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Romans 8:10 – A Spirit of Righteousness

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Will

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Truth to Learn

Because we have been declared righteous, we are alive with a life that will last eternally.

Behind the Words

In order to fully understand the current verse we have to look at a Greek grammatical construction known as “Correlative (or paired) Conjunctions.” That is, a pair of conjunctions that have a correlation between each other. The conjunctions are men and de. They are used in the following manner, “men (followed by the first phrase) … de (followed by the second phrase).” The effect of this construction is to say, “on the one hand (first phrase), but on the other hand (second phrase).” In today’s verse men is used before the phrase “the body is dead because of sin” and de is used before the phrase ”the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

The word translated “because of” is dia, which means “through.” As in English, this word has two meanings. The first is a preposition of motion; it implies motion through a place. The other is a preposition of instrumentality; it implies the instrument or cause of something In this situation it can be translated as “by reason of” or “because of.” In today’s verse dia is used instrumentally.

As we have mentioned before, in Biblical Greek there are three types of conditional clauses. The first class condition assumes the condition to be true and can sometimes be translated as “since,” although not always. In today’s verse Paul is speaking to Christians and is assuming “Christ is in you.”

Meaning Explained

What Paul says in this verse is “And if Christ is in you, (assumed to be true) on the one hand the body is dead because of sin, but on the other hand the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” In other words, if Christ is in you, that is, if you are saved, then your body is technically dead because of your sinfulness, but because you have accepted Christ as Savior, through the grace of God (who has declared you to be righteousness), your spirit is alive and you will spend eternity in the presence of God because of that righteousness.

In the next verse Paul will explain further what he means when he days that our Spirit is alive.

What he doesn’t say, but clearly implies, is that if you aren’t saved (if you don’t have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in you) then your body is still dead because of sin. But, because you are a sinner and have not been declared righteous, you have no hope of spiritual life. You will have to pay the penalty for your own sins and you will enter the presence of the Almighty as an unrighteous sinner; you are spiritually dead (now and forever).

Application

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then praise be to God that your entrance into His presence will not be just as a cleansed former sinner, but as an adopted son (or daughter) whom God has declared “righteous.”

This salvation that we hold so dear is not just our “get out of Hell free” card. It’s not just our “ticket into Heaven.” It is the undeserved privilege and honor of standing before our Holy God as one who has fulfilled all righteousness and one who possesses His life giving Spirit for all eternity.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:7 – Continual Good Works

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Will

eternal life to those who with patience in doing good seeking glory, honor, and immortality;

Truth to Learn

We are to be continually doing good works for God.

Behind the Words

There are two Greek words, men and de, which are not often translated. They are used together to indicate a comparative contrast between two things. When used in this manner they can be roughly translated as men = “on the one hand” and de = “on the other hand.” The word men appears in this verse and the word de appears in the next verse. Hence, Paul is contrasting these two groups of people.

The word translated “patience” is hupomonē, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” and a form of menō, meaning “to remain.” Hence, it literally means “to remain under.” It is a picture of a beast of burden which chooses to remain under a heavy load rather than rebelling and shaking off the heavy load.

Meaning Explained

Abraham, though not righteous in himself, was declared righteous when he believed God (see Genesis 15:6). Paul will talk more about Abraham’s faith in the coming chapters of Romans. The important thing to note is that Abraham did not earn his righteousness, it was declared so by God when Abraham believed. It is the same with us. When we believed the message that we are sinners deserving of death and that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, God declared us righteous. The second chapter of Ephesians declares that as a result of this salvation by grace, through faith, we will produce good works which God before ordained for us to do.

This is all necessary background to understanding today’s verse. You see, today’s verse does not refer to the same judgment event as the previous verse (or the following verse). This verse is referring to the Bema Seat Judgment at which all believers will appear. It is a judgment where we will receive rewards for the righteous works we have done since salvation. These works did not earn us our salvation, they are the evidence of our salvation.

In the previous verse Paul told us that the Great Judge "will render to each one according to his deeds." Now he tells us what will be handed out to these two contrasting groups of people. In today’s verse he talks about those who patiently continue to do good, who are seeking glory, honor and immortality. That pretty much describes a committed Christian, and today’s verse tells us what they will get – eternal life. In the next verse he will tell us what the other group of people will get.

Remember that Paul is contrasting the wicked and the righteous. He is not giving a treatise on faith verses works (he will get into that later in the letter.) The point he is making is that the saved will get eternal life, while the wicked unrighteous ones will get something entirely different.

Application

As born-again Christians, God expects us to be doing good works that will build up the body of Christ. At the end of this life He will reward us for these faithful works. Will your works for the body of Christ be worthy of reward?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 4:6 – Dead, But Alive

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Will

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Truth to Learn

The ultimate price to pay for our faith (giving of our life) may be what pleases God the most.

Behind the Words

There is a word that is left out of most translations, though is in the original Greek text, which lends meaning to the latter half of this verse. It is the particle men. When coupled with de, it produces what is called a correlative conjunction. The meaning is “on the one hand” (men), “but on the other hand” (de). Thus, the second half of this verse reads:

that on the one hand they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but on the other hand they might live according to God in the spirit.

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is another tricky one so let’s look at it carefully. Peter starts out with the expression, “For this reason.” Peter is not referring to the thing just said, rather to the thing about to be said (the latter part of this verse).

The phrase, “was preached also to those who are dead …” is a somewhat debated expression that some believe refers to Christ going into Hell to preach to the dead spirits in prison (see notes on 1Peter 3:19,20). What this means instead is that the gospel was previously preached to those who are now physically dead (though spiritually alive). I believe that this interpretation is also borne out by the remainder of the verse.

Peter is saying that the gospel was preached in the past to some who are now physically dead; although, because they believed the gospel, they are spiritually alive. Therefore, they may have been judged by men and put to death for their faith and actions, but they continue to live spiritually (eternally) according to the judgment of God (they are declared righteous). This interpretation also fits in with what Peter has been talking about in the past few verses and seems to sum-up what he has been saying. And because it is summed-up, Peter goes on to another thought in the following verse.

There are many Christians who have been judged as heretics or as evil doers because they followed God’s teaching instead of what the church leaders claimed as truth. The Reformation is filled with such examples, and even in the early church many were put to death for holding forth the truth instead of the party line of the religious rulers. The Apostle Paul, himself, was responsible for such condemnation and martyrdom of believers before he was confronted by the truth on the road to Damascus.

Peter has been telling us that though we may go through suffering at times, even at the hands of those who think they are doing God’s work, we should take such suffering patiently just as Christ did when He suffered for us. And even if we are to lose our lives because of our faithful witness, God will be glorified and will be pleased with us for being faithful unto death.

Application

Let us be faithful and suffer patiently. And, if we do suffer for being faithful, let it be because we are faithful to God rather than to ourselves or others around us.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 1:23 – A Foolish Trap

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Will

but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

Truth to Learn

The world does not understand the simple gospel message.

Behind the Words

“Preach” is translated from the verb kērussō, which means “to proclaim, to herald, or to preach.” It is expressed in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. This portrays present ongoing action.

The word “crucified” is from stauroō, which means “to be nailed to a pole or a cross.” It is probably the most painful and certainly the most degrading form of execution performed by the Romans.

Skandalon (from which we get our English word “scandal”) is the word translated “stumbling block.” It literally refers to the trigger of a trap on which the bait is laid. In general usage, it indicates an enticement to self-destructive action.

“Foolishness,” as we have seen previously, is from moros, from which we get our English word moron. It denotes foolishness or absurdity.

Paul uses a grammatical device in this verse to compare the foolishness of “religious” Jews and “wise” Greeks with Christians. He does so with the two Greek particles men and de. Men roughly means “indeed” and de means “and” or “but.” In English, we might say, “on the one hand … but on the other hand …”

Meaning Explained

Continuing on with his comparison of the foolishness of worldly wisdom and the wisdom of the “foolish” gospel, Paul now states clearly what the Greeks and the Jews think of the Gospel message. The Jews have their minds so blinded regarding the truth of their Messiah that the “good news” becomes a snare, a trap for them. They believed that their Messiah was coming as a conquering king (which He will someday), not as a meek and mild-mannered man who was executed on a cross. They are so blinded by their own belief regarding their Messiah that they reject Him completely. This reference to a “stumbling block” may be referring to Psalms 11, which Jesus also quoted in Matthew 21:42,

The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalms 118:22-23)

The Greeks, on the other hand, had no such beliefs about the Messiah. In fact, most of the Roman Empire believed that Caesar was the “son of god” and their conquering hero. To them, the idea of Jesus being the Son of God was absurd. After all, this supposed Messiah did not fight any battles and He certainly didn’t conquer anyone. Likewise, the Greeks, who revered men of education and accomplishment, saw this executed Jewish criminal as a cast-off of society, certainly not worthy of any respect, let alone worship.

Application

Neither religious activity nor great mental accomplishment can bring you closer to God. They can’t even provide lasting personal satisfaction. Only faith in the good news of God’s Son and His work on the cross can produce these things.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 8:10 – A Spirit of Righteousness

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:10

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Truth to Learn

Because we have been declared righteous, we are alive with a life that will last eternally.

Behind the Words

Meaning Explained

In the next verse Paul will explain further what he means when he days that our Spirit is alive.

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 1:27 – Wicked Sinfulness

Posted on August 24, 2009 by admin

Romans 1:27

Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

Truth to Learn

God says homosexuality is shameful, indecent, and obscene.

Behind the Words

The word, “likewise” is a translation of the Greek word, omoios, which means, “of equal degree or manner and denoting perfect agreement.” It could have been translated as “in the same manner.”

In the previous verse we learned that, “natural use” is from the Greek, psukiken kresin, which is a reference to normal sexual intercourse.

The word translated “lust” is not the word that is normally used for strong physical desire, epithumia. Instead Paul uses the word orexis, which also means a strong desire or lust but it carries with it the notion of “reaching out after an object with the purpose of drawing it to oneself and appropriating it.” This is a lust with a selfish possessiveness mixed in.

“Men” is not translated from the generic word for a human person, anthropos. Rather, it is the word arsēn, which specifically means “males” as distinguished from females.

The word “shameful” is from the Greek word aschēmōsunē, a form of aschēmōn, meaning unbecoming or indecent. Hence, aschēmosunē means “shamefulness, indecency, or obscenity.”

Meaning Explained

Notice the way Paul has carefully described the wickedness in this verse, being descriptive enough to make it absolutely clear what he is talking about without getting graphic to the point of crudity.

He has just leveled a clear condemnation against women who have rejected God and his truth by describing their sexually perverse use of their bodies as objects of sexuality for pleasure’s sake (especially homosexuality). He now describes in even more detail the sexual wickedness of men when the restraints of decency and morality have been cast off.

He starts out with “Likewise also.” These are conjunctive words which by themselves each imply a joining of the previous text with this verse. The presence of these conjunctive words together indicates a very strong connection between the two verses. In other words, the actions of the women and the actions of the men are equally joined together in their wickedness and filthiness in God’s eyes.

What he says about the men, however, is even more descriptive of homosexuality than what he said about the women. Paul says that these men have put aside the natural use of women for sexual intercourse and have turned to other men to satisfy their overpowering selfish sexual passion.

Application

There is absolutely no doubt what Paul (therefore, God) thinks of homosexuality. He says it is shameful, indecent, obscene, and disgraceful! Yet, in our Western society, the gay rights activists are trying to convince us that there is nothing wrong with it, that it’s simply a personal preference.

God says it is wicked sinfulness!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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

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