Tag: hoste

1 Thessalonians 4:18 – Words of Comfort

Posted on by Will

Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Truth to Learn

Knowledge of the rapture should be a comfort to us all.

 

Behind the Words

Hōste is the Greek word translated “therefore.” It is composed of hōs, meaning “in this manner” and te, an article of connection, which serves to closely connect that which has been said to that which follows. We could translate hōste as “so then.”

The verb translated “comfort” is one that Paul uses frequently and one that we have seen several times in this chapter. It is the word parakaleō, meaning “to encourage, comfort, or challenge.”

“One another” is from allēlous, meaning “each other” or “one another.” It indicates reciprocal action on the part of each member of a group.

“Words” is translated from the Greek noun logos. This word is derived from legō, meaning “to speak intelligently.” Logos, therefore, represents the words that are used to express thoughts.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous five verses Paul has been teaching about the rapture. At the time of the rapture, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to the atmosphere of the earth, bringing with Him every Christian who has died physically. He will make a loud proclamation, accompanied by a blast on a trumpet. For a few more details, let’s look at what Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

From this we see that at the rapture every Christian will have his or her decaying, mortal body changed into an incorruptible body. This is the eternal, heavenly body like that which Jesus has right now. This new body will not be subject to disease or decay. From Paul’s teaching here in 1 Thessalonians we learned that the dead in Christ will have their decaying (or completely decayed) body changed first, then we who are alive and remain will receive our new bodies as we are snatched away from the earth.

Remember at the beginning of this teaching (verse thirteen) Paul did not want us to be overly sad about Christians who have already died physically? That’s because we will be reunited with them again at the rapture, we will all receive our new bodies, and we will eternally be in the physical presence of our Lord. There will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more sadness, only glorious celebration and joy. Because of this new knowledge we can comfort and encourage each other.

 

Application

No matter what kind of pain or suffering you are experiencing right now, it will all be over soon. Be encouraged, my Christian friends, it could be any day now!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 1:7 – Christian Models

Posted on by Will

so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

Truth to Learn

Every Christian should be an example of Christ Himself.

 

Behind the Words

“So that” is translated from the Greek word hōste, which is made up of hōs, meaning “as” and te, which is a particle of connection, usually meaning “in addition.” Hōste, therefore, could be translated as “so that, in addition” or “so as, also.” It serves as a strong connector between what was just said and what is about to be said.

“You became” is from the verb ginomai, meaning “to begin to be.” It is expressed as an infinitive here, so the first part of this verse could be translated as “so as, also, to become …”

The word “examples” is translated from the Greek word tupos, from which we get our English word “type.” It is based on the verb tuptō, meaning “to strike so as to leave an impression.” Tupos refers to a die or a model (that is, any pattern) used to replicate a sign or symbol.

 

Meaning Explained

Based on what we learned about the meaning of the words in the opening part of this verse, if we combine this with the previous verse (taking out the parenthetical thought) we get: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord … so as, you also, to become models [of Christian living] to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”

The word “Christian” literally means “little Christ”; therefore, a Christian is supposed to be someone who is a disciple of Christ, modeling his or her life after Jesus. That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul did after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Before that life changing event, Paul (then called Saul) was attacking Christians and having them arrested. After he became a Christian, he so completely committed himself to his new way of life that he, himself, became the target for persecution and attack. As a result, he became an example to the people he preached to.

Now we learn that the Christians in Thessalonica so completely committed themselves to our Lord and to the Apostle Paul’s teaching that they became examples to all those around them. From the northern most regions of Greece (Macedonia) to the southern most regions (Achaia), believers in Christ knew the reputation of the Thessalonians as committed Christians. They had a reputation of being Christians, not in name only, but in the way they lived their lives. They did this in a place, and at a time when it was not the popular thing to do. Within ten years of the writing of this letter, the persecution of Christians had so pervaded Roman culture that the persecutors even included the Emperor Nero. In A.D. 64 after the great fire that destroyed much of the city of Rome, many believe that Nero was directly responsible for starting the fire. In order to counter such beliefs, Nero put the blame directly on the Christians, persecuting and torturing them for their supposed act of arson.

 

Application

How about you? Do you have a reputation as a Christian among those with whom you work and with those who live in your neighborhood? If so, is your reputation that of being a “supposed Christian” or a “committed Christian”? How about in your church? Do others look at your life and faith walk and want to be like you? Do people both inside and outside your church see Christ in you?

I ask you, therefore, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” That’s something to think about!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 3:21 – Focus on Him

Posted on by Will

Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:

Truth to Learn

We need to keep our focus on God and humbly serve Him.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek word hōste. This word is made up of hōs, meaning “as” and the particle te, meaning “and” which serves to connect the following clause more closely to the previous one. As a result, this word means “therefore, accordingly, and so, or thus.”

The word “boast” is from kauchaomai, which means “to boast, to glory, or to exult,” either in a good manner or bad. In this verse, it is used in a bad sense, meaning “to brag without reason.”

The word translated “all things” is translated from the Greek word pas, meaning “all” or “every.” It is expressed here in the neuter plural, so it means “all things” or “everything.”

“Are” is from the verb of being, eimi. It is expressed in the second person singular, so the last part of this verse could be translated, “For everything is yours.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous three verses, Paul was speaking to the teachers in the church in Corinth, warning them not to depend on worldly techniques in their teaching. In this and the following two verses, he is speaking to all of us. Paul’s entire letter up to this point has been centered on the fact that there were divisions in the church because people placed the importance of one teacher over another. They had been bragging about who the real leader was and identifying themselves with him. Back in 1 Corinthians 1:12, Paul said:

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."

When we put too much importance on the messenger instead of the message, we take the credit away from God and give it to men. In his second letter to this church, quoting Proverbs 27:2, Paul says:

But "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." (2 Corinthians 10:17)

And, in his letter to the Christians in Galatia, Paul says:

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ … (Galatians 6:14a)

The Corinthian Christians were focused on people and things of this world instead of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul now tells them (and us) that boasting in men is wrong because all believers share equally in the grace of God and the gifts He has given us for building up the church. Some people in the church have a more prominent position, while others work behind the scenes. It doesn’t matter whether we are up front preaching to thousands of people or sweeping floors and emptying trash. Our focus needs to be on God, we need to be focused on Him and serve Him with all our heart.

Application

Don’t place too much importance on other people within the church or the gifts that God has given them. Instead, humbly serve God in the task He has assigned you and gifted you for.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Corinthians 3:7 – Faithfully Serve and Trust

Posted on by Will

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Truth to Learn

Every Christian needs to serve, trusting God for the result.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “so then” is hōste. It is made up of hōs, meaning “in this manner” and te, meaning “and.” Thus, hōste literally means “and therefore.”

“He who plants” is from the participial form of phuteuō, which we saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to plant.” In the participle form it means “the one planting” or “he who plants.”

“He who waters” is from the participial form of potidzō, which we also saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to give a drink” or “to irrigate.” In the participle form it means “the one giving a drink” or “the one watering.”

The word translated “anything” is ti, meaning “a thing” or “something.” In verse five we pointed out that the word “who,” from the word tis, should probably have been translated as “what” (or “what thing”), from the word ti. The fact that Paul uses ti in today’s verse is evidence of that statement.

The words “who gives the increase” is from the participial form of auxanō, which we also saw in yesterday’s verse, meaning “to grow” or “to increase.” In the participle form it means “the one giving the increase.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is very similar to yesterday’s verse; however, there is one important difference. In verse six, Paul told us that he is the one who planted the seeds of faith and that Apollos was the one who watered the seedlings. He now tells us that in spite of how important it is for us to be obedient to God in our calling, compared to God our efforts are miniscule and we should not claim any credit for the results.

You will recall that this teaching came about because of the divisions being caused in the Corinthian church as a result of people claiming to follow different leaders. They were placing these leaders on a pedestal, claiming allegiance to one or the other. In response to that, Paul pointed out that the very people whom the Corinthians were giving special honor and allegiance to were nothing more than servants. Neither Paul nor Apollos deserved the credit for the church growth; they were simply servants faithfully performing the tasks assigned to them by their Master. It is the Master who is producing the results.

There is a subtlety here in Paul’s teaching that I don’t want us to miss. The fact that people were giving allegiance to certain leaders implies that the people gave credit to these leaders for the success that the church had achieved. It is the same way in the sports world today. We give credit to a great quarterback of a football team when they win and often blame the same person when they lose. In fact, the success of a football team depends on all of the players doing their part as assigned to them by the coaches.

Application

Church growth is not the result of great leaders, it is the result of every member of the body doing the work that God has assigned them. The lack of growth of the church (spiritually or in numbers) is not necessarily the fault of the pastor. It is more likely the result of the members of the body not doing what God has assigned them to do. Are you giving your all to serve your Master in the task He has chosen for you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Thessalonians 4:18 – Words of Comfort

Posted on by Will

Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Truth to Learn

Knowledge of the rapture should be a comfort to us all.

Behind the Words

Hōste is the Greek word translated “therefore.” It is composed of hōs, meaning “in this manner” and te, an article of connection, which serves to closely connect that which has been said to that which follows. We could translate hōste as “so then.”

The verb translated “comfort” is one that Paul uses frequently and one that we have seen several times in this chapter. It is the word parakaleō, meaning “to encourage, comfort, or challenge.”

“One another” is from allēlous, meaning “each other” or “one another.” It indicates reciprocal action on the part of each member of a group.

“Words” is translated from the Greek noun logos. This word is derived from legō, meaning “to speak intelligently.” Logos, therefore, represents the words that are used to express thoughts.

Meaning Explained

In the previous five verses Paul has been teaching about the rapture. At the time of the rapture, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to the atmosphere of the earth, bringing with Him every Christian who has died physically. He will make a loud proclamation, accompanied by a blast on a trumpet. For a few more details, let’s look at what Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

From this we see that at the rapture every Christian will have his or her decaying, mortal body changed into an incorruptible body. This is the eternal, heavenly body like that which Jesus has right now. This new body will not be subject to disease or decay. From Paul’s teaching here in 1 Thessalonians we learned that the dead in Christ will have their decaying (or completely decayed) body changed first, then we who are alive and remain will receive our new bodies as we are snatched away from the earth.

Remember at the beginning of this teaching (verse thirteen) that  Paul did not want us to be overly sad about Christians who have already died physically? That’s because we will be reunited with them again at the rapture, we will all receive our new bodies, and we will eternally be in the physical presence of our Lord. There will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more sadness, only glorious celebration and joy. Because of this new knowledge we can comfort and encourage each other.

Application

No matter what kind of pain or suffering you are experiencing right now, it will all be over soon. Be encouraged, my Christian friends, it could be any day now!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 1:7 – Christian Models

Posted on by Will

so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

Truth to Learn

Every Christian should be an example of Christ Himself.

Behind the Words

“So that” is translated from the Greek word hōste, which is made up of hōs, meaning “as” and te, which is a particle of connection, usually meaning “in addition.” Hōste, therefore, could be translated as “so that, in addition” or “so as, also.” It serves as a strong connector between what was just said and what is about to be said.

“You became” is from the verb ginomai, meaning “to begin to be.” It is expressed as an infinitive here, so the first part of this verse could be translated as “so as, also, to become …”

The word “examples” is translated from the Greek word tupos, from which we get our English word “type.” It is based on the verb tuptō, meaning “to strike so as to leave an impression.” Tupos refers to a die or a model (that is, any pattern) used to replicate a sign or symbol.

Meaning Explained

Based on what we learned about the meaning of the words in the opening part of this verse, if we combine this with the previous verse (taking out the parenthetical thought) we get: “And you became followers of us and of the Lord … so as, also, to become models (of Christian living) to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”

The word “Christian” literally means “little Christ”; therefore, a Christian is supposed to be someone who is a disciple of Christ, modeling his or her life after Jesus. That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul did after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Before that life changing event, Paul (then called Saul) was attacking Christians and having them arrested. After he became a Christian, he so completely committed himself to his new way of life that he, himself, became the target for persecution and attack. As a result, he became an example to the people he preached to.

Now we learn that the Christians in Thessalonica so completely committed themselves to our Lord and to the Apostle Paul’s teaching that they became examples to all those around them. From the northern most regions of Greece (Macedonia) to the southern most regions (Achaia), believers in Christ knew the reputation of the Thessalonians as committed Christians. They had a reputation of being Christians, not in name only, but in the way they lived their lives. They did this in a place, and at a time when it was not the popular thing to do. Within ten years of the writing of this letter, the persecution of Christians had so pervaded Roman culture that the persecutors even included the Emperor Nero. In A.D. 64 after the great fire that destroyed much of the city of Rome, many believe that Nero was directly responsible for starting the fire. In order to counter such beliefs, Nero put the blame directly on the Christians, persecuting and torturing them for their supposed act of arson.

Application

How about you? Do you have a reputation as a Christian among those with whom you work and with those who live in your neighborhood? If so, is your reputation that of being a “supposed Christian” or a “committed Christian”? How about in your church? Do others look at your life and faith walk and want to be like you? Do people both inside and outside your church see Christ in you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved