fervent – Ministry of Grace Church

in diligence, not slothful, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

Truth to Learn

A Christian’s life should be characterized by diligent service.

Behind the Words

“Slothful” is from oknēros, from the verb okneō, meaning “to be slow, to be lazy, or to delay.”

The word translated “diligence” is spoudē, which literally means “speed,” but by implication it refers to eagerness, earnestness, diligence, or zeal.

The word “fervent” is translated from the Greek word dzeontes, which literally means “to be hot.” However, it means more than just being overly warm. In reference to liquids, this word means “to boil” and with reference to metal objects it means “to glow.”

The word translated “serving” is douleuontes, which comes from the noun “doulos” meaning “a slave who has been purchased by, and therefore completely subservient to the will of, his or her master.”

Meaning Explained

Paul continues his admonition of how we ought to behave in this Christian life. In this verse there are three declarations. Literally he says, “in speed not slow, in the spirit being fervent, in the Lord being a slave.” In the first of these, Paul is telling us that whatever we choose to do, it should be done earnestly, not lazily. In other words, whatever you apply yourself to, you should do it the best you can. It should be done diligently and faithfully, as if Christ were there observing you.

In the second part of this verse, Paul tells us that we should be fervent in spirit. Whereas the first part of this verse deals with the physical part of our being, this expression refers to the spiritual part of our being. In other words, Paul is telling us that our spiritual life and effort should be fervent. That is, we should be “on fire” for the Lord.

In his evaluation of the church of Laodicea, in the 3^rd chapter of the book of the Revelation, our Lord says this:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)

Clearly He was not pleased with the church that was merely lukewarm, and I believe that is a warning to all Christians today. We should not simply be going through the motions in our Christian walk. God wants hot, on-fire followers, not average, lukewarm followers.

The third part of this verse is actually a continuance of the second part. Not only are we to be hot in our spiritual life, it is to be manifested in our service to the Lord. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ and are no longer free. We are the purchased slaves of God. Therefore, we should be serving Him, not ourselves.

Application

Let me ask you a real soul-searching question. Who are you really living your life for? Are you your own master, or are you completely submitted to the one who bought you with the precious blood of Christ?

In God's service, for His glory,

Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

Truth to Learn

Love means forgetting your own pain in order to help a brother or sister grow in grace.

Behind the Words

The expression “above all things” is translated from the Greek words pro pantōn. The word pro means “before.” It can refer to place, time, or importance. In this case, it refers to importance. The word pantōn means “all things.” Hence, Peter is literally saying “before all things,” that is, having more importance than all other things.

“Love” is translated from agapē, which in fact does mean “love.” But it is only one of several Greek words that is translated that way. The best way to describe this type of love is that it is the kind of love which is more concerned about the well being of the loved one than of self.

The word “fervent” is from the Greek word ektenēs, which literally means “stretched out.” As used here it means “continual or intense.”

The word translated “cover” is kaluptō, which means “to hide or cover.” The opposite of this is the Greek word apokaluptō, meaning “to uncover” or “to reveal” from which we get our English word apocalypse.

Meaning Explained

Since we know that our time is short, as stated in the previous verse, we need to be serious and dedicate ourselves to prayer. But, Peter tells us in this verse, of greater importance than even these things, we need to have fervent love for one another. Since Peter is writing this letter to Christians (1Peter 1:1, 2), it means that we are to love our fellow Christians with a self-sacrificing love, being more concerned for their well-being than our own. But it’s not just love, it is “fervent love” that we are to have for one another.

Why are we commanded to have fervent love for each other? Peter says it’s because love covers (or hides) a multitude of sins. This is not to say that we are to ignore the sins of a brother or sister. It means that we are to love each other this way so that we will be gracious and forgiving of each other’s faults. We need to be more concerned about the well-being of our Christian brothers and sisters than our own selfish motives and feelings. If a brother of sister is living in sin, we have a responsibility to approach him or her in a loving (agapē) manner with his or her ultimate good in mind. It also means that when a brother or sister sins against us, we need to be more concerned for their spiritual well-being than our own bruised selfish pride. Again, it doesn’t mean that we ignore the offense; rather, it means that we approach the offender in a loving (agapē) way to let him or her know that they injured us, having already forgiven them and freed them of any blame.

Keep in mind that love is an action verb, not just a feeling. In light of what Peter just told us in the previous verse (“the end of all things is near” and “be self-controlled unto prayer”), we should consistently demonstrate fervent love to our Christian brothers and sisters.

Application

When we approach a Christian brother or sister who is living in sin or who has offended us, we need to do it while standing in their shoes. We need to confront them lovingly the way we would want someone to treat us if the tables were turned.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: fervent

Romans 12:11 – Diligent Spiritual Service

1 Peter 4:8 – Demonstrate Fervent Love