Tag: heautou

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

Posted on by Will

So then each of us will give account of himself to God.

Truth to Learn

All Christians will have to testify regarding what they have done for God while on this earth.

 

Behind the Words

Paul starts off the current verse with the Greek words ara oun, which basically mean, “So, in conclusion, …” This expression applies to what he will say in this and the following verse.

“Each” is translated from the Greek word hekastos, meaning “each one” or “every one.” It is expressed in the singular, indicating that we will be standing individually before the Judge. Only our individual actions will matter.

The word “give” is didōmi, which means “to deliver up” or “to give over.” And “account” is logos, meaning “a word” or “something said.” Thus, it appears that we will each have to talk about how we spent the life that was given to us.

“Himself” is the reflexive pronoun heautou, indicating that the account given will be that of the one giving the account not of anyone else.

 

Meaning Explained

Let me start off by saying that this verse clearly shows that Paul believed that Jesus Christ is God. You will notice that this verse is still in reference to the judgment seat (bematos) of Christ, and it is clearly Jesus Christ who is sitting on this seat. Also, in John’s gospel account our Lord taught that the Father entrusts all judgment to the Son.

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)

Yet in this verse, Paul tells us that we will have to give an explanation of our actions to God. Jesus Christ is the Creator, our Savior, our Judge, and our God.

The next thing that Paul has to say regarding our appearance before the bema seat of Christ is that “each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.” That is, when we appear before Christ’s judgment seat, we will have to give an explanation of what we have done for Him. We will not be called upon to give testimony about anyone else, nor will He be calling us as a witness to anyone else’s actions, only our own. Therefore, since God’s focus at the judgment seat of Christ will be on our works done for His glory, our focus in this earthly life needs to be on what we are doing for God, not on what other Christians are or aren’t doing.

Also, notice very carefully that this is a judgment of our works, not our sins. According to 2Corinthians 5:10, which we looked at a couple of verses back, this judgment will be “according to what each person has done.” Our sins, on the other hand, have already been judged. They were judged at the cross when Christ paid the penalty for all our sins with His blood. When we believed God’s promise, like Abraham we were declared righteous. All of our sins – past, present, and future – were judged and paid for; hence, they cannot be the subject of the judgment seat of Christ.

 

Application

Let us all judge our own actions, not the actions of other Christians, so that He will judge them worthy on that day! We would all rather receive rewards than the smell of smoke.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:32 – Kindness, Compassion, and Forgiveness

Posted on by Will

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Truth to Learn

Kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are of vital importance within the church.

 

Behind the Words

The verb “be” is translated from ginomai, meaning “to cause to be” or “to become.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood indicating a command for us to “become kind and tenderhearted!”

“Kind” is the translation of chrēstos, which is derived from the verb chraomai, meaning “to furnish what is needed” or “to treat well.” Chrēstos, when used of people, means “useful toward others, that is, good-natured, gentle, or kind.”

The word “tenderhearted” is translated from eusplagchnos. This word is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and splagchnon, meaning “intestine” or “bowel.” The Greeks believed that the intestines were the source of emotions. Thus, “good intestined,” as eusplagchnos literally means, refers to the characteristic of having good feelings, especially compassion, for others.

“Forgiving” is from charidzomai, which is derived from charis, meaning “grace” or “a favor freely given.” Charidzomai means “to be gracious or to forgive someone.”

The first occurrence of “one another” is from allēlōn, meaning “one another” or “each other.” The second occurrence of “one another” is translated from heautou, meaning “yourselves.”

 

Meaning Explained

Back in verse twenty-two the Apostle Paul told us to “put off … the old man,” that is “quit living under the influence of your sin nature.” Then, in verse twenty-four he told us to “put on the new man,” the new nature that God created for us. Since then, Paul has been telling us what it means to live under the influence of this new nature. Yesterday, he instructed us to do away with bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and all badness.

Earlier we learned that we all should be using our spiritual gifts in the building up of the body of Christ. In today’s verse, Paul is not talking about specific gifts, but general attitudes that should replace those things he told us to stop doing yesterday. The first thing he tells us is that we should be kind, gentle, or useful to each other. The second thing is to be tenderhearted to each other; that is, we should demonstrate compassionate care for each other. If every church member were to regularly demonstrate kindness and compassion to everyone else in the church, no one would ever want to leave.

The third thing Paul tells us in today’s verse is that we should be forgiving. After all, he says, each one of us has been forgiven so much by God through the blood of Christ that we should willingly forgive others for what they have done to us. But notice that Paul used the pronoun heautou (yourselves) in reference to forgiveness. We need to be freely forgiving of others in the church, but we also need to be freely forgiving of ourselves. God has forgiven us, so we should too.

Keep in mind that forgiveness, as God defines it, does not simply mean saying “That’s OK” or “I forgive you” to the one asking forgiveness. It means to “throw away” the offense (as far as the East is from the West), which means you can no longer hold on to it. It is discarded and forgotten – completely!

 

Application

Of the three attitudes that Paul admonishes us to exhibit in today’s verse, forgiveness may be the most important. Let’s all commit to be completely forgiving of others this week, and let’s be forgiving of ourselves as well.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 3:18 – When Wisdom is Foolish

Posted on by Will

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Truth to Learn

Use your gifts with wisdom, but not worldly wisdom.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “deceive” is exapataō. This word is made up of ex, used as an intensifier and apataō, meaning “to seduce” or “to deceive.” Thus, exapataō means “to completely deceive.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command, not just a suggestion. This is indicated in English by the use of the word “Let.”

“Himself” is translated from the third person pronoun heautou, meaning “himself, herself, or itself.” Paul could have used the middle case (subject acting on itself) of the verb exapataō, but added this word instead, to emphasize self-deception.

“Among” is from the Greek preposition en, meaning “in” or “inside.” It is an indication that Paul is talking about someone inside the church, as opposed to an outsider.

Dokeō is the word translated “seems.” It refers to the subjective mental estimate or opinion regarding something.

The word translated “age” is aiōn, which refers to a period of time. If he had been referring to people or society, he would have used the word kosmos (world system). By using aiōn, he is specifically referring to the current time in which we are living, as opposed to the “age to come.”

Meaning Explained

Keep in mind that Paul has been talking about the divisions that had occurred in the church in Corinth. These divisions had been caused by various groups within the church claiming to follow one leader in the church to the exclusion of others. This may have been the result of certain teachers having the reputation of, or self-proclaimed possession of, great wisdom. Throughout the second chapter of this letter, Paul taught specifically regarding the “wisdom of this world” as opposed to the “foolishness of the gospel.” He said of himself and the other apostles:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)

Paul’s comments in today’s verse and the two that follow are directed specifically at those leaders of the Corinthian church who believed themselves to be wiser or more gifted than others. Paul is not saying that education, training, and experience are not good or desirable for church leaders. He is not speaking against the possession of such things; rather, he is speaking directly to those who have become proud of such possession and who somehow believe they are better than others who don’t.

Application

All Christians have gifts which have been given to them for the work of building up the church. Let us use those gifts in a humble manner, giving all the glory to the one who has given us these gifts, for only He is worthy. 

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Ephesians 4:32 – Kindness, Compassion, and Forgiveness

Posted on by Will

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Truth to Learn

Kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are of vital importance within the church.

Behind the Words

The verb “be” is translated from ginomai, meaning “to cause to be” or “to become.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood indicating a command for us to “become kind and tenderhearted!”

“Kind” is the translation of chrēstos, which is derived from the verb chraomai, meaning “to furnish what is needed” or “to treat well.” Chrēstos, when used of people, means “useful toward others, that is, good-natured, gentle, or kind.”

The word “tenderhearted” is translated from eusplagchnos. This word is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and splagchnon, meaning “intestine” or “bowel.” The Greeks believed that the intestines were the source of emotions. Thus, “good intestined,” as eusplagchnos literally means, refers to the characteristic of having good feelings, especially compassion for others.

“Forgiving” is from charidzomai, which is derived from charis, meaning “grace” or “a favor freely given.” Charidzomai means “to be gracious or to forgive someone.”

The first occurrence of “one another” is from allēlōn, meaning “one another” or “each other.” The second occurrence of “one another” is translated from heautou, meaning “yourselves.”

Meaning Explained

Back in verse twenty-two the Apostle Paul told us to “put off … the old man,” that is “quit living under the influence of your sin nature.” Then in verse twenty-four he told us to “put on the new man,” the new nature that God created for us. Since then, Paul has told us what it means to live under the influence of this new nature. Yesterday, he instructed us to do away with bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor, blasphemy, and all badness.

Earlier we learned that we all should be using our spiritual gifts in the building up of the body of Christ. In today’s verse, Paul is not talking about specific gifts, but general attitudes that should replace those things he told us to stop doing yesterday. The first thing he tells us is that we should be kind, gentle, or useful to each other. The second thing is to be tenderhearted to each other; that is, we should demonstrate compassionate care for each other. If every church member were to regularly demonstrate kindness and compassion to everyone else in the church, no one would ever want to leave.

The third thing Paul tells us in today’s verse is that we should be forgiving. After all, he says, each one of us has been forgiven so much by God through the blood of Christ that we should willingly forgive others for what they have done to us. But notice that Paul used the pronoun heautou (yourselves) in reference to forgiveness. We need to be freely forgiving of others in the church, but we also need to be freely forgiving of ourselves. God has forgiven us, so we should too.

Application

Of the three attitudes that Paul admonishes us to exhibit in today’s verse, forgiveness may be the most important. Let’s all commit to be completely forgiving of others this week, and let’s be forgiving of ourselves as well.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

Posted on by Will

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Truth to Learn

All Christians will have to testify regarding what they have done for God while on this earth.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off the current verse with the Greek words ara oun, which basically mean, “So, in conclusion, …” This expression applies to what he will say in this and the following verse.

“Each” is translated from the Greek word hekastos, meaning “each one” or “every one.” It is expressed in the singular, indicating that we will be standing individually before the Judge. Only our individual actions will matter.

The word “give” is didōmi, which means “to deliver up” or “to give over.” And “account” is logos, meaning “a word” or “something said.” Thus, it appears that we will each have to talk about how we spent the life that was given to us.

“Himself” is the reflexive pronoun heautou, indicating that the account given will be that of the one giving the account not of anyone else.

Meaning Explained

Let me start off by saying that this verse clearly shows that Paul believed that Jesus Christ is God. You will notice that this verse is still in reference to the judgment seat (bematos) of Christ, and it is clearly Jesus Christ who is sitting on this seat. Also, in John’s gospel account our Lord taught that the Father entrusts all judgment to the Son.

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)

Yet in this verse, Paul tells us that we will have to give an explanation of our actions to God. Jesus Christ is the Creator, our Savior, our Judge, and our God.

The next thing that Paul has to say regarding our appearance before the bema seat of Christ is that “each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.” That is, when we appear before Christ’s judgment seat, we will have to give an explanation of what we have done for Him. We will not be called upon to give testimony about anyone else, nor will He be calling us as a witness to anyone else’s actions, only our own. Therefore, since God’s focus at the judgment seat of Christ will be on our works done for His glory, our focus in this earthly life needs to be on what we are doing for God, not on what other Christians are or aren’t doing.

Also, notice very carefully that this is a judgment of our works, not our sins. According to 2Corinthians 5:10, which we looked at a couple of verses back, this judgment will be “according to what each person has done.” Our sins, on the other hand, have already been judged. They were judged at the cross when Christ paid the penalty for all our sins with His blood. When we believed God’s promise, like Abraham we were declared righteous. All of our sins – past, present, and future – were judged and paid for; hence, they cannot be the subject of the judgment seat of Christ.

Application

Let us all judge our own actions, not the actions of other Christians, so that He will judge them worthy on that day! We would all rather receive rewards than the smell of smoke.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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