Tag: foreigners

1 Peter 2:11 – Holy Pilgrims

Posted on by Will

Beloved, I encourage you as strangers and foreigners, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

Truth to Learn

We are to live like citizens of heaven, not like earth dwellers.

 

Behind the Words

The word “encourage” is an interesting one. It is the Greek word, parakaleō which is the verb form of a name given to the Holy Spirit, paraclete (translated “comforter”). It is a compound of para, meaning “alongside or near” and kaleō, which means “to call.” Hence, the Holy Spirit is the One who is “called alongside” with the idea of being the One who walks alongside us on a journey to keep us company and to counsel us. In the verb form, as used in today’s verse, it carries the idea of a coach calling an athlete to him in order to give words of encouragement and support.

Peter then uses two similar words for “strangers” and “foreigners.” These words are paroikos and parepidēmos. They are also compound words that start with the word for “near or alongside” (para, shortened to par). The first of these words, paroikos, means “one who has a home in a place nearby, but not here in this place.” The second word, parepidēmos, means a “foreigner” or an “alien (not of the local race of people) who has temporarily settled locally.”

The word translated “abstain” is apechomai, a compound word of apo (shortened to ap), meaning “from” or “away from” and echo, meaning “to have.” Hence, it means “to have away from” or “to keep away from.” It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating action that is done by the subject to the subject. Therefore it means, “keep yourself away from.”

 

Meaning Explained

One of the metaphors used throughout the Bible is that of being on a journey, walking through life. Peter is picking up on that metaphor here as he coaches us as people who don’t live here (on this earth) and who are not local residents (we are heavenly residents who are temporarily wandering through this land). The coach’s message is to abstain from, that is to actively resist and keep oneself away from, the lusts of the flesh that make war against our soul.

You may remember from a previous verse that the world system is made up of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). These things are not of God but of the world, and since we are not of this world (but strangers and foreigners here) we need to resist the local customs and keep ourselves pure like our Father.

There is a fine line between the desires that are a necessary part of us as human beings, and lusts, or overly strong desires, that control us if we do not control them. Peter is coaching us to resist these lusts even as we are daily bombarded by the customs (advertisements) and attitudes of the local residents.

 

Application

Let us stand fast and resist, keeping ourselves holy because our Heavenly Father is holy and we want to reflect the family image. Let us be lights in the midst of darkness. Let us be witnesses, not by using condemning words, but by showing our kindness to others and by demonstrating our abstinence from the lusts of the flesh.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:19 – Household Members

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:19  – Household Members

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Truth to Learn

Christians are part of God’s household and will live with Him for eternity.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Now” is ara, which is an inferential particle. That is, it indicates that an inference, or conclusion is being made. It is somewhat difficult to translate directly into English, but is often translated as “now,” “then,” “so be,” “in conclusion,” or “truly.”

“Therefore” is from another Greek inferential particle, oun. This word is most often translated “therefore” or “certainly.”

The words “no longer” are translated from a single Greek word, ouketi. This is made up of ouk, meaning “not” and eti which refers to a duration of time. It is most often translated as “yet” or “still.” When these two words are combined they mean “not still” or “no longer.”

“Strangers” is the Greek word xenos, which we saw back in verse twelve. It refers to someone who is “a stranger” or “an alien.”

Paroikos is the Greek word translated “foreigners.” It is made up of para, meaning “by, beside, or near” and oikos, which refers to “a dwelling place” or “a house.” Thus, paroikos refers to “someone who lives nearby,” that is, “someone who lives in a nearby foreign country.”

Meaning Explained

As we saw above, the opening words of this verse indicate a conclusion is being drawn. In this case, the two words ara oun, are best translated as “So then,” That’s the basic meaning of “Now, therefore” as we have in our translation here (New King James Version). Paul is not saying “Now” as opposed to “previously.” He is simply summarizing what he has been teaching. This summary takes us back to verse twelve, where Paul said that we were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise.”

Paul has been teaching us about how the blood of Jesus Christ and faith in His death on the cross as payment for our sins has broken down the dividing wall between the Gentiles and Jews. By breaking down this wall, we are at peace with the Jews and with God and we have access to God the Father through the Holy Spirit. So then …

We are no longer strangers from the covenants of promise and we are no longer foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel. Instead, we are fellow citizens of a holy nation with all the saints. “Saints” is a reference to all those whom God has declared righteous through faith, from the time of Adam to the present day. And, not only are we fellow citizens of that holy nation, we are now members of God’s household. That means that when we leave this life and “go home” it will be to God’s home.

Application

As Christians, we have so many precious promises that will help us endure this life of service to God. One of the greatest promises, however, is that when this life is over, we will live with Him in His home forever. What a blessing!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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