Tag: phobos

Romans 13:3 – Fear Prevention

Posted on by Will

For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil works. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from him.

Truth to Learn

Good works overcome fear.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “rulers,” is the Greek word archōn, which literally means “one who is first, either in time or in position.” By application this word means anyone who has power or authority over us.

“Terror” is from the noun phobos, which is derived from the verb phebomai, meaning “to flee from.” Hence, phobos refers to “fear or terror.” In the current verse it could be translated as “a fearsome thing.”

The word translated “praise” is epainos, meaning “recognition, laudation, or praise.”

 

Meaning Explained

Let’s remember as we’re going through this portion of Paul’s letter to the predominantly Jewish Christians in Rome that it was written around 56 A.D. This was only 2 years after Nero, one of the worst Christian haters ever, came to power as the Emperor of Rome. The Christians who were living in Rome at that time would have been under the most scrutiny of any group of people in the entire Roman Empire, and you can be sure that their treatment was anything but fair. It is likely that Paul has included this portion of his letter for that very reason. Let’s see what he said.

Paul’s use of the term “rulers” here is very likely a direct reference to Nero and his henchmen. He says that the rulers are not a terror, or a fearsome thing, to the good works but to the bad ones. The purpose of any ruler is to promote good works in the people, not evil deeds. No ruler wants the people subject to him or her to be disobedient and lawless. In many cases, as was particularly true of the emperors of Rome, the rulers considered themselves above the law, but they still wanted their subjects to obey the laws.

Paul then asks a rhetorical question, “Do you want to live without fear of the people in power?” His immediate response is, “Then do good and the rulers will praise you.”

I can hear the Roman Christians’ objection even now, “But Paul, this is Nero who is intentionally persecuting Christians. You want us to submit to his authority?!” And Paul’s answer would be an unequivocal, “Absolutely!” You see, God’s plan for us includes submitting to all who are in authority over us whether they are benevolent or tyrannical. God is aware of our circumstances, and He is the one who will ultimately judge us the rulers for their evil deeds and reward us for our good deeds. Keep in mind that submission and obedience are good deeds in God’s eyes. But remember, we are always to obey the highest authority and that is God, Himself.

 

Application

No matter how corrupt our political rulers may be, they are not likely to be as self-serving and powerful as many of the Roman emperors were. But our Ruler is greater than all earthly rulers and He wants to receive all the praise and glory, for He is worthy! No matter what you may be going through or who may be causing you to suffer, let’s remember to always keep our eyes focused on Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:18 – Fear God

Posted on by Will

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Truth to Learn

It is good to fear God.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “fear” is the Greek word “phobos” from which we get the English term “phobia.” It means, as it has been translated, “fear” plain and simple.

“Before” is from apenanti, which is a double compound word made up of apo, meaning “from,” en, which refers to a fixed position (in, at, on, over, etc.), and anti, meaning “against” or “opposite.” A literal translation might be “from over against,” it is an idiomatic expression meaning “directly in front of.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse is the last in a series of quotes that Paul makes from the Septuagint. This one comes from Psalms 36:1. Paul uses this to show a third result of rejecting God. He has already mentioned two of the results to expect when one has turned out of God’s way and has gone his(or her) own way; destruction and misery are in their pathway, and they have not known a pathway of peace. He now states the third: they don’t fear God. That is, they are not afraid of meeting up with God on the pathway they have chosen.

“But,” you may say, “I thought that God was a God of love and compassion. Why should anyone fear Him?”

Yes, He is a loving and compassionate God, but He is also a God of justice, which means that He will judge sin because He must. Jesus also taught that we should fear God. Here’s what he said according to Matthew’s gospel account:

And do not fear those killing the body but not being able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him being able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Throughout the Old Testament we see the expression “the fear of the Lord” used to describe those who recognize His exalted position and their own lowly position. To a Christian, the fear of God is an expression of awe and reverence for who He is and what He has done. According to Scripture both knowledge and wisdom begin with the fear of the Lord:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge  (Proverbs 1:7a)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom  (Psalms 111:10)

Those who have no fear of our almighty, righteous God are not restrained from committing sin. It also means that they won’t submit themselves to Him and they won’t receive His free gift of salvation offered at the cross. As a result, at the Great White Throne judgment (the judgment of unbelievers) they will be judged for their sins and they will be cast into the lake of fire; no ifs, ands, or buts! Throughout this entire passage Paul is saying that this is the destiny of all men who reject God’s grace. There is none righteous, not even one (not even you).

 

Application

If we fear God and we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior then we know that His wrath against our sins has been satisfied at the cross. That doesn’t mean that we should fear Him any less. Rather, out of reverential fear we should humbly submit to Him, seeking His will rather than our own. Or, as Solomon said,

Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 6:5 – Obedient to Masters

Posted on by Will

Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be respectful and obedient to their bosses.

 

Behind the Words

“Servants” is from the Greek word doulos, which refers to “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

The word translated “obedient” is hupakouō. In verse one of this chapter, we learned that this literally means “to hear under.” As used here it means “to listen attentively and obey.”

The word “masters” is translated from kurios, meaning “a person who is in a position of authority over you.”

“Fear” is from the Greek word phobos, which is related to the verb phebomai, which means “to flee from.” In Greek writing, Phobos has several nuances of meaning including: honor, respect, reverence, fear, or terror.

Tromos is the word translated “trembling.” It generally refers to “trembling of the body as a result of extreme fear.” When combined with phobos (as it is here), it is a reference to “great timidity or profound reverence, respect, or dread.”

The word translated “singleness” is haplotēti. This word is derived from a (a particle of connection or union) and the base of plekō, meaning “to braid together.” Thus, haplotēti refers to the characteristic of not being divided, but being a single unit.

 

Meaning Explained

In the Roman society in which this letter was written, slaves made up between twenty and forty percent of the population. Slaves were considered to be the legal property of their owner and they had no rights within Roman society. Most slaves were owned by individuals, but some were owned by the Roman people. Some of these public slaves did menial work while others did skilled office work such as accounting and secretarial duties.

A person became a slave in one of three ways: people who were defeated and captured by the Roman army, a Roman father had the right to sell his children into slavery, or a person could voluntarily surrender himself into slavery. In addition to bond slaves, there were household servants (Greek word oiketēs) who worked within a household but were not owned by the master of the house

The Apostolic teaching of the first century does not declare that slavery is wrong; however, within the church all members are considered equal. Paul’s teaching here and in Colossians 3:22 was specifically directed at bond slaves, but the Apostle Peter says the same thing to household servants in 1Peter 2:18.

Both Paul and Peter taught that servants and slaves were to be respectful and obedient to their masters, recognizing that they were under the authority of their master in the same way that all Christians are under Christ’s authority.

 

Application

All Christians are to be respectful and obedient to those who are in authority over them. Whether your boss is kind or mean, honest or devious, being sincerely obedient to him or her is the same as being obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:21 – The Spirit of Submission

Posted on by Will

submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

Truth to Learn

The Spirit-filled Christian is humble and subservient.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “submitting” is translated from the Greek verb hupotassō. This word is made up of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and tassō, which means “to arrange in an orderly manner.” It is a military term that means to voluntarily place oneself in a position beneath the authority of someone else, that is, “to under-rank oneself.” This is the same word we will encounter in the next verse as it is applied to the marriage relationship.

“One another” is the plural reciprocal pronoun allelōn, meaning “each other” or “one another.” It is never used as the subject of a sentence and only appears in the plural. As used in this verse, it means “for one another” or “to one another.”

Phobos is the word translated “fear.” This word is used to express many nuances of fear including: terror, general fear, reverence, respect, or honor. In the New Testament, when this word is used of God (or Christ) it nearly always refers to a reverential fear.

Some translations end this verse with, “… in the fear of God.” The word God is translated from theos. However, the better manuscripts use the word christos instead of theos. Thus, our translation is “… in the fear of Christ.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses, Paul has given us two evidences of being Spirit-filled: singing God’s praises and being thankful always for everything. In today’s verse he is identifying a third evidence of being filled with the Spirit of God, that of voluntarily submitting ourselves to others within the church.

Of the three evidences of Spirit-filled living that Paul gives us, this one is by far the most difficult. Both our sin nature and the world system that surrounds us would have us exalt ourselves. Therefore, our natural inclination and our conditioning cause us to want preeminence, not subservience. Fortunately we have a perfect example of what God expects.

On the day that our Lord Jesus was betrayed, before He introduced his disciples to the memorial we call communion, his followers had an argument among themselves regarding who would be greatest in the kingdom. They were focused on preeminence and power. They were focused on themselves. In response to this argument, Jesus removed his outer garment and, kneeling down before each one of His disciples, He washed their feet. This was not a demonstration of the superiority of the master, but the submissive act of a servant. Jesus, God in the flesh, gave this example of submission to them, and to us, to show the importance of submitting to one another.

In his letter to the Christians in the church at Rome, Paul said:

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; (Romans 12:10)

And, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul said:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

Only a short time after washing His disciples’ feet, knowing the torture that was to come, Jesus also submitted to the Father saying, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

 

Application

When we are filled with the Spirit of God, our actions will be controlled by Him. We will give praise and thanks to God, and we will willingly place the good of others above our own. Jesus gave us a beautiful example of submitting to one another by washing His disciples’ feet. He was willing to submit himself to ALL of his disciples. Are you willing to submit yourself to everyone in your church?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 6:5 – Obedient to Masters

Posted on by Will

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be respectful and obedient to their bosses.

Behind the Words

“Bondservants” is from the Greek word doulos, which refers to “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

The word translated “obedient” is hupakouō. In verse one of this chapter, we learned that this literally means “to hear under.” As used here it means “to listen attentively and obey.”

The word “masters” is translated from kurios, meaning “a person who is in a position of authority over you.”

“Fear” is from the Greek word phobos, which is related to the verb phebomai, which means “to flee from.” In Greek writing, Phobos has several nuances of meaning including: honor, respect, reverence, fear, or terror.

Tromos is the word translated “trembling.” It generally refers to “trembling of the body as a result of extreme fear.” When combined with phobos (as it is here), it is a reference to “great timidity or profound reverence, respect, or dread.”

The word translated “sincerity” is haplotēti. This word is derived from a (a particle of connection or union) and the base of plekō, meaning “to braid together.” Thus, haplotēti refers to the characteristic of not being divided, but being a single unit.

Meaning Explained

In the Roman society in which this letter was written, slaves made up between twenty and forty percent of the population. Bond slaves were considered legal property of their owner and they had no rights within Roman society. Most slaves were owned by individuals, but some were owned by the Roman people. Some of these public slaves did menial work while others did skilled office work such as accounting and secretarial duties.

A person became a slave in one of three ways: people who were defeated and captured by the Roman army, a Roman father had the right to sell his children into slavery, or a person could voluntarily surrender himself into slavery. In addition to bond slaves, there were household servants (Greek word oiketēs) who worked within a household but were not owned by the master of the house

The Apostolic teaching of the first century does not declare that slavery is wrong; however, within the church all members are considered equal. Paul’s teaching here and in Colossians 3:22 was specifically directed at bond slaves, but the Apostle Peter says the same thing to household servants in 1Peter 2:18.

Both Paul and Peter taught that servants and slaves were to be respectful and obedient to their masters, recognizing that they were under the authority of their master in the same way that all Christians are under Christ’s authority.

Application

All Christians are to be respectful and obedient to those who are in authority over them. Whether your boss is kind or mean, honest or devious, being sincerely obedient to him or her is the same as being obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Ephesians 5:21 – The Spirit of Submission

Posted on by Will

submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Truth to Learn

The Spirit-filled Christian is humble and subservient.

Behind the Words

The word translated “submitting” is translated from the Greek verb hupotassō. This word is made up of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and tassō, which means “to arrange in an orderly manner.” It is a military term that means to voluntarily place oneself in a position beneath the authority of someone else, that is, “to under-rank oneself.”

“One another” is the plural reciprocal pronoun allelōn, meaning “each other” or “one another.” It is never used as the subject of a sentence and only appears in the plural. As used in this verse, it means “for one another” or “to one another.”

Phobos is the word translated “fear.” This word is used to express many nuances of fear including: terror, general fear, reverence, respect, or honor.

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses, Paul has given us two evidences of being Spirit-filled: singing God’s praises and being thankful always for everything. In today’s verse he is identifying a third evidence of being filled with the Spirit of God, that of voluntarily submitting ourselves to others within the church.

Of the three evidences of Spirit-filled living that Paul gives us, this one is by far the most difficult. Both our sin nature and the world system that surrounds us would have us exalt ourselves. Therefore, our natural inclination and our conditioning cause us to want preeminence, not subservience. Fortunately we have a perfect example of what God expects.

On the day that our Lord Jesus was betrayed, before He introduced his disciples to the memorial we call communion, his followers had an argument among themselves regarding who would be greatest in the kingdom. They were focused on preeminence and power. They were focused on themselves. In response to this argument, Jesus removed his outer garment and, kneeling down before each one of His disciples, He washed their feet. This was not the responsibility of the master, but the submissive act of a servant. Jesus, God in the flesh, gave this example of submission to them, and to us, to show the importance of submitting to one another.

In his letter to the Christians in the church at Rome, Paul said:

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; (Romans 12:10)

And, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul said:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

Only a short time after washing His disciples’ feet, knowing the torture that was to come, Jesus also submitted to the Father saying, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Application

When we are filled with the Spirit of God, our actions will be controlled by Him. We will give praise and thanks to God, and we will willingly place the good of others above our own.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

Romans 13:3 – Fear Prevention

Posted on by Will

Romans 13:3 – Fear Prevention

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.

Truth to Learn

Good works overcome fear.

Behind the Words

The word translated “rulers,” is the Greek word archōn, which literally means “one who is first, either in time or in position.” By application this word means anyone who has power or authority over us.

“Terror” is from the noun phobos, which is derived from the verb phebomai, meaning “to flee from.” Hence, phobos refers to “fear or terror.” In the current verse it could be translated as “a fearsome thing.”

The word translated “praise” is epainos, meaning “recognition, laudation, or praise.”

Meaning Explained

Let’s remember as we’re going through this portion of Paul’s letter to the predominantly Jewish Christians in Rome that it was written around 56 A.D. This was only 2 years after Nero, one of the worst Christian haters ever, came to power as the Emperor of Rome. The Christians who were living in Rome at that time would have been under the most scrutiny of any group of people in the entire Roman Empire, and you can be sure that their treatment was anything but fair. It is likely that Paul has included this portion of his letter for that very reason. Let’s see what he said.

Paul’s use of the term “rulers” here is very likely a direct reference to Nero and his henchmen. He says that the rulers are not a terror, or a fearsome thing, to the good works but to the bad ones. The purpose of any ruler is to promote good works in the people, not evil deeds. No ruler wants the people subject to him or her to be disobedient and lawless. In many cases, as was particularly true of the emperors of Rome, the rulers considered themselves above the law, but they still wanted their subjects to obey the laws.

Paul then asks a rhetorical question, “Do you want to live without fear of the people in power?” His immediate response is, “Then do good and the rulers will praise you.”

I can hear the Roman Christians’ objection even now, “But Paul, this is Nero who is intentionally persecuting Christians. You want us to submit to his authority?!” And Paul’s answer would be an unequivocal, “Absolutely!” You see, God’s plan for us includes submitting to all who are in authority over us whether they are benevolent or tyrannical. God is aware of our circumstances, and He is the one who will ultimately judge us (and the rulers) for our evil deeds and reward us for our good deeds. Keep in mind that submission and obedience are good deeds in God’s eyes. But remember, we are always to obey the highest authority and that is God, Himself.

Application

No matter how corrupt our political rulers may be, they are not likely to be as self-serving and powerful as many of the Roman emperors. But our Ruler is greater than all earthly rulers and He wants to receive all the praise and glory, for He is worthy! No matter what you may be going through or who may be causing you to suffer, let’s remember to always keep our eyes focused on Him!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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