Tag: fulfill

2 Thessalonians 1:11 – Don’t Complain, Give Thanks!

Posted on by Will

To this end we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good intent of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

Truth to Learn

Trials are good for Christians. Don’t complain – thank God.

 

Behind the Words

“To this end” is translated from the Greek words eis ho. Eis means “to, into, or unto” and ho is a relative pronoun meaning “who or which.” So, we see that these two words literally mean “to which.”

The words “would count … worthy” are from the verb axioō, which is based on the noun axios, meaning “value or worth.” Therefore, axioō means “to determine the value or worth of something.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood indicating possibility or probability.

Klēsis is the Greek word translated “calling.” It is based on the verb kaleō, meaning “a call or invitation to people, inviting them to come or to go somewhere.”

The word “fulfill” is from plēroō, meaning “to fill-up or to make completely full.”

“Good intent” is translated from eudokia, which is made up of eu, meaning “good or well” and dokeō, meaning “to think.” Thus eudokia, means “good thoughts” or “good intent.”

 

Meaning Explained

The apostle Paul would probably not get good grades in a Greek writing class because his sentences are often long and run-on. A good example is shown here in 2 Thessalonians. The sentence immediately preceding the current verse began back in verse three and doesn’t end until verse 10. As a result, it takes deep inspection to determine what he means by “to this end” at the beginning of today’s verse.

The crux of what Paul has been talking about is “we thank God because your patience and faith are growing as a result of your persecution and suffering. And, this growth is evidence of God’s righteous good judgment toward you and His severe judgment against unbelievers.” Basically, he prayed that God would show them His goodness at His return and in the future kingdom.

Now, Paul expresses another prayer. Instead of future blessing, however, he prays for their present blessing. He first prays that we might be found to be worthy of our calling to be a Christian. Trials do not make a person; they simply reveal what a person is really made of. A faithful, committed Christian will demonstrate his or her worth in the middle of trials. Weak or wishy-washy Christians in the midst of trials will only moan and complain, showing how little value their faith has. God knows our hearts even before we encounter trials, but we only recognize how strong our faith is when we are in the heat of battle.

Right now, God wants you to know how much He desires to bless you. That’s one of the reasons He allows persecution and suffering of His children. Trials are not a bad thing for Christians, they are good for us!

 

Application

When you encounter trials in your Christian walk or when you suffer for being a Christian, don’t complain to God; instead, thank Him for showing His love to you.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:23 – Reckoned and Called

Posted on by Will

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called friend of God.

Truth to Learn

If you believe God’s word, your works will declare it.

Behind the Words

Back in verse eight of this chapter, we looked at the word translated “fulfill,” meaning “to finish or make complete.” In this verse, the word translated “fulfill,” however, is a different word. It is the word plēroō, which means “to fill-up” or “to make full.” It is the word used of filling a vessel with water to the very brim. James is not saying that the scripture was made complete but that it was fully demonstrated as being true.

The phrase “it was accounted” is one that we have looked at before. It is translated from the Greek word logidzomai, which is an accounting term, meaning “to make a conclusion based on an inventory.” It could be paraphrased as “to make an accounting,” or “to mark in a record.” Hence, it is often translated as “to reckon” or “to impute.” The word is expressed in this verse in the aorist tense and passive voice. The passive voice indicates that it was done to Abraham, and the aorist tense indicates that it was done at a single point in time in the past.

“Called” is translated from kaleō, which means “to call out loud.” It implies a personal message that is proclaimed. Once again we see the verb in the aorist tense and passive voice indicating that Abraham was proclaimed to be God’s friend at a single point in time in the past.

Meaning Explained

You may wonder why such a distinction is being made about tense and voice in these words. The reason is that they show us that even James believes that Abraham had a complete saving faith at the point in time when he was marked as righteous by God and proclaimed as His friend. Notice that it was not Abraham claiming that God was his friend, but God proclaiming that Abraham was His friend. The reckoning and calling were God’s doing, not Abraham’s.

James clearly declares that Abraham believed God, as declared in Genesis 15:6, and that at that time God declared him righteous. That’s when Abraham was saved. And, James’ point here is that his act of obedience many years later was a demonstration that his saving faith was real. In the previous verse the distinction was made between saving faith and walking faith. They’re not really two kinds of faith; rather, walking faith is a manifestation of saving faith.

Reading through the fourth chapter of Romans, we see that Paul presents a very strong case that Abraham was not reckoned righteous by God because of his works (his acts of obedience) but because of his faith. The act of declaring Abraham righteous is God’s act of grace, not Abraham’s act of obedience. Here, James is not arguing against Paul; instead, he is agreeing and proclaiming that Abraham’s faith was acted out in works as the proof that his faith was real.

Application

If you are truly saved, then it is your works of obedience to God’s Word which demonstrate it. Therefore, “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and may glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:8 – Love Others

Posted on by Will

If indeed you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;

Truth to Learn

The greatest thing we can do for others is to love them like we love ourselves.

Behind the Words

“Fulfill” is the word teleō, which means “to fulfill” or “to complete.” It is a stronger word than the normal tēreō, which means “to keep” or “to observe.” This verb is in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. This identifies the verb as one of current, continuous action. So, he is saying, “If you are really continually fulfilling …”

The Greek word translated “royal” is, basilikos which means “regal” or “preeminent.” This means that it is the highest or preeminent law, which should guide our every action.

Nomos is the Greek word translated “law.” This word refers to the entire body of the law which the Jews were to keep. James could have used the word entolē, meaning “commandment,” for it is a commandment that he quotes. His purpose for using nomos, however, is to say that the entire set of commandments is summed-up in one, and it is the preeminent one.

The word “love” is the Greek agapaō, the self-sacrificing love which Christ demonstrated for us on the cross.

Meaning Explained

So, what is this highest, or preeminent, law that James is talking about? According to Jesus, when asked by a lawyer what the greatest law is:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

James is quoting what Jesus called the second greatest commandment. So why does he say that it is the preeminent one? The two that Jesus cited have to do with our relationship with God the Father and our relationship with other people. If we look at the Ten Commandments we see that the first four apply to our relationship with God and the other six apply to our relationship with others. Therefore, when Jesus quoted the two greatest commandments he was summing-up all ten.

James, on the other hand, is only dealing with our relationship with others, so he quotes the preeminent commandment having to do with how we treat others. He says that if we live our lives by continually loving others with a self-sacrificing love, this is good. This is James’ summary of his discussion in the previous six verses on how we treat rich people and poor people differently based on their appearance. He will complete his summary in the next verse.

Application

Though we sometimes don’t want to admit it, we all love ourselves. We take care of ourselves, we feed ourselves when we get hungry, we buy things for ourselves, and we even choose a mate for ourselves based on what we like. We spend many waking hours thinking about things that will please us. When we do this, our focus is on ourselves. James says that our focus should be on others to the same degree.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 1:11 – Don’t Complain, Give Thanks!

Posted on by Will

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

Truth to Learn

Trials are good for Christians. Don’t complain – thank God.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek words eis ho. Eis means “to, into, or unto” and ho is a relative pronoun meaning “who or which.” So, we see that these two words literally mean “to which.”

The words “would count … worthy” are from the verb axioō, which is based on the noun axios, meaning “value or worth.” Therefore, axioō means “to determine the value or worth of something.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood indicating possibility or probability.

Klēsis is the Greek word translated “calling.” It is based on the verb kaleō, meaning “a call or invitation to people, inviting them to come or to go somewhere.”

The word “fulfill” is from plēroō, meaning “to fill-up or to make completely full.”

“Good pleasure” is translated from eudokia, which is made up of eu, meaning “good or well” and dokeō, meaning “to think.” Thus eudokia, means “good thoughts” or “good intent.”

Meaning Explained

The apostle Paul would probably not get good grades in a Greek writing class because his sentences are often long and run-on. A good example is shown here in 2 Thessalonians. The sentence immediately preceding the current verse began back in verse three and doesn’t end until verse 10. As a result, it takes deep inspection to determine what he means by “therefore” at the beginning of today’s verse.

The crux of what Paul has been talking about is “we thank God because your patience and faith are growing as a result of your persecution and suffering. And, this growth is evidence of God’s righteous good judgment toward you and His severe judgment against unbelievers.” Basically, he prayed that God would show them His goodness at His return and in the future kingdom.

Now, Paul expresses another prayer. Instead of future blessing, however, he prays for their present blessing. He first prays that we might be found to be worthy of our calling to be a Christian. Trials do not make a person; they simply reveal what a person is really made of. A faithful, committed Christian will demonstrate his or her worth in the middle of trials. Weak or wishy-washy Christians in the midst of trials will only moan and complain, showing how little value their faith has. God knows our hearts even before we encounter trials, but we only recognize how strong our faith is when we are in the heat of battle.

Right now, God wants you to know how much He desires to bless you. That’s one of the reasons He allows persecution and suffering of His children. Trials are not a bad thing for Christians, they are good for us!

Application

When you encounter trials in your Christian walk or when you suffer for being a Christian, don’t complain to God; instead, thank Him for showing His love to you.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved