prophecy – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: prophecy

Romans 12:6 – Benevolent or Malignant

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Will

Romans 12:6 – Benevolent or Malignant

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;

Truth to Learn

Each Christian is gifted for the benefit of the body of Christ.

Behind the Words

Paul begins the verse with a coordinating conjunction de, which can be translated as “and” or as “but” or several other English words. In each case, however, the purpose is to show the direct connection between the previous phrase and the following one.

The word translated as “gifts” is the Greek word charismata, which refers to “that which has been bestowed gratuitously.” In other words, it wasn’t earned and isn’t deserved; it was simply imparted out of benevolence.

“Prophecy” is translated from the Greek word prophēteia, which is the noun form of prophēteuō. According to The Word Study Dictionary, this word means “to foretell things to come; to declare truths through the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit whether by prediction or otherwise.” In other words, it includes both the “foretelling” of events before they happen and the “forth-telling” of the truths of God’s Word. The primary gift of the prophet in the early church involved both of these.

This list of spiritual gifts is clearly punctuated as a coordinated list as can be seen by the Greek grammatical construction. Each of the gifts in this and the two following verses is preceded with the Greek word eite, which is another kind of coordinating conjunction. It is as if these had been listed as “bullet points” with each occurrence of eite being a bullet. There is no apparent order of importance or hierarchy in this list, it is simply a list.

Meaning Explained

Now that Paul has explained to us that the church is like a body made up of many differing parts, he begins to describe some of the functions that these various parts perform and the special enabling that we have to perform these functions. We, the members of the body of Christ, have gifts. These gifts were given to us according to, or with respect to, or as part of, the grace that was given to us. Paul is telling us that these gifts were given to us at the point in time that the grace of God was bestowed upon us, when we were given the righteousness of Christ. In other words, these gifts were given to us when we were saved. They are not part of a “second blessing” nor are they gifts that we earn as we become mature Christians. They were given to us once, for all time, just as our salvation was given to us once, for all time and eternity.

Remember, as you read through this list of gifts, they were given to us as members of a body and they are to be used to make the body healthy. They are not given for personal profit (not even to the phophet J), but for the good of the body.

Application

Do you know what spiritual gift(s) God has blessed you with? Are you using it (them) for the good of the body?

Keep in mind that there is a kind of cell within the human body that has no regard for the cells around it. Its only purpose is to feed itself so it can grow. It’s called cancer!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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2 Peter 1:21 – Inspired Writing

Posted on May 3, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:21

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Truth to Learn

The Bible is the “inspired” Word of God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “will” is translated from the word thelemati, a form of thelema, which refers to the “determined will” as opposed to “desirous will.”

“Carried along” is from a form of the Greek word pherō, meaning “to carry” or “to bring.”

Meaning Explained

This verse requires careful translation to get the true meaning. A literal translation is, “for prophecy was not at any time carried by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, being carried by the Holy Spirit.”

In the previous verse Peter said, “… all prophetic scripture does not come into being by personal interpretation,” meaning that the prophets did not proclaim the messages with their own meaning or intent. Remember that we said the word “interpretation” did not apply to the one receiving the message but the one proclaiming the message? In today’s verse Peter explains what he meant by that.

Peter says, in today’s verse, that prophecy was not at any time carried by the will of man. Peter says that prophecy was not proclaimed based on what man determined. Instead, these holy men were carried along by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the prophets did not determine their message and then proclaim it. They were, rather, controlled by the Holy Spirit as they proclaimed their message.

In 2 Timothy 3:16, the Apostle Paul said it this way, “All scripture is inspired by God…” (NASB) or “All scripture is God-breathed…” (NIV). The word here translated “inspired” or “God-breathed” is theopneustos, a compound word made up of theos, which means “God” and a form of pneō which means “to breath” or “to blow.” So whether the prophet is “carried along by the Holy Spirit” or their message was “God-breathed,” the source and the content of the message are from God, while the prophet or author is simply the channel through which the message is conveyed.

The Bible is not just a collection of stories and predictions written by a bunch of different men over the span of several thousand years. It is the writing of men who were controlled by the Holy Spirit of God and it is, therefore, without error (in the original manuscripts) and perfectly accurate in its predictions of future events. And though not all of the prophecies in the Bible have come true (yet), not a single one that has come to pass has been wrong! That’s pretty amazing for a book that has been penned by so many human authors (under divine control) over such a long period of time. Only by the power of God could this be accomplished.

Application

The bottom line is that the Bible is truth. It is God’s truth, and contained within its pages is everything you and I need for salvation, godly living, and peace! Praise God!

We all need to read it more!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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2 Peter 1:20 – Spirit Inspired

Posted on April 30, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:20

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

Truth to Learn

The truth of the Bible is communicated by the Holy Spirit.

Behind the Words

The words translated “prophet’s own interpretation” are idias epiluseos. The first of these, idias, means “pertaining to a private person and not to the public.” The second one, epiluseos, is built on the root word “epiluō.” This is made up of epi, meaning “over, on, or upon” and luō, meaning “release” or “let loose.” So, quite literally, it means “let loose upon” or “release upon.” In translating to English, this word has the basic meaning of “interpretation” or “exposition.” Hence, we see that idias epiluseos refers to “a person’s own private interpretation.”

Meaning Explained

Peter starts off today’s verse with, “Above all, you must understand.” Literally, the Greek text reads, “knowing this first” (that is, first in importance). He has been talking about the fact that we can more firmly believe prophecies about Christ’s second coming because He has already demonstrated the veracity of the prophecies concerning His first coming. First, though, before we get carried away and try to make other prophecies mean what we want them to mean, Peter gives us some instruction on how prophecies come about.

He uses a construction that would appear awkward to us today but, I believe, for a very good reason. He literally says,

all prophetic scripture does not come into being by personal interpretation.

He wants to make sure that we understand that he is talking about all of the holy writings of Scripture. With the English translation we have, there is an exclusionary phrase (no prophecy of Scripture), but with Peter’s original writing there is an inclusionary phrase (all prophetic scripture.) It is a subtle difference, but one that is important in that what he has to say applies to all scripture.

Where most people get off track on this verse is that they apply the “interpretation” to the reader but that’s not what the verse is talking about. It is talking about the one proclaiming the prophecy, not the one reading it. What Peter is saying is that those who have proclaimed the prophecies did not give them their own meaning. Rather, as he tells us in the following verse, they were carried along in their message by the Holy Spirit of God! The translation that we have here makes this clear, but it does so at the cost of literal translation since the word “prophet’s” does not appear in the Greek text.

And, not only were the writers of Scripture carried along by the Holy Spirit so that their writings are “inspired,” but the truths of the Scripture are now revealed to us by the Holy Spirit:

But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie … (1 John 2:27)

Application

As you read your Bible today, ask God to open your eyes to the truth of His word. May the Holy Spirit teach you His truth as you yield to Him rather than the whims of man.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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2 Peter 1:19 – More Sure Foundation

Posted on April 29, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:19

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Truth to Learn

God’s Word regarding Christ’s second coming, delivered by the prophets of old, is made more reliable by His first coming.

Behind the Words

The words “more sure” come from the Greek word bebaios, the root of which is basis, meaning “a firm footing or foundation,” hence our English word, basis. This is the same root as the word we saw back in verse 10 where Peter told us to “make our calling and election sure.” The word in today’s verse is expressed as a comparative. Therefore, it means “firmer footing,” or “more foundational,” or “more certain.”

Meaning Explained

This is another one of those verses that has stirred up considerable debate among scholars and theologians over the centuries. It primarily centers on the phrase “more sure word of the prophets.” The controversy comes in when we ask ourselves what Peter is making the comparison to. Is he making a comparison between the transfiguration and prophesy? Is he simply saying that the word of prophecy was very sure and could be relied on, or is Peter saying something else?

A literal translation of this passage reads, “and we have the prophetic word more firm.” It appears that what Peter is saying is, because of the coming of Jesus in his first advent, confirmed by his transfiguration, witnessed by only a few people, the words of prophecy concerning his second coming are made even more firm, more steadfast, and more believable. That is why Peter follows this phrase up with, “to which you do well to take heed.”

Peter has been talking about our need to be diligent in developing Christian character qualities, built on the firmness of our election and calling. He reminded us that we are not following fables, but the majesty of God in the flesh, which Peter and the two others had a glimpse of. The prophets have shed some light on both the first and second coming of the Messiah, and we need to take heed regarding those prophecies.

He compares these prophetic messages to a light that shines in the darkness. At night, when there is no light from the sun and very little from the moon, we use a flashlight to see where we’re going, but it’s not the same as daylight. That’s exactly what Peter is saying. Prophecy is only a partial illumination of things to come, and it does not make all things clear, yet it does give us a glimpse of what is to come. Peter is saying that we can believe what prophecy says regarding the second coming of our Lord because of His first coming. Having perfectly satisfied many of the predictions by His coming as the Lamb, He will satisfy all the rest by His coming as the King!

Application

Will you be ready when He returns, or will you be like those religious people who completely missed His first coming? They fought against Him and conspired to kill Him because they wanted religion their way (based on their traditions) instead of salvation God’s way (based on the Word of God).

Is your foundation the Word of God, or religious traditions?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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