Tag: kathaper

Romans 12:4 – Sacrificial Body Parts

Posted on by Will

For just as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,

Truth to Learn

We are to function in the body of Christ as He chooses.

 

Behind the Words

Paul once again starts off the verse with “For” indicating that this and the following verse are closely linked to the previous verse.

The Greek word translated “just as” is kathaper, which is an adverb made up of katha, meaning “as” and per, meaning “very” or “very much.” Though this translates rather awkwardly into English as “very much as,” the notion in Greek is that there is about to be a comparison of two things that are very much like each other. He describes the first of these two things in this verse and the second one in the next verse.

The word translated “members” is the Greek word melos, which means “a limb or other body part.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us not to “over think” ourselves. That is, we are not to think of ourselves as more important or more elevated than we really are. After all, we are only what we are because God has made us thus. He now goes on to show us that our importance, yea our very identity, exists in relation to the body of Christ, the church. Paul uses the metaphor of a physical body to show this.

He tells us, “we have many members in one body.” In other words, there are many different body parts in our physical body. In the second part of this verse Paul states that all these body parts don’t have the same function. Each part is important to the health of the entire body in a different way.

Each one of us has a body that is made up of a whole bunch of parts; arms, legs, head, spine, eyes, skin, liver, mouth, heart, sweat glands, nasal mucous, finger nails, etc. Some of these are more attractive than others and some are more obvious than others. Some we don’t even notice until they go into hyperactive mode, and then we tend to dislike them because they produce unpleasant sensations. But – they are ALL very necessary and we would be handicapped without any one of them. The same is true of the body of Christ.

This is the crux of what Paul is going to be talking about in the next 12 verses. We each have a place in the body of Christ and God has individually gifted each one of us for our unique function with spiritual gifts. But before we get wrapped up in the discussions about spiritual gifts, let’s remember how Paul started this out.

I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

There is no use in continuing the discussion about spiritual gifts if we are not first, totally submitted to our Lord Jesus Christ and totally committed to serving Him in the position and capacity that He has chosen for us! If we have offered ourselves as living sacrifices then we no longer have a say in how God chooses to use us.

 

Application

Have you offered yourself up to God to be used in whatever manner He determines? Are you a living sacrifice, or are you still in control of your own life?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 4:6 – Righteousness Without Works

Posted on by Will

exactly as David says of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Truth to Learn

David also talked about those who are blessed due to God’s declaring them righteous without having done good works.

 

Behind the Words

“Exactly as” is translated from kathaper, which is made up of katha, meaning “as” or “just as” and per, which is an article indicating abundance. So, we could translate this as “exactly as” or “very much as.” In other words, Paul is showing a very strong relationship between the example of Abraham’s justification by faith and the things that David said, as quoted in the following verses.

The word translated “blessedness” is makarismos, which refers to someone who has been declared as fortunate, or happy. A very similar word is used in the following two verses where it is translated as “blessed.” Paul is using the word here to describe someone who “possesses the fullness of God’s favor.” Another way of saying it is “one of God’s favorites.”

The word “credits” is translated from the Greek word logidzomai, which we looked at back in verse three, meaning “to credit to someone’s account.”

“Apart from” is the translation of the word chōris, which we looked at in the previous chapter. This word indicates separation of two things in space or time. Therefore, it could be translated here as “separate from” or “without.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has already shown that Abraham is an example of God’s crediting righteousness apart from works of the Law. He now cites another example from the Old Testament. This time it is a quote from David, who obviously understood that God considers a person righteous without the works of the Law. In fact, David declares the person “blessed” to whom God imputes righteousness through faith. It may seem strange to think of God as having favorites, but in a very real sense that’s what David says about those who believe God’s good news.

And this favoritism comes, not from works of righteousness, but as a free gift from God. It is not granted to us because we have kept a set of rules or followed all the requirements of a particular church or even because we have been obedient. God’s favoritism comes simply because He has chosen to grant it to those who believe.

If you believe that you are a sinner in need of salvation and you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all of your sins, Paul says because of that belief (faith), God has declared you to be as if you had never committed a single sin. You are declared “righteous” and your name is written in the Book of Life. It also means that you will not appear at the Great White Throne Judgment spoken of in Revelation 20:11-15. Instead, you will appear at the Bema Seat Judgment spoken of in 2Corinthians 5:10 where you will receive rewards for those things which you have done for the glory of God.

 

Application

Because of this gracious truth, let’s commit ourselves to living the remainder of our lives for the sole purpose of glorifying God. It’s the least we can do! Don’t you agree?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 2:11 – Father Paul

Posted on by Will

as you know how we were encouraging, and comforting every one of you, as a father does his own children,

Truth to Learn

We all need some comfort, encouragement, and challenge.

 

Behind the Words

The word “as” is from the Greek word kathaper. This word is made up of katha, meaning “as” and per, meaning “very.” The word kathaper literally means “exactly as” or “just as.”

“You know” is translated from the verb eidō, which means “to see with perception.” As in English, this verb can refer to visibly seeing something and perceiving what it is, or it can mean “to see with the mind,” that is, “to know.”

The word “encouraging” is from parakaleō. It is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” and kaleō, meaning “to call.” It is a picture of someone being “called alongside” for the purpose of coaching, encouraging, challenging, and comforting.

“Comforting” is translated from paramutheomai, which is made up of para, meaning “to the side of” and mutheomai, meaning “to make a speech” or “to tell a tale.” Paramutheomai means “to speak soothingly” or “to console.”

 

Meaning Explained

Back in verses six through eight, Paul used the metaphor of a mother caring for her infant children to show how tenderly he and his companions ministered to the Christians in Thessalonica. Now he changes his metaphor to that of a father. At the time this letter was written it was the mother’s responsibility to feed and care for the children. The father’s responsibility was to help the children mature, to challenge them, to encourage them, and to comfort them.

First of all, notice in the previous verse that Paul called the Thessalonians as witnesses of his behavior among them. Now he says that they know from observation how he raised them in the faith. These two facts further indicate the close relationship he had with the people who were under his spiritual care. He wasn’t some demagogue, preaching fire and brimstone from the pulpit while keeping his distance from his congregation. He was directly involved with them daily, on a personal level.

When the spiritual battles and hardships of life caused them to become discouraged, he encouraged them. When they experienced set-backs and failures, he comforted them. However, he didn’t let them wallow in their self-pity and he certainly didn’t coddle them. Instead, he challenged them to grow in their faith walk. He taught them the difficult aspects of walking closely with their God. He used examples from his own life to show them that we all have difficulties in this life, but we don’t give up. When our sin nature or life’s problems knock us down, we get back up and get back into the race. It’s this kind of discipline that makes us stronger. The writer of Hebrews said a similar thing about staying in the race:

… let us lay aside every burden, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1b)

 

Application

Are you going through difficult times? Has life, or sin, knocked you down? If so, get back up, fix your eyes on God, get back in the race, and “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, be men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 12:5 – It’s Not Personal

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:5 – It’s Not Personal

so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Truth to Learn

In Christ you do not exist alone, but as part of a greater whole.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off this verse with the Greek word houtōs, which means “even so.” It is the other half of the kathaper with which he began the previous verse. Therefore, this verse is a direct correlation to the previous one.

The word translated “many” is pollos, meaning “much (singular) or many (plural).” In the Greek text, however, there is also a definite article (the). Thus, we see that the Greek text actually reads, “so we, the many, are one body …”

Meaning Explained

Paul is using the metaphor of a physical body to teach us something. He started off the last verse telling us that we each have a body with many body parts and not all of them have the same bodily function. And, you will remember that he started off the previous verse with “very much as” or “in the same way that” meaning that he was making a close comparison between the physical body and something else.

The current verse contains that something else. So, just as we each have one body with many members, we the many, says Paul, are one body in Christ. This body has a head and in Ephesians Paul tells who the head is:

And He [God] put all things under His [Christ’s] feet, and gave Him [Christ] to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22, 23)

There is only one head in each body, and the head of the body of Christ (the church) is Jesus Christ, Himself. We, the many, that is, the members of the body, are united together in a single body with Christ as our head.

The last part of the current verse can be translated as, “and every one members unto each other.” Just as each of our physical bodies is made up of many parts (arms, legs, eyes, mouth, etc.) so the church is made up of many parts, and we each have a function to perform within the body. None of us are isolated members; rather, we are interdependent with each other, just as all of the members of our physical body are interdependent with each other. We are interdependent with all the other parts of the body of Christ for our spiritual nourishment, protection, and health. We need each other.

Here’s how Paul explained the body to the Corinthians:

For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. (1Corinthians 12:14-18)

Application

These are important facts to keep in mind as we begin to talk about spiritual gifts. These gifts were not given to us for our personal use but for use within the church. Your spiritual gift is not for you, it is for the church. Think about that!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

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Romans 12:4 – Sacrificial Body Parts

Posted on by Will

Romans 12:4 – Sacrificial Body Parts

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,

Truth to Learn

We are to function in the body of Christ as He chooses.

Behind the Words

Paul once again starts off the verse with “For” indicating that this and the following verse are closely linked to the previous verse.

The Greek word translated “as” is kathaper, which is an adverb made up of katha, meaning “as” and per, meaning “very” or “very much.” Though this translates rather awkwardly into English as “very much as,” the notion in Greek is that there is about to be a comparison of two things that are very much like each other. He describes the first of these two things in this verse and the second one in the next verse.

The word translated “members” is the Greek word melos, which means “a limb or other body part.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us not to “over think” ourselves. That is, we are not to think of ourselves as more important or more elevated than we really are. After all, we are only what we are because God has made us thus. He now goes on to show us that our importance, yea our very identity, exists in relation to the body of Christ, the church. Paul uses the metaphor of a physical body to show this.

He tells us, “we have many members in one body.” In other words, there are many different body parts in the body of Christ. In the second part of this verse Paul states that all these body parts don’t have the same function. Each part is important to the health of the entire body in a different way.

Each one of us has a body that is made up of a whole bunch of parts; arms, legs, head, spine, eyes, skin, liver, mouth, heart, sweat glands, nasal mucous, finger nails, etc. Some of these are more attractive than others and some are more obvious than others. Some we don’t even notice until they go into hyperactive mode, and then we tend to dislike them because they produce unpleasant sensations. But – they are ALL very necessary and we would be handicapped without any one of them. The same is true of the body of Christ.

This is the crux of what Paul is going to be talking about in the next 12 verses. We each have a place in the body of Christ and God has individually gifted each one of us for our unique function with spiritual gifts. But before we get wrapped up in the discussions about spiritual gifts, let’s remember how Paul started this out.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

There is no use in continuing the discussion about spiritual gifts if we are not first, totally submitted to our Lord Jesus Christ and totally committed to serving Him in the position and capacity that He has chosen for us! If we have offered ourselves as living sacrifices then we no longer have a say in how God chooses to use us.

Application

Have you offered yourself up to God to be used in whatever manner He determines? Are you a living sacrifice, or are you still in control of your own life?

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: