Tag: semion

2 Thessalonians 3:17 – Read Your Bible

Posted on by Will

The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every letter; so I write.

Truth to Learn

We must read the Bible to learn God’s message to us.

 

Behind the Words

Aspasmos is the Greek word translated as “salutation.” It is based on aspodzomai, which means “to salute.” Thus, aspasmos refers to “a salutation or greeting.”

The expression “with my own hand” is from tē emē cheiri, which literally means “by me the hand.” The word order in Greek indicates that Paul is emphasizing the fact that it was done with his own hand.

The word “sign” is sēmion, which refers to “a sign, a mark, or a miracle with a spiritual end and purpose.” It is commonly used to indicate a signature or mark of a person’s identity. In the gospels and other places in the New Testament, this word is also used to indicate a miraculous occurrence that is given as a sign of God’s mighty power.

 

Meaning Explained

Most of the Apostle Paul’s letters were written by an amanuensis (a scribe), who did the physical writing of what Paul dictated. We see distinct evidence of this in his letter to the church at Rome:

I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. (Romans 16:22)

One possible reason for him using a scribe is that Paul may have had a problem with his vision. In Galatians 6:11 he said,

See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!

Note that the word translated “letters” (the Greek word gramma), could also refer to an entire epistle, but since we know of only one letter that he wrote to the Galatians, it is reasonable to assume that he was referring to the size of his lettering, not the size of the epistle. If Paul did, in fact, have a problem with his vision, it would explain why he used a scribe.

Paul put a similar statement of a salutation from his own hand in his letters to other churches (1 Corinthians 16: 21).

But, why would Paul indicate that this letter was from him and not a forgery? You may recall, back in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 he said the following:

not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us …

It was not uncommon during the early years of the Church for letters to be written to other believers in which the writer claimed to be Paul, Peter, John, or another of the apostles. For this reason, and because the subject matter of this letter is so vital in correcting false teaching, Paul gave irrefutable proof that this was a genuine letter from him.

 

Application

What we have in the Bible today is God’s word, revealing Himself to us. He used many different human authors, but they were all controlled by the Holy Spirit so that their writing is inspired (God breathed). What we do with God’s Word is up to us. We cannot live a fruitful Christian life is we don’t read it regularly and put into practice what He tells us. Read your Bible, my friend. Read your Bible. Read your Bible!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 1:22 – Signs and Wisdom

Posted on by Will

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

Truth to Learn

God is not found in miraculous signs or worldly wisdom.

Behind the Words

The word translated “since” is epeidē, which is made up of epei, meaning “as” or “because” and dē, a particle of affirmation or emphasis meaning “indeed.” Therefore, we could translate epeidē as “as indeed” or “whereas.”

“Request” is from aiteō, meaning “to ask, to request, or to beg.” It is a word that is used of a person of inferior rank requesting something from a person of superior rank.

Sēmion is the Greek word translated “sign.” It refers to “a mark, a token, or a miracle with a spiritual significance.”

“Seek” is translated from dzēteō, which means “to look for” or “to seek for.” As used here, it carries the idea of an earnest and eager attempt to find something.

Meaning Explained

In order to drive home his point, in the past few verses Paul has been making a play on words between “wisdom” and “foolishness.” He has contrasted the foolishness of worldly intellect and attainment of the revered wise men of Greek culture (the philosophers) and the revered scholars of the Jewish culture (the scribes) with the true wisdom of God. These “wise” men of the world and of religion believe in their own wisdom and think that faith in God is foolishness. In reality, it is the other way around; their wisdom is foolishness and God’s foolishness is great wisdom.

He now gets even more specific regarding those who are religiously wise and those who are worldly wise. As a representative of the religiously wise, he talks here about “the Jews.” From the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), the Israelites have been followers of the One True God; however, over the years they perverted true worship by including man-made rules and ordinances. By the time of Christ there were so many rules that they had to have men who had studied the laws all their life interpret the law for them. These were the intellectual giants of Jewish culture. In fact, it became so difficult for the average Jew to understand their own religion that they didn’t even recognize their own Messiah when he came. And, when He did come, they demanded miraculous signs from Him to prove that He was the Messiah. By the middle of the first century, the Jews were still demanding signs instead of simply believing.

The Greeks, however, believed that wisdom was the ultimate accomplishment of man. They gave great reverence and honor to the philosophers of their time. These men studied science, mathematics, literature, and culture. Their ultimate quest was to obtain wisdom, to know the meaning and purpose of life.

Today, man seeks after riches and power. Some do so through religion while most do so through education and politics. Many “religious” leaders today employ miraculous signs as an indication of their spirituality. The “wise” men of our time use their power and position to get what they want.

Application

Things haven’t changed very much in the past two thousand years. Instead of seeking God through faith, people seek after riches and power as their God, trying to prove to themselves that they don’t need God or His “foolish” system of faith.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

2 Thessalonians 3:17 – Read Your Bible

Posted on by Will

The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.

Truth to Learn

We must read the Bible to learn God’s message to us.

Behind the Words

Aspasmos is the Greek word translated as “salutation.” It is based on aspodzomai, which means “to salute.” Thus, aspasmos refers to “a salutation or greeting.”

The expression “with my own hand” is from tē emē cheiri, which literally means “by me the hand.” The word order in Greek indicates that Paul is emphasizing the fact that it was done with his own hand.

The word “sign” is sēmion, which refers to “a sign, a mark, or a miracle with a spiritual end and purpose.” It is commonly used to indicate a signature or mark of a person’s identity. In the gospels and other places in the New Testament, this word is also used to indicate a miraculous occurrence that is given as a sign of God’s mighty power.

Meaning Explained

Most of the Apostle Paul’s letters were written by an amanuensis (a scribe), who did the physical writing of what Paul dictated. We see distinct evidence of this in his letter to the church at Rome:

I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. (Romans 16:22)

One possible reason for him using a scribe is that Paul may have had a problem with his vision. In Galatians 6:11 he said,

See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 

Note that the word translated “letters” (the Greek word gramma), could also refer to an entire epistle, but since we know of only one letter that he wrote to the Galatians, it is reasonable to assume that he was referring to the size of his lettering, not the size of the epistle. If Paul did, in fact, have a problem with his vision, it would explain why he used a scribe.

Paul put a similar statement of a salutation from his own hand in his letters to other churches (1 Corinthians 16:21 and 1 Corinthians 16:21).

But, why would Paul indicate that this letter was from him and not a forgery? You may recall, back in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 he said the following:

not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us …

It was not uncommon during the early years of the Church for letters to be written to other believers in which the writer claimed to be Paul, Peter, John, or another of the apostles. For this reason, and because the subject matter of this letter is so vital in correcting false teaching, Paul gave irrefutable proof that this was a genuine letter from him.

Application

What we have in the Bible today is God’s word, revealing Himself to us. He used many different human authors, but they were all controlled by the Holy Spirit so that their writing is inspired (God breathed). What we do with God’s Word is up to us. We cannot live a fruitful Christian life is we don’t read it regularly and put into practice what He tells us. Read your Bible, my friend. Read your Bible. Read your Bible!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved