Tag: ploutos

Romans 11:33 – Immeasurable Riches

Posted on by Will

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways intraceable!

Truth to Learn

God has given us a gift of immeasurable worth.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “depth” is the Greek word bathos. This word literally does mean “depth,” but by interpretation it refers to the profundity or the extent of something.

Anexeraunētos is the Greek word translated “unsearchable.” It is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and the noun form of exereunaō, which means “to search out.” So this Greek word refers to something that no one can completely search out. The implication is that his judgments are unquestionable because no one could ever completely understand all that went into them.

 “Riches” is translated from ploutos, which refers to “monetary wealth, richness, or abundance of possessions.” So what Paul is proclaiming in the opening part of this verse is how vast and extensive is the abundance of value of both God’s knowledge and of His wisdom.

The word translated “intraceable” is anexichniastos, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and the noun form of exichniadzō, which means “to explore.”

 

Meaning Explained

Throughout this eleventh chapter of the book of Romans, Paul has been demonstrating why it was necessary for the Israelites to be rejected. But he also teaches that they will someday be brought back into the fold. In this and the following three verses he will now step back to acknowledge and admire the wisdom and sovereignty of God.

He proclaims that no one can completely search out or fully comprehend God’s judgments, nor can anyone discover the fullness of God’s way of doing things. This can surely be applied to God’s plan of election. We certainly can’t understand why He chose whom He did, especially since we know that none of us deserve it.

We who are in the Church age should consider ourselves quite fortunate that we have as much insight as we do into God’s redemptive plan, both for the Gentiles and for the Jews. Many of the truths that are contained in the New Testament were foretold by the Prophets of old, and yet they didn’t understand fully even that which they were prophesying about. Not only that, but we are privy to the truth of God’s grace in a way that even the angels of heaven can’t experience . However, they are desirous of looking into and learning about these things. Both these facts are pointed out by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:10-12 which says:

Of this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, have sought diligently and searched carefully, searching what person, or what time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels long to look into.

At the risk of using a word which is heavily overused and barely understood, let me ask, “Isn’t our God awesome?!”

 

Application

Do you realize the extreme value of your salvation? Even the richest person who has ever lived could not purchase a “get out of Hell” pass. And yet, we who have believed God’s truth about our sinfulness and Christ’s sacrificial death will not have to pay the penalty for our sins. God has paid it for us. Our gift came in the form of a little baby, born in poverty, in a stable among farm animals. Let’s thank God for our free gift!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:12 – How Rich We Are!

Posted on by Will

Now if their fall means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

Truth to Learn

Because of the failure of the Jews to listen to and follow God, the offer of salvation has come to the Gentiles.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “fall” is paraptoma, which we saw in the previous verse, meaning “to fall by the wayside.”

“Riches” is translated from ploutos, which refers to “riches or wealth, either in money or possessions.”

The word translated “loss” is the Greek word hēttēma, which refers to “a state that is worse than the former state.” Therefore it could easily be translated as “loss or failure.” Paul is saying, that which the Jews lost has become riches for the Gentiles.

“Fullness” is from the Greek word plērōma, which is from the verb plēroō, meaning “to fill completely.” Hence, we see that plērōma refers to the condition of being completely filled up. Here it probably refers to the fullness of the remnant of the Jews to be saved in the last days before the return of Christ.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about how the stumbling of the Jews resulted in the gospel message being sent to the Gentiles. This is the picture that Jesus portrayed in Matthew 22:1-10 where he told the parable of the wedding. Those who were invited by the king did not care to come, so he sent his army to destroy them and invited the strangers from all parts to come to the wedding. That is precisely what happened to the Jews. They refused to come to the Messiah, so God invited the Gentiles to partake of the riches of His grace.

In the previous verse Paul said that it was their “falling by the wayside” that resulted in salvation coming to the Gentiles. He uses the same word in this verse indicating that it has produced riches (the riches of salvation) for the world. It is because the Jews stumbled and fell by the wayside that the Gentiles have received the riches of God’s blessing, that is, salvation and the righteousness of God. He then follows this up with the expression, “and their loss means riches for the Gentiles.”

But then Paul turns this around. He says that if the stumbling and loss of the Jews resulted in blessing to the Gentiles, how much more so will their fullness be. In other words, Paul is projecting to a future time when the remnant of Israel will believe. With the zeal and ardor that the Jews possess, as well as their mastery of the Old Testament and their knowledge of God, imagine how they will spread the message!

Oh, that we in the Church had the zeal and tenacity that the Jews have always had. That, coupled with the truth of the gospel, could produce a wildfire of revival!

 

Application

We Christians take our salvation too lightly. We forget that the combined riches of the whole world cannot even come close to the price of eternal blessing in the presence of Almighty God. It is a priceless treasure that has been given to us, not because we deserve it in any way, but because God chose to give it to us. But the church today is beginning to resemble the Jews of Jesus’ time. We have become complacent and have placed greater value in following the rules and traditions of our denominations than in following and being obedient to Christ. So, let me ask you, my friend, who do you resemble, your church or your Savior?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 9:23 – Undeserved Glory

Posted on by Will

and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,

Truth to Learn

God chose some to know the glory of heaven for eternity.

 

Behind the Words

“Riches” is from the Greek word ploutos which refers to “fullness or abundance.” It is often associated with possessions or money and is thus often translated as “wealth” or “riches.”

The expression “had prepared beforehand” is translated from the Greek word proetoimadzō, which is composed of pro, meaning “before, in time or place” and hetoimadzō, meaning “to prepare” or “to make ready.” Hence, proetoimadzō means “to prepare beforehand” or “to predestinate.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating action that was done at a point in time in the past (a single action, not a process).

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about one class of people, namely those who are sinners whom God has prepared for damnation. In the current verse Paul talks about the other class of people. This class of people also includes sinful people, but God has chosen them and has declared them to be righteous.

According to Paul, the reason that God did this is so that He might make known “the riches of His glory.” This is a Hebrew expression meaning the abundance or fullness of His glory. But what does this term “glory” refer to? It often refers to the glorious manifestation of his presence (called the shekinah glory). The use of the word in today’s verse, however, refers to the eternal state in the presence of Almighty God. This eternal state blends together everything that constitutes honor, dignity, purity, love, and happiness. All these attributes are in various places attached to the word “glory,” and all mingle in the eternal state of the righteous.

In the previous verse we noted that the “vessels of wrath” were “prepared for destruction.” The word “prepared” is translated from a form of the Greek word katartidzō, which means “to establish, arrange, or prepare.” In the current verse Paul says that the “vessels of mercy” (the saved elect) were “prepared beforehand for glory.” So we see that the Potter prepared the vessels of wrath for the damnation that they will receive as a result of God’s righteous judgment, but the vessels of mercy were prepared beforehand (before time) to be recipients of His gracious gift of salvation. The opening verses of Ephesians also speak of this preparation before time began:

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as his sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (Ephesians 1:3-5)

That should be enough to make any born again Christian fall to his or her knees and thank our heavenly Father for choosing us and granting us His salvation, not because we deserved it or earned it, but because He chose to do it!

 

Application

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you for choosing me in spite of the fact that I am an undeserving sinner. I don’t know why you chose me of all people, but I praise you for it! You deserve all the praise and all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 2:4 – God’s Goodness, Not Ours

Posted on by Will

Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Truth to Learn

Our salvation is a result of God’s goodness, not ours.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “despise” is kataphroneō, which is made up of kata, meaning “against” or denoting evil and phroneō, meaning “to think.” Hence, kataphroneō means “to think evil of.”

 “Riches” is translated from ploutos, based on a root meaning “fullness.” It refers to the fullness of possessions.

The word “kindness” is from krēstotēs, meaning “moral excellence, kindness, or goodness.”

“Forbearance” is from anochēs, which is based on the word anechō, made up of ana, meaning “up” and echō, meaning “to have or hold.” Anochēs means “forbearance, self-restraint, or patience.”

The word “longsuffering” is from macrothumia, which is composed of macros, meaning “long” and thumos, which refers to “anger, fierceness or wrath.” This word refers to God’s ability to hold back His fierce wrath for a long time.

“Repentance” is translated from a form of metanoeō, made up of meta indicating “a change of place or condition” and noeō, meaning “to think or comprehend.” Hence we see that this word refers to a change in the way we think about something.

 

Meaning Explained

Now, putting this all together we find that Paul is asking, “Do you think evil of the great value of God’s moral excellence, His self-restraint, and His holding back His wrath, ignoring the fact that God’s moral excellence is what leads you to repentance?” What Paul is saying is, “God is very patient and suffers the pain of our sin against Him. And because He is so good, instead of squashing us like ants, He actually takes us by the hand and leads us to an attitude of repentance!”

The picture is like that of a loving father who, when his son or daughter has done something wrong, takes the time and effort to lovingly explain the effect of their wrongful action so that they realize they have done wrong and tell their father they’re sorry, asking for forgiveness. The real beauty of this is the fact that without God’s longsuffering and patience and His loving, leading way, we would not repent. For, as Paul says, “the kindness of God leads you to repentance.”

Our sin nature is ever present and it is powerful. Without the greater power of God through His kindness and without His willingness to hold back His righteous anger against our sins, we would not repent of our sinfulness. And without this repentance we would not be saved from our sins.

Praise be to God for His kindness!

 

Application

If this doesn’t cause you to fall to your knees with a prayer of thankfulness to God for His kindness, then you don’t underestimate the effect of your sinfulness in the presence of a holy God. God must judge sin, but He loves you as His precious child.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:7 – Priceless Grace

Posted on by Will

that in the ages coming He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Truth to Learn

God’s grace is priceless.

 

Behind the Words

The word “ages” is from aiōn, which refers to a duration or continuance of time. As used here, it refers to “an indefinitely long period of time.”

“Coming” is translated from eperchomai, which is composed or epi, meaning “on, upon, to, over, or above” and erchomai, meaning “to come.” It is expressed as a present participle, so we could translate this as “coming upon us.”

The Greek word translated “He might show” is endeiknumi, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “to” and deiknumi, meaning “to point out” or “to present for viewing.” We might translate this word as “to showcase.” It is expressed here in the middle voice (action done by the subject to the subject), so it could be translated as “He might showcase for himself.”

“Exceeding” is from the Greek verb huperballō, which is made up of huper (hyper), meaning “above” or “beyond” and ballō, meaning “to throw.” Thus huperballō literally means “to throw beyond,” that is, “to go beyond” or “to exceed.”

“Riches” is the translation of the Greek word ploutos, which refers to “wealth composed of valuable things.”

The Greek word translated “kindness” is chrēstotēs, which is based on chrēstos, meaning “usefulness” or “moral excellence.” Hence, chrēstotēs refers to “goodness” or “kindness.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that our merciful God did three things for us: He made us alive, He raised us up (resurrected us), and He caused us to sit in the heavenlies. Today’s verse explains why God decided to do this for us. Well, actually He didn’t do it for us. He did it for His own glory. Let me say that a little differently. God did not give us eternal life, raise us from the dead, and seat us in His presence for our sake. He did it for Himself to showcase His glorious grace.

According to the Apostle Paul, God did these things so that He could showcase, for Himself, the exceedingly great value of His grace, so that He would receive glory and praise. What is the value of grace? A couple of verses back we learned that God’s grace to us is undeserved “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.” Why is it undeserved? We are all sinners; that is, we are not righteous. And we know that the penalty for not being righteous is God’s wrath and eternity in hell. But, as a result of God’s grace, we who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior will not experience hell because we have been made alive, resurrected, and seated in His presence.

So, let me ask again, “What is the value of grace?” There is not enough money in all the earth to purchase eternal life, resurrection, and a seat in God’s presence. God’s grace is more valuable than all we have or could ever possess. It is exceedingly valuable, and we can’t afford it.

 

Application

No, we can’t afford God’s grace. That’s why He freely gives it to us, not because we deserve it, but because we don’t. If we deserved it, it wouldn’t be grace; it would be something He owes us. God doesn’t owe us anything, but He gave it to us anyway, simply because He wanted to show how gracious and glorious He is!

I think it’s time once again to fall on our knees and thank God for His priceless grace. Thank you Lord!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 1:18 – Two Great Truths

Posted on by Will

the eyes of your heart being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Truth to Learn

There are two great truths here. The first is that the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truth to us. The other is that you are highly valued by God and will be cherished for all eternity.

 

Behind the Words

The word “heart” is translated from the Greek word kardia. Although this word is used to describe the physical heart of a person, in the New Testament it is used exclusively in a figurative sense in reference to the seat of the desires, feelings, affections, passions, and impulses. Some Greek manuscripts do not contain the word kardia here. Instead they have the word dianoia. This is made up of dia, meaning “through” or indicating division, and a form of the verb noeō, meaning “to exercise the mind.” Therefore, we see that dianoia indicates something that has been thoroughly thought through, thus “understanding.” This word does not appear in most Greek manuscripts; instead, kardia (heart) is used. So, “heart” is the preferred reading.

“Enlightened” is the translation of phōtidzō, which is derived from phōs, meaning “light.” Phōtidzō means “to shine the light on something” or “to make something visible.”

“Hope” is from the Greek word elpis, meaning “that which is hoped for.” The meaning of this word, however, is not simply something wished for; it includes a full expectation of it actually happening.

The word “calling” is translated from klēsis, a shortened form of the verb kaleō, meaning “to call.” Thus, klēsis refers to “a calling” or “an invitation.”

“Riches” is from ploutos, which refers to “wealth made up of things of value.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse contains the continuation of Paul’s prayer for all saints. In the previous verse he asked that God the Father might give us wisdom and revelation through the Holy Spirit. Now he tells us about some of the effects of that revelation provided by the Holy Spirit.

He tells us here that it will produce enlightenment. The Greeks believed that the heart was not just the seat of the emotions, but of understanding and determination as well. So, Paul is saying that the eyes of our heart should receive light. We all know that in the darkness we cannot see or recognize things very well; however, when something is illuminated we can see with both our vision and our perception. That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit does for us. He shines the light of truth on things that we see and hear. Because of this illumination, we can understand spiritual truths which we otherwise would not have understood.

There are three particular spiritual truths which we can know as a result of the Spirit’s illumination. Two are in this verse and the third is in the next verse. Here he tells us about the hope and assurance we have of eternal life as a result of God’s invitation. He also tells us how great the glory of His inheritance is. This is not a reference to our inheritance, which we talked about in verse fourteen. This is a reference to the rich inheritance that Jesus Christ will receive in heaven: all the saints, who will spend eternity with Him.

 

Application

You may not think or yourself as being worth very much, but God sees each one of us as extremely valuable. We, the bride of Christ, will be the Father’s gift to the Son for all eternity.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 5:2 – Perishable Possessions

Posted on by Will

Your riches are putrefied, and your garments are moth-eaten.

Truth to Learn

Earthly possessions are perishable and soon will all be gone.

 

Behind the Words

Ploutos is the word translated “riches.” This is from the same root word as plousios, which we saw in the previous verse. It refers to “wealth” or “fullness of money and/or possessions.”

The Greek word translated “putrefied” is sēpō, which means “to putrefy or spoil.” It is the source of our English word “sepsis” or “septic.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating something that occurred at a point in time in the past with an ongoing effect, but the emphasis is on the effect.

“Garments” is translated from himation, referring to all articles of clothing.

The verb “are” is translated from a form of ginomai, meaning “to become” or “to begin to be.” The verb is expressed in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect. In other words, “your clothes have been eaten by moths and, therefore, are now moth-eaten.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the first century AD, some of the most precious possessions included grain, oil, and other things that are perishable. The rich people to whom James is speaking had stockpiled these things for their own personal satisfaction, not because they had need of them, but simply because they wanted them. As a result, these things were not being used, but were wasting away. It reminds me of the Israelites when they were wandering through the wilderness during the exodus from Egypt. Each morning God provided them with manna, which they were to gather for themselves, but they were only to gather as much as they needed for a single day. If they tried to gather more and save it for the following day, it spoiled and became rotten.

James also says that the clothing of the rich, which they had stored up, was being wasted. Throughout most of the history of mankind, having extra clothing has been a luxury. But even clothes, James says, get moth eaten if we try to store them up.

In reality, all earthly riches are perishable since we won’t be able to take them with us when we appear before the great Judge at the end of our lives. None of us can take anything with us beyond the grave. Only what we do with the things that God has provided us will have any eternal value.

This is not to say that we should never save up for the future. There have been times when God’s people have stockpiled goods, such as Joseph storing up the grain of Egypt in preparation for the famine that was coming. That’s not what James is condemning. He is speaking against the amassing of treasure for the sake of pride and arrogance, or as an attempt to make one feel secure apart from God.

It is far better to use for His glory that which God has provided us, resulting in eternal rewards, than to hoard it to ourselves and receive no earthly or eternal benefit from it at all!

 

Application

How many coats do you own? How many pairs of shoes are in your closet? How much “stuff” do you own that you seldom, if ever, use? How much food do you consume on a daily basis? How many “toys” do you own? How much money is in your checking account or your retirement account? Is God being glorified by the way you use all that He has given you?

Are all these things really yours, or are they God’s?  Ouch!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:7 – Priceless Grace

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:7  – Priceless Grace

that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Truth to Learn

God’s grace is priceless.

Behind the Words

The word “ages” is from aiōn, which refers to “an indefinitely long period of time.”

“To come” is translated from eperchomai, which is composed or epi, meaning “on, upon, to, over, or above” and erchomai, meaning “to come.” It is expressed as a present participle, so we could translate this as “coming upon us.”

The Greek word translated “He might show” is endeiknumi, which is made up of en, meaning “in” or “to” and deiknumi, meaning “to point out” or “to present for viewing.” We might translate this word as “to showcase.” It is expressed here in the middle voice (action done by the subject to the subject), so it could be translated as “He might showcase for himself.”

“Exceeding” is from the Greek verb huperballō, which is made up of huper (hyper), meaning “above” or “beyond” and ballō, meaning “to throw.” Thus huperballō literally means “to throw beyond,” that is, “to go beyond” or “to exceed.”

“Riches” is the translation of the Greek word ploutos, which refers to “wealth composed of valuable things.”

The Greek word translated “kindness” is chrēstotēs, which is based on chrēstos, meaning “usefulness” or “moral excellence.” Hence, chrēstotēs refers to “goodness” or “kindness.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that our merciful God did three things for us: He made us alive, He raised us up (resurrected us), and He caused us to sit in the heavenlies. Today’s verse explains why God decided to do this for us. Well, actually He didn’t do it for us. He did it for His own glory. Let me say that a little differently. God did not give us eternal life, raise us from the dead, and seat us in His presence for our sake.

According to the Apostle Paul, God did these things so that He could showcase, for Himself, the exceedingly great value of His grace, so that He would receive glory and praise. What is the value of grace? A couple of verses back we learned that God’s grace to us is undeserved “favor, good will, or kindness, especially that which causes joy and gratification.” Why is it undeserved? We are all sinners; that is, we are not righteous. And we know that the penalty for not being righteous is God’s wrath and eternity in hell. But, as a result of God’s grace, we who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior will not experience hell because we have been made alive, resurrected, and seated in His presence.

So, let me ask again, “What is the value of grace?” There is not enough money in all the earth to purchase eternal life, resurrection, and a seat in God’s presence. God’s grace is more valuable than all we have or could ever possess. It is exceedingly valuable, and we can’t afford it.

Application

No, we can’t afford God’s grace. That’s why He freely gives it to us, not because we deserve it, but because we don’t. I think it’s time once again to fall on our knees and thank God for His priceless grace. Thank you Lord!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Ephesians 1:18 – Two Great Truths

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 1:18 – Two Great Truths

the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Truth to Learn

There are two great truths here. The first is that the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truth to us. The other is that you are highly valued by God and will be cherished for all eternity.

Behind the Words

The word “understanding” is translated from dianoia. This is made up of dia, meaning “through” or indicating division, and a form of the verb noeō, meaning “to exercise the mind.” Therefore, we see that dianoia indicates something that has been thoroughly thought through, thus “understanding.” This word does not appear in most Greek manuscripts; instead, kardia (heart) is used. So, “heart” is the preferred reading.

“Enlightened” is the translation of phōtidzō, which is derived from phōs, meaning “light.” Phōtidzō means “to shine the light on something” or “to make something visible.”

“Hope” is from the Greek word elpis, meaning “that which is hoped for.” The meaning of this word, however, is not simply something wished for; it includes a full expectation of it actually happening.

The word “calling” is translated from klēsis, a shortened form of the verb kaleō, meaning “to call.” Thus, klēsis refers to “a calling” or “an invitation.”

“Riches” is from ploutos, which refers to “wealth made up of things of value.”

Meaning Explained

This verse contains the continuation of Paul’s prayer for all saints. In the previous verse he asked that God the Father might give us wisdom and revelation through the Holy Spirit. Now he tells us about some of the effects of that revelation provided by the Holy Spirit.

He tells us here that it will produce enlightenment. As we said earlier, the word “understanding” should probably be replaced by “heart.” The Greeks believed that the heart was not just the seat of the emotions, but of understanding and determination as well. So, Paul is saying that the eyes of our heart should receive light. We all know that in the darkness we cannot see or recognize things very well; however, when something is illuminated we can see with both our vision and our perception. That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit does for us. He shines the light of truth on things that we see and hear. Because of this illumination, we can understand spiritual truths which we otherwise would not have understood.

There are three particular spiritual truths which we can know as a result of the Spirit’s illumination. Two are in this verse and the third is in the next verse. Here he tells us about the hope and assurance we have of eternal life as a result of God’s invitation. He also tells us how great the glory of His inheritance is. This is not a reference to our inheritance, which we talked about in verse fourteen. This is a reference to the rich inheritance that Jesus Christ will receive in heaven: all the saints, who will spend eternity with Him.

Application

You may not think or yourself as being worth very much, but God sees each one of us as extremely valuable. We, the bride of Christ, will be the Father’s gift to the Son for all eternity.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to:

Romans 11:33 – Immeasurable Riches

Posted on by Will

Romans 11:33 – Immeasurable Riches

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Truth to Learn

God has given us a gift of immeasurable worth.

Behind the Words

The word translated “depth” is the Greek word bathos. This word literally does mean “depth,” but by interpretation it refers to the profundity or the extent of something.

“Riches” is translated from ploutos, which refers to “monetary wealth, richness, or abundance of possessions.” So what Paul is proclaiming in the opening part of this verse is how vast and extensive is the abundance of value of both God’s knowledge and of His wisdom.

Meaning Explained

Throughout this eleventh chapter of the book of Romans, Paul has been demonstrating why it was necessary for the Israelites to be rejected. But he also teaches that they will someday be brought back into the fold. In this and the following three verses he will now step back to acknowledge and admire the wisdom and sovereignty of God.

He proclaims that no one can completely search out or fully comprehend God’s judgments, nor can anyone discover the fullness of God’s way of doing things. This can surely be applied to God’s plan of election. We certainly can’t understand why He chose whom He did, especially since we know that none of us deserve it.

We who are in the Church age should consider ourselves quite fortunate that we have as much insight as we do into God’s redemptive plan, both for the Gentiles and for the Jews. Many of the truths that are contained in the New Testament were foretold by the Prophets of old, and yet they didn’t understand fully even that which they were prophesying about. Not only that, but we are privy to the truth of God’s grace in a way that even the angels of heaven can’t experience and yet they are desirous of looking into and learning about these things. Both these facts are pointed out by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:10-12 which says:

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

At the risk of using a word which is heavily overused and barely understood, let me ask, “Isn’t our God awesome?!”

Application

Do you realize the extreme value of your salvation? Even the richest person who has ever lived could not purchase a “get out of Hell” pass. And yet, we who have believed God’s truth about our sinfulness and Christ’s sacrificial death will not have to pay the penalty for our sins. God has paid it for us. Our gift came in the form of a little baby, born in poverty, in a stable among farm animals. Let’s thank God for our free gift!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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