Tag: exceedingly

Romans 7:13 – Sinfulness Revealed

Posted on by Will

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? No way! But sin, that it might appear sinful, was producing death in me through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.

Truth to Learn

The Law reveals our sinfulness to the fullest extent.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “appear” is phainō, which is from the noun phos, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.” Phainō means “to illuminate,” “to become visibly apparent,” or “to reveal.”

“Producing” is from katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse eight means, “to carry out a task until it is completely finished.” It is expressed in this verse as a participle, so it could be translated, “was completely accomplishing in me.”

The word “exceedingly” is from huperbolē, which is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “above” and a form of ballō, meaning “to throw.” So it literally means “to throw above” or “to throw beyond.” Metaphorically, it means “to surpass” or “to be excessive.” From this we get our English word hyperbole, meaning “an extravagant exaggeration.”

 

Meaning Explained

Anticipating another objection, Paul now asks another of his rhetorical questions. The objection is this, “Is it possible that what is admitted to be good and pure (the law), might be changed into evil?” Paul’s response to his rhetorical question is the now familiar, me genoito, meaning “May it not be!” or “No way!”

This next sentence is very confusing to read in most translations. Let me take the liberty of making a couple of minor alterations to the translation so that it might appear to us more clearly what Paul is saying:

But sin, so that it might be made apparent as sin, is completely accomplishing death in me through that which is good (the law); so that sin might become exceedingly sinful, and this because of the commandment.

Do you see what Paul is saying? The law has not become death to us, but it has caused sin to be revealed as it truly is, very sinful, and it is the sin which causes death.

There was a comedian some years back by the name of Flip Wilson whose most famous line was, “The devil made me do it!” Well, if Flip had been around in Paul’s day he probably would have said, “The Law made me do it!” That is precisely what Paul is arguing against. The law does not make us sin, but it does cause sin to be exposed for what it really is so that we are without any excuse whatsoever.

So we can’t blame the law for our sinfulness. We have to take full responsibility for our own sin. Then we return to 1 John 1:9. Do you remember what that verse says?

 

Application

It is relatively easy for each of us to excuse our own sinfulness for a variety of reasons. But the Law makes our sinfulness so apparent that we no longer have any grounds for denying it. Recognizing and admitting our own sinfulness is the first step in recognizing our need for salvation from the penalty of sin.

Praise be to God for His mercy and His grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 3:10 – Improve Your Prayer Life

Posted on by Will

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and complete what is lacking in your faith?

Truth to Learn

All Christians should work on improving their prayer lives. We need to thank God more and pray more for others.

 

Behind the Words

“Praying” is translated from deomai, meaning “to ask, plead, or beg.” Between this word and huperekperissou, Paul could hardly have used a stronger or more extreme expression of how often and how much he pleaded with God regarding his desire to see the Thessalonians in person.

The word “exceedingly” is from the Greek word ekperissou. This is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out of” but used here as an intensifier, and perissoteros, meaning “excessively.” This word means “exceeding all bounds” or “more than excessively.” And – this word is preceded by huper, meaning “above.” So Paul is saying that he prayed “more than exceedingly.”

Katartidzō is the Greek verb translated “complete.” It means “to put a thing in its appropriate condition,” that is “to bring something to completeness or perfection.” It is used in Matthew 4:21 of fishermen mending (putting back to completeness and full usefulness) their nets.

The word “lacking” is translated from husterema, which is based on the verb hystereō, meaning “to lack” or “to fall behind.” The basic meaning of husterema is “that which is lacking or missing.”

 

Meaning Explained

We noted in yesterday’s verse that the Apostle Paul was a prayer warrior, praying incessantly for all Christians, especially for those to whom he ministered. Here we get another sense of how often he prayed. He says that he prayed “night and day.” To Paul, prayer was such a necessity in the Christian life that he did it at all times. He didn’t simply “throw a prayer God’s direction” when he first got up in the morning. He didn’t just give God thanks when he sat down to eat. He didn’t just think of others and pray for them when he was about to lay his head down at night. Paul prayed to God throughout the entire day.

Paul was so incessant in his prayers that he says here that he prayed more than abundantly. This superabundance included how much he prayer, how long he prayer, and how earnestly he prayed. Oh, that we all would pray like Paul!

We get a picture of the Apostle to the Gentiles communicating with and communing with God whenever he was not actively engaged in any other activity. If fact, he was probably talking with God even while engaged in other activities. To him it was sort of like breathing. No matter what he was or wasn’t doing, Paul was praying.

But notice that even the prayers of Paul were not always answered in the affirmative. One of his frequent prayer requests was that he might be able to be in the presence of the Thessalonian Christians, to see their faces. As far as we know, this never happened throughout the remainder of Paul’s life. And this was not a selfish prayer; he wanted to see them so that he could continue their Christian education, to personally instruct them in the maturing of their faith.

 

Application

If you are like me, you feel woefully inadequate in your prayer life compared to Paul. But this is not cause to give up and quit trying. It should inspire each of us to redouble our efforts to pray more frequently and consistently. Give thanks and praise to our God continually and let Him use you for His glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 3:10 – Improve Your Prayer Life

Posted on by Will

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Truth to Learn

All Christians should work on improving their prayer lives. We need to thank God more and pray more for others.

Behind the Words

“Praying” is translated from deomai, meaning “to ask, plead, or beg.” Between this word and huperekperissou, Paul could hardly have used a stronger or more extreme expression of how often and how much he pleaded with God regarding his desire to see the Thessalonians in person.

The word “exceedingly” is from the Greek word huperekperissou. This is a double compound word made up of huper (or hyper) meaning “above” or “over,” ek, meaning “out of” but used here as an intensifier, and perissoteros, meaning “excessively.” This word means “exceeding all bounds” or “more than excessively.”

Katartidzō is the Greek verb translated “perfect.” It means “to put a thing in its appropriate condition,” that is “to bring something to completeness or perfection.” It is used in Matthew 4:21 of fishermen mending (putting back to completeness and full usefulness) their nets.

The word “lacking” is translated from husterema, which is based on the verb hystereō, meaning “to lack” or “to fall behind.” The basic meaning of husterema is “that which is lacking or missing.”

Meaning Explained

We noted in yesterday’s verse that the Apostle Paul was a prayer warrior, praying incessantly for all Christians, especially for those to whom he ministered. Here we get another sense of how often he prayed. He says that he prayed “night and day.” To Paul, prayer was such a necessity in the Christian life that he did it at all times. He didn’t simply “throw a prayer God’s direction” when he first got up in the morning. He didn’t just give God thanks when he sat down to eat. He didn’t just think of others and pray for them when he was about to lay his head down at night. Paul prayed to God throughout the entire day.

We get a picture of the Apostle to the Gentiles communicating with and communing with God whenever he was not actively engaged in any other activity. If fact, he was probably talking with God even while engaged in other activities. To him it was sort of like breathing. No matter what he was or wasn’t doing, Paul was praying.

But notice that even the prayers of Paul were not always answered in the affirmative. One of his frequent prayer requests was that he might be able to be in the presence of the Thessalonian Christians, to see their faces. As far as we know, this never happened throughout the remainder of Paul’s life. And this was not a selfish prayer; he wanted to see them so that he could continue their Christian education, to personally instruct them in the maturing of their faith.

Application

If you are like me, you feel woefully inadequate in your prayer life compared to Paul. But this is not cause to give up and quit trying. It should inspire each of us to redouble our efforts to pray more frequently and consistently. Give thanks and praise to our God continually and let Him use you for His glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 7:13 – Sinfulness Revealed

Posted on by Will

Romans 7:13

Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Truth to Learn

The Law reveals our sinfulness to the fullest extent.

Behind the Words

The word translated “appear” is phainō, which is from the noun phos, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.” Phainō means “to illuminate,” “to become visibly apparent,” or “to reveal.”

“Producing” is from katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse eight means, “to carry out a task until it is completely finished.” It is expressed in this verse as a participle, so it could be translated, “is completely accomplishing in me.”

The word “exceedingly” is from huperbolē, which is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “above” and a form of ballō, meaning “to throw.” So it literally means “to throw above” or “to throw beyond.” Metaphorically, it means “to surpass” or “to be excessive.” From this we get our English word hyperbole, meaning “an extravagant exaggeration.”

Meaning Explained

Anticipating another objection, Paul now asks another of his rhetorical questions. The objection is this, “Is it possible that what is admitted to be good and pure (the law), might be changed into evil?” Paul’s response to his rhetorical question is the now familiar, me genoito, that is, “No way!”

This next sentence is very confusing to read in most translations. Let me take the liberty of making a couple of minor alterations to the translation so that it might appear to us more clearly what Paul is saying:

But sin, so that it might be made apparent as sin, is completely accomplishing death in me through that which is good (the law); so that sin might become exceedingly sinful, and this because of the commandment.

Do you see what Paul is saying? The law has not become death to us, but it has caused sin to be revealed as it truly is, very sinful, and it is the sin which causes death.

There was a comedian some years back by the name of Flip Wilson whose most famous line was, “The devil made me do it!” Well, if Flip had been around in Paul’s day he probably would have said, “The Law made me do it!” That is precisely what Paul is arguing against. The law does not make us sin, but it does cause sin to be exposed for what it really is so that we are without any excuse whatsoever.

So we can’t blame the law for our sinfulness. We have to take full responsibility for our own sin. Then we return to 1 John 1:9. Do you remember what that verse says?

Application

It is relatively easy for each of us to excuse our own sinfulness for a variety of reasons. But the Law makes our sinfulness so apparent that we no longer have any grounds for denying it. Recognizing and admitting our own sinfulness is the first step in recognizing our need for salvation from the penalty of sin.

Praise be to God for His mercy and His grace!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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