Tag: horao

Romans 15:21 – Evangelistic Tenacity

Posted on by Will

but as it is written: "Those to whom He was not announced will see; and those who have not heard will understand."

Truth to Learn

Isaiah prophesied about Gentiles believing in the Messiah.

 

Behind the Words

“Announced” is from anangellō, which is made up of ana, indicating repetition or specificity and angellō, meaning “to declare, proclaim, or announce.” Anangellō indicates a detailed proclamation or a repeated proclamation.

The word “see” is translated from a form of horaō, meaning “to see or perceive (either visually or cognitively).

“Understand” is translated from the verb suniēmi, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and hiēmi, meaning “to send or to put.” Thus, this word literally means “to put together mentally.” In other words it means “to comprehend or to understand.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about being singularly focused on performing the ministry to which he was called by God, the ministry of declaring the message of salvation through the death of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus the Christ. He has demonstrated repeatedly that he was a student of the Scriptures. Here he quotes a scripture that is clearly in reference to the Messiah. Most of us can recognize one of the great messianic prophecies when we hear the beginning of Isaiah 53:

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or magnificence when we see Him, no beauty that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 53:1-2)

But who of us can recognize the last three verses of the chapter immediately preceding this one?

Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you– his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. (Isaiah 52:13-15)

Paul was keenly aware of Isaiah chapter 52 and recognized that verse fifteen was a reference to the Gentiles understanding the message about the Messiah. He may have claimed this verse as his “life verse,” the verse that defined his mission in life. Some Biblical scholars even believe that Paul understood this prophecy to be a specific reference to his own apostolic ministry. Whether or not that is so and whether or not Paul claimed this as his life verse, he nonetheless recognized that Isaiah prophesied concerning the Gentiles believing in the Messiah. He also recognized that he personally had a calling from God to preach the message to those who had never heard about salvation in Jesus Christ. Not only did he know what his calling was, but he was so focused on his calling that he did not let anything distract him from performing it.

 

Application

Oh, that we all were as clear about our calling and as tenacious in our pursuit of it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Matthew 2:10 – Strong Faith?

Posted on by Will

Having seen the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Truth to Learn

Faith in anything other than Jesus Christ is futile.

 

Behind the Words

“Having seen” is translated from the verb horaō, which means “to see” or “to stare at.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle, so it is properly translated as “having seen.” The implication is that they had not seen the star for a while, but now having observed the guiding star once again, they rejoiced.

The expression “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” loses its effect in English because we tend to read it as “they were glad,” however, it is much more than that. It is translated from the Greek echarēsan charan megalēn sphodra. Echarēsan is the verb form of charis, which means “delight or joy.” The verb form means to express that joy, hence “rejoice.” The next word, charan is also a form of charis. When Greek repeats a word in both verb and noun form it implies intensity. In English we would say they joyfully rejoiced. The next word, megalēn is a form of megas, meaning “large” or “great.” Here it is describing charis, so it is saying “they joyfully rejoiced greatly.” The word sphodra, means “to a high degree.” Putting this all together we get, “they joyfully rejoiced exceedingly greatly.” It expresses the utmost in joyful exuberance!

 

Meaning Explained

The fact that the magi rejoiced with exceedingly great joy indicates that they probably had not seen the star recently. It is even possible that they had not seen the star for a long time. Perhaps it was because it was not as brilliantly evident as it had been previously. Perhaps it had been cloudy for a while. Or, perhaps the event that they beheld while in the east had not been visible while they were traveling and after they left Herod, the event in the stars took place again. Whatever the reason, after leaving Herod, they once again were able to see the star and it gave them exceedingly great joy.

Also, notice that these magi were believers. They were probably not believers in the sense that they believed all of God’s promises. But, they had a strong belief in the fact that there was a new-born King of the Jews. In fact, their belief was so strong that they set off on a long and dangerous journey just to see the King. The gifts that they brought indicated that they expected to see a king.

Herod was a believer too. Not in the sense that he believed in the coming Messiah, but He believed the report that there was a new king of the Jews recently born. This is evident by the fact that when the magi returned home without reporting back to him, Herod proceeded to have all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger killed.

Then seeing that he was mocked by the wise men, Herod was exceedingly angry; and having sent, he killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had specifically asked from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)

 

Application

Many people have strong beliefs. Some people even have a strong belief that there is a God. However, those who believe anything other than that Jesus Christ is God and that He gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins has a misplaced faith. Their faith will not do them any good when they stand before Jesus Christ as their Judge.

for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

The magi were extremely excited to have an encounter with the King of the Jews. Have you ever experienced that kind of joyous joy regarding Jesus?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Matthew 2:10 – Strong Faith?

Posted on by Will

Having seen the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Truth to Learn

Faith in anything other than Jesus Christ is futile.

 

Behind the Words

“Having seen” is translated from the verb horaō, which means “to see” or “to stare at.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle, so it is properly translated as “having seen the star.” The implication is that they had not seen the star for a while, but now having observed the guiding star once again, they rejoiced.

The expression “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” loses its effect in English because we tend to read it as “they were glad,” however, it is much more than that. It is translated from the Greek echarēsan charan megalēn sphodra. Echarēsan is the verb form of charis, which means “delight or joy.” The verb form means to express that joy, hence “rejoice.” The next word, charan is also a form of charis. When Greek repeats a word in both verb and noun form it implies intensity. In English we would say they joyfully rejoiced. The next word, megalēn is a form of megas, meaning “large” or “great.” Here it is describing charis, so it is saying “they joyfully rejoiced greatly.” The word sphodra, means “to a high degree.” Putting this all together we get, “they joyfully rejoiced exceedingly greatly.” It expresses the utmost in joyful exuberance!

 

Meaning Explained

The fact that the magi rejoiced with exceedingly great joy indicates that they probably had not seen the star recently. It is even possible that they had not seen the star for a long time. Perhaps it was because it was not as brilliantly evident as it had been previously. Perhaps it had been cloudy for a while. Or, perhaps the event that they beheld while in the east had not been visible while they were traveling and after they left Herod, the event in the stars took place again. Whatever the reason, after leaving Herod, they once again were able to see the star and it gave them exceedingly great joy.

Also, notice that these magi were believers. They were probably not believers in the sense that they believed all of God’s promises. But, they had a strong belief in the fact that there was a new-born King of the Jews. In fact, their belief was so strong that they set off on a long and dangerous journey just to see the King. The gifts that they brought indicated that they expected to see a king.

Herod was a believer too. Not in the sense that he believed in the coming Messiah, but He believed the report that there was a new king of the Jews recently born. This is evident by the fact that when the magi returned home without reporting back to him, Herod proceeded to have all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger killed.

Then seeing that he was mocked by the wise men, Herod was exceedingly angry; and having sent, he killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had specifically asked from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)

 

Application

Many people have strong beliefs. Some people even have a strong belief that there is a God. However, those who believe anything other than that Jesus Christ is God and that He gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins has a misplaced faith. Their faith will not do them any good when they stand before Jesus Christ as their Judge.

for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:24 – Works Prove Faith

Posted on by Will

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Truth to Learn

Your works of obedience confirm that your faith is real and alive.

Behind the Words

The opening word of this verse in the Greek text is a form of horaō, which literally means “to stare.” By implication, however, it means “to see,” “to discern,” or “to understand.” The tense and mood of this particular word can be interpreted as either present, indicative (meaning “you are currently discerning”) or present, imperative (meaning “discern,” as a command). So, either James is stating a fact in conclusion or he is demanding that the reader accept what he is saying.

The word translated “justified” is a form of dikaioō, which is a derivative of dikaios, meaning “just” or “righteous.” The oō ending to a Greek verb generally indicates a quality or characteristic. Hence, dikaioō, refers to a person having the characteristic of being righteous or just. This verb is expressed here in the passive voice, indicating that it is a characteristic that is given to a person, not one which a person gives himself. James is saying that a man becomes justified, or a man is declared righteous, by works and not by faith only.

The last word in this verse is the Greek word monon which means “only” or “alone.” Without this word this verse is in violent disagreement with all the verses around it.

Meaning Explained

This verse is often taken out of context and misquoted to try to prove that salvation is works based. If you use this verse in isolation of the others and drop the last word you get,

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith …

But, James is not declaring that we are saved by works. Works cannot save us. There were people in James’ day, just as there are today, who claimed to be saved by faith and believed that they can “live like the devil” without reprisal because they are saved by faith. But the apostle has clearly articulated that a faith which is not accompanied by works of obedience is an empty, dead faith. He says, “You can’t have just faith alone!”

James is in the process of backing-up his argument with a couple of examples, the first of which is Abraham. As a result of his having believed God, Abraham was declared to be righteous. He was saved by faith. James declares, however, that it was Abraham’s obedience to God, his works, which proved his faith was real. As we have discussed for several verses now, it is the good works, the godly living, and submission to God’s will, that prove our faith to be genuine saving faith.

So, James’ conclusion regarding Abraham is that he is justified by works, not by faith alone. Without the proof given by his works, his faith is empty, void, dead, and not a saving faith.

Application

Only you and God really know if your faith is genuine, if you have truly submitted yourself to God, and have accepted the blood of His Son as payment for your sins. If you are truly saved, your works will demonstrate it to others.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 2:9 – They Can’t Understand

Posted on by Will

But as it is written: "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him."

Truth to Learn

Natural man can’t understand the mystery of salvation.

Behind the Words

The words “it is written” are translated from the Greek verb graphō, which literally means “to grave,” that is, to carve or to write. It is written here in the perfect tense, so it means “it was written in the past and, therefore, it is written (as a confirmed statement of fact).”

“Seen” is from a form of the verb horaō, which means “to see” or “to perceive.”

“Heard” is from akouō, which means “to hear something.” It is often used metaphorically, as it is here, to refer to someone understanding the truth of what is said.

The words “entered into” are from the verb anabainō, which literally means “to go up.”

Eis is the word translated “into.” It literally means “into.”

The word “prepared” is translated from hetoimadzō. This verb means “to make ready” or “to prepare.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is one that is often misunderstood. Many people think that it is a reference to the things in heaven which God has prepared for believers. This is precisely the problem that occurs when we quote verses out of context. If we look carefully at the context of this verse, we learn that Paul is not talking about heaven, but about something entirely different.

Upon looking at the preceding verses, we see that Paul is talking about the mystery of God’s wisdom regarding the gospel. He even contrasts that mystery with the secrets of some false religions. The difference between the mystery of God’s wisdom and the secrets of the mystery religions is the fact that this mystery is now openly revealed. In tomorrow’s verse, Paul will tell us that the things spoken of in today’s verse have already been revealed by the Holy Spirit.

The glories of heaven had not yet been fully revealed. There is a brief description of the heavenly scene found in Revelation chapters twenty-one and twenty-two, but the book of Revelation had not yet been written when Paul wrote these words. So, Paul is not referring to heaven in today’s verse; he is talking about the wonder of salvation through faith and the glorious fellowship we have with God as a result.

He tells us three things about the mystery that is now revealed. The first is that the eyes of natural man have not perceived it, the ears of natural man have not understood it, and the deepest part of natural man’s being (the heart) has not received it. The reason that the natural man (one who has not accepted the gospel message by faith and, therefore, does not truly love God) is explained by Paul in tomorrow’s verse.

Application

The gospel message and fellowship with God cannot be grasped by human intellect alone. This understanding only comes once we have believed God’s truth about what Jesus Christ did on the cross. We can’t logically argue anyone into believing. We can only witness and pray. The rest is up to God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 15:21 – Evangelistic Tenacity

Posted on by Will

Romans 15:21 – Evangelistic Tenacity

but as it is written: “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; and those who have not heard shall understand.”

Truth to Learn

Isaiah prophesied about Gentiles believing in the Messiah.

Behind the Words

“Announced” is from anangellō, which is made up of ana, indicating repetition or specificity and angellō, meaning “to declare, proclaim, or announce.” Anangellō indicates a detailed proclamation or a repeated proclamation.

The word “see” is translated from a form of horaō, meaning “to see or perceive (either visually or cognitively).

“Understand” is translated from the verb suniēmi, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and hiēmi, meaning “to send or to put.” Thus, this word literally means “to put together mentally.” In other words it means “to comprehend or to understand.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about being singularly focused on performing the ministry to which he was called by God, the ministry of declaring the message of salvation through the death of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus the Christ. He has demonstrated repeatedly that he was a student of the Scriptures. Here he quotes a scripture that is clearly in reference to the Messiah. Most of us can recognize one of the great messianic prophecies when we hear the beginning of Isaiah 53:

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 53:1-2)

But who of us can recognize the last three verses of the chapter immediately preceding this one?

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. (Isaiah 52:13-15)

Paul was keenly aware of Isaiah chapter 52 and recognized that verse fifteen was a reference to the Gentiles understanding the message about the Messiah. He may have claimed this verse as his “life verse,” the verse that defined his mission in life. Some Biblical scholars even believe that Paul understood this prophecy to be a specific reference to his own apostolic ministry. Whether or not that is so and whether or not Paul claimed this as his life verse, he nonetheless recognized that Isaiah prophesied concerning the Gentiles believing in the Messiah. He also recognized that he personally had a calling from God to preach the message to those who had never heard about salvation in Jesus Christ. Not only did he know what his calling was, but he was so focused on his calling that he did not let anything distract him from performing it.

Application

Oh, that we were as clear about our calling and as tenacious in our pursuit of it!

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: