Tag: katartidzo

1 Peter 5:10 – Temporary Suffering

Posted on by Will

Now the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Truth to Learn

God will use our suffering to make us complete in Him.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “all” is pas, which as we saw in verse seven means “all” or “the whole.”

 “Perfect” is from the Greek katartidzō, meaning “to complete or repair thoroughly.”

The word translated “establish” is stēridzō, which means “to set securely” or “to turn resolutely in a certain direction.”

The word “strengthen” is from the Greek sthenoō, which means “to give bodily vigor or strength to.”

And the word, “settle” is from the Greek themelioō, which means “to place firmly on a foundation.”

 

Meaning Explained

Now Peter gives us a few more words of encouragement lest we think that we are fighting this battle alone. He tells us that even in the midst of our suffering, the God of all grace will do something for us. He is not simply a gracious God (the God of grace) but the God of all grace. The implication is that there is no grace which does not come from God.

Peter goes on to tell us that not only does He bestow favor on us that we don’t deserve, but he also invites us to approach His eternal glory. Approaching this glory is only possible for us because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This is the glory that James, John, and Peter got a glimpse of at the transfiguration:

And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:1,2)

God has invited us (called us) to come and see His glory! According to Peter, this same God will complete, securely set, strengthen, and firmly place us after we have suffered a little.”

God will not stop His work until He has absolutely completed what He wants to accomplish in us. God will establish our position in Christ, firmly and securely. God will make us spiritually strong. Our position in Christ will be built “on Christ” as we are used by God to build his church of which Christ is the chief cornerstone.

All of this will be done to us when? Peter says, after you have suffered a while. The word translated “a while” is oligon, which literally means “puny in degree or duration.” That is to say, our suffering here under God’s divine providence will be insignificant when compared with what is promised us in eternity.

 

Application

Though the suffering that you may be undergoing right now seems to be almost more than you can stand, God will use the suffering to bring you to a more Christ-like condition, and He will use it to bring glory to Himself. And … when we reach heaven, we will look back on the suffering and say, “Now, that wasn’t so bad after all!”

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 3:10 – Improve Your Prayer Life

Posted on by Will

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and complete what is lacking in your faith?

Truth to Learn

All Christians should work on improving their prayer lives. We need to thank God more and pray more for others.

 

Behind the Words

“Praying” is translated from deomai, meaning “to ask, plead, or beg.” Between this word and huperekperissou, Paul could hardly have used a stronger or more extreme expression of how often and how much he pleaded with God regarding his desire to see the Thessalonians in person.

The word “exceedingly” is from the Greek word ekperissou. This is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out of” but used here as an intensifier, and perissoteros, meaning “excessively.” This word means “exceeding all bounds” or “more than excessively.” And – this word is preceded by huper, meaning “above.” So Paul is saying that he prayed “more than exceedingly.”

Katartidzō is the Greek verb translated “complete.” It means “to put a thing in its appropriate condition,” that is “to bring something to completeness or perfection.” It is used in Matthew 4:21 of fishermen mending (putting back to completeness and full usefulness) their nets.

The word “lacking” is translated from husterema, which is based on the verb hystereō, meaning “to lack” or “to fall behind.” The basic meaning of husterema is “that which is lacking or missing.”

 

Meaning Explained

We noted in yesterday’s verse that the Apostle Paul was a prayer warrior, praying incessantly for all Christians, especially for those to whom he ministered. Here we get another sense of how often he prayed. He says that he prayed “night and day.” To Paul, prayer was such a necessity in the Christian life that he did it at all times. He didn’t simply “throw a prayer God’s direction” when he first got up in the morning. He didn’t just give God thanks when he sat down to eat. He didn’t just think of others and pray for them when he was about to lay his head down at night. Paul prayed to God throughout the entire day.

Paul was so incessant in his prayers that he says here that he prayed more than abundantly. This superabundance included how much he prayer, how long he prayer, and how earnestly he prayed. Oh, that we all would pray like Paul!

We get a picture of the Apostle to the Gentiles communicating with and communing with God whenever he was not actively engaged in any other activity. If fact, he was probably talking with God even while engaged in other activities. To him it was sort of like breathing. No matter what he was or wasn’t doing, Paul was praying.

But notice that even the prayers of Paul were not always answered in the affirmative. One of his frequent prayer requests was that he might be able to be in the presence of the Thessalonian Christians, to see their faces. As far as we know, this never happened throughout the remainder of Paul’s life. And this was not a selfish prayer; he wanted to see them so that he could continue their Christian education, to personally instruct them in the maturing of their faith.

 

Application

If you are like me, you feel woefully inadequate in your prayer life compared to Paul. But this is not cause to give up and quit trying. It should inspire each of us to redouble our efforts to pray more frequently and consistently. Give thanks and praise to our God continually and let Him use you for His glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 1:10 – No More Divisions

Posted on by Will

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Truth to Learn

Christians must work hard at being united in doctrine.

Behind the Words

“I plead” is translated from parakaleō, which is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” or “near” and kaleō, meaning “to call.” Thus, parakaleō literally means “to call near.” In common usage it means “to comfort, to encourage, or to challenge.”

The Greek word translated “you … speak” is legō, which means “to relate in words” or “to speak.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood indicating possibility or probability. So, it could be translated as “you … should speak.”

“Divisions” is from the Greek noun schisma, meaning “a split or a division.”

The words “you be” are from the verb of being, eimi. It, too, is expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating possibility or probability. So, we could translate it as “you should be.”

Katartidzō is the Greek word translated “perfectly joined together.” It is composed of kata, meaning “with” and artidzō, meaning “to adjust, to fit, or to finish.” Thus, katartidzō has the idea of being fit together, being united.

Meaning Explained

Paul now begins addressing some of the issues that existed in the church in Corinth. Specifically, he will now address the divisions that had developed between people who claimed to follow different leaders. As we will see in verse twelve, there were some who said they were followers of Paul, while others said they were followers of Apollos or of Peter (Cephas), and even others claimed they were followers of Christ.

As Paul progresses through the early part of this letter, he will get very direct and stern with the Christians at Corinth. However, he starts off with more gentle words. He says, “I encourage you … to speak the same things” with regard to their divisions. It is imperative for any church body that they have unity in the doctrines that they teach. If one person teaches some doctrinal belief and someone else teaches something different with regard to that doctrine, the followers will be confused, at the very least. In the extreme, it will cause divisions within the church just as were evident in Corinth.

Paul also encourages them to be united (perfectly joined together) and to have the same mind (the same beliefs) throughout the body. People who are not united in their beliefs will not be able to progress onto learning other doctrinal truths because their differences will cause arguments between them. That’s not to say that we should always blindly accept whatever is taught, for discussion is an important part of the learning process.

Application

Divisions within a church is a sure way to destroy the witness of the church to those outside. We are to be united and marching forward with a clear message to the lost.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Thessalonians 3:10 – Improve Your Prayer Life

Posted on by Will

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Truth to Learn

All Christians should work on improving their prayer lives. We need to thank God more and pray more for others.

Behind the Words

“Praying” is translated from deomai, meaning “to ask, plead, or beg.” Between this word and huperekperissou, Paul could hardly have used a stronger or more extreme expression of how often and how much he pleaded with God regarding his desire to see the Thessalonians in person.

The word “exceedingly” is from the Greek word huperekperissou. This is a double compound word made up of huper (or hyper) meaning “above” or “over,” ek, meaning “out of” but used here as an intensifier, and perissoteros, meaning “excessively.” This word means “exceeding all bounds” or “more than excessively.”

Katartidzō is the Greek verb translated “perfect.” It means “to put a thing in its appropriate condition,” that is “to bring something to completeness or perfection.” It is used in Matthew 4:21 of fishermen mending (putting back to completeness and full usefulness) their nets.

The word “lacking” is translated from husterema, which is based on the verb hystereō, meaning “to lack” or “to fall behind.” The basic meaning of husterema is “that which is lacking or missing.”

Meaning Explained

We noted in yesterday’s verse that the Apostle Paul was a prayer warrior, praying incessantly for all Christians, especially for those to whom he ministered. Here we get another sense of how often he prayed. He says that he prayed “night and day.” To Paul, prayer was such a necessity in the Christian life that he did it at all times. He didn’t simply “throw a prayer God’s direction” when he first got up in the morning. He didn’t just give God thanks when he sat down to eat. He didn’t just think of others and pray for them when he was about to lay his head down at night. Paul prayed to God throughout the entire day.

We get a picture of the Apostle to the Gentiles communicating with and communing with God whenever he was not actively engaged in any other activity. If fact, he was probably talking with God even while engaged in other activities. To him it was sort of like breathing. No matter what he was or wasn’t doing, Paul was praying.

But notice that even the prayers of Paul were not always answered in the affirmative. One of his frequent prayer requests was that he might be able to be in the presence of the Thessalonian Christians, to see their faces. As far as we know, this never happened throughout the remainder of Paul’s life. And this was not a selfish prayer; he wanted to see them so that he could continue their Christian education, to personally instruct them in the maturing of their faith.

Application

If you are like me, you feel woefully inadequate in your prayer life compared to Paul. But this is not cause to give up and quit trying. It should inspire each of us to redouble our efforts to pray more frequently and consistently. Give thanks and praise to our God continually and let Him use you for His glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved