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Ephesians 4:13 – Gifts For Unity

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Will

untill we all may come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians should all be working for each other.

Behind the Words

The word “until” is from mecri, which marks an endpoint in place or time. There is a similar Greek word, achri, which focuses on the whole duration up to the endpoint. Mecri, however, focuses on the endpoint itself.

“May come to” is the translation of the Greek word katantaō, meaning “to arrive somewhere” or “to attain something.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility or probability of the occurrence.

“Unity” is from enotēta. This word is derived from heis, meaning one. Enotēta means “unity” or “oneness.”

The word translated “knowledge” is the Greek word epignosis, which means more than simply knowing something. It means “to recognize and understand something,” that is, “to have complete, in-depth knowledge of someone or something.”

“Full grown man” is from the Greek words andra teleion. Andra, a form of anēr refers to “a man,” although as it is used here, it refers to “a person.” Teleion, a form of teleios, means “complete” or “of full age.” Thus, together these two words refer to “a fully grown person.”

The word “measure” is translated from metron, meaning “a measure of length or capacity.”

“Stature” is from hēlikia, meaning “maturity, in age or size.”

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse, Paul tells us some of the reasons that God gave us spiritual gifts. In the opening verses of this chapter, he told us that we are to be humbly and patiently bearing with each other, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit, being bound to one another by peace. In the following verses he talked about why unity is a defining characteristic of the Christian faith. He also told us how Christ came to present gifts to each one of us when He arrived home after His victory over Satan and death. As we learned in yesterday’s verse, these spiritual gifts are given to every believer, and we are to use our gifts to minister to members of the church and, thereby, to build-up the body of Christ.

The first objective of our ministering to each other and building up each other is two-fold. It is to reach that unity Paul talked about in verse three, and it is so that each of us might come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. Here he calls that unity “the unity of the faith.” Even though there have been splits in the Christian church throughout the centuries, and it sometimes seems that every church is going off in its own direction, there are two unifying factors. One is our common faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us. The other is the complete in-depth, experiential knowledge of who Jesus is.

Another objective of our using our spiritual gifts within the church is so that we might become fully grown Christians. And, in using our spiritual gifts in the church, we help each other mature in our relationship with God. This is why the writer of Hebrews said:

And let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Application

It is quite apparent that we are in the last days and that Christ could return any day now. Instead of living for ourselves in these last days, let us use our gifts to strengthen each other and to prepare ourselves for our heavenly reunion with the Savior.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 2:2 – Apparel Judgment

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Will

For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine clothing, and there should also come in a poor person in filthy clothes,

Truth to Learn

Wealth or poverty should not be sources of differentiation within the church.

Behind the Words

The word translated “assembly” is sunagōgē, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a derivative of agō, meaning “to lead” or “to gather together.” Hence, this word refers to a gathering together of people. It is the word from which we get our English word Synagogue.

The words “man with gold rings” are translated from the Greek anēr chrusodaktulios. Anēr is the word for “an adult male person” or “a husband.” The word chrusodaktulios is a compound word made up of chrusos, meaning “gold,” and daktulios, meaning “a finger ring.” So, literally this is referring to “a gold ringed man.”

The word “fine,” describing his clothing, is the Greek word lampros, which is derived from the verb lampō, meaning “to shine.” Hence, this refers to brilliant or magnificent clothing.

“Poor man” is translated from ptōchos, which is derived from the verb ptōssō, meaning “to crouch or cower like a beggar.” This word is a reference to someone in abject poverty like a homeless street beggar in one of our cities today.

Finally, the word “filthy” is translated from rhuparos which refers to something that is extremely dirty or foul smelling.

Meaning Explained

It might seem strange to see James refer to the meeting of Christians as a synagogue, but we must remember that the early church was largely made up of converted Jews. There is also evidence that some church gathering places even as late as the fourth century AD were called sunagōgia (synagogues) rather than what is more common today, ekklēsia (churches).

Paul is talking specifically about how you treat people within your church gatherings. In the eastern cultures, even today, a person with great wealth is easily identifiable by his luxurious robes and expensive gold jewelry. Such opulence is not as obviously displayed in Western society, although it does happen to some extent. In our churches this might be a man wearing an expensive suit displaying diamond or gold rings and expensive cufflinks, accompanied by his wife wearing designer clothing accessorized with expensive jewelry.

The second person identified in this verse is a lot easier to recognize. James is talking about a homeless beggar who likely smells of stale sweat (or worse), wearing the only clothing he or she owns. This is the kind of person nobody wants to sit next to, let alone have a conversation with. The contrast is pretty dramatic and James is intentionally showing extremes of personage. He will complete the admonition in the next two verses.

Application

Do you notice how people dress for church on Sunday morning? Do you make value judgments about them based on their appearance?

See what James says in the next verse.

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:7 – Paternal Gifts

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Will

For do not let that man suppose he will receive anything from the Lord;

Truth to Learn

God loves us more than any earthly father and wants to give us good things. Answers to our prayers are gifts from our Heavenly Father but they must be sought with complete faith.

Behind the Words

The word “let” is an often misunderstood word in the Bible. In most of its uses, as in this case, it has nothing to do with permission or allowing something to happen. Instead, it is used in the command form of a verb, in this case the command form of “suppose.”

This word translated “suppose” is oiomai, which means “to suppose, to be of an opinion or to think.” As indicated by the word “let,” James wrote this in the imperative mood indicating that it is a command. Hence, this verse could be expressed this way: “That particular man must not be of the opinion that he shall receive anything from the Lord.”

The expression “that man” is from the Greek ho anthrōpos ekeinos. The words ho anthrōpos mean “the man.” The word ekeinos means “that one.” The particular word order here is what is known as the emphatic use of ekeinos. In other words it means “especially that particular man,” the one who doubts regarding his prayers.

Meaning Explained

James will tell us later in this chapter that:

Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights. (James 1:17)

Answered prayer is a gift from God, but one of the keys to answered prayers is faith. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus taught His disciples:

Or what man is there of you, if his son should ask for bread, will give him a stone? And if he should ask for a fish, will he give him a snake? Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:9-11)

But James is very clear that if we come to God without faith or with an unsteady faith then we should not expect God to answer, even though He wants to give us good things. The writer of Hebrews put it this way:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for it is necessary that he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Notice here that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, not those who diligently seek an answer. Our focus needs to be on Him and His glory. If we pray selfishly or if we really don’t believe that God will answer our prayer, then He won’t.

Application

Let us go to our Heavenly Father seeking praise for Him and the best for His kingdom, believing that He will reward those who diligently seek him! But let us not waver in our belief that He will answer. After all, He wants to give us the gift of an answered prayer.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 2:11 – Revealer Of Secrets

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Will

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Truth to Learn

The Holy Spirit reveals God to Christians.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “what” is tis. This is an interrogative pronoun that introduces an interrogative phrase (a phrase asking a question). It can be translated as “who,” “which,” or “what.”

In each case, the words translated “man” are from anthropos, which refers to a human being or to mankind as a whole. The first occurrence of this word in today’s verse, unlike the others, is written in the plural.

“Knows” is from the Greek verb eidō, which means “to see with perception.” Used metaphorically, as it is here, it refers to mental perception and can be translated as “to know,” “to be aware of,” or “to understand.”

The phrase “the spirit of the man which is in him” can be literally translated as “the spirit of the man, the one in him.”

“No one” is translated from oudeis, which we saw back in verse eight. It means “no one” or “not a single one.” In this case, it can refer to “no human” or “no being of any kind.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse the Apostle Paul made a very bold statement. He said that the Spirit of God has now revealed the secret of God’s wisdom in His plan of salvation. He now explains why it was necessary for the Spirit to reveal this secret to us.

The opening phrase of this verse actually reads a little differently from what our translation (NKJV) gives. It literally reads, “for who of men …” The NIV and NASB have a better rendering of this phrase: “For who among men …” This may seem a little picky here, but the distinction is important. Paul is not saying, “what man knows his own inner thoughts and motives, except his own spirit.” Rather, he is saying “what man knows the inner thoughts and motives of another person except the inner spirit of that person.”

Paul’s point is that none of us knows the inner workings (the thoughts, the plans, the wisdom) of anyone else, and certainly none of us knows the thoughts, plans, or wisdom of God except as they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. The leaders of this age, the philosophers, the sophists, the “holy” men of the world think they can learn about God through their own efforts. But, Paul very clearly tells us here that the only way to really know God is for Him to reveal Himself to us by His Holy Spirit.

It’s sort of like an animal trying to understand the thought processes and motives of a man. By itself, it doesn’t have the ability to understand us. However, we can teach animals to understand us if we so desire. The Holy Spirit of God is just as important to our salvation as the Father and the Son. The Father chose us, the Son gave His life for us, and the Holy Spirit empowers us and teaches us.

Application

Do you want to know God more intimately? If so, you have to let His Spirit talk to you through prayer and through the reading and studying of your Bible.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:13 – Gifts For Unity

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Will

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians should all be working for each other.

Behind the Words

“Come to” is the translation of the Greek word katantaō, meaning “to arrive somewhere” or “to attain something.”

“Perfect man” is from the Greek words andra teleion. Andra, a form of anēr refers to “a man,” although as it is used here, it refers to “a person.” Teleion, a form of teleios, means “complete” or “of full age.” Thus, together these two words refer to “a fully grown person.”

The word “measure” is translated from metron, meaning “a measure of length or capacity.”

“Stature” is from hēlikia, meaning “maturity, in age or size.”

Meaning Explained

One of the objectives of our ministering to each other and building up each other is a two-fold objective. It is to reach that unity Paul talked about in verse three, and it is so that each of us might come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. Here he calls that unity “the unity of the faith.” Even though there have been splits in the Christian church throughout the centuries, and it sometimes seems that every church is going off in its own direction, there are two unifying factors. One is our common faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us. The other is the complete in-depth, experiential knowledge of who Jesus is.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Application

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 7:2 – To Obey or Not

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Will

Romans 7:2

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.

Truth to Learn

Salvation releases us from the requirements of the Law.

Behind the Words

The expression “woman who has a husband” is translated from two Greek words; gunē hupandros. The word gunē means “a woman” and is often translated as “a wife.” The word hupandros is made up of hupo, meaning “under” and andros, meaning “a man,” though often translated as “husband.” Literally, hupandros means “under a man.” We see, then, that these two words refer to a woman who is under a man. In other words “a married woman.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul said that the Law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. The implication is that he is freed from the law when he dies. He now carries that implication to the marriage relationship. Just as the man was under the dominion of the Law while he was alive, his wife is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But when he dies, the dominion of the law ceases for him as well as for his wife. She is now set free from the wedding bond and is free to marry another.

In the same way, as long as we were alive to sin we were bound by law to obey sin. But now that we have died to sin (when we were saved) we are no longer bound by that law, and we are free to be married to another, namely Christ.

You see, the early Christians, particularly those who were raised in the Jewish religion, did not yet understand that they were no longer obliged to obey the Law. They were trapped in a system that was trying to impose the restrictions of the Law on every believer. The point that Paul will get to in the next chapter is:

But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

When we got saved, we died to sin and to the requirements of the Law. We no longer have to fulfill the Law in order to obtain righteousness because God has imputed that righteousness to us as a free gift. Does that mean that we can live a lawless life because we are no longer under the dominion of sin? Paul would say, “May it not be!” What he will show us in this and the next chapter, is that we are actually under a higher law, a law of voluntary obedience to our new master and husband, Jesus Christ. We can choose to obey or not to obey.

Application

That’s the difference between a sinner and a saint. The sinner has no choice; since he is not able to obey God, he can only obey his or her sin nature. There are some Christians who get hung-up on free will, refusing to believe that God chose us, as Paul teaches. In reality, unsaved sinners don’t have a free will because they are slaves to the sin nature. Saints (born again Christians) do have a free will and that is the free will to obey God or not.

Which do you choose?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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