Tag: heteros

Ephesians 3:5 – God’s Revealed Word

Posted on by Will

which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it now was revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit:

Truth to Learn

We have the Word of God in our possession.

 

Behind the Words

“Made known” is from gnoridzō, which we saw a couple of verses earlier. It means “to become known.” It is expressed here in the passive voice (action done to the subject). And, it is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating action that occurred at a point in time in the past.

The words “the sons of men” are a literal translation of the Greek words, “tois huiois tōn anthrōpōn.” It is a reference to those who are men by nature. It is contrasted to the apostles and prophets to whom the mystery was revealed by the Holy Spirit.

The word translated “other” is heteros, which means “another of a different kind.” There is another Greek word, allos, which means “another of the same kind.” The use of heteros implies that the age we live in is different from previous ages.

“Generations” is from the Greek noun genea. It is derived from the verb ginomai, meaning “to become” or “to begin to be.” The original meaning of genea was that of “a generation,” but in New Testament Greek it sometimes refers simply to “a period of time.”

Apostolos is the word from which we get “apostles.” As you can see it is a transliteration (a word brought over directly from one language to another). It is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of the verb stellō, meaning “to send forth.” Apostolos means “one who is sent forth from God.”

The word “prophets” is also a transliteration. It is transliterated from the Greek word prophetēs, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in place or time” and a form of phēmi, meaning “to tell.” Thus, a prophet is “someone who declares God’s message before the people or before it happens.”

 

Meaning Explained

Previously, Paul told us that the mystery that he is talking about was revealed to him, not by a human teacher, but by God Himself. Now he informs us that through his ministry this mystery is also being revealed to us in the church age. This mystery (that Gentiles and Jews are both part of God’s chosen people) was unknown before Paul’s preaching.

If you read through the third chapter of his letter to the church in Rome, you will see that before the church age, the Jews had a great advantage over the Gentiles. Here’s what he said:

What, then is the superiority of the Jew? Or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because they were entrusted with the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1, 2)

The word translated “oracles” here is logion, which refers to “an utterance.” So, what Paul is saying is that the advantage the Jews had was that God spoke directly to them. His laws and commandments were given to them and not to anyone else.

But now, because of the preaching of the Apostles and Prophets since the time of Christ, all nations of the world can hear and understand God’s truth. And, it is through this truth, now written in the New Testament, that we all have an opportunity to hear and believe God’s promise of salvation.

 

Application

Do you recognize how precious the truths in the Bible are? Both the Old Testament and the New Testament contain information directly from God. That’s why it is often called “the Word of God.” Treasure it – and thank God for it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 4:12 – Honor the Judge

Posted on by Will

There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you judging your neighbor?

Truth to Learn

God is the judge of us all. Let’s keep this in perspective when we feel like being judgmental of those around us.

Behind the Words

The word translated “lawgiver” is nomothetēs which is a compound of nomos, meaning “law” and tithēmi meaning “to put in place.” Hence it is one who puts the law in place. Clearly, there is only One who can do that.

In the Greek text the first word in this verse is eis, meaning “one.” A literal translation of the opening of this verse is “One is the lawgiver.” This places emphasis on the fact that there is only one!

The words “and Judge” are not present in some Greek texts, but the best texts include these words.

The Greek word translated “destroy” is apollumi. This word is made up of apo, meaning “away” or “away from” and ollumi, meaning “to destroy.” Hence, it literally means “to destroy away” or as we might say, to destroy completely, leaving no trace behind.

“Who are you” is translated from the words which literally say, “But you, who are you …”

Some Greek texts end this verse with “another” (heteros). However, the best texts end this verse with “neighbor” (plēsion).

Meaning Explained

In keeping with the previous verse where James equates slandering others with judging them, he now explains why we should not judge others. There is only one judge of mankind and He is the sinless Savior of the world.

Since there is only One who is capable of putting the law in place, whether referring to the law of Moses or the law of righteousness, who are we to be interpreters (judges) of that law? And since we are unfit to judge, we are clearly out of bounds when we speak judgmentally against a brother.

Only a few verses back James made it abundantly clear that we need to be humbled before Almighty God. In today’s modern world, however, we pride ourselves on our self-sufficiency and our independence. In other words, we tend to make ourselves out to be our own gods, not needing any higher power to assist us. It was no different in James’ day and he cautioned his Christian brothers and sisters to recognize that we all have a Supreme Lord who is able to give life and take it away. We need to recognize our lowly place before Him and give Him the reverence and fear He alone deserves. So, let’s listen to Him. Here’s what he said to the Israelites:

Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I keep alive; I wound and I heal; and there is no deliverer from My hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)

And, here is what Christ told His disciples:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Application

When we die we will not cease to exist, our soul will live eternally. Upon crossing the threshold of death’s door we will appear before our Judge, where we will give Him the reverence that He alone deserves and we will give account of our service to Him while on this earth. So, right now, instead of focusing on others and judging them, let’s focus on God and both serve and revere Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 3:11 – A Sure Foundation

Posted on by Will

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

The church can only be as strong as its foundation.

Behind the Words

The word translated “other” is allos, meaning “another of the same kind.” A similar Greek word, heteros, means “another of a different kind.” Allos is expressed here as a masculine adjective that is connected to “foundation,” indicating that the foundation he is referring to is a person, not a thing.

Dunamai is the verb translated “can.” It refers to having the authority or ability to do something.

“Than” is from the Greek preposition para, meaning “beside” or “alongside.”

The verb “laid” is from keimai, which means “to lay something down.” This is a different verb that that which is translated “lay.” This verb is tithēmi, which we saw in the previous verse, meaning “to set in place.”

Christos is the word transliterated “Christ,” which is based on the verb chrio, meaning “to anoint.” Thus, christos literally means “the anointed one.” It is equivalent to the Hebrew word mashiach, or Messiah.

Meaning Explained

A literal translation of this verse could be, “For no one is able to place any other foundation alongside the one having been laid down, who is Jesus Christ.”

In using this architectural metaphor, Paul wants to make a couple of things very clear. The first is the fact that the foundation is the most important fundamental part of any structure. If it is laid carelessly, or made out of the wrong material, the building that is constructed on top of it will be weak and unstable. So it is with the church. A church that is built carelessly, or built upon anything other than the person and work of Jesus Christ, will be weak and unstable. The other thing that Paul is making clear is that there can only be one foundation of the church. Anything other than the person and work of Jesus Christ that is laid alongside the original foundation is not part of God’s plan for the church. It will not make the church solid but will cause divisions within the church instead of unity.

The apostle tells us that the foundation that has already been laid for the church is Jesus Christ. The central issue of Christian faith is that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God, and as such He is God. Because He is God, He is sinless (righteous), and it is because He is without sin that his death is sufficient payment for our sins. This is the truth that the church is built on. If we add anything to that foundation, whether it be a message from some gifted preacher or even an angel, or the teaching from another religion or religious book, we are building on a false foundation and the church will not stand strong.

Application

Many churches today have added to the foundation that Paul laid and are teaching a salvation based on something else in order to make the message more palatable to people. Every church split is the result of foundation issues. How is your church? Is it strong? Is it built on Jesus Christ and Him alone?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Corinthians 3:4 – Only One Master

Posted on by Will

For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?

Truth to Learn

When preference leads to arguments, we leave the realm of the Spirit and enter the realm of the flesh.

Behind the Words

“Says” is translated from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth.” Figuratively, it means “to relate in words” or “to say something.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood indicating possibility or probability. So, it could be translated as “one might say.”

The word translated “carnal” is sarkikos, which we have seen several times in the past few verses. It refers to someone who lives and acts like an unsaved person, following the thoughts and emotions of the human nature rather than the Spirit of God. The best Greek texts use the word anthropos rather than sarkikos. If this is the correct reading, then Paul is saying, “are you not men?” In other words, Paul is saying, “are you not acting like natural, unsaved men?”

“Another” is from the Greek word heteros, which means “another of a different kind.” By using this word instead of allos (another of the same kind), Paul is emphasizing the difference in the way these people think about their preachers.

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse sounds very much like the comment Paul made when he started out this section of teaching:

Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:12)

As we have already learned, the Church in Corinth was divided by contentious factions, different groups of people claiming different leaders as the people who they were following. In 1 Corinthians 1:12 four different leaders were identified, but in today’s verse only Paul and Apollos are mentioned. The reason for this is likely the fact that Paul and Apollos were the first two leaders of the Church in Corinth.

Paul, along with Sylvanus and Timothy, started the church in Corinth. After they moved on to Ephesus, Apollos was sent to Corinth where he took over the leadership responsibility of the church there. Paul, by his own admission, was not a great preacher (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Apollos, on the other hand, is referred to in Acts 18:24 as an eloquent preacher. This could easily explain why some people preferred one over the other: Paul, with his simple, straight forward style and Apollos, with his more intellectual and stirring presentation.

There is nothing inherently wrong with preferring one style of preaching over another. However, when we let that preference develop into arguments of who is better or who is the real leader, we leave the realm of the Spirit and enter the realm of carnality. As Paul will point out in the upcoming verses, both of these men were nothing more than God’s servants doing the will of their master.

Application

Doesn’t it seem silly that people should argue over which servant is the best leader? By definition, a servant is a follower, not the master. There can only be one master: God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Ephesians 3:5 – God’s Revealed Word

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 3:5  – God’s Revealed Word

which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

Truth to Learn

We have the Word of God in our possession.

Behind the Words

The word translated “other” is heteros, which means “another of a different kind.” There is another Greek word, allos, which means “another of the same kind.” The use of heteros implies that the age we live in is different from previous ages.

“Ages” is from the Greek noun genea. It is derived from the verb ginomai, meaning “to become” or “to begin to be.” The original meaning of genea was that of “a generation,” but in New Testament Greek it generally refers to “a period of time.”

“Made known” is from gnoridzō, which we saw a couple of verses earlier. It means “to become known.” It is expressed here in the passive voice (action done to the subject).

Apostolos is the word from which we get “apostles.” As you can see it is a transliteration (a word brought over directly from one language to another). It is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of the verb stellō, meaning “to send forth.” Apostolos means “one who is sent from God.”

The word “prophets” is also a transliteration. It is transliterated from the Greek word prophetēs, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in place or time” and a form of phēmi, meaning “to tell.” Thus, a prophet is “someone who declares God’s message before the people or before it happens.”

Meaning Explained

Previously, Paul told us that the mystery that he is talking about was revealed to him, not by a human teacher, but by God Himself. Now he informs us that through his ministry this mystery is also being revealed to us in the church age. This mystery (that Gentiles and Jews are both part of God’s chosen people) was unknown before Paul’s preaching.

If you read through the third chapter of his letter to the church in Rome, you will see that before the church age, the Jews had a great advantage over the Gentiles. Here’s what he said:

What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1, 2)

The word translated “oracles” here is logion, which refers to “an utterance.” So, what Paul is saying is that the advantage the Jews had was that God spoke directly to them. His laws and commandments were given to them and not to anyone else.

But now, because of the preaching of the Apostles and Prophets since the time of Christ, all nations of the world can hear God’s truth. And, it is through this truth, now written in the New Testament, that we all have an opportunity to hear and believe God’s promise of salvation.

Application

Do you recognize how precious the truths in the Bible are? Both the Old Testament and the New Testament contain information directly from God. That’s why it is often called “the Word of God.” Treasure it – and thank God for it!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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