katergadzomai – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: katergadzomai

Romans 7:20 – Living on our Knees

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Will

Now if I do what I determine not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin dwelling in me.

Truth to Learn

When we lose a battle against our sin nature we simply need to confess our sin and God removes it from us.

Behind the Words

The word “do” (in the expression “I who do it”) is from the Greek word katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse fifteen, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.”

“Dwells” is also a word that we have looked at before. It is the word oikeō, which means “living somewhere as a permanent residence, as opposed to a temporary residence.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is very similar to verse seventeen, in which Paul identifies the sin dwelling in him as the reason that he does things that he hates. He now states a very similar fact, that it is the sin which has taken up permanent residence in him which fully accomplishes that which he has determined not to do.

According to Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, Paul is saying;

My will is against it; my reason and conscience condemn it. But it is the sin that dwells in me – the principle of sin, [the sin nature] which has possessed itself of all my carnal appetites and passions, and thus subjects my reason and domineers over my soul. Thus I am in perpetual contradiction to myself. Two principles are continually contending in me for the mastery: my reason, on which the light of God shines, to show what is evil; and my passions, in which the principle of sin works, to bring forth fruit unto death.

It is this contention between the Spirit of life within us and the sin nature within us which produces the daily battle that all Christians face: the wholesome desire to obey and please God versus the lustful desires of the sin nature that drag us into sin and guilt.

We will not leave this battleground until the day that we are taken to glory. We need to learn how to do battle effectively. We do that by submitting our will to God and learning repeatedly how to fall to our knees when our sinful tendencies win out over our desire to do good. Remember:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just so that He might forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:8, 9)

Also, keep in mind that when He forgives our sins, He removes them from us, as David said in the Psalms:

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:11-12)

Application

Even though we are in a constant battle with our sin nature, and frequently loose the battle, we know that through confession our sins are forgiven and sent away from us as far as the east is from the west. Lord, help us to learn the necessity of living on our knees!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:18 – Surrender is the Key

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Will

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but to perform what is good is not.

Truth to Learn

We can’t work, or fight, our way to victory as a Christian.

Behind the Words

The word translated, “I know” is eidō, meaning “to see with perception.” By implication it means “to know” or “to be aware of.” This word is used here in the perfect tense, which indicates past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the ongoing effect. What Paul means is that he knows it and has known it for some time because he learned it sometime in the past. That is, it’s not new knowledge to him.

Thelō is the Greek word translated “will.” As we saw in verse 16, this refers to our determined will.

“Perform” is from the word katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse fifteen, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us that it is the sin dwelling in him (that is, his sin nature, his predisposition to sin) that causes him to do things that he has determined not to do. He now amplifies that a little bit. He says that he is aware that there is nothing dwelling in his flesh (that is, dwelling in the non-spirit part of him) that is any good. You will recall that back in chapter 3 verses 9 and 10, Paul quoted part of Psalms 53:1-3 which says:

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable wickedness; there is no one doing good. God looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Every one has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is no one doing good, not even one.

The reason that there is no one doing good is because of this sin nature that dwells in each and every one of us. It is what drives us to do that which we don’t want to do and it is what keeps us from doing what we want to do.

Paul now restates the fact that he is determined to do what is good but he can’t. He says, “For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good is not.” The determination (will) to do good is there, but how to accomplish it isn’t. As much as Paul is determined to do right, his sin nature won’t always let him do it.

That’s why we have said before that an unsaved person has no choice but to sin. There is no free will in those who are unsaved. Those of us who are saved, however, have the Holy Spirit living in us and we do have free will. We can choose to obey God by turning our will over to the Holy Spirit and letting Him have control of our lives. So you see, the only way we can have the free will to obey God is to surrender that will up to Him. Only then can we even hope to obey. And because we have a sin nature, we then take it back and exert our own will, leading us to sin. We all know how frustrating this is.

Application

As we have said before, the way to victory in the Christian life is through surrender. We don’t stand up and fight to get the victory, we simply give in. It’s totally against everything we have ever learned. We have to surrender to win the battle. Let us all pray that we will continually surrender our will to Him who has declared us righteous. After all, we’re not righteous because we earned it, but because He declared it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:15 – That Thing You Do

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Will

For the thing I do, I do not understand. For what I determine to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

Truth to Learn

Paul battled his sin nature just as you and I do.

Behind the Words

The words “the thing I do” are from the Greek verb katergadzomai, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.” In other words, it is not simply something that Paul comes close to doing or that he does a little bit of, it is something that he does completely.

“Understand” is from ginoskō, which means “to come to know completely or to understand thoroughly.”

“Practice” is from the Greek word prassō, meaning “to practice, to do habitually, or to do repeatedly.”

The word translated “but” is alla. It is an adversative participle which can best be expressed here as “but on the other hand.”

“I do” is translated from the Greek word poieō, which means “to make or do.” It is expressed in the present tense, active voice, indicative mood, implying continual action.

Meaning Explained

This is one of the most important verses of the entire book of Romans. It is Paul expressing the frustration concerning the power that his sin nature has over him. He starts out this verse by confessing that he doesn’t understand why he acts the way he does. The thing which he wants to do (be obedient to God) he doesn’t always do. He is not saying that he never does the things he wants to do. He is saying that he doesn’t consistently do them. Paul wants to obey God and do those things which will glorify Him, but he doesn’t always do them.

Instead, Paul finds that the thing which he hates is the very thing that he continually finds himself doing.

This is a very revealing (and to the rest of us, comforting) aspect of Paul’s walk with God. He is the Apostle to the Gentiles, the most prolific writer of the New Testament and probably the finest example of “Obedience to God” in the entire New Testament. And yet, he has a constant battle with his sin nature and has not reached a state of perfect submission to Christ. Allow me to paraphrase this verse,

I don’t understand my actions. For that which I want to do I don’t always do. On the other hand, that which I hate to do, I keep on doing.

Application

Can you identify with Paul? Of course you can! Any Christian who is completely committed to God will undergo this same sense of frustration as he or she contemplates his or her daily walk with God. We want to be obedient, but we don’t always obey and we don’t understand why.

The answer, my friend, is our sin nature. It is constantly battling against us to produce sin in our lives, even when we want to be totally obedient to God.

Keep in mind that Paul wrote this letter toward the latter part of his life. He was not a “young Christian.” He was an experienced, mature Christian who was as submitted to God as any Christian has ever been. And – he struggled with obedience to God and submission to His will. Paul battled his sin nature until God took him to paradise. So don’t feel defeated when you have the same kind of struggles with your sin nature.

But you must understand that doesn’t excuse us! We are still guilty of the sin, but confession, and forgiveness through the grace of God, will restore our fellowship with Him even when we do that thing which we hate!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:13 – Sinfulness Revealed

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Will

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? No way! But sin, that it might appear sinful, was producing death in me through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.

Truth to Learn

The Law reveals our sinfulness to the fullest extent.

Behind the Words

The word translated “appear” is phainō, which is from the noun phos, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.” Phainō means “to illuminate,” “to become visibly apparent,” or “to reveal.”

“Producing” is from katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse eight means, “to carry out a task until it is completely finished.” It is expressed in this verse as a participle, so it could be translated, “was completely accomplishing in me.”

The word “exceedingly” is from huperbolē, which is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “above” and a form of ballō, meaning “to throw.” So it literally means “to throw above” or “to throw beyond.” Metaphorically, it means “to surpass” or “to be excessive.” From this we get our English word hyperbole, meaning “an extravagant exaggeration.”

Meaning Explained

Anticipating another objection, Paul now asks another of his rhetorical questions. The objection is this, “Is it possible that what is admitted to be good and pure (the law), might be changed into evil?” Paul’s response to his rhetorical question is the now familiar, me genoito, meaning “May it not be!” or “No way!”

This next sentence is very confusing to read in most translations. Let me take the liberty of making a couple of minor alterations to the translation so that it might appear to us more clearly what Paul is saying:

But sin, so that it might be made apparent as sin, is completely accomplishing death in me through that which is good (the law); so that sin might become exceedingly sinful, and this because of the commandment.

Do you see what Paul is saying? The law has not become death to us, but it has caused sin to be revealed as it truly is, very sinful, and it is the sin which causes death.

There was a comedian some years back by the name of Flip Wilson whose most famous line was, “The devil made me do it!” Well, if Flip had been around in Paul’s day he probably would have said, “The Law made me do it!” That is precisely what Paul is arguing against. The law does not make us sin, but it does cause sin to be exposed for what it really is so that we are without any excuse whatsoever.

So we can’t blame the law for our sinfulness. We have to take full responsibility for our own sin. Then we return to 1 John 1:9. Do you remember what that verse says?

Application

It is relatively easy for each of us to excuse our own sinfulness for a variety of reasons. But the Law makes our sinfulness so apparent that we no longer have any grounds for denying it. Recognizing and admitting our own sinfulness is the first step in recognizing our need for salvation from the penalty of sin.

Praise be to God for His mercy and His grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:8 – A Sinful Product

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Will

But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all covetousness. For apart from the law sin is dead.

Truth to Learn

The Law does not prevent sin, it produces sin.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “taking opportunity” is aphormē, which means “an occasion, an opportunity, or casual circumstance producing a tendency toward something else.” In this verse it means that sin took the opportunity to produce lust. This word, aphormē, is an aorist participle which means the action took place before the main verb (produced). Or, to put it another way, sin used the commandment as an opportunity to then produce covetousness in Paul.

The word translated as “produced” is katergadzomai, which means not just simply to work on something but, “to carry out a task until it is completely finished.”

Meaning Explained

What Paul is telling us is that before the Law was declared, there was no sinful covetousness. Then the Tenth Commandment was declared:

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's

As soon as the Tenth Commandment took effect, sin took this commandment and accomplished sinful covetousness in man’s heart, and he suddenly coveted after the very things that the law said we should not covet.

Paul goes on to say that “apart from the law,” in other words, when the law and sin were separated from each other, “sin was dead.” It’s very much like two siblings who are constantly fighting but as soon as you separate them from each other the fighting stops, it dies. Thus, Paul says that before the law was declared, it and sin were separated and sin was dead. But as soon as the law was declared, sin took the occasion of the presence of the law to completely work out sinful desires within man.

Adam and Eve are a good example of this. When they were first put in the garden, it was not wrong for them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they apparently had no particular desire for the fruit of that tree. But, as soon as God told Adam that they were not to eat of that tree, that’s when they both desired to eat of it, and their satisfying of that desire produced sin.

Did you ever wonder why, as a child when your mother baked cookies and put them in the cookie jar saying not to touch them until after dinner, all you could think about was sneaking into the kitchen to steal a cookie from the cookie jar?

That’s precisely the process that this verse is talking about!

Application

Now we can begin to see why obedience to the Law does not produce righteousness. The very declaration of the Law produces the desire to break it, and so we do!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 4:15 – Legal Wrath

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Will

for the law brings about wrath; but where there is no law there is no transgression.

Truth to Learn

Trying to keep the law causes God’s wrath to come against us.

Behind the Words

The words “brings about” are from the verb katergadzomai, which is a compound word made up of kata, used as an intensifier and ergadzomai, meaning “to work.” Hence, this word means “to completely bring about” or “to carry out a task until it is finished.”

“Wrath” is translated from the Greek word orgē, which is based on the verb orgēomai, meaning “reaching forth with the mind or excitement of the mind.” Hence, orgē expresses a violent passion either for or against something. However, it is most often used to express extreme anger or wrath.

The word translated “transgression” is the Greek word parabasis, which is a made up of para, meaning “beside” or “beyond” and a form of baino, which means “to go.” So this word means “to go beyond, to cross over, or to overstep.” It is most often used to indicate an overstepping of a legal limit. Hence, it usually means “to violate a law or regulation.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just been talking about the fact that God credited righteousness to Abraham based on his faith, not on his keeping the Law. He even pointed out that Abraham’s righteousness came well before the Law of Moses (more than three hundred years before) and about fifteen years before he was circumcised. So, it is very clear that his righteousness had nothing to do with obedience to the Law. Now he makes another observation about trying to obtain righteousness by obeying a set of rules or laws. He says that the Law brings about the wrath of God because the Law actually produces transgression (the overstepping of a rule or a law).

Paul even goes on to say that where there is no law there can be no transgressing of the law. Adam and Eve are the perfect example. Before they were told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were free to eat of it, and doing so would not have caused them any consequence. But, as soon as God commanded them not to eat of it, not only was it now wrong for them to do so, but it became something that they suddenly wanted to do.

As a result of transgression (violating or overstepping the boundaries of the law) God’s wrath is produced because He cannot stand sin. Sin, and therefore anyone possessing sin, cannot remain in God’s presence because as a Holy God He must judge sin.

That’s what Paul is saying in this verse; that without law there is no transgression and therefore, none of God’s wrath. It’s actually the Law that produces God’s wrath.

But why would God give something to mankind (the Law) that would cause His wrath against mankind? That doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? Paul will answer this difficult question later in this letter.

Application

It should be getting very clear by now that we cannot be right in God’s eyes by obeying a set of rules. In fact, the mere attempt to do so creates sin in our lives, which brings about God’s wrath. We can only stand in God’s presence as his righteous children through faith.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:13 – Prepare for Battle

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Will

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against them in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Truth to Learn

We need to be prepared for spiritual battle at all times.

Behind the Words

Analambanō is the Greek word translated “take up.” It is composed of ana, meaning “up” or “again” and lambanō, meaning “to take.”

“You may be able” is translated from the verb dunamai, which means “to have the ability or the authority to do something.” It is expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating the possibility or probability of happening.

The words “to stand against” are from the verb anthistēmi, made up of anti, meaning “against” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Thus, it literally means “to stand against someone or something.”

“Having done” is from the Greek verb katergadzomai, which is composed of kata, meaning “down” used here as an intensifier and ergadzomai, meaning “to work.” Katergadzomai means “to perform a task until it is completely finished.”

The word translated “all” is hapas. This word is made up of hama, meaning “together” and pas, meaning “all.” Hapas means “absolutely everything.”

Meaning Explained

As we have noted before, whenever you see a verse start out with “therefore” or “wherefore,” you need to look carefully at what it is “there for.” In this case, Paul is saying “because we are wrestling against spiritual forces (evil angels) in hand-to-hand combat, we need to put on all of the weapons that God provides for us.

But, it is not our own armor that we are to put on, it is God’s armor. In Greek mythology, the gods provided special armor for the heroes. Paul is playing off that idea by showing that our God provides us with the special armor we need for our battle against the evil forces.

What does Paul mean by, “the evil day?” One view sees this as every day since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Since the day that Satan attacked and defeated Adam and Eve, evil has been present on this earth. These evil days won’t end until our Lord returns to conquer all evil. The other view is that the evil day refers to any time that we are actively battling the forces of evil. No matter which of these two is correct, the fact is that Christians are in face-to-face, close contact conflict with the forces of evil each and every day.

What’s even more important is that when we are attacked by Satan and his warriors, we need to be ready. Once the battle has begun, it’s hard to put on the armor. We need to have it on at all times. Some Roman soldiers complained about the weight of their armor, so they took it off as soon as the battle was over. Then, because of lack of exercise and practice fighting in the armor, they became quickly fatigued and were not able to stand firm against their rival, making themselves easy targets.

The expression “having done all” means that we have prepared ourselves and we have stood against the enemy with the victory of our King. As a result, at the end of the battle we are still standing, not having been defeated.

Application

Let’s pay close attention to the next few verses so we can put on the armor and be practiced and prepared for battle. Fighting a battle is not easy, but we can win, for God is on our side.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:20 – Bad Example

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Will

Truth to Learn

We should not be easily angered because it does not show the world the type of godly example that we should be.

Behind the Words

In the previous verse we looked at the Greek word orgē, which refers to “violent passions.” It is most likely derived from the Greek word oregō, which means to stretch out with the hand or to snatch. Metaphorically, it means to covet, to long after, or to desire. Hence, orgē is the state of mind produced when we don’t get what we desire.

“Bring about” is translated from katergadzomai which is a compound word made up of kata, used as an intensifier and ergadzomai, which means “to work.” Put these together and we see that katergadzomai means “to work out, to bring about, or to fully accomplish.”

The word translated “righteousness” is dikaiosunē, which is based on the word dikaios meaning “equity, justice, or that which is right.” The sunē ending makes this an abstraction. Therefore, the word dikaiosunē means “the characteristic of doing that which is just or right.”

Meaning Explained

According to an area of Psychology called Cognitive Behavior Theory, “The main cause of anger is represented by our irrational perceptions and evaluations of situations when our rights and goals are apparently broken.” Put in layman’s terms, anger is caused when someone does something to us that we don’t like. When someone insults us, we don’t like it and we get angry. When someone cuts in front of us in traffic and slows us down, we don’t like it and we get angry. When the sports team we are rooting for loses, we don’t like it and we get angry.

Anger is a selfish response to a situation where we don’t get our way. This selfishness is not only the root of our anger, it is sin. God’s anger, on the other hand, is the result of people not giving Him the reverence that He alone deserves.

Because we have a sin nature, we are incapable of always responding properly to situations in our life. Because of His holiness, God is incapable of responding any way other than the right way. That’s His righteousness. He always does what is right.

The only way we can respond properly to difficult situations is to recognize that we belong to Christ; we have been bought with His blood. Because of that we have no personal rights and showing forth His righteousness is our high calling in life. But when we get angry because we think we have been wronged, we are sinning, therefore we are not producing righteousness.

James has just told us that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. The reason given here is that when we get angry we are not being an example of or a witness for God, which should be our full time occupation.

Application

The old adage of counting to ten before you get angry has some basis in this verse. Let us all work harder at keeping our cool, and keeping our testimony pure and God glorigying.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:13 – Prepare for Battle

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Will

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Truth to Learn

We need to be prepared for spiritual battle at all times.

Behind the Words

Analambanō is the Greek word translated “take up.” It is composed of ana, meaning “up” or “again” and lambanō, meaning “to take.”

The words “to stand” are from the verb anthistēmi, made up of anti, meaning “against” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Thus, it literally means “to stand against.”

The word translated “all” is hapas. This word is made up of hama, meaning “together” and pas, meaning “all.” Hapas means “absolutely everything.”

Meaning Explained

It is not our own armor that we are to put on, however, it is God’s armor. In Greek mythology, the gods provided special armor for the heroes. Paul is playing off that idea by showing that our God provides us with the armor we need for battle.

What does Paul mean by, “the evil day?” One view sees this as every day since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Since the day that Satan attacked and defeated Adam and Eve, evil has been present on this earth. These evil days won’t end until our Lord returns to conquer all evil. The other view is that the evil day refers to any time that we are actively battling the forces of evil. No matter which of these two is correct, the fact is that Christians are in face-to-face conflict with the forces of evil each and every day.

Application

Let’s pay close attention to the next few verses so we can put on the armor and be practiced and prepared for battle. Fighting a battle is not easy, but we can win, for God is on our side.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:20 – Living on our Knees

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Will

Romans 7:20

Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Truth to Learn

When we lose a battle against our sin nature we simply need to confess our sin and God removes it from us.

Behind the Words

The word “do” (in the expression “I who do it”) is from the Greek word katergadzomai, which we saw back in verse fifteen, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.”

“Dwells” is also a word that we have looked at before. It is the word oikeō, which means “living somewhere as a permanent residence, as opposed to a temporary residence.”

Meaning Explained

According to Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, Paul is saying;

We will not leave this battleground until the day that we are taken to glory. We need to learn how to do battle effectively and that is by submitting our will to God and learning repeatedly how to fall to our knees when our sinful tendencies win out over our desire to do good. Remember:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:8, 9)

Also, keep in mind that when he forgives our sins, he removes them from us, as David said in the Psalms:

For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalms 103:11-12)

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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: