Tag: houto

1 Thessalonians 5:2 – Noisily Versus Quietly

Posted on by Will

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will come quietly, the rapture noisily.

 

Behind the Words

“Know” is translated from the verb eidō, which refers to “seeing with perception and comprehension.” Thus, it takes on the meaning of “knowing” or “understanding.” In English someone might explain something and then say, “Do you see what I’m saying?” In such a case, they are not asking about vision but about understanding. This is the sense that eidō has in today’s verse.

The word translated “perfectly” is akribōs, which means “accurately” or “exactly.” It is not an expression about perfection, but of accuracy.

Hēmera is the word translated “day.” It can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or, as in today’s verse, it can refer to the timeframe of a specific event.

The word “like” is from the Greek word houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.”

The word “thief” is from kleptēs. This is derived from the verb kleptō (from which we get our English word kleptomaniac, meaning someone who has an obsession with stealing things). Kleptē refers to someone who steals things, that is, “a thief.”

“Night” is translated from nux, which refers to the time period from sundown to sunrise.

 

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse we see a couple more reasons why the rapture (the Day of Jesus Christ) and the Day of the Lord are two distinctly different events. When Paul introduced the topic of the rapture back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, he said “I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,” meaning that they were ignorant of the facts surrounding the rapture. In yesterday’s verse he said, “you have no need that I should write to you,” and in today’s verse he completes that thought. The reason that they didn’t need additional information is because, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.”

Apparently, Paul had previously taught the Christians in Thessalonica the facts about the Day of the Lord. Since they had accurate knowledge about the Day of the Lord and were ignorant concerning the rapture, they must be two different things. One of the possible reasons for this is that the Old Testament has numerous references to the Day of the Lord, but there are no references to the rapture. Since the Old Testament is the only Scripture the Thessalonians had, they could only have learned about the Day of the Lord from it.

The other thing to note is how these two events occur. The rapture occurs with a loud proclamation and a trumpet blast. The Day of the Lord, on the other hand, comes like a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t announce himself and he doesn’t make a lot of noise; he comes quietly and secretly. In other words, the rapture will come with lots of noise, but the Day of the Lord will come quietly, like a thief.

 

Application

Christians, keep your ears open, listening for the shout and the trumpet blast. You’ll be gone when the Day of the Lord comes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:24 – A Submissive Witness

Posted on by Will

But as the church is subordinate to Christ, so the wives to their own husbands in everything.

Truth to Learn

Submission is part of what it means to be a Christian.

 

Behind the Words

The word “but” is translated from the Greek word alla, which implies an addition to what preceded. Generally, it means “but.”

“So” is from houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.” As in this verse, it is often coupled with alla to form a similitude between two ideas.

The verb “is subordinate to” is translated from hupotassō, which we saw a couple verses back means “to be under-ranked” or “to be in submission to.”

 

Meaning Explained

Throughout this chapter Paul has been talking about how we are to behave within the body of Christ. In verse twenty-two he changed his focus from our behavior within the church to our behavior within the family. First of all, he said that a wife is to submit to her husband; that is, she is to voluntarily place herself under the authority of her husband. In yesterday’s verse he told us that this is necessary because God designed the family structure with the man as the head, just as he designed the church with Christ as the head.

He now reiterates that point by saying that just as the church is ranked under Christ, so a wife is to be ranked under her husband. Nobody in the church would ever presume to place themself above Christ, so a woman should not presume to place herself above her husband in God’s plan. Now, let me say again that this does not mean that a woman is any less important within the family or within the church.

“But, what if my husband is not a Christian?” you might ask. The answer is that it doesn’t make any difference. In fact, a Christian woman has a greater responsibility if her husband is unsaved. Paul told the Corinthians that a submissive woman might even be the tool that God uses to bring her husband to faith:

For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? (1Corinthians 7:16a)

The Apostle Peter also wrote about how important it is for Christians to be submissive to authorities, even non-Christian civil authorities. He, too, commanded women to submit to their husbands, even those who aren’t Christian men:

In the same way, wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, as they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. (1Peter 3:1-2)

 

Let me stress again that a woman being submissive to her husband does not mean that she is to subject herself to abuse either physically or emotionally. Read carefully what tomorrow’s verse has to say to the husband.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, (Ephesians 5:25)

Application

God wants us all to be obedient servants and He will use those who are submitted to Him. Women, your position is extremely important within the family. It is especially so if others in your family are not saved. Your behavior may be what God uses to reach your family. If you have committed your life to Christ, then you have committed to being His obedient, faithful servant. Some day you may see how God has used you if you are faithful to Him. And God will get all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 4:1 – God’s Assistants

Posted on by Will

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Truth to Learn

A teacher’s words reveal his image of himself, under Christ.

Behind the Words

The words “let … consider” are translated from the Greek verb logidzomai. This word is based on logos, meaning “something said” or more accurately, “the thought behind something said.” Thus, logidzomai means “to think about” or “to consider.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood indicating a command.

“So” is from the Greek adverb houtō, meaning “in this manner” or “so.”

“Servants” is from hupēretēs, which is composed of huper, meaning “under” or “beneath” and eretēs, meaning “a rower.” It refers to someone who is acting under the direction of a superior. In classical Greek it refers to a common sailor as distinct from nautēs, a seasoned sailor. This word is used to refer to a personal assistant like the person in a synagogue who handed the scroll to the rabbi and returned it to its place.

Oikonomos is the Greek word translated “stewards.” It is made up of oikos, meaning “a house” and nemō, meaning “to distribute” or “to hand out.” This word refers to a person who manages the affairs of a household or a business which rightfully belongs to someone else.

Meaning Explained

Having criticized the Corinthian Christians for their slavish devotion to specific leaders within the church, Paul now goes into a description of how Christian leaders should be viewed by those receiving their instruction. Instead of seeing the teachers and preachers of the church as masters, he says that such men should be considered as “under oarsmen” or “personal assistants” to Jesus Christ, Himself. Moreover, he goes on to say that those who proclaim the gospel message are no more than stewards whose job it is to distribute the goods of a household (the mysteries of God) to others under their care.

Several years ago we moved from the central part of the USA to the Pacific Northwest. We spent considerable time looking for a church where we could grow in our faith and serve God. Some churches had impressive buildings and wonderful services with uplifting times of worship and praise. Unfortunately, most of these had little sound Biblical teaching. Instead, the preachers laid forth messages of social challenge, with only cursory references to Holy Scripture. As a result, the people attending these churches seemed to be indifferent to strangers and showed little evidence of the fruit of the Spirit.

Eventually, God led us to a large congregation that meets in an industrial warehouse. We quickly learned that unless we arrived a half hour early, we would be relegated to the farthest recesses of the room or to the video room where the speaker was displayed on a large screen. In spite of the appearance of the building and its awkward layout, we quickly discovered that the people were warm, friendly, and genuinely excited about learning God’s Word. Why? Because the men delivering the message are not there for personal glory, but they consider themselves stewards of the mysteries of God.

Application

What do you look for in a church? The building, the worship time, the fellowship, or the faithful servants who proclaim God’s message to you directly from His Word?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Thessalonians 5:2 – Noisily Versus Quietly

Posted on by Will

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will come quietly, the rapture noisily.

Behind the Words

“Know” is translated from the verb eidō, which refers to “seeing with perception and comprehension.” Thus, it takes on the meaning of “knowing” or “understanding.” In English someone might explain something and then say, “Do you see what I’m saying?” In such a case, they are not asking about vision but about understanding. This is the sense that eidō has in today’s verse.

The word translated “perfectly” is akribōs, which means “accurately” or “exactly.” It is not an expression about perfection, but of accuracy.

Hēmera is the word translated “day.” It can refer to a complete twenty-four hour period or, as in today’s verse, it can refer to the timeframe of a specific event.

The word “as” is from the Greek word houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.”

The word “thief” is from kleptēs. This is derived from the verb kleptō (from which we get our English word kleptomaniac, meaning someone who has an obsession with stealing things). Kleptē refers to someone who steals things, that is, “a thief.”

“Night” is translated from nux, which refers to the time period from sundown to sunrise.

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse we see a couple more reasons why the rapture (the Day of Jesus Christ) and the Day of the Lord are two distinctly different events. When Paul introduced the topic of the rapture back in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, he said “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,” meaning that they were ignorant of the facts surrounding the rapture. In yesterday’s verse he said, “you have no need that I should write to you,” and in today’s verse he completes that thought. The reason that they didn’t need additional information is because, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

Apparently, Paul had previously taught the Christians in Thessalonica the facts about the Day of the Lord. Since they had accurate knowledge about the Day of the Lord and were ignorant concerning the rapture, they must be two different things. One of the possible reasons for this is that the Old Testament has numerous references to the Day of the Lord, but there are no references to the rapture. Since the Old Testament is the only Scripture the Thessalonians had, they could only have learned about the Day of the Lord from it.

The other thing to note is how these two events occur. The rapture occurs with a loud proclamation and a trumpet blast. The Day of the Lord, on the other hand, comes like a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t announce himself and he doesn’t make a lot of noise; he comes quietly and secretly. In other words, the rapture will come with lots of noise, but the Day of the Lord will come quietly, like a thief.

Application

Christians, keep your ears open, listening for the shout and the trumpet blast. You’ll be gone when the Day of the Lord comes.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:24 – A Submissive Witness

Posted on by Will

Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Truth to Learn

Submission is part of what it means to be a Christian.

Behind the Words

The words “just as” are translated from the Greek word hōsper, which is made up of hōs, meaning “as” and per, meaning “much.” Thus, hōsper literally means “as much as,” that is, “in the same way as.”

“So” is from houtō, meaning “in this way” or “in this manner.” As in this verse, it is often coupled with hōsper to form a similitude between two ideas.

The verb “is subject to” is translated from hupotassō, which we saw a couple verses back means “to be under-ranked” or “to be in submission to.”

Meaning Explained

Throughout this chapter Paul has been talking about how we are to behave within the body of Christ. In verse twenty-two he changed his focus from our behavior within the church to our behavior within the family. First of all, he said that a wife is to submit to her husband; that is, she is to voluntarily place herself under the authority of her husband. In yesterday’s verse he told us that this is necessary because God designed the family structure with the man as the head, just as he designed the church with Christ as the head.

He now reiterates that point by saying that just as the church is ranked under Christ, so a wife is to be ranked under her husband. Nobody in the church would ever presume to place themself above Christ, so a woman should not presume to place herself above her husband in God’s plan. Now, let me say again that this does not mean that a woman is any less important within the family or within the church.

“But, what if my husband is not a Christian?” you might ask. The answer is that it doesn’t make any difference. In fact, a Christian woman has a greater responsibility if her husband is unsaved. Paul told the Corinthians that a submissive woman might even be the tool that God uses to bring her husband to faith:

For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? (1Corinthians 7:16a)

The Apostle Peter also wrote about how important it is for Christians to be submissive to authorities, even non-Christian civil authorities. He, too, commanded women to submit to their husbands, even those who aren’t Christian men:

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. (1Peter 3:1-2)

Application

God wants us all to be obedient servants and He will use those who are submitted to Him. Women, your position is extremely important within the family. It is especially so if others in your family are not saved. Your behavior may be what God uses to reach your family. If you have committed your life to Christ, then you have committed to being His obedient, faithful servant. Some day you may see how God has used you if you are faithful to Him. And God will get all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.