Tag: since

2 Thessalonians 1:6 – Righteous Judgment

Posted on by Will

since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,

Truth to Learn

God will “pay back” those who cause Christians to suffer.

 

Behind the Words

The word “since” is translated from eiper. This Greek word is made up of ei, which is a conditional particle usually translated as “if” and per, meaning “concerning” or “with respect to.” Eiper assumes that the condition is true and therefore is most often translated as “if indeed” or “since.”

Dikaios is the Greek adjective translated as “righteous.” It is based on the noun dikē, which means “that which is right or just.” Dikaios means that whatever word it describes is the right thing, proper thing, or just thing to do.

“Repay” is from antapodidōmi. This is a double compound word made up of anti, meaning “against” or “opposing,” apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” When we put these all together we see that the idea of antapodidōmi is “to give back in return.” It is often used to mean “to repay a debt that is owed to someone.”

The word “with” is from para, meaning “to the side of” or “by.” Here it has the meaning “with respect to God” or “from God’s viewpoint.”

Both of the words “tribulation” and “trouble” are based on the word thlibō, which means “to press together, to squeeze, or to cause affliction.”

 

Meaning Explained

After opening with a typical Pauline greeting in this letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul offered up thanks to God for their growth in faith and in love. On the surface, this spiritual growth may seem unusual because the Thessalonians were suffering under the persecution from those around them. However, we see that spiritual growth, like muscular growth, only comes from repeated difficult activities. Christians for whom life is easy do not grow in their faith because they have no need for God. But Christians who are suffering from persecution have to depend on God, and they grow as a result.

Paul then told them that this persecution and their subsequent growth was evidence of God’s righteous judgment because it indicated that they were being considered worthy of God’s eternal blessing. In other words, God’s decision to provide future blessing to His chosen children is the right and proper thing for Him to do.

Now Paul looks at the other side of the coin. Not only is it right to promise future blessing to those who believe God, but it’s just as right to bring judgment against those who reject God. The non-believers in Thessalonica were causing trouble for the Christians, so Paul says that it is just and proper for God to “pay them back” for the trouble that they caused His children. Not only is this a proper action for a righteous God, it is proper for a loving father to protect and defend His children.

 

Application

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, then God loves you as one of His children. Not only has He promised you eternal blessing, but He has promised to “pay back” suffering to those who cause you suffering.

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

 

1 Corinthians 1:21 – Want to Please God?

Posted on by Will

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Truth to Learn

Belief in the “foolish” gospel message pleases God.

Behind the Words

“Since” is translated from the Greek word epeidē, which means “because indeed.”

The word “in” is translated from the preposition en, indicating a position within someone or something. It is similar to the preposition eis, indicating movement from outside to inside. En, however, has no implication of movement, but of position. Hence, Paul is not saying that these things are the result of God’s wisdom, but that they are contained within His wisdom.

The words “did … know” are from the verb ginōskō, which refers to gaining or having knowledge about something. It is expressed in the aorist tense, indicating past completed action. Thus, it refers to having attained knowledge or understanding about something in the past.

“Pleased” is translated from eudokeō. This word is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and dokeō, meaning “to think.” Therefore, eudokeō means “to think good thoughts about something” or “to be pleased with something.”

Meaning Explained

Paul continues his discussion of wisdom and foolishness. In the previous verse he called attention to three groups of people. He identified the “wise,” that is, the philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, whom the Greeks held in high esteem for their brilliance and understanding of the world around them. He also identified the “scribes,” the highly regarded Jewish teachers of the Old Testament. Finally, he identified the “disputers,” those who were masters at discussing and debating any subject.

These esteemed men had acquired what was believed to be great wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. That which they had gained for themselves produced religious beliefs about the nature of life, God, and man’s destiny. However, none of this brilliance could bring them up to God’s position, nor could it defend them in the presence of the Righteous Judge of all things. From God’s perspective, all of their wisdom, knowledge, and understanding is foolishness, for it cannot save them. These highly revered men also considered the simple gospel message of salvation through faith to be foolishness.

On the other hand, our God did not have to acquire his wisdom through dedicated study and discussion. It is an integral part of who He is. In His infinite wisdom, God determined that salvation should come through faith, that through the “good news” all men are sinners and Jesus, the Christ, paid the penalty for our sins with His blood shed on the cross.

God does not derive pleasure from anyone acquiring great worldly wisdom about Him. That would bring pleasure to man and take the praise and glory away from Him. He derives pleasure from simple faith in the “foolish” gospel message, which gives God all the praise and glory.

Application

Do you want to please God? If so, then give Him all the credit for our salvation by believing the “foolish” gospel message.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

2 Thessalonians 1:6 – Righteous Judgment

Posted on by Will

since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,

Truth to Learn

God will “pay back” those who cause Christians to suffer.

Behind the Words

The word “since” is translated from eiper. This Greek word is made up of ei, which is a conditional particle usually translated as “if” and per, meaning “concerning” or “with respect to.” Eiper assumes that the condition is true and therefore is most often translated as “if indeed” or “since.”

Dikaios is the Greek adjective translated as “righteous.” It is based on the noun dikē, which means “that which is right or just.” Dikaios means that whatever word it describes is the right thing, proper thing, or just thing to do.

“Repay” is from antapodidōmi. This is a double compound word made up of anti, meaning “against” or “opposing,” apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” When we put these all together we see that the idea of antapodidōmi is “to give back in return.” It is often used to mean “to repay a debt that is owed to someone.”

The word “with” is from para, meaning “to the side of” or “by.” Here it has the meaning “with respect to God” or “from God’s viewpoint.”

Both of the words “tribulation” and “trouble” are based on the word thlibō, which means “to press together, to squeeze, or to cause affliction.”

Meaning Explained

After opening with a typical Pauline greeting in this letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul offered up thanks to God for their growth in faith and in love. On the surface, this spiritual growth may seem unusual because the Thessalonians were suffering under the persecution from those around them. However, we see that spiritual growth, like muscular growth, only comes from repeated difficult activities. Christians for whom life is easy do not grow in their faith because they have no need for God. But Christians who are suffering from persecution have to depend on God, and they grow as a result.

Paul then told them that this persecution and their subsequent growth was evidence of God’s righteous judgment because it indicated that they were being considered worthy of God’s eternal blessing. In other words, God’s decision to provide future blessing to His chosen children is the right and proper thing for Him to do.

Now Paul looks at the other side of the coin. Not only is it right to promise future blessing to those who believe God, but it’s just as right to bring judgment against those who reject God. The non-believers in Thessalonica were causing trouble for the Christians, so Paul says that it is just and proper for God to “pay them back” for the trouble that they caused His children. Not only is this a proper action for a righteous God, it is proper for a loving father to protect and defend His children.

Application

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, then God loves you as one of His children. Not only has He promised you eternal blessing, but He has promised to “pay back” suffering to those who cause you suffering.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved