Messiah – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: Messiah

1 Peter 3:15 – Godly Fear

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Will

But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Truth to Learn

Standing firm in your faith is more important than giving in to the fear of what might be done to you by someone else.

Behind the Words

The word translated “sanctify” is the Greek word hagiadzō which means “to make holy or pure” or “to set apart.” But, the root of the word is hagos, which means “an awful thing” or “a fearful thing.” As Peter uses the word here, he appears to be saying, “set apart in your heart the Lord Christ as fearful.”

“Christ” is transliterated from the Greek word christos. Some Greek texts use the word theos (God), although the best texts use the word christos. Christos means “the anointed one,” which we transliterate to the word Christ. It is equivalent to the Hebrew word mashiach, which we transliterate to Messiah.

The word “defense” is translated from apologia, from which our English word “apology” was originally derived. However, it doesn’t mean to ask forgiveness for a wrong done, rather it means “to give an answer or speech in defense of oneself.” In this verse it means to give an explanation for the hope that we have because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Meaning Explained

Peter has just told us that we are blessed if we suffer for doing good and that we should not be afraid of their terror (those who would threaten us because of our faith). In today’s verse, Peter is making a play on words with regard to the notion of fear. He says, “don’t fear or be troubled by them [those who would threaten you], but put the fear of Christ the Lord in your hearts.” Part of the reason I think this is Peter’s meaning is because the opening phrase of this verse is a quote from Isaiah.

The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. (Isaiah 8:13) [NIV]

The remainder of today’s verse tells us that we need to always be ready to give a reason for our hope to anyone who asks us, and to do so with meekness and fear. We know that our God is both holy and just. That means that He is pure and fearsome Himself and that He will judge evil. We also know that we have been saved and set-apart from that judgment through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and, as a result, we have a hope that others in this world don’t have. That hope, and the fear of God which goes along with it, should be so evident in our lives, especially when we are suffering for doing what is right, that others will want to know how we can keep such an attitude in the midst of our suffering.

Peter may have even been thinking of a specific martyr of the early church, perhaps Polycarp, one of the early church fathers and a disciple of the Apostle John. As he was about to be killed for his refusal to deny Christ and offer obeisance to the Roman emperor, Polycarp said:

"Fourscore and six years have I served Him [Christ], and he has done me no harm. How then can I curse my King that saved me? Bring forth what you will."

Application

If you were being threatened with death for refusing to deny Christ as your Savior, would you be able to stand forth confidently and make a profession like Polycarp?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:23 – God Honoring Submission

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Will

Because a husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body

Truth to Learn

Submission is part of God’s plan and it honors Him.

Behind the Words

“Head” is translated from kephalē, which means “the uppermost part of something” or “the head.” Thus, it is used both literally and figuratively to refer to the head of something.

The word “Christ” is from the Greek word christos, which is derived from chriō, meaning “to anoint.” In the Old Testament, a prophet or high priest anointed a person with oil as a symbol that the person was chosen by God for a specific purpose. The Jews believe that the anointed one (Hebrew Mashiach or Messiah) is God’s chosen redeemer who will come to rescue the Jews. Christos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew title Mashiach.

The word translated “church” is ekklesia, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and a form of kaleō, meaning “to call.” Thus, this term refers to “the called-out ones.” Originally, this term was applied to any group of people called out to a public assembly. The Jewish equivalent of ekklesia is sunagogē (those who are gathered together). Since the church was often considered a sect of Judaism, a church body was initially referred to as an episunagogē. However, wanting to distinguish themselves from the members of the Jewish faith, early Christians referred to their assembly as ekklesia.

Meaning Explained

The previous verse introduced a topic that many Christian women today find troubling. They think that it is demeaning to expect a woman to submit to her husband. There are two important things to remember in this discussion, however. The first is that Christianity was directly responsible for raising up the position of women from that of a man’s possession to that of a man’s partner. The second thing to remember is that God expects more from a man because he is head of the family unit. “But, it’s not fair that it is always the woman who has to submit to the man,” you might say. However, it is no more unfair than that Jesus Christ, who is completely God, always has to submit to the will of the Father and that the Holy Spirit always has to submit to the will of the Father and the Son. It is the way that God determined the order of things to be.

In today’s verse Paul tells us that the reason that a wife is to voluntarily submit to her husband is because God designed the marriage relationship with the man as the head. It is God’s plan that a man be the head of the family just as it is His plan that Christ is head of the church. The church, also called “the body of Christ,” is elsewhere referred to as “the bride of the Lamb”:

Let us be full of cheer and jump for joy and we will give glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. (Revelation 19:7)

So the picture of the church submitting to Christ is the same as the wife submitting to her husband.

Application

It is not demeaning for the church to submit to Christ, it is God honoring! Likewise, it is not demeaning for a wife to submit to her husband. It also is God honoring. Ladies, submitting to your husband is an act of obedience to God and He will bless you for it.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 1:12 – Hopeful Expectation

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Will

that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Truth to Learn

The hope of all Christians is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah.

Behind the Words

“Christ” is transliterated from the Greek word christos, which is based on the verb chriō, meaning “to anoint.” So, christos refers to “an anointed one.” It is written here with the definite article (the), so it could be translated as “the Christ.” This word is the Greek translation of the Hebrew mashiach, or Messiah.

The words “first trusted” are translated from the Greek verb proelpidzō. This is made up of pro, meaning “before in time or position” and elpidzō which means “to hope.” This hope, however, is not simply wishful desire. It carries the meaning of hoping for something with full expectation of having it come to pass. A better translation of the opening part of this verse would be “that we who hoped in Christ before.”

As we saw back in verse six, “the praise of His glory” is a Hebrew expression that, in this case, focuses on the magnificence of His glory. “Glory” is the word doxa, which refers to “recognition, honor, or splendor.”

Meaning Explained

Throughout the centuries there has been much debate about what Paul means by “we who first trusted in Christ.” Some claim that Paul is referring to Jewish believers in Christ (including the apostles) who believed before the gospel message was delivered to the Gentiles. If we accept the translation “first trusted,” then this might make sense.

Others claim that this is a reference to the Jewish people who had placed their hope in the coming Messiah. It is this sense of the phrase that Paul claimed when he stated his case before King Agrippa:

And now for the hope of the promise having been made by God to the fathers, I stand being judged; to which our twelve tribes, intently night and day worshiping, do hope to come, concerning which hope I am accused, king Agrippa, by the Jews. (Acts 26:6-7)

From the time God told Abraham that the Messiah would be one of his descendants, the Jews have looked forward with hope to the day that their Redeemer, The Messiah, would come.

Another reason for believing this to be Paul’s meaning is that he later talks about Christ uniting Jews and Gentiles:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might in Himself create the two into one new man, making peace, (Ephesians 2:13-15)

As we pointed out above, the word proelpidzō is best translated as “hoped … before” and the first part of this verse is best translated as “that we who hoped in Christ before.” Thus, it appears that Paul is referring to the Jewish people who placed their hope in the coming Messiah.

Application

Where is your hope today? Is it in the things of this world, or is it in the blood of the spotless Lamb of God? Is your life vision focused on the here and now, of is it focused on eternity?

In God's service, for His glory,