Tag: feet

Ephesians 6:15 – Stand Firm!

Posted on by Will

and having shod the feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Truth to Learn

We have a firm standing in our salvation.

 

Behind the Words

“Having shod” is translated from the verb hupodeō, which is a compound word made up of hupo, meaning “under” and deō, meaning “to bind.” So literally, this word means “to bind under.” This verb means “to fasten sandals to your feet” or “to put on shoes.”

The word “feet” is translated from the Greek word pous, which means “foot.” The plural of pous is poda. Many medical terms are based on Greek, so a doctor who specializes in feet is called a Doctor of Podiatry.

“Preparation” is from the Greek word hetoimasia, which is based on the verb hetoimadzō, meaning “to prepare” or “to make ready.” However, in early Greek this word referred to “a foundation” or “a solid base.”

“Gospel” is translated from euangelion, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of the verb angellō, meaning “to proclaim, announce, or tell.” Thus, euangelion refers to “a good message” or “good news.”

 

Meaning Explained

In these past few verses the Apostle Paul has been instructing us regarding the daily battle that we are engaged in with the spiritual forces of evil. As God’s children we are also God’s soldiers fighting these one-on-one wrestling matches with things we cannot see. Paul’s purpose in telling us about these battles is to prepare us for them so that we can know daily victory in our Christian walk.

He already told us to stand fast against the enemy forces, and in order to win the battles we need to have our armor in place. Yesterday we learned about the importance of knowing the truth contained in God’s word. This truth acts as a foundation garment to support the rest of our armor. The other thing we learned yesterday was to put on righteousness as a breastplate. This is not our own righteousness, for we have none in and of ourselves. However, because we have Christ’s righteousness, God sees us as with the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself.

The next part of our armor is our shoes. A Roman soldier had heavy sandals which had nails, or spikes, protruding from the bottom. This gave him a firm footing so that he could effectively leverage his power against the enemy. This is probably Paul’s meaning. Yes, we need to be prepared to share the Gospel message with others, but that is an act of peace and reconciliation, not an act of war. What Paul is referring to here is for us to have a firm standing in our understanding that because we have believed the good news about Christ’s death on the cross, we are at peace with God. All of our sins have been forgiven and we will not experience His wrath. Instead, we will know His eternal love.

 

Application

If you have confessed Christ as your Lord and Savior and have accepted His blood as payment for your sins, you are at peace with God. As we have said elsewhere, that salvation can’t be taken away from you and you can’t give it back. If you are saved, you are eternally secure. Without that knowledge, you are an easy mark for the enemy. With that knowledge of security, you can stand firm in the gospel of peace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 6:15 – Stand Firm!

Posted on by Will

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Truth to Learn

We have a firm standing in our salvation.

Behind the Words

“Having shod” is translated from the verb hupodeō, which is a compound word made up of hupo, meaning “under” and deō, meaning “to bind.” So literally, this word means “to bind under.” This verb means “to fasten sandals to your feet” or “to put on shoes.”

The word “feet” is translated from the Greek word pous, which means “foot.” The plural of pous is poda. Many medical terms are based on Greek, so a doctor who specializes in feet is called a Doctor of Podiatry.

“Preparation” is from the Greek word hetoimasia, which is based on the verb hetoimadzō, meaning “to prepare” or “to make ready.” However, in early Greek this word referred to “a foundation” or “a solid base.”

“Gospel” is translated from euangelion, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of the verb angellō, meaning “to proclaim, announce, or tell.” Thus, euangelion refers to “a good message” or “good news.”

Meaning Explained

In these past few verses the Apostle Paul has been instructing us regarding the daily battle that we are engaged in with the spiritual forces of evil. As God’s children we are also God’s soldiers fighting these one-on-one wrestling matches with things we cannot see. Paul’s purpose in telling us about these battles is to prepare us for them so that we can know daily victory in our Christian walk.

He already told us to stand fast against the enemy forces, and in order to win the battles we need to have our armor in place. Yesterday we learned about the importance of knowing the truth contained in God’s word. This truth acts as a foundation garment to support the rest of our armor. The other thing we learned yesterday was to put on righteousness as a breastplate. This is not our own righteousness, for we have none in and of ourselves. However, because we have Christ’s righteousness, God sees us as with the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself.

The next part of our armor is our shoes. A Roman soldier had heavy sandals which had nails, or spikes, protruding from the bottom. This gave him a firm footing so that he could effectively leverage his power against the enemy. This is probably Paul’s meaning. Yes, we need to be prepared to share the Gospel message with others, but that is an act of peace and reconciliation, not an act of war. What Paul is referring to here is for us to have a firm standing in our understanding that because we have believed the good news about Christ’s death on the cross, we are at peace with God. All of our sins have been forgiven and we will not experience His wrath. Instead, we will know His eternal love.

Application

If you have confessed Christ as your Lord and Savior and have accepted His blood as payment for your sins, you are at peace with God. As we have said elsewhere, that salvation can’t be taken away from you and you can’t give it back. If you are saved, you are eternally secure. Without that knowledge, you are an easy mark for the enemy. With that knowledge of security, you can stand firm in the gospel of peace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Romans 3:15 – Eager Violence

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Romans 3:15

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Truth to Learn

Bloodshed and violence are part of human nature.

Behind the Words

“Swift” is translated from the Greek word oxus. The basic meaning of this word is “to have a sharp, piercing point or a very sharp edge.” But this word also implies eagerness toward violence.

The word translated “shed” is ekcheō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and cheō, which means “to pour.” Therefore, we can see that this word literally means “to pour out.”

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 59:7 which says,

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and ruin are in their paths.

This passage in Isaiah occurs in the midst of a description of the character of the nation of Israel in the time of Isaiah. The expression, “their feet are swift,” implies the eagerness of the Jewish people to commit crime, particularly deeds of bodily injury and cruelty. They pursued the innocent ones and were not afraid to shed others’ blood to gratify their wicked desires, or to satisfy their vengeance on those who opposed them.

Notice also, in the Isaiah passage, that it is not just their actions that indicate the wickedness of their hearts. Isaiah says that their thoughts were thoughts of iniquity. Even when they were not performing deeds of wickedness and injury to others, they were thinking about doing evil.

In quoting this passage, however, Paul is showing us that this is the nature of all of mankind, not just Jews. It is clear from Paul’s description of the depravity of mankind in this passage that without the grace of a merciful God, none of us would ever be able to stand before the Judge of the universe without fear of condemnation.

If we hearken back to the metaphor of life being depicted as walking along a pathway, we begin to see the magnitude of this sinful characteristic of man. Instead of a leisurely stroll down the path of life, or even hastening one’s step to pursue closeness to our Travel Guide, this verse portrays man dashing off the path of righteousness in order to attack others. It is indicative of the overwhelming influence of our sin nature when it is not being held in check by the Holy Spirit of God.

Application

It’s easy to see this type of attitude and action being played out all around us. It might be some person going on a killing rampage because they’re angry, or it might be crooked government officials causing pain and suffering for innocent people because of their own selfish greed. It’s part of human nature. We Christians need to do two things. First, we need to ensure that we are humbled before God and filled with His Spirit so we don’t think or do any such things. Then, we need to pray for those who do these things. Be a witness of Christ’s love and pray for the salvation of others. Remember that it is only by the grace of God that we will appear before the Judge some day with the righteousness of Christ. Thank you, Lord for saving my soul!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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