Tag: makran

Ephesians 2:17 – His Mouth Peace

Posted on by Will

And having come, He preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

Truth to Learn

All Christians should be proclaiming peace with God through the gospel message of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins.

 

Behind the Words

The words “having come” are from the verb erchomai, which means “to come” or “to go.” It is expressed as an aorist participle, thus we translate it as “having come.”

“Preached” is translated from euangellidzō, which is a compound verb made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and aggellō, which means “to proclaim.” Thus, this word literally means “to proclaim the good news.” This is the word from which we get our English verb “to evangelize.”

“Peace” is translated from eirēnē, which means, as we saw back in verse fourteen, “to be at peace with someone.” In the current verse, the best Greek manuscripts have the word eirēnē appears twice. Therefore, the verse should be translated:

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and peace to those who were near.

The words “afar off” are from makran, which we saw back in verse thirteen. It means “a great distance away.”

“Near” is translated from the Greek word engus, which is based on the verb agchō, meaning “to squeeze.” Engus indicates that something is “nearby” or “close at hand.”

 

Meaning Explained

The current verse indicates a direct fulfillment of the words of Isaiah:

“I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to the ones far off and near,” Says the LORD, “And I will heal him.” (Isaiah 57:19)

In verse fourteen we learned that Christ is our peace. In verse fifteen we learned that He made peace between Jews and Gentiles. Now we learn that Christ proclaimed (or announced) peace, both to those who were near and to those who were far away. In verse thirteen we learned that Gentiles are the ones who were once far away. By inference, we know that “those who were near” refers to the Jews.

There are a number of verses in the New Testament in which Jesus proclaimed peace, so it’s not hard to understand what Paul means by saying that he proclaimed peace to those who were near. But, we have to ask ourselves the question, “How did Jesus preach peace to those who were far off?” For the key to the answer to this question let’s look at John’s gospel. He recorded this statement that Jesus made to his disciples in the upper room after He was raised from the dead,

Therefore Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (John 20:21)

Jesus sent his disciples (and by extension, you and me) into the world to proclaim the gospel of peace. That’s how He proclaims peace to those who are far off.

 

Application

You and I are the means by which Jesus Christ is still proclaiming peace to those who are far off. When was the last time you shared the Gospel message to people around you?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:13 – A New Covenant

Posted on by Will

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Truth to Learn

God has made a new covenant for us.

 

Behind the Words

“Now” is translated from nuni, which is a strengthened form of nun, meaning “now.” The strengthened form adds emphasis on the present.

“Once” is from the Greek word pote, which has several nuances of meaning and is used of both the past and the future. It can mean “at some time,” “one time or another,” “when,” “formerly,” or “at last.”

The Greek word translated “far off” is makran, which is derived from makros, meaning “long.” Makran means “a great distance away.”

The words “have been brought” are from the verb ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” Thus, Paul is really saying, “you … have become near.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul’s current train of thought began back in verse eleven where he reminded us that previously we were Gentiles in the flesh and we were called “the uncircumcision” by the Jews. So what’s the big deal about circumcision? Back in Genesis chapter fifteen, Abraham was declared to be righteous because he believed God’s promise that the Messiah would be one of his descendants. Fifteen years later (Genesis 17) he still had no children by his wife Sarah. At that time God promised him again that He would be a father of many nations, telling him that in one year Sarah would give birth to a son. He then made another covenant with Abraham, promising him that He would be God to Abraham’s descendants and that He would give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. This covenant required Abraham and his entire household to be circumcised.

The fact that we were not descendants of Abraham means that we aren’t part of the Commonwealth of Israel. Therefore, we were not included in the promise of the coming Messiah or the promise that Jehovah would be our God. And, as a result, as Paul said in verse twelve, we were without hope. Now that Abraham’s descendant, the Messiah, has come and shed His blood as payment for our sins, things have changed. We, who were aliens and far away from the promises and covenants, have been brought near by a new covenant. Luke recorded the following words of our Lord at the Last Supper:

This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)

In other words, by shedding His blood, he was making a new covenant. And, in the book of Hebrews we are told:

In that He says, "a new covenant," He has made the first obsolete.” (Hebrews 8:13)

Because of this new covenant, sealed with Christ’s blood, we who were once far off have now become near to God.

 

Application

If you believe that the blood of Christ saved you from your sins, then God has declared you to be righteous. Because you are righteous, you can stand (actually, we will sit) in His presence. All who refuse to believe are unrighteous and can’t stand (or sit) in His presence; they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from God for all eternity. This is referred to as “the second death.” Christians will not experience the second death. Instead, we will have life because of the new covenant in His blood. Praise be to God!

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Truth to Learn

God has made a new covenant for us.

 

Behind the Words

“Now” is translated from nuni, which is a strengthened form of nun, meaning “now.” The strengthened form adds emphasis on the present.

“Once” is from the Greek word pote, which has several nuances of meaning and is used of both the past and the future. It can mean “at some time,” “one time or another,” “when,” “formerly,” or “at last.”

The Greek word translated “far off” is makran, which is derived from makros, meaning “long.” Makran means “a great distance away.”

The words “have been brought” are from the verb ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” Thus, Paul is really saying, “you … have become near.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul’s current train of thought began back in verse eleven where he reminded us that previously we were Gentiles in the flesh and we were called “the uncircumcision” by the Jews. So what’s the big deal about circumcision? Back in Genesis chapter fifteen, Abraham was declared to be righteous because he believed God’s promise that the Messiah would be one of his descendants. Fifteen years later (Genesis 17) he still had no children by his wife Sarah. At that time God promised him again that He would be a father of many nations, telling him that in one year Sarah would give birth to a son. He then made another covenant with Abraham, promising him that He would be God to Abraham’s descendants and that He would give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. This covenant required Abraham and his entire household to be circumcised.

The fact that we were not descendants of Abraham means that we aren’t part of the Commonwealth of Israel. Therefore, we were not included in the promise of the coming Messiah or the promise that Jehovah would be our God. And, as a result, as Paul said in verse twelve, we were without hope. Now that Abraham’s descendant, the Messiah, has come and shed His blood as payment for our sins, things have changed. We, who were aliens and far away from the promises and covenants, have been brought near by a new covenant. Luke recorded the following words of our Lord at the Last Supper:

This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)

In other words, by shedding His blood, he was making a new covenant. And, in the book of Hebrews we are told:

In that He says, "a new covenant," He has made the first obsolete.” (Hebrews 8:13)

Because of this new covenant, sealed with Christ’s blood, we who were once far off have now become near to God.

 

Application

If you believe that the blood of Christ saved you from your sins, then God has declared you to be righteous. Because you are righteous, you can stand (actually, we will sit) in His presence. All who refuse to believe are unrighteous and can’t stand (or sit) in His presence; they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from God for all eternity. This is referred to as “the second death.” Christians will not experience the second death. Instead, we will have life because of the new covenant in His blood. Praise be to God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:17 – His Mouth Peace

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:17  – His Mouth Peace

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

Truth to Learn

All Christians should be proclaiming peace with God through the gospel message of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins.

Behind the Words

The words “He came” are from the verb erchomai, which means “to come” or “to go.”

“Preached” is translated from euangellidzō, which is a compound verb made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and angellō, which means “to proclaim.” Thus, this word literally means “to proclaim the good news.” This is the word from which we get our English verb “to evangelize.”

“Peace” is translated from eirēnē, which we saw back in verse fourteen means “to be at peace with someone.” In the current verse, the best Greek manuscripts have the word eirēnē appears twice. Therefore, the verse should be translated:

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and peace to those who were near.

The words “afar off” are from makran, which we saw back in verse thirteen. It means “a great distance away.”

“Near” is translated from the Greek word engus, which is based on the verb agchō, meaning “to squeeze.” Engus indicates that something is “nearby” or “close at hand.”

Meaning Explained

The current verse indicates a direct fulfillment of the words of Isaiah:

“I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the LORD, “And I will heal him.” (Isaiah 57:19)

In verse fourteen we learned that Christ is our peace. In verse fifteen we learned that He made peace between Jews and Gentiles. Now we learn that Christ proclaimed (or announced) peace, both to those who were near and to those who were far away. In verse thirteen we learned that Gentiles are the ones who were once far away. By inference, we know that “those who were near” refers to the Jews.

There are a number of verses in the New Testament in which Jesus proclaimed peace, so it’s not hard to understand what Paul means by saying that he proclaimed peace to those who were near. But, we have to ask ourselves the question, “How did Jesus preach peace to those who were far off?” For the key to the answer to this question let’s look at John’s gospel. He recorded this statement that Jesus made to his disciples in the upper room after He was raised from the dead,

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)

Jesus sent his disciples (and by extension, you and me) into the world to proclaim the gospel of peace. That’s how He proclaims peace to those who are far off.

Application

You and I are the means by which Jesus Christ is still proclaiming peace to those who are far off. When was the last time you shared the Gospel message to people around you?

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:

Ephesians 2:13 – A New Covenant

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:13  – A New Covenant

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Truth to Learn

God has made a new covenant for us.

Behind the Words

“Now” is translated from nuni, which is a strengthened form of nun, meaning “now.” The strengthened form adds emphasis on the present.

“Once” is from the Greek word pote, which has several nuances of meaning and is used of both the past and the future. It can mean “at some time,” “one time or another,” “when,” “formerly,” or “at last.”

The Greek word translated “far off” is makran, which is derived from makros, meaning “long.” Makran means “a great distance away.”

The words “have been brought” are from the verb ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” Thus, Paul is really saying, “you … have become near.”

Meaning Explained

Paul’s current train of thought began back in verse eleven where he reminded us that previously we were Gentiles in the flesh and we were called “the uncircumcision” by the Jews. So what’s the big deal about circumcision? Back in Genesis chapter fifteen, Abraham was declared to be righteous because he believed God’s promise that the Messiah would be one of his descendants. Fifteen years later (Genesis 17) he still had no children by his wife Sarah. At that time God promised him again that He would be a father of many nations, telling him that in one year Sarah would give birth to a son. He then made another covenant with Abraham, promising him that He would be God to Abraham’s descendants and that He would give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. This covenant required Abraham and his entire household to be circumcised.

The fact that we were not descendants of Abraham means that we aren’t part of the Commonwealth of Israel. Therefore, we were not included in the promise of the coming Messiah or the promise that Jehovah would be our God. And, as a result, as Paul said in verse twelve, we were without hope. Now that Abraham’s descendant, the Messiah, has come and shed His blood as payment for our sins, things have changed. We, who were aliens and far away from the promises and covenants, have been brought near by a new covenant. Luke recorded the following words of our Lord at the Last Supper:

This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)

In other words, by shedding His blood, he was making a new covenant. And, in the book of Hebrews we are told:

In that He says, “a new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.” (Hebrews 8:13)

Because of this new covenant, sealed with Christ’s blood, we who were once far off have now become near to God.

Application

If you believe that the blood of Christ saved you from your sins, then God has declared you to be righteous. Because you are righteous, you can stand (actually, we will sit) in His presence. All who refuse to believe are unrighteous and can’t stand in His presence; they will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

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: