Tag: out of

Romans 4:24 – Imputed Permanently

Posted on by Will

but also for us, to whom it is about to be accounted – to those believing on the one who raised up Jesus our Lord out of the dead,

Truth to Learn

Righteousness is imputed to everyone who believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Behind the Words

“Out of” is the translation of ek, which means “out” or “out of.” In some translations this is written as “from.”

The word translated “the dead” is nekros, which is derived from nekus, meaning “a corpse.” Hence, nekros means “a dead one.” It is expressed here in the plural. Therefore Paul is saying that Jesus was raised out of (from) the dead ones.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul told us that Moses’ writing about Abraham’s believing faith, and his subsequently being declared righteous by God, was not done for Abraham’s sake alone. It was also written for those of us who have also believed God’s promise and have been declared righteous because of our faith.

Having taken each of these verses and having slowly dissected them one at a time as we have, we may also have lost a little of the impact that this verse would have had on the predominantly Jewish Christians in Rome. You see, Paul has been very carefully showing these believers in the Law that it is not obedience to the Law or their being Jewish that has saved them. Rather, it is their faith. He has just proved to them that they did not earn their salvation in any way. Instead, he has shown them that their salvation, that is, their righteousness, came about only because God chose to declare them righteous when they believed in the resurrection of Jesus. This verse and the following verse are the ones that complete the irrefutable argument that Paul has been delivering. This salvation is completely God’s doing!

Also, according to Ephesians 1:13,14 Paul told the believers at Ephesus that upon believing (and being declared righteous by God) we were sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. Here’s what it says:

“… hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance …”

This is a significant point. Think about it. If God is the one who declared us righteous and as a result sealed us with the Holy Spirit who has been given to us as an earnest (a guarantee), then we can never lose our salvation because He can never take the Holy Spirit back from us. It’s like earnest money you put down when you offer to purchase a house; if you decide to remove your purchase offer, you don’t get your earnest money back because that was your guarantee. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that God will complete our salvation as He promised. Even if He were to take back your righteousness (which He won’t), He couldn’t take back His Holy Spirit; that’s your guarantee! This means no matter what you do you can’t lose your salvation.

 

Application

If you are a born again Christian then you have been declared righteous by God. You didn’t do anything to earn it in the first place, and you can’t lose it no matter what you do! You can’t even give it back without God’s permission (which He won’t give).

That’s security! And it’s eternal!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

Posted on by Will

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all our praise for only He is worthy.

Behind the Words

There is a three-fold expression that Paul uses in the first part of this verse which is very simple and yet profound. In the Greek Paul says ex autou kai di autou kai eis autou ta panta. Let’s look at this in detail.

The word kai simply means “and” and the word autou means “him, that is, in relation to him or with respect to him.” Next, let’s look at the three words ex, di, and eis. All three of these are prepositions. The first, ex is a form of ek, meaning “from” or “out of,” implying that He is the source. The second preposition is di, a contraction of dia, meaning “through, either as movement or as the instrument of action.” Finally, the third preposition is eis, meaning “into” or “unto.” Paul then finishes the first phrase with the two words, ta panta which mean “all things,” or “everything.” Thus, Paul says that all things originate with God, He is the instrument of action for all events, and all things will culminate in Him.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, from which we get our English word doxology. It is derived from the verb dokeō, meaning “thought or opinion, particularly favorable human opinion.” Thus, we see that doxa means “dignity, glory, or honor.” This word is sometimes translated as “praise” or “worship,” since that is the highest possible form of favorable human opinion.

The Greek expression translated “forever” is eis tous aiōnas. This literally means “unto the ages” or “forever.”

Putting this all together we see that this verse says: All things come from God, are created and sustained by God, and ultimately belong to God. Therefore, He alone should receive our praise both now and forever! Amen.

Meaning Explained

Paul ends this chapter of Romans with a doxology that we would all do well to meditate on. He says that everything which exists, both physical and spiritual, has its source in God and God alone. Everything that is, exists through God’s instrumentality, that is, it has come into being as a result of His creative action. Finally, everything that exists belongs to God and will be laid at His feet, and all creatures will give Him the glory. We see this in the heavenly scene painted for us by the Apostle John in the book of the Revelation:

the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)

Application

Think about that as you celebrate Christmas this year!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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