Tag: grant

Romans 15:5 – Brotherly Patience

Posted on by Will

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

Christians need to be patiently forbearing of each other.

 

Behind the Words

The word “grant” (actually, “may … grant”) is translated from the verb didomi, meaning “to give.” It is expressed here in the rare optative mood. To put it simplistically, the “mood” of a Greek verb can be seen as representing the distance from reality. The indicative mood indicates action that actually takes place, the subjunctive mood indicates action that could possibly take place, the optative mood indicates action that is probably not taking place, but is wished for or hoped for, and the imperative mood (typically a command) indicates action that is most likely not taking place, but which needs to be. Thus, we see from the optative mood of this verb that Paul is expressing hope that God will give to believers the quality of Christ-likeness in our attitudes toward each other.

 

Meaning Explained

Remember how this current topic of discussion started? It started back in Romans 14:1 where Paul said:

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over opinions

Paul’s argument has been that we need to accept brothers and sisters in the faith who are not necessarily as spiritually mature as we are. However, our purpose in admitting them should not be to argue with them about spiritual matters of small importance. Paul went on to tell us that some Christians are convicted about strictly following the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament while others feel the freedom in Christ to eat all kinds of foods.

And, rather than brow-beat each other to conform to the same spiritual convictions that we have, we should be tolerant of others and we should not flaunt our freedom in front of them. Instead, we should be forbearing and understanding. We should patiently wait until God convicts them about these minor spiritual truths.

Let me step aside for a moment and caution us that Paul is not talking about matters of central doctrine like the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, the physical reality of the resurrection, or the gift of salvation by grace through faith. These are spiritual truths on which we need to stand firm without accepting any compromise. But, regarding issues of minor spiritual importance, like whether or not we should abstain from certain foods as a matter of religious obedience, or whether we should treat Sundays differently from other days of the week, we need to be patient and forbearing of one another.

As a result, Paul now prays that the very God who is the epitome of patience and forbearance might grant to each of us that same patience when it comes to our dealing with our Christian brothers and sisters. After all, if God through Jesus Christ has been patiently bearing with our spiritual immaturity and stubbornness, then we should exhibit the same thoughts and actions towards other Christians.

 

Application

We are behaving more Christ-like when we are patient and forgiving of our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when they have different convictions than we do. Is that how you behave toward your Christian brothers and sisters?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 3:16 – Prayer of Strength

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:16  – Prayer of Strength

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Truth to Learn

The Apostle Paul prayed for strength for us in our time of need.

Behind the Words

“He would grant” is from the verb didōmi, meaning “to give.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility of this occurring.

The expression “riches of His glory” is a reference to the wealth of goodness that God possesses.

The words “to be strengthened” are translated from the verb krataioō, which means “to increase in strength and power.”

“With might” is from dunamis (from which we get our English word “dynamite”), meaning “power or might.”

“Inner” is translated from esō, meaning “inside” or “that which is within.”

Meaning Explained

We mentioned in verse fourteen that Paul is bowing in worship to the Father. The particular form of worship here is a prayer for his friends in the church in Ephesus (and by application, for all believers).

This prayer of Paul’s contains five petitions, the first of which is identified here. He prays that we might be strengthened with might. On the surface that appears to be a redundant statement. How else would we be strengthened but with strength or might? It appears that what Paul is asking is that God would strengthen us “with His might.” After all, we have very little strength within ourselves. By ourselves we are no more than sinners on a downhill road to Hell. But – through God’s power and the abundance of His glorious riches, He can strengthen us with His mighty strength.

That this is Paul’s intention is borne out by the next phrase, “through His Spirit.” The way that God gives us some of His strength is through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s channel of blessing to us.

In the previous two verses we talked about the “ranking” of the three persons of the Godhead. This is not to say that any one of the three is more important than either of the other two. It’s just that for the purpose of dealing with the finite minds of fallen mankind, they have established a hierarchy. Each one of the three persons performs a necessary function. The Holy Spirit, as mentioned in this verse, is the one who enables God-given abilities within us. He is, in a sense, the conduit through which the power and enabling of God is “fed” to us. Thus, the “gifts of the Spirit” referred to in 1Corinthians and Hebrews, are really gifts of God, but they are given to us through the Holy Spirit.

In today’s verse Paul makes it clear that the strengthening power is not a physical or muscular strengthening. It is an inner strength. It is the inner strength which has allowed Christians throughout history to endure incredible hardships, and it reflects all the glory of God back on Him.

Application

Do you need inner strength to get you through a difficult situation? Rest assured that the Apostle Paul has already asked the Father to give you that strength. He prayed for you!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 15:5 – Brotherly Patience

Posted on by Will

Romans 15:5 – Brotherly Patience

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

Christians need to be patiently forbearing of each other.

Behind the Words

The word “grant” (actually, “may … grant”) is translated from the verb didomi, meaning “to give.” It is expressed here in the rare optative mood. To put it simplistically, the “mood” of a Greek verb can be seen as representing the distance from reality. The indicative mood indicates action that actually takes place, the subjunctive mood indicates action that could possibly take place, the optative mood indicates action that is probably not taking place, but is wished for or hoped for, and the imperative mood (typically a command) indicates action that is most likely not taking place, but which needs to. Thus, we see from the optative mood of this verb that Paul is expressing hope that God will give to believers the quality of Christ-likeness in our attitudes toward each other.

Meaning Explained

Remember how this current topic of discussion started? It started back in Romans 14:1 where Paul said:

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

Paul’s argument has been that we need to accept brothers and sisters in the faith who are not necessarily as spiritually mature as we are. However, our purpose in admitting them should not be to argue with them about spiritual matters of small importance. Paul went on to tell us that some Christians are convicted about strictly following the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament while others feel the freedom in Christ to eat all kinds of foods.

And, rather than brow-beat each other to conform to the same spiritual convictions that we have, we should be tolerant of others and we should not flaunt our freedom in front of them. Instead, we should be forbearing and understanding. We should patiently wait until God convicts them about these minor spiritual truths.

Let me step aside for a moment and caution us that Paul is not talking about matters of central doctrine like the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, the physical reality of the resurrection, or the gift of salvation by grace through faith. These are spiritual truths on which we need to stand firm without accepting any compromise. But, regarding issues of minor spiritual importance, like whether or not we should abstain from certain foods as a matter of religious obedience, or whether we should treat Sundays differently from other days of the week, we need to be patient and forbearing of one another.

As a result, Paul now prays that the very God who is the epitome of patience and forbearance might grant to each of us that same patience when it comes to our dealing with our Christian brothers and sisters. After all, if God through Jesus Christ has been patiently bearing with our spiritual immaturity and stubbornness, then we should exhibit the same thoughts and actions towards other Christians.

Application

We are behaving more Christ-like when we are patient and forgiving of our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when they have different convictions than we do. Is that how you behave toward your Christian brothers and sisters?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to: