a group of people belonging and living together.” In Greek secular writing, it primarily refers to “a race of people” or “a nation.” The Jews used this word to refer to anyone who was not a Jew, that is, a Gentile.

“Saved” is translated from sodzō, which means “to rescue from danger or destruction.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility or probability of it happening.

“Always” is translated from pantote, which is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” and tote, meaning “then.” Therefore, pantote means “all the time.”

The words “fill up” are from anaplēroō. This is composed of ana, meaning “up,” used as an intensifier, and plēroō, meaning “to fill.” Thus, anaplēroō means “to fill up completely.

The words “has suddenly come upon” are from the verb phthanō, meaning “to come suddenly and unexpectedly.”

“Uttermost” is from telos, meaning “the termination,” “the completion,” or “the end.”

 

Meaning Explained

The Thessalonian Christians were just told that they are suffering in the same way as the Christians in Judea, at the hands of their own countrymen. Paul now describes the motivation behind such persecution. He says that their countrymen were hindering them from having conversations with the people around them so that these people might not hear and believe the gospel message, thus getting saved.

This sounds very contemporary, doesn’t it? Even in our own country, which was originally based on religious freedom and the freedom of speech, our countrymen are trying to prevent us from spreading the good news. Prayer has been taken out of our schools and teachers are forbidden from sharing the Gospel message. Discussions about sin and salvation are hindered in the workplace and many government offices have forbidden the display of Christian materials.

But Paul tells us that the consequences of such hindering of the Gospel will be far worse for those who are hindering our witness than they will be for us. Their actions will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and they will experience the wrath of God, while we will only know the peace of God.

 

Application

Don’t be discouraged from sharing the Gospel message with people around you. Keep in mind that it is “… the power of God unto salvation …” (Romans 1:16) that causes people to believe, not your own persuasiveness.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 3:1 – A Serving Stone

Posted on by Will

Because of this I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—

Truth to Learn

Serving God as part of His kingdom is a very high calling.

 

Behind the Words

“Because of this” is translated from the Greek words toutou charin. The first of these, toutou, is a form of touto, meaning “this” and charin means “on account of,” “because of,” or “for the sake of.” So, we have translated the opening phrase as “Because of this.”

“Prisoner” is from desmios, which is derived from the verb desmeō, meaning “to bind.” Thus, desmios means “someone in bonds” or “a prisoner.”

The words “Christ Jesus” are transliterated from the words christou iēsou. The interesting thing to note here is that Paul adds the definite article tou (the). Therefore, this could be translated as “the Christ, Jesus.”

 The second use of the word “for” in this verse is translated from huper, which means “above” or “over.” As used here it means “for the sake of” or “for the benefit of.”

Ethnos is the Greek word translated “Gentiles.” We looked at this in the previous chapter. It refers to any group or race of people. It is what Jews have historically called anyone who was not a Jew. Paul uses this term in reference to two different groups of people. Sometimes, he uses it, like the Jews do, in reference to anyone who is not a religious Jew (as he is in this verse). Sometimes, however, he uses this word in reference to a non-Christian.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul starts out this verse (and this chapter) with “Because of this.” So, we have to ask ourselves, “Because of what?” Well, what has he just been talking about? Beginning in verse eleven of the previous chapter, Paul taught us that before Christ came, we Gentiles were without a savior, we were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and we were not included in the covenants that God made with Israel. Basically, we were without hope. But now, because of Christ, we are no longer strangers and foreigners, we are fellow citizens with the saints of old and we are part of God’s household. And – we are part of God’s temple, which is being built with the lives of all who are saved. In short: we were lost, we are now saved and part of God’s family, and God has a purpose for us in His kingdom.

Because of this, Paul wants to give us further instruction. However, a strange thing happens starting in this verse and continuing through verse thirteen. In these verses Paul gets sidetracked with an explanation and justification of his own ministry (his position as a foundation stone in the temple of God). So, to learn the rest of “Because of this” we have to go to verse fourteen, “I bow my knees to the Father …” As we get to that verse, we will see that Paul has a special prayer for the rest of us building blocks in God’s temple.

Meanwhile, he will share with us some of the reasons why God has made him a foundation stone in the temple. He starts that off with a reminder that he is in bonds. He tells us that he is a prisoner of the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. In the book of Romans, he goes to great lengths to show us that we were once in bondage to sin but we are now owned by a new master, God Himself. He is now our master. But I don’t think that’s what Paul is referring to here. In chapter six, verse twenty of this letter, he will tell us that he is an ambassador in chains. From this most scholars believe that Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell in Rome where he was sent because of his testimony of salvation in Jesus Christ. Thus, he says that he is a prisoner of Christ (or “because” of Christ). He literally was a prisoner because of his testimony of Christ.

 

Application

How high do you consider your calling in Jesus Christ? Are you willing to go to prison simply because you are a Christian? Are you willing to lose your job simply because you are a Christian? Are you willing to suffer simply because you are a Christian? What’s more important, serving God, or yourself?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:11 – Spiritual Snobbery

Posted on by Will

Therefore remember that you, previously Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—

Truth to Learn

Spiritual snobbery should not exist in the life of any Christian, for we are saved by God’s grace.

 

Behind the Words

The word “therefore” is translated from dio. This is a compound of dia, meaning “through – indicating motion or causation” and hos, meaning “which.” So, it literally means “through which,” but is usually translated as “therefore.”

“Remember” is from the Greek verb mnēmoneuō, from which we get our English word mnemonic (a device to help you remember). This particular Greek word means “to recall to one’s mind” or “to remember.”

“Gentiles” is translated from ethnos, which simply means “a race” or “a tribe;” specifically, a foreign one. From the Jewish viewpoint, anyone of a foreign race (not a Jew) is a Gentile. In Paul’s writing it sometimes refers to someone who is not a Jew, but usually means someone who is not a believer.

We looked at the word translated “flesh” back in verse three. It is the word sarx, which literally refers to “the flesh of a living creature.” This word is commonly used to refer to the physical part of our existence as opposed to the spiritual part.

“Uncircumcision” is from akrobustia, which is made up of akron, meaning “the tip” and a form of the verb buō, meaning “to cover.” It us a word that refers specifically to the foreskin of a penis. Therefore, this word refers to someone who has not had his foreskin cut off. Since circumcision was the sign of God’s ownership given to Abraham by God, Abraham’s descendants often refer to non-Jews (Gentiles) as uncircumcised.

The word “Circumcision” is translated from peritomē, which is a compound word made up of peri, meaning “around” and a form of the verb temnō, meaning “to cut off.” Hence, this word refers to a circular cutting off of the foreskin.

 

 

Meaning Explained

On first glance, one might think that Paul is suddenly changing the subject on this verse. However, a rule of thumb in Bible study is “when you see a ‘therefore’ or a ‘wherefore,’ you need to see what it is there for.”

Paul has been talking about God’s mercy and how by His grace we have been saved through faith. In the past two verses he specifically pointed out that we are not saved by works, but that good works should be the evidence of our salvation. He now contrasts this faith with the religion of works that the Jews have been steeped in for millennia. The Jewish faith goes all the way back to Abraham, who was saved by faith just as we are. As a result of his faith and God’s covenant with him concerning a coming Messiah, Abraham was commanded to circumcise himself and every male in his household (several hundred at that time).

Through the years, the Jews have held fast to circumcision as a sign of their religion and their relationship with God. Because it is an indication in the flesh that they are God’s people, the Jews look down on all uncircumcised foreigners and declare the gods of the uncircumcised to be false gods. It is as if they built a wall between themselves and everyone else. But, in the coming verses Paul will tell us that the wall has been broken down.

 

Application

Lest we be too hard on the Jews for their spiritual snobbery, we Christians need to make sure that we are not exhibiting the same attitude toward others. We are no better than the unsaved people of the world. Apart from God’s grace, we would be destined for Hell just like they are. Thank you, God, for your grace and for the faith to believe your promises.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved