heurisko – Ministry of Grace Church

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Romans 10:20 – Bold Proclamation

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Will

But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was revealed to those who did not ask for Me."

Truth to Learn

Be bold in proclaiming the truth!

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “very bold” is apotolmaō, which is a compound word made up of apo, used as an intensifier and tolmao, which means “to be bold, or confident, or daring.”

“Found” is translated from heuriskō, which means “to find or discover, whether by searching or not.”

The word “seek” is from dzēteō, which means “to look for, to seek, or search for something.”

“Revealed” is from emphanēs, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “into” and phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul quoted Moses in the book of Deuteronomy as evidence that the Jews should have well known that the Gentiles would come to know God even though they weren’t seeking after God in Moses’ time. Therefore, it should have been obvious to the Christian Jews in Rome that God had indeed turned to the Gentiles after the Jews rejected the Messiah.

Paul now quotes Isaiah to show that he, too, had proclaimed the same message hundreds of years after Moses did. This quotation is from the opening portion of Isaiah chapter 65:

I have been sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that was not called by My name, I said, “Behold me, Behold me,”. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on the bricks; who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the towers; who eat swine's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. (Isaiah 65:1-5)

Clearly, this is a scathing rebuke upon the Israelites who would not pay attention to Moses and to those who did not listen to Isaiah. In fact, when Paul introduced this quotation he stated that Isaiah is very bold in saying this. Why was it so daring for him to deliver this message? Remember what he said in Isaiah 53:1? “Lord, who has believed our report?” It was bold of Isaiah to proclaim this because he knew that his fellow Jews would not believe him and would, in fact, attack him for being so negative to them.

Application

Doesn’t that sound like many Christians today? If you confront them about their liberal, watered-down theology, their blatant sinfulness, or their legalism, they deny what you say and attack you for not being more forgiving and loving or for not being more “inclusive” in your theology.

I would rather be thought a “fundamental fanatic” when confronting ungodliness than to be well liked because of being willing to compromise on what the Bible says. How about you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:10 – The Deadly Law

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Will

And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.

Truth to Learn

The Law is supposed to bring life, but it only brings death.

Behind the Words

The word translated “found” is heuriskō, which means “to find, by having searched or without searching. Metaphorically, it means “to find out by inquiry, to learn, or to discover.”

Meaning Explained

As we said in the previous verse, Paul believed himself to be righteous until the Law stirred up in him all manner of sinfulness, showing him how unrighteous he really was. He now claims that the original purpose of the Law was to bring life, but instead it brought death. The reason he claims that the original purpose of the Law was to bring life can be seen in several Old Testament passages:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 18:1-5)

And

And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. (Ezekiel 20:11)

And

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. "But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he will surely live; he will not die. (Ezekiel 18:20, 21)

But, instead of obtaining life from the Law, Paul discovered that it caused him to have all sorts of sinful impulses that he couldn’t resist, thus causing death in him. His conclusion is that the Law, which is supposed to bring life, only brings death.

Application

Now, lest you think that you and Paul are the only two people on earth who have ever had this frustrating experience, let me assure you that all Christians have this constant battle with sin. The ungodly don’t have this battle because they don’t know the Law (God’s expectation) and they don’t care. But you and I do know what God expects from us, and we know just as well that we can’t possible live up to His expectations.

That’s where grace comes in! That’s why God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross, that whoever believes on Him should have all of his or her sins (past, present, and future) forgiven and receive everlasting life. And, God gladly did this because He loves you!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 4:1 – Righteousness by Faith Demonstrated

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Will

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?

Truth to Learn

The Old Testament has examples of justification by faith.

Behind the Words

“What then shall we say” is a rhetorical question that Paul uses often in this letter to the Roman Christians (Romans 4:1; Romans 6:1; Romans 7:7; Romans 8:31; Romans 9:14; Romans 9:30). He uses this question when he anticipates an objection from his readers or when he is proposing a truth to be understood by the reader.

The Greek word translated “father” differs depending on which manuscript we look at. Some manuscripts have this as patēr, meaning “father,” though it is often used to indicate “ancestor.” Other manuscripts use the word propatōr, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position,” and a form of patēr, meaning “father.” Hence, propatōr means “forefather.”

“Has found” is the translation of the verb heuriskō, meaning “to find something.” It is expressed here in the Greek perfect tense, indicating a past completed action with an ongoing effect, with the emphasis on the ongoing effect. One form of this word, heureka, is what Archimedes is supposed to have exclaimed when, after a lengthy search, he discovered a method of detecting the amount of alloy mixed with the gold in the crown of the king of Syracuse. Subsequently, when prospectors in the Western US found the gold for which they had been diligently seeking, they often exclaimed “Eureka!”

Meaning Explained

Paul is now going to use Abraham, the father of all the Jews, to show how justification has always been by faith. Since Abraham lived before the giving of the Law, Paul will lead his readers to see that he was justified by faith, not by obedience to the Law. This becomes a particularly potent argument since all Jews trace back their ancestral lineage, as well as their spiritual heritage, to Abraham.

The main object of this chapter is to demonstrate that the doctrine of justification by faith, which the apostle Paul is defending, was taught in the Old Testament. The argument is addressed to the Jewish Christians in Rome, but it would apply to any Jew. The argument is derived from the fact that Abraham was justified by faith rather than works, as we will see in Romans 4:1-5. It was not the merit of his works but his faith (Abraham believed God). Then, in this same chapter, Paul will show that even David, the greatest of all Jewish kings, declared that righteousness results from faith rather than works, as we will see in Romans 4:6-8.

The expression “according to the flesh” which is found at the end of this verse has been much debated over the centuries. It could mean that Abraham was the father of the Jews according to flesh. The other interpretation of this expression is that it refers to what Abraham has found. If such is the case, then “flesh” could refer to external privileges and advantages, or to his own strength and power, or possibly to circumcision itself. The last of these seems the most reasonable interpretation; that Paul is referring to what Abraham has found as pertaining to circumcision since this is what much of this chapter is about.

Application

Christians are often prone to ignore the Old Testament teachings because “they only apply to the Jews.” As we will see from Romans chapter four, there is much common teaching between the Old and New Testaments.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 4:2 – Trustworthy Stewards

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Will

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Truth to Learn

Preachers and teachers must be believable and trustworthy.

Behind the Words

The word “moreover” is translated from the Greek words, hōde loipon. Hōde is an adverb of place. That is, it describes the action of the verb (it is required) as “here in this place.” The word loipon refers to “that which remains.” So, these three words could be translated as “as to the rest,” “additionally,” or “moreover.”

Dzēteō is the Greek verb translated “it is required.” It literally means “to seek after, to require, or to expect.”

“Stewards” is from oikonomos, which in the previous verse we learned means “a person who manages the affairs of a household or a business which rightfully belongs to someone else.”

The words “be found” are from the Greek verb heuriskō, meaning “to find something.” It usually implies the result of a search, but it may mean to find something not searched for.

“Faithful” is translated from the noun pistos, which is based on the verb peithō, meaning “to win over or persuade.” Thus, pistos refers to someone who is trustworthy or believable.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul instructed us on how we ought to view the leaders of our local congregation, especially those who proclaim the Word of God, either in preaching or teaching. He said that they should be seen as the Lord’s assistants, as those who have the responsibility of managing the affairs of their master and handing out the “mysteries of God.” You may recall from earlier studies that the word “mystery” (from the Greek word musterion) refers to something that was hidden in the past but that is now being publicly made known.

Now we are told that an additional, and perhaps most important, characteristic of those who handle God’s Word is that they be faithful. The English word carries the idea of being full of faith, that is, a believer. However, that is not the point that Paul is making. After all, every Christian is full of faith, every Christian is one who believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for their sins. Since every member of the true church is a believer, of course that also applies to the preachers and teachers.

Paul’s point here is that these leaders, these who are given the responsibility of handling the mysteries of God, are to be found trustworthy and believable. People who preach and teach God’s Word must be observed and must be found to properly dispense that which the Master has given to their care. In other words, we who sit under their teaching should not just take everything they say as truth, but we should test what they say and teach. We should act as the Christians in Berea are said to have acted:

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

Application

When you leave your church meeting, do you forget about what was taught? Or do you think about what was said and study your Bible to verify the trustworthiness of the teacher?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 10:20 – Bold Proclamation

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Will

Romans 10:20 – Bold Proclamation

But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

Truth to Learn

Be bold in proclaiming the truth!

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “very bold” is apotolmaō, which is a compound word made up of apo, used as an intensifier and tolmaō, which means “to be bold, or confident, or daring.”

“Found” is translated from heuriskō, which means “to find or discover, whether by searching or not.”

The word “seek” is from dzēteō, which means “to look for or search for something.”

“Made manifest” is from emphanēs, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “into” and phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now quotes Isaiah to show that he, too, had proclaimed the same message hundreds of years after Moses did. This quotation is from the opening portion of Isaiah chapter 65:

I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by My name. I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick; who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the tombs; who eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. (Isaiah 65:1-5)

Application

I would rather be thought a “fundamental fanatic” when confronting ungodliness than to be well liked because of being willing to compromise on what the Bible says. How about you?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 7:10 – The Deadly Law

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Will

Romans 7:10

And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.

Truth to Learn

The Law is supposed to bring life, but it only brings death.

Behind the Words

The word translated “found” is heuriskō, which means “to find, by having searched or without searching. Metaphorically, it means “to find out by inquiry, to learn, or to discover.”

Meaning Explained

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 18:1-5)

And

And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments,”which, if a man does, he shall live by them.” (Ezekiel 20:11)

And

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. (Ezekiel 18:20, 21)

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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