Tag: say

Romans 11:19 – Pride or Humility

Posted on by Will

You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in."

Truth to Learn

When we read Scripture we need to receive God’s truth in humility, being careful not to filter it through our pride.

 

Behind the Words

The words “You will say” are from ereō, meaning “to say or to declare.” It is expressed in the future tense, active voice (action performed by the subject), and indicative mood (action that actually occurs). Paul is not saying “you could say” or “you might say,” rather he is saying “you will say.”

“Might be grafted in” is from the Greek verb egkentridzō, which is a compound word made up of en, meaning “in” implying a fixed position and kentridzō, meaning “to make a puncture.” Thus we see that egkentridzō means “to insert by making a puncture or a small opening.” This is precisely the process that is performed when a branch is engrafted to a root stock. The root stock is carefully cut open with a small incision and the branch, after having been sharpened on one end, is inserted into the opening. The verb is expressed here in the passive voice (action done to the subject) and subjunctive mood (implying that the action is possible or probable).

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is now stating what he expects will be a response from proud Gentiles, so that he can counter it in the following verse. Paul knows the heart of sinful man and is certain that his readers and hearers will react to what he is saying. He knows they will say, “But, the other branches were broken off just so we could be grafted in. It appears that it was God’s purpose to reject those unbelieving Jews so that He could save us Gentiles. Therefore, we must be more important than the Jews; they were taken out of their place and we have been put in.”

This sort of reasoning, however, assumes that God now considers the Gentiles more important than the Jews; otherwise, He wouldn’t have rejected the Jews, would He? This type of reasoning is sinful and selfish. It is, in fact, the very same attitude that the Jews had before they were rejected, believing that they were better than the Gentiles because they were God’s chosen people. In the next verse Paul will give a stern warning about such thinking.

We see this type of thinking today, particularly in Christians who believe they’ve earned their salvation. They are proud of the fact that they believed and have been saved as a result, thinking that they are somehow better than the unsaved because they were smart enough or had faith enough to believe. When we realize that our salvation is totally God’s work, we become aware of the fact that we don’t deserve this salvation and become humbly thankful, giving God ALL THE GLORY!

the twenty-four elders will fall down before the one sitting on the throne and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and they will cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, 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)

 

Application

Are you proud of the fact that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Or are you humbled by the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen you to be His?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 9:17 – A Hardened Heart

Posted on by Will

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Truth to Learn

God chooses to do what He does to bring glory to Himself.

 

Behind the Words

“Says” is from the Greek verb legō, which means “to lay forth, declare, or proclaim.” It is expressed here in the present tense not the past tense (the Scripture said to the Pharaoh …), thus underscoring the eternal nature of God’s word.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has demonstrated that it is God who directs the destiny of mankind. All of us deserve eternity in Hell because we are sinners; we are not righteous. God on the other hand cannot sin and cannot allow sinfulness to be in his presence. Therefore, the only way for God to have any fellowship with mankind is to choose to declare some of us righteous even though we don’t deserve it and can’t do anything to earn it.

But God’s sovereignty goes even further than choosing whom He will show His mercy to, whom He loves, and whom He hates. In order to demonstrate his sovereignty and power, God allows some to fully demonstrate their sinfulness.

God instructed Moses to go into Pharaoh’s presence and demand that he allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to God. However, Pharaoh wouldn’t allow them to go. Moses then told Pharaoh that God would visit various plagues upon Egypt. But he still would not let the Israelites go because his heart was hard. In chapters seven through fourteen, we repeatedly see the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart:

Exodus 7:14 Pharaoh's heart is hard.

Exodus 7:22 Pharaoh's heart grew hard.

Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw … he hardened his heart.

Exodus 8:32 Pharaoh hardened his heart.

Exodus 9:12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

Exodus 9:34 And when Pharaoh saw … he hardened his heart.

Exodus 10:1 the LORD said … I have hardened his heart.

Exodus 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 11:10 and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

We can see from these verses that God did not make Pharaoh evil; that was Pharaoh’s own doing (his sin nature). God simply chose not to change Pharaoh’s heart; instead, He hardened it further. It was not out of spite or malice on God’s part, it was done so that He would be glorified. That’s what Paul is referring to in the current verse when he says,

For this very purpose I raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Compare this to Isaiah 65:1 where God says,

I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am,' To a nation that did not call on My name.

 

Application

God can harden the heart of whomever He wants. But He can also open the spiritual eyes of a lost sinner, allowing him or her to see and believe that Christ died on the cross to pay for his or her sins. And He gets all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:3 – Peace and Destruction

Posted on by Will

For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, like labor pains of childbirth. And they shall not escape.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will begin with a period of peace.

 

Behind the Words

Hotan is the Greek word translated “when.” It is composed of hote, meaning “when” and the preposition an, indicating uncertainty or possibility.

The words “they say” are from legō, meaning “to relate in words” or “to say.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility or probability of action.

“Safety” is translated from asphaleia, composed of a, meaning “without” or “not” and sphallō, meaning “to throw down” or “to fail.” Thus, asphaleia refers to “security” or “safety.”

The word “sudden” is from aiphnidios. This word is composed of the negative particle a, meaning “not” and a form of phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.” Therefore, aiphnidios means “not apparent,” “unexpected,” or “suddenly.”

“Destruction” is translated from olethros. This is from ollumi, meaning “to destroy.” Olethros refers to “destruction” or by implication, “death.”

The words “labor pains of childbirth” are from the Greek words ōdin en gastri, which literally translates to “pain in the stomach” or “pain in the womb,” that is, “birth pain.”

The word “not” is from ou mē, a double negative indicating “absolutely not” or “no way!”

“Escape” is from ekpheugō, made up of ek, meaning “out of” and pheugō, meaning “to flee.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is now teaching about the Day of the Lord, called the Tribulation or Daniel’s seventieth week (see Daniel 9:24-27). It is a time period in which God will both judge the world (the earth dwellers) and accomplish the final salvation of the “remnant” of Israel (see Zephaniah 3:13 and Romans 9:27).

Keep in mind that Paul is writing this letter to the Christians in Thessalonica and all Christians in general. Back in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 Paul repeatedly used the personal pronouns “you” and “we” referring to Christians and the rapture. Now in today’s verse, observe that he is using the personal pronouns “they” and “them.” Paul is not talking about Christians, he is talking about those who will be on this earth when the Day of the Lord arrives. Notice that “they shall not [no way] escape.” This is further evidence that the rapture and the Day of the Lord are separate events. It is also evidence that Christians will not be on earth when the Day of the Lord arrives. This is because, as we have already learned, the rapture will occur before the Tribulation (the Day of the Lord).

Now we learn a little bit about the conditions on earth when the Day of the Lord arrives. This time of God’s judgment will begin with a period of peace (perhaps world-wide, but at least for Israel.) Then, suddenly, that peace will evaporate and the world will be consumed by destruction (see the first two of the four horses of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6:1-4).

 

Application

Once again, we have an opportunity to give thanks to God for His loving care of His children (Christians). Is it time to pray?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:16 – Are You Rich?

Posted on by Will

and one of you should say to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," but you would not give to them the things which are needed for the body, what is the gain?

Truth to Learn

True faith in Christ is made evident by what we do, not what we say.

Behind the Words

A form of the word legō is translated here as “should say.” It is expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating an action that is possible or probable.

“Go” is from the Greek word hupagete, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under,” but used here to denote a covert or secret action, and agō, meaning “to go.” Hence, this word means “to go away secretly” or “to get out of sight.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood indicating that the person talking (you) is giving a command.

The word translated “be warmed” is thermainō, meaning “to be heated or warmed.” And, the word translated “filled” is chortadzō, meaning “to be completely filled with food” or “to be gorged with food.” Both of these words are expressed in the middle voice (action done to the subject) and the imperative mood (command).

“Would … give” is from the Greek verb didomi, meaning “to give of one’s own accord and with good will.” This word is also expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating an action that is possible or probably.

“Things which are needed” is translated from “epitēdeios,” which refers to “the things which are necessary.” This is the only place in the New Testament where this Greek word in used.

“Gain” is the word ophelos which we looked at in verse fourteen. It refers to that which is heaped up, that is, the excess or the gain.

Meaning Explained

This is a continuation of the previous verse which said:

If a brother or sister is naked and should be lacking daily food,

James is saying that sending someone away with a blessing, someone who has needs that you can fill, is not an act of faith. James is making a case in these and the following verses that if you don’t put your faith into action then its lifeless faith.

I was in Chicago one evening walking down Michigan Avenue. There I was approached by a homeless woman asking for some food money for her and her two children. In the past I had not given money to street beggars because you never know if they are in need because of laziness or because of unfortunate circumstances, and who knows what they are really going to do with the money. So, I politely declined this young woman’s request for help and, as I walked away I thought, “I’ll just pray for her that her needs will be met.” Boy, did God ever convict me of that! Though I don’t have a lot, I am rich compared to her, and yet I was unwilling to help her out just because I didn’t want to possibly be taken advantage of. James would have been ashamed of me!

Sometime later I was in Portland, Oregon, sitting in my car in a parking lot. There, a man approached my car, so I rolled down the window. He said that he was on his way to Vancouver, Washington (about 30 miles away), that he had run out of gas, and had no money to buy gas. I readily gave him enough money to get well past Vancouver. Did I know for a fact that he was out of gas? No, but I didn’t have to deal with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit for being selfish and judgmental. I think James would have been proud!

James’ point, in these few verses, is that it’s easy to talk about how spiritual we are, but a living faith is faith in action.

Application

Unless you live below the poverty line, you have more riches than 95% of the world’s population. The problem with having money is that we never think we have enough. Compared to many others, however, we have great riches. One way of demonstrating our faith is by sharing our abundance with someone who has a lot less. Let’s not just talk about our faith, let’s put it into action every chance we get.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 1:12 – Submission or Contention

Posted on by Will

Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."

Truth to Learn

Christians must be submitted to their leaders.

Behind the Words

“I say” is the translation of the verb legō, which means “to relate in words” or “to speak.”

The word translated “each” is hekastos, which can indicate “each” or “every one.” It indicates the separation of things either individually or as a whole. The fact that Paul follows this with a singular verb (says) indicates that he is talking to each person in the church individually.

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse Paul directly addressed one of the primary issues in the Corinthian church, that there were contentions (strife) among them. In today’s verse he tells them what the source of that strife was. The fact that Paul addresses this message to “each” member of the church is a clear indication that there was no unity in the church. The specific issue was that they were each following different leaders.

Any church which has a gifted pastor/teacher is truly blessed by God. Very few, however, have leaders as gifted as Paul. The church at Corinth not only had Paul as their founding leader, they also were blessed to have had a man like Apollos lead them after Paul’s departure. We first encounter Apollos in the book of Acts when he arrived at Ephesus, where Paul had gone after leaving Corinth. In Acts 18:24-19:1, we find that Apollos was very knowledgeable in the Old Testament and that he was an eloquent speaker. After Aquila and Priscilla took him under their wing and taught him further, he was sent to Achaia, to the church in Corinth. However, for some reason he left Corinth and returned to Ephesus. Then, according to 1 Corinthians 16:12, Paul tried to persuade Apollos to return to the church in Corinth, but he was unwilling to go.

What could possibly have transpired in Corinth that caused Apollos to leave and not want to return? Most Biblical scholars believe it is because of the infighting that was so prevalent in the church in Corinth. Obviously, there was a group of people in Corinth who liked Apollos and followed his teaching. Unfortunately, however, there were others who were not willing to follow him. Instead, they claimed to be followers of Paul. Perhaps some of these people were baptized by Paul and never gave their allegiance to his replacement. In a similarly contentious manner, some of the people in Corinth refused to be associated with either Paul or Apollos, claiming instead to be followers of Cephas (the Apostle Peter). And finally, others claimed to follow no mere mortal, claiming instead only to be followers of Christ.

Any time a beloved pastor is called by God to leave a church and minister elsewhere, it is difficult for the members of the church he left. However, if the new leader of the church is called by God and is preaching and teaching the truth of the Bible, we need to give him our full support and follow his lead in building up the church and proclaiming salvation to the lost.

Application

If you read Peter’s first letter, you will see that he teaches the importance of submitting to one another. If we are submitted to our leaders there is very little room for infighting. Are you a submitted Christian, or are you contentious?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

 

1 Thessalonians 5:3 – Peace and Destruction

Posted on by Will

For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

Truth to Learn

The Day of the Lord will begin with a period of peace.

Behind the Words

Hotan is the Greek word translated “when.” It is composed of hote, meaning “when” and the preposition an, indicating uncertainty or possibility.

The words “they say” are from legō, meaning “to relate in words” or “to say.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility or probability of action.

“Safety” is translated from asphaleia, composed of a, meaning “without” or “not” and sphallō, meaning “to throw down” or “to fail.” Thus, asphaleia refers to “security” or “safety.”

The word “sudden” is from aiphnidios. This word is composed of the negative particle a, meaning “not” and a form of phainō, meaning “to shine” or “to make apparent.” Therefore, aiphnidios means “not apparent,” “unexpected,” or “suddenly.”

“Destruction” is translated from olethros. This is from ollumi, meaning “to destroy.” Olethros refers to “destruction” or by implication, “death.”

The words “labor pains” are from the Greek words ōdin en gastri, which literally translates to “pain in the stomach” or “pain in the womb,” that is, “birth pain.”

The word “not” is from ou mē, a double negative indicating “absolutely not” or “no way!”

“Escape” is from ekpheugō, made up of ek, meaning “out of” and pheugō, meaning “to flee.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is now teaching about the Day of the Lord, called the Tribulation or Daniel’s seventieth week (see Daniel 9:24-27). It is a time period in which God will both judge the world (the earth dwellers) and accomplish the final salvation of the “remnant” of Israel (see Zephaniah 3:13 and Romans 9:27).

Keep in mind that Paul is writing this letter to the Christians in Thessalonica and all Christians in general. Back in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 Paul repeatedly used the personal pronouns “you” and “we” referring to Christians and the rapture. Now in today’s verse, observe that he is using the personal pronouns “they” and “them.” Paul is not talking about Christians, he is talking about those who will be on this earth when the Day of the Lord arrives. Notice that “they shall not [no way] escape.” This is further evidence that the rapture and the Day of the Lord are separate events. It is also evidence that Christians will not be on earth when the Day of the Lord arrives. This is because, as we have already learned, the rapture will occur before the Tribulation (the Day of the Lord).

Now we learn a little bit about the conditions on earth when the Day of the Lord arrives. This time of God’s judgment will begin with a period of peace (perhaps world-wide, but at least for Israel.) Then, suddenly, that peace will evaporate and the world will be consumed by destruction (see the first two of the four horses of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6:1-4).

Application

Once again, we have an opportunity to give thanks to God for His loving care of His children (Christians). Is it time to pray?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved