Tag: phthonos

Romans 1:29 – Stuffed With Sin

Posted on by Will

being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

Truth to Learn

When we reject God we are filled with all kinds of sin.

 

Behind the Words

“being filled with.” (plēroō) – to fill-up completely. The sense is that it is filled up as completely as possible, stuffed full. It is expressed here in the passive voice, meaning that it is something that was done to them.

“unrighteousness” (adikia) – that which is not conformable with justice, or that which is wrong.

“sexual immorality” (porneia) – The root of the English word pornography – fornication, lewdness, or any sexual sin.

“wickedness” (ponēria) – evilness, wickedness, maliciousness, of an evil disposition.

“covetousness” (pleonexia) – covetousness or greediness and, by implication, fraudulency or extortion.

“maliciousness” (kakia) – badness. That is, wickedness as an evil habit of the mind.

“envy” (phthonos) – envy or jealousy. Particularly the pain felt at the sight of excellence or happiness of someone else.

 “strife” (eris) – strife, contention, or constant arguing.

“deceit” (dolos) – to bait, implying trickery, deceit, and fraud.

“evil-mindedness” (kakoētheia) – bad character or disposition.

“whisperers” (psithuristēs) – secret slanderers.

 

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse we learned that since these rejecters of God did not what to retain God in their knowledge, He surrendered them to a condition where they became incapable of making good judgments. The result of this is that they do those things which are inappropriate.

Paul now says that these people, after they were surrendered by God to a mind incapable of discerning what is right, were then filled with a host of personal characteristics as described above. Is it any wonder that the foes of God in this world will go to any length to discredit and destroy the church and anyone who professes a relationship with God? And this is only a partial list of personal characteristics of those who reject God.

Lest we get too high on our own pedestal, however, let me remind you that all of us are capable of these things. They are part of our sin nature, and any of these things can rear its ugly head in any one of us when we get away from that close relationship with God, our Father. The difference is that we know God, and we can confess our sinfulness to Him, knowing that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one, whose blood cleanses us from all sin.

They, on the other hand, have rejected God and have no one to turn to for cleansing or mercy. And someday they will face the Judge, the One whom they have rejected!

 

Application

We can all think of people who are filled with one or more of these selfish sins, perhaps even people in the church! But let’s all look at our own lives and ensure that we are not controlled by any of these things. And, instead of shaking our finger at others in a condemning manner, let’s pray for them.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Peter 2:1 – Vacating the Throne

Posted on by Will

Therefore, laying aside all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy, and envies, and all evil speaking,

Truth to Learn

Since we have been born again through the word of God, our behavior should demonstrate that we are a new creation.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “laying aside” is apothithēmi, which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and tithēmi, meaning “to lay something down.” The verb is expressed here as an aorist participle. The aorist tense implies past action that was completed at a point in time. Hence, this could be translated as, “Therefore having already laid aside …”

“Malice” comes from the Greek word, kakia, which literally means “badness.” Notice that Peter says “all badness.”

“Deceit” is translated from the Greek word, dolos, which is derived from the noun delō, meaning “bait.” Hence, it means “to bait a trap” or “to trick someone.” Note again that Peter says “all deceit.”

The word translated “hypocrisy” is the Greek word hupokrisis, which is derived from hupokrinomai. This is a word used to describe a stage actor who is pretending to be someone else. Hence, it has come to mean “acting under a pretense” or “being deceitful.”

“Envies” is translated from the Greek word phthonos, which means “ill will” or “spite” or “envy.”

The words “evil speaking” are translated from the Greek katalalia, which literally means “to talk down” or “to talk against.” In other words, it refers to “speaking evil of someone, defamation, or back biting.” And, again note that Peter says “all evil speaking.”

 

Meaning Explained

You will recall that in the last chapter we were commanded: 1) to be holy because our heavenly Father is holy, 2) to recognize that our redemption is precious due to the precious price that was paid for it, and 3) to see that our spiritual birth came not from corruptible things but from the incorruptible, eternal word of God and the spiritual life we now have is also eternal.

Therefore, because of all of this, we should lay aside certain unholy actions, namely all badness or evil, all deception, hypocrisy, ill will and all evil speaking. This is a lot to lay down! In fact, Peter says that if we are truly saved, we have already laid these things aside.

You will notice that all of these sinful practices have self at the heart of them. If you observe carefully, you will also see that there is a progression here: deceit springs out of evil actions, hypocrisy springs out of deceit, ill will springs out of hypocrisy, and speaking evil of others springs out of ill will.

As we get into the next verse we will see that since we have laid aside these things we are to put on something else, but that’s tomorrow’s verse …

 

Application

Behaving like a child of God is one of the most difficult things to do with consistency. In fact, because we still have our sin nature, it is impossible to do apart from God’s Holy Spirit living in us and working through us. The secret is to get self off the throne of our life and let God have His rightful place there! Now, that’s something to think about!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 4:5 – A Jealous Spirit

Posted on by Will

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?

Truth to Learn

Seeking things instead of God makes Him Jealous.

Behind the Words

“Vain” is from the word kenōs, meaning “with no purpose”

The word translated “dwells” is katoikēsen. Some Biblical Greek scholars believe that this is a form of katoikēō, meaning “to dwell permanently.” Others, however, claim that it is from an old verb, katoikidzō, meaning “to give permanent dwelling to.” The problem arises from the fact that it is expressed in the aorist tense and indicative mood, which indicates past action, occurring at a point in time. If this is a form of katoikēō, then James is saying that the Spirit dwelt permanently in us at a point in time in the past. If this is a form of katoikidzō, however, James is saying that the Spirit was given a dwelling place in us at a point in time in the past. In either case, it probably refers to the point in time when we were saved and God gave us his Spirit as a permanent dweller in us. One more degree of complexity in this verse is the fact that, as is pointed out below, this “spirit” could also be referring to our sin nature, which was given to us when we were conceived in the womb.

Epipotheō is the word translated “yearns.” It is made up of epi, used as an intensifier, and potheō, meaning “to desire.” Hence it means “to desire strongly” or “to long for.”

The word translated “jealously” is phthonos, which refers to “the pain of jealousy or envy.”

Meaning Explained

There has been, and continues to be, a lot of debate about this verse for two primary reasons. The first is that there is no Old Testament passage that is exactly quoted by this verse. There are several verses, however, that could fulfill the essence of what this verse says:

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

This is a reference to the sin nature that dwells in every one of us.

you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, (Exodus 20:5)

They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. (Deuteronomy 32:21)

This is a reference to the Holy Spirit of God who becomes jealous whenever we allow anything other than God to occupy our thoughts and desires.

Having said all this, it is apparent that James is making a statement of the general sense of what Scripture teaches us and that it is not a direct reference to a specific verse.

The second source of controversy concerning this verse is regarding what James meant by, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously.” The question is whether he is referring to the Holy Spirit who was given to us when we became a Christian, or to the sinful nature that we all received as a result of the “original sin” of Adam and Eve. Keep in mind that when we received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we received a new nature enabled by the Holy Spirit. However, the old nature (our sin nature) is neither removed nor reformed. Because of this, there is a constant battle within, as Paul tells us:

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are opposed to one another, so that you do not do the things that you may determine to do. (Galatians 5:17)

If James is referring to the Holy Spirit, then he is telling us that the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, yearns jealously (remember, God is a jealous God). This would support the idea that James is referring to the concepts presented in Exodus 20:5 and Deuteronomy 32:21 quoted above. If, however, he is referring to our sin nature, then he is saying that we have within us jealous yearnings (that is, selfish longings) that cause us to sin. This would support the concept presented in Genesis 6:5 quoted above. Either one would be a reasonable interpretation of this verse.

Now, let’s look at the context of this verse. James has said that we fight and battle because we lust after and covet things that we don’t have. He says that we don’t have things because we don’t ask. James also tells us that when we do ask for these things from God, we ask with the wrong motives, intending this “stuff” to satisfy our selfish desires. In fact, we make “stuff” our idol, giving it more of our attention and desire than we give to God.

When we long for stuff more than we long for a relationship with God, it is a form of idolatry, thus making us spiritual adulterers, which fits with what James told us in the previous verse. In the current verse, it makes sense that James is telling us that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit whom God, at some point in time in the past, gave to permanently dwell in us), has a longing, a strong desire, for a personal relationship with us. But, when we play the harlot with “stuff,” it makes God jealous!

After a lot of research and analysis and after a lot of internal debate, I am convinced that “The Spirit who dwells in us” is referring to the Holy Spirit. And – the reason He “yearns jealously” is because He wants our full devotion. He doesn’t want us to divide our devotion between Him and any idol of any kind.

Application

Are you filled with a longing for stuff? Are you constantly thinking of a bigger house, a better car, a better job, a boat, more clothes, a bigger retirement nest egg? Are you trying to be the kid with the most toys at the end of the game? If so, then you have made an idol out of stuff and you make God jealous. Or – do you spend your days trying to develop a deeper relationship with God, learning all you can about Him and what He wants from you.

Remember, God is a jealous God and you are His beloved one. If you really want to please God, then give him ALL your devotion. When we pray and “ask” God, we should all be asking for a better understanding of Him and for a stronger devotion to Him and Him alone.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved