Tag: letter

Romans 2:29 – He’s Watching and Listening

Posted on by Will

but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit, not in letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.

Truth to Learn

True Christianity is an attitude produced by humble faith.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “inwardly” is the Greek word kruptos, which means “hidden, concealed, kept in secret, or private.”

“Letter” is translated from gramma, from which we get our English word grammar. It is derived from the word graphō, which means “to write.” Gramma refers to “that which is written.” Hence, it could refer to a letter of the alphabet, a book, a note, or anything else that is written.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us that the true spirit of Judaism is not in outward appearance or actions. And we cannot please God by being born into the right family, by having had the correct surgery, or by obeying a set of rules. Rather, he says, it is an inward attitude. We can only please God if we have the right inward attitude.

Paul says here that the true Jew is the one who is a Jew inwardly. Remember how the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the Jews, acted? They did everything for show so that people could see how spiritual they were. There are many Christians today whose faith is just the same way. They are the ones who are always parading their Christianity around for all to see, making a show of their good works so that everyone can see what a good Christian they are. And people are probably saying of them, “Wow, he (or she) sure is a good Christian!” How sad that is.

Paul says that circumcision is of the heart, not in the flesh. It’s an inward attitude, not an outward action. It is in the spirit of the Law that we need to act, not the letter. If we exhibit our Christianity in order to impress the people around us then we will have what we are looking for, the praise of men. But Paul tells us that our goal is not to receive praise from men, but praise from God.

Praise from God will only come as a result of a heart that is submitted to Him and committed to doing His will. That may mean that in this life we never receive the recognition that we deserve. If we truly deserve the praise, then we will get it someday, not from men, but from God.

Here’s how Paul said it to the Galatians:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow faint hearted while doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:7-9)

If we do not lose heart we may one day hear:

“Well done, you good and faithful servant!”

 

Application

Previously we noted that it’s easy to learn the “rules” of Christianity. It’s also easy to learn all the right things to say and do so that you appear to be a Christian. Real Christianity is walking by faith with a humble attitude. It’s living your life daily as if God was watching everything you do and hearing everything you say. You know what? He is!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:27 – Read God’s Letters

Posted on by Will

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brothers.

Truth to Learn

Reading God’s Word is essential for all Christians.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “charge” is horkidzō, which is based on horkos, meaning “a solemn oath.” The verb horkidzō means “to put someone to an oath” or “to ask someone to swear an oath.” In a more common English expression we might say, “Promise me that you will …”

“Epistle” is transliterated (a word of one language brought directly into another) from epistolē, which simply means “a written correspondence” or “a letter.”

The verb “read” is from anaginōskō, which is made up of ana, meaning “again” and ginōskō, meaning “to know.” The word anaginōskō originally meant “to know again” or “to perceive accurately.” Later, it came to mean “to recognize” and then “to read.” By the time of the New Testament anaginōskō always meant “to gain knowledge by reading” or simply “to read.”

Hagios is the word translated “holy.” It is based on hagos, meaning “that which inspires awe.” The meaning of hagios is “that which is set apart from common use to be used in the service of God.” All Christians have been set-apart from the world and set-apart to God. Therefore, all Christians are holy.

 

Meaning Explained

During the first century of the Christian church, the only Scripture (written teaching for mankind from God) that existed was what we today call the Old Testament. Originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, it was translated into Greek a little more than 200 years before the birth of Jesus. When the Messiah (Jesus) came, He brought new teaching, emphasizing the intent of the law rather than the letter of the law. This new way of living (by faith, not by sight) was taught by His apostles to those who believed that Jesus is the Son of God and that He gave His life on the cross to pay for their sins.

As we know, word of mouth teaching can get easily perverted, either intentionally or unintentionally; therefore, the apostles wrote letters to the established churches explaining the teachings of Christ, applying these teachings to problems that had begun to spring up in the churches. Many of these letters were addressed to a specific church, but they contained doctrinal teaching that applied to all Christians. For this reason, these letters were copied and carried to other churches so that all Christians could benefit from the teaching.

This practice of copying apostolic letters may have originated from today’s verse. Since 1 Thessalonians was one of the first of these letters written (the letter written by James was probably the first), this practice of reading the letter to all Christians became a common practice.

Since the invention of the printing press, the contents of the entire Bible have been made available to all people, and this admonition of the Apostle Paul applies equally to all Christians. But, it applies to the entire Bible, not just this letter.

 

Application

How often do you read your Bible? Is it a daily practice that has become an important part of your life? If not, it should be. Reading God’s Word is essential for all Christians. How can God speak to you if you aren’t reading His letters to you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:27 – Read God’s Letters

Posted on by Will

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

Truth to Learn

Reading God’s Word is essential for all Christians.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “charge” is horkidzō, which is based on horkos, meaning “a solemn oath.” The verb horkidzō means “to put someone to an oath” or “to ask someone to swear an oath.” In a more common English expression we might say, “Promise me that you will …”

“Epistle” is transliterated (a word of one language brought directly into another) from epistolē, which simply means “a written correspondence” or “a letter.”

The verb “read” is from anaginōskō, which is made up of ana, meaning “again” and ginōskō, meaning “to know.” The word anaginōskō originally meant “to know again” or “to perceive accurately.” Later, it came to mean “to recognize” and then “to read.” By the time of the New Testament anaginōskō always meant “to gain knowledge by reading” or simply “to read.”

Hagios is the word translated “holy.” It is based on hagos, meaning “that which inspires awe.” The meaning of hagios is “that which is set apart from common use to be used in the service of God.” All Christians have been set-apart from the world and set-apart to God. Therefore, all Christians are holy.

Meaning Explained

During the first century of the Christian church, the only Scripture (written teaching for mankind from God) that existed was what we today call the Old Testament. Originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, it was translated into Greek a little more than 200 years before the birth of Jesus. When the Messiah (Jesus) came, He brought new teaching, emphasizing the intent of the law rather than the letter of the law. This new way of living (by faith, not by sight) was taught by His apostles to those who believed that Jesus is the Son of God and that He gave His life on the cross to pay for their sins.

As we know, word of mouth teaching can get easily perverted, either intentionally or unintentionally; therefore, the apostles wrote letters to the established churches explaining the teachings of Christ, applying these teachings to problems that had begun to spring up in the churches. Many of these letters were addressed to a specific church, but they contained doctrinal teaching that applied to all Christians. For this reason, these letters were copied and carried to other churches so that all Christians could benefit from the teaching.

This practice of copying apostolic letters may have originated from today’s verse. Since 1 Thessalonians was one of the first of these letters written (the letter written by James was probably the first), this practice of reading the letter to all Christians became a common practice.

Since the invention of the printing press, the contents of the entire Bible have been made available to all people, and this admonition of the Apostle Paul applies equally to all Christians. But, it applies to the entire Bible, not just this letter.

Application

How often do you read your Bible? Is it a daily practice that has become an important part of your life? If not, it should be. Reading God’s Word is essential for all Christians. How can God speak to you if you aren’t reading His letters to you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Romans 16:22 – Service or Excuses?

Posted on by Will

Romans 16:22 – Service or Excuses?

I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.

Truth to Learn

God wants people to serve without excuses.

Behind the Words

The name Tertius is a Latin name meaning “third.” It was common among the Roman aristocracy to name children Primus (first), Secundus (second), Tertius (third), Quartus (fourth), Quintus (fifth), etc.

The word “wrote” is from the verb graphō, which literally means “to engrave.” The earliest form of writing was to carve or engrave symbols in stone or to create figures in soft clay. Eventually, graphō came to refer to any kind of writing.

“Epistle” is transliterated from the Greek word epistolē. It refers to a form of written communication, what we today would call a letter (the equivalent of a text message or an e-mail).

Meaning Explained

The first thing one is likely to think when they read this verse is, “Hey, I thought that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter!” In fact, Paul is the human author, but Tertius is the one who took pen in hand and wrote out the words for the Apostle.

The next obvious question is, “Why didn’t Paul write it, didn’t he know how to write?” Yes, Paul most certainly did know how to write. However, from his letter to the Galatian churches we find out that he had a physical infirmity, probably a problem with his eyes:

You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. (Galatians 4:13-15)

And later in the same letter he told them:

See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! (Galatians 6:11)

It seems that because of his eye problem, Paul had to write with very large letters. Not only would it have required much more writing material, which was bulky and expensive, but it would have been very difficult for Paul to have written a letter as large as the one to the Romans. Therefore, he had what is called an amanuensis, or a penman, do the actual writing for him. It is most likely that Paul dictated the letter and Tertius wrote it down for him.

So, who is Tertius? Some scholars believe that he is Silas, because Silas (a Greek name) means “third” just as the Latin name Tertius. And, we learn from Acts chapter fifteen that Paul and Barnabas split-up as a missionary team after their first trip. As a result, Barnabas took Mark and headed one direction while Paul selected Silas and headed another. Therefore, it is possible that Silas is, in fact, Tertius, the penman of this letter.

Application

The Apostle Paul may have had a serious eye problem, but it did not deter him from serving God with all his heart. Oh that the church today was filled with people like Paul who would give their all to serve God without making excuses. Are you giving God your all, or do you have excuses?

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:

Romans 7:6 – Free to Serve

Posted on by Will

Romans 7:6

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Truth to Learn

We are free to serve God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Behind the Words

The word translated “delivered” is katargeō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down” but used here as an intensifier and argeō, which means “to be idle or inactive.” Katargeō, therefore, means “to become completely ineffective” or “to cease being effective.” As Paul used it here it means “we have been completely set free from the effect of the Law.”

“Held by” is from a form of katechō, which is also a compound word. This one is made up of kata, meaning “down” and echō, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” Thus we see that katechō literally means “to be held down.” It is a picture of someone who he being held down on the ground so that they are powerless to do anything.

Meaning Explained

In the previous two chapters Paul has spent considerable time and energy pointing out two things. The first is, before we were saved we were slaves to sin because of the Law. The second is, when we were saved, our sin nature was put to death. That is, we died with Christ. As he has just shown in the past few verses, death releases us from the requirements of the Law. Therefore, this verse is the culmination and summation of the results of these things.

Since we are dead with respect to the Law, like the wife who is free to marry after her husband has died, we are no longer under the dictates of the Law and are free to serve God. We are no longer held down by the Law. We are free from it! Let me say that again. We are free from the Law!

We do not have to keep the Ten Commandments or any other part of the Law in order to be righteous in God’s eyes. In fact, you will remember that Paul told us that we couldn’t obtain righteousness by keeping the Law anyway because no one (except Christ) is able to keep all the Law.

The second half of this verse is really a key statement and I don’t want any of us to miss it. We have been set free from the law to “serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” In other words, before we were saved by grace, we were unable to keep the Law and, therefore, could not serve God because the letter of the Law made us sinful and abhorrent to God. But … now that we have been set free from the Law we can serve God in a way that we never could have before – in the spirit of righteousness. That is, since we are righteous in God’s eyes now, He will allow us to serve Him. We have spiritual life which we owe entirely to God. Therefore we should gladly serve Him with the life that He has given us.

Application

When we were saved we were set free from the penalty of our sins. We were also set free from the requirements of the Law and have become free to serve God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Are you serving God right now? If you are, are you doing so out of obligation or are you serving Him out of gratitude for what He has done for you? We should rejoice in our service for Him because we have been set free from bondage to the Law!

In God’s service, for His glory,

signature

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, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:e-mail address

Romans 2:29 – He’s Watching and Listening

Posted on by admin

Romans 2:29

but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Truth to Learn

True Christianity is an attitude produced by humble faith.

Behind the Words

The word translated “inwardly” is the Greek word kruptos, which means “hidden, concealed, kept in secret, or private.”

“Letter” is translated from gramma, from which we get our English word grammar. It is derived from the word graphō, which means “to write.” Gramma refers to “that which is written.” Hence, it could refer to a letter of the alphabet, a book, a note, or anything else that is written.

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us that the true spirit of Judaism is not in outward appearance or actions. And we cannot please God by being born into the right family, by having had the correct surgery, or by obeying a set of rules. Rather, he says, it is an inward attitude. We can only please God if we have the right inward attitude.

Paul says here that the true Jew is the one who is a Jew inwardly. Remember how the religious leaders of the Jews, the Pharisees, acted? They did everything for show so that people could see how spiritual they were. There are many Christians today whose faith is just the same way. They are the ones who are always parading their Christianity around for all to see, making a show of their good works so that everyone can see what a good Christian they are. And people are probably saying of them, “Wow, she sure is a good Christian!” How sad that is.

Paul says that circumcision is of the heart, not in the flesh. It’s an inward attitude, not an outward action. It is in the spirit of the Law that we need to act, not the letter. If we exhibit our Christianity in order to impress the people around us then we will have what we are looking for, the praise of men. But Paul tells us that our goal is not to receive praise from men, but praise from God.

Praise from God will only come as a result of a heart that is submitted to Him and committed to doing His will. That may mean that in this life we never receive the recognition that we deserve. If we truly deserve the praise, then we will get it someday, not from men, but from God.

Here’s how Paul said it to the Galatians:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:7-9)

If we do not lose heart we may one day hear:

“Well done, you good and faithful servant!”

Application

Previously we noted that it’s easy to learn the “rules” of Christianity. It’s also easy to learn all the right things to say and do so that you appear to be a Christian. Real Christianity is walking by faith with a humble attitude. It’s living your life daily as if God was watching everything you do and hearing everything you say. You know what? He is!

In God’s service, for His glory,

signature

Copyright © 2009 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, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:e-mail address