Tag: laos

Romans 9:26 – Everywhere His Children

Posted on by Will

And it will be in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they shall be called sons of the living God.

Truth to Learn

God chooses people from around the world to be His children.

 

Behind the Words

“People” is translated from laos, which we looked at before. This implies that those who are spoken of in this verse had not been part of God’s family until He chose them.

The word “sons” is from huios. Strictly speaking, this refers to a male child. However, it is often used in the New Testament as a reference to a child without reference to gender.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been demonstrating to his readers that God is clearly sovereign in His choice of whom He will bless and who will be cast into hellfire. He has made it very clear that it is God’s choice regarding who will receive righteousness and who will receive condemnation. In the previous verse he quoted Hosea 2:23 in which God proclaims that He will call them His people who were previously not His people. That is, Hosea was prophesying that non-Jews would be proclaimed as God’s people. He now quotes another passage from Hosea. This time he is quoting Hosea 1:10 which says,

Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which is not measured nor numbered. And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, you are not My people, there it shall be said to them, you are the sons of the living God.

One of the really significant things about Paul’s quoting these passages is the fact that Hosea was a prophet to whom God gave direction to marry a prostitute and to raise his children as if they were illegitimate children. This was done as a sign to the Jews that God was displeased with their following after other gods (which God considers harlotry). Here’s what God tells us in Hosea 1:2:

The beginning of Jehovah speaking by Hosea. And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go, take to yourself a wife of adultery and children of adultery. For the land has utterly gone lusting away from Jehovah.

Because of this warning from God, the Children of Israel were told that God would one day call those who were not His people (Gentiles) as the sons of the Living God. Paul is now demonstrating to the Jewish Christians in Rome that this prophecy is being fulfilled in the choosing of the Gentiles as well as Jews in the church age. In Hosea’s time the Jews were required to worship at the temple in Jerusalem on given occasions at prescribed times of the year. But now, because Hosea’s prophecy is fulfilled, we can worship God anywhere and do so through faith rather than deeds of legalism.

Paul will further show in the coming verses that this calling of the Gentiles will not be through the works of the Law or church rituals but by the justification through faith that he has talked about in the earlier chapters of this letter.

 

Application

The Jews were required to worship in Jerusalem and follow a prescribed set of rituals. Those who are chosen of God today must worship in spirit and truth, but they can do so anywhere. As those who are called the children of the living God, we are spread throughout the world to proclaim the gospel truth.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 9:25 – His Beloved Children

Posted on by Will

As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved."

Truth to Learn

God chooses people, not nations, and all of His chosen ones are His beloved children.

 

Behind the Words

The word “people” is from laos, which refers to “a people, nation, or a number of people joined together by common bonds.” Another word translated “people” is nēmos, which refers to one’s own populace. Paul is showing that God’s people are not just a single nation or ethnic group, but His own select group of people united in Him.

“Beloved” is from a form of agapaō which means “to esteem or love, indicating a commitment of the will and of finding one's joy in something or someone.” It is the kind of self-sacrificing love in which the lover is focused on the best possible good for the beloved rather than self.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul turned a corner in his dissertation on the doctrine of election. He left off his discussion as to why and how His choosing is true. He now goes on to show the Jewish Christians in Rome the fact that God has always had a plan for non-Jews (Gentiles) as well as the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Jews).

As we already pointed out, the Jewish Christians in the early years of the church believed that the Jews were a called nation. That is, the sons of Jacob had a special privilege in their relationship with God simply because God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since this previous verse would come as a shock to many of these Jewish Christians, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophets to show that it has always been God’s plan to select from the Gentiles as well as from the Jews.

The quotation in this verse is from the book of the prophet Hosea in which he says

And I will have mercy on No-mercy. And I will say to Not-my-people, You are My people. And they shall say, My God. (Hosea 2:23)

Since the Jewish believers were so proud of the fact that to them had been entrusted the Oracles of God (see Romans 3:2), and they believed, as we do, that these Holy Scriptures contained the very words of God, this becomes a very powerful demonstration to these Jewish Christians that the church is to be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter discovered this in a miraculous way in chapter 10 of the book of Acts. Paul makes a very powerful argument to the Gentile members of the church in the book of Ephesians that the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross broke down the wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles.

But now in Christ Jesus you who then were far off became near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, He having made us both one, and having broken down the middle wall of partition between us, (Ephesians 2:13-14)

 

Application

We who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can rejoice in the fact that He chooses individuals to his family. And, as individuals we are to serve Him in joyful thanksgiving because He has chosen us to be His own children. Are you a true child of God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Peter 2:10 – Humbling Realization

Posted on by Will

who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Truth to Learn

God shows us mercy because He wants to, not because we want Him to.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “once” is pote, which means “at some time,” “previously,” or “in the past.” It does not mean “one time,” as might be inferred from some translations.

“A people” is translated from laos, which refers to “a group of people joined together by a common trait.” This common trait can be ancestry, locality, experience, or beliefs.

 

Meaning Explained

Prior to the time of Christ, the only people who were considered the people of God were the Israelites. In fact, there is a bit of a play on words in the previous verse. The word translated as “nation” in the previous verse (holy nation) is the generic term for a race or a tribe and is the term that Israelites used for all gentiles (those who are not Israelites). The Israelites believed that any gentile was outside the choosing and blessing of God.

Here Peter is saying that we who had been considered outside the blessing of God, we who were not the people of God, now are the people of God. We, who had not received mercy because we were outside of God’s chosen few, have now received mercy because we are His chosen few.

The prophet Hosea predicted this millennia ago:

and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them who were not my people, You are my people; and they shall say, You are my God.  (Hosea 2:23)

And, the Apostle Paul said it this way:

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands– that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  (Ephesians 2:11-14)

Some people believe that the doctrine of election produces lazy Christians. After all, if God chose me to be saved, doing all the work Himself, and He has promised never to lose me, all I have to do is sit back and enjoy it, right? But if we see it through Peter’s eyes, we see how priceless the gift is, and we realize how unworthy we are. This should drive us to our knees in humble thanksgiving and cause us to lift our hands in praise to Him. It should also motivate us to serve Him in whatever capacity He has called us to, with determination and humility.

 

Application

Give praise to God who has broken down the wall and has drawn us to Himself out of the darkness into His marvelous light and has declared us righteous through faith. Through His grace, we have the greatest gift of all, and we don’t deserve it!

Now, what are you going to do about it?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 9:26 – Everywhere His Children

Posted on by Will

Romans 9:26– Everywhere His Children

“And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

Truth to Learn

God chooses people from around the world to be His children.

Behind the Words

“People” is translated from laos, which we looked at before. This implies that those who are spoken of in this verse had not been part of God’s family until He chose them.

The word “sons” is from huios. Strictly speaking, this refers to a male child. However, it is often used in the New Testament as a reference to a child without reference to gender.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been demonstrating to his readers that God is clearly sovereign in His choice of whom He will bless and who will be cast into hellfire. He has made it very clear that it is God’s choice regarding who will receive righteousness and who will receive condemnation. In the previous verse he quoted Hosea 2:23 in which God proclaims that He will call them His people who were previously not His people. That is, Hosea was prophesying that non-Jews would be proclaimed as God’s people. He now quotes another passage from Hosea. This time he is quoting Hosea 1:10 which says,

Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there it shall be said to them, You are the sons of the living God.

One of the really significant things about Paul’s quoting these passages is the fact that Hosea was a prophet to whom God gave direction to marry a prostitute and to raise his children as if they were illegitimate children. This was done as a sign to the Jews that God was displeased with their following after other gods (which God considers harlotry). Here’s what God tells us in Hosea 1:2:

The beginning of Jehovah speaking by Hosea. And Jehovah said to Hosea, Go, take to yourself a wife of adultery and children of adultery. For the land has utterly gone lusting away from Jehovah.

Because of this warning from God, the Children of Israel were told that God would one day call those who were not His people (Gentiles) as the sons of the Living God. Paul is now demonstrating to the Jewish Christians in Rome that this prophecy is being fulfilled in the choosing of the Gentiles as well as Jews in the church age. In Hosea’s time the Jews were required to worship at the temple in Jerusalem on given occasions at prescribed times of the year. But now, because Hosea’s prophecy is fulfilled, we can worship God anywhere and do so through faith, not deeds of legalism.

Paul will further show in the coming verses that this calling of the Gentiles will not be through the works of the Law or church rituals but by the justification through faith that he has talked about in the earlier chapters of this letter.

Application

The Jews were required to worship in Jerusalem and follow a prescribed set of rituals. Those who are chosen of God today must worship in spirit and truth, but they can do so anywhere. As those who are called the children of the living God, we are spread throughout the world to proclaim the gospel truth.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 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:

Romans 9:25 – His Beloved Children

Posted on by Will

Romans 9:25 – His Beloved Children

As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.”

Truth to Learn

God chooses people, not nations, and all of His chosen ones are His beloved children.

Behind the Words

The word “people” is from laos, which refers to “a people, nation, a number of people joined together by common bonds.” Another word translated “people” is nēmos, which refers to one’s own populace. Paul is showing that God’s people are not just a single nation or ethnic group, but His own select group of people united in Him.

“Beloved” is from a form of agapaō, which means “to esteem or love, indicating a commitment of the will and of finding one’s joy in something or someone.” It is the kind of self-sacrificing love in which the lover is focused on the best possible good for the beloved rather than self.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul turned a corner in his dissertation on the doctrine of election. He left off his discussion as to why and how His choosing is true. He now goes on to show the Jewish Christians in Rome the fact that God has always had a plan for non-Jews (Gentiles) as well as the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Jews).

As we already pointed out, the Jewish Christians in the early years of the church believed that the Jews were a called nation. That is, the sons of Jacob had a special privilege in their relationship with God simply because God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since this previous verse would come as a shock to many of these Jewish Christians, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophets to show that it has always been God’s plan to select from the Gentiles as well as from the Jews.

The quotation in this verse is from the book of the prophet Hosea in which he says

And I will have mercy on No-mercy. And I will say to Not-my-people, You are My people. And they shall say, My God. (Hosea 2:23)

Since the Jewish believers were so proud of the fact that to them had been entrusted the Oracles of God (see Romans 3:2), and they believed, as we do, that these Holy Scriptures contained the very words of God, this becomes a very powerful demonstration to these Jewish Christians that the church is to be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter discovered this in a miraculous way in chapter 10 of the book of Acts. Paul makes a very powerful argument to the Gentile members of the church in the book of Ephesians that the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross broke down the wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles.

But now in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off are made near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, He making us both one, and He has broken down the middle wall of partition between us, (Ephesians 2:13-14)

Application

We who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can rejoice in the fact that He chooses individuals to his family. And, as individuals we are to serve Him in joyful thanksgiving because He has chosen us to be His own children. Are you a true child of God?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 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: