Tag: sister

Romans 16:15 – Family of Saints

Posted on by Will

Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints with them.

Truth to Learn

All Christians are saints and are God’s children.

Behind the Words

The name “Philologus” means “one who loves to learn.”

“Nereus,” by some sources is said to be derived from Nereo or Neriene. It is a name that signifies “strength” and is the word from which Emperor Nero’s name is derived.

“Sister” is from the Greek noun adelphē. This is the feminine form of the word adelphos, which means “brother.” Hence, adelphē means “sister.”

The word “saints” is translated from the Greek noun hagios, meaning “holy” or “set-apart.” It refers to things which have been set-apart from common usage and dedicated to use for God’s service. Throughout the New Testament, it is a term used of those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who are, therefore, sanctified or set-apart from the commonness of mankind and dedicated to God for His use and His glory.

Meaning Explained

Philologus, like a number of others in Paul’s greeting list, was named among the seventy disciples sent out by our Lord referenced in Luke 10:1. A man by this name (perhaps this same person) later became Bishop at Sinope (a city in present day Turkey). Julia (also sometimes written as Junia) is believed to have been his wife.

Nereus and his sister are the next ones greeted by Paul. We know nothing of this man or his sister. It is interesting to note in this lengthy list of people to whom Paul sends greetings by name that he does not greet Nereus’ sister by name. This would seem to indicate that either Paul forgot her name (unlikely, given his demonstrated ability to remember names) or he never knew her name.

The final person greeted by name in this verse is Olympas (or Olympius) who, like many others in this list, was listed among the seventy disciples sent out by our Lord. Olympius is also identified in writings outside the Bible as one of the Christian martyrs in Rome.

As in the previous verse, it appears that this group of five people may have been the core of a church group meeting together for worship and/or fellowship. The fact that Paul refers to the “saints” who are with this group indicates that it is more than just a group of friends, that it is a gathering of Christian believers.

By the way: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Apostle Peter was designated as the first Bishop of the Roman Church or “Pope” as he is called today. If this were true, one would expect Paul to have sent him greetings as part of this extensive list of personal salutations.

Application

If you are a born again Christian, the Bible declares you to be a saint. That means, as we have said previously, that you have been specifically set-apart by God for His use. You are not a commoner; you are a holy child of the King of Kings!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2019 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 16:1 – Phoebe the Deaconess

Posted on by Will

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

Truth to Learn

Women who serve in formal positions in a church perform an important service to God and His church.

 

Behind the Words

“Commend” is translated from the Greek verb sunistēmi, a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together with” and histēmi, meaning “to stand or to set in place.” Thus, the literal interpretation of this word is “to stand together.” When used of persons it generally means “to introduce or present to one's acquaintance for favorable notice.” Thus, it means to commend or present as worthy. This is the word which was commonly used in letters of commendation.

The word translated “sister” is adelphē. This is the feminine form of adelphos, which is made up of a, implying togetherness or unity and delphus, meaning “the womb.” Thus, adelphē means a female who has come out of the same womb. Both adelphos and adelphē are frequently used metaphorically to refer to a brother or sister in Christ.

“Servant” is from the Greek word diakonos, meaning “a minister, a servant, or a deacon.” In this verse it most likely refers to the formal position of deaconess within the church.

“Cenchrea” was a port city just nine miles east of the city of Corinth. Some believe that this was where the church of Corinth actually met, though there is some dispute on this matter.

 

Meaning Explained

Having finished his doctrinal teaching, Paul now closes the letter with a series of salutations. In doing so he demonstrates his intimate knowledge of members of the church in Rome even though he had not yet been to Rome. This is a sign of a good minister of the Gospel, knowing personal details about the people to whom and with whom he ministers.

He starts off this verse with a formal commendation of a woman named Phoebe, who was probably the messenger carrying this letter from Corinth (where Paul was when it was written) to Rome. Phoebe is referred to as a deaconess. Though this could be interpreted as simply “a minister” or “a servant,” the fact that Paul refers to her as a diakonos “of the church in Cenchrea” indicates that it probably was her formal position in the church. In the first century of the Christian church, it was not uncommon to have deaconesses whose primary responsibilities were to minister to and care for other women in the church. Elsewhere in the New Testament, references are made to a class of females whose duty it was to teach other females and to take the general superintendence of that part of the church. Also, various letters of ecclesiastical history (not included in the Bible) give evidence to this class of females within the church. The strict separation of the sexes in the early church made the services of deaconesses necessary for baptism, visiting the women, and teaching women’s study groups.

 

Application

Though there is sound Biblical evidence that the position of pastoring a church is to be strictly limited to men, that doesn’t mean that women are to be excluded from serving in formal positions. Women are needed to perform much needed duties in the church and are commended by God for doing so.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 2:15 – The Invisible Poor

Posted on by Will

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

Truth to Learn

We often don’t even notice those members of our church having the greatest needs.

Behind the Words

“If” is translated from the Greek word ean, which is used here (along with the subjunctive mood of the verb) to denote a third class conditional clause. As we saw in the previous verse, this indicates the possibility of something being true but not assumed to be one way or the other.

Previously we looked at the word adelphos, meaning “brother.” Here we now have the feminine form of this word, adelphe, meaning “sister.” James is talking about a man or a woman who is a fellow Christian.

The word translated “naked” is gumnos, which can refer to someone who is absolutely naked or someone who has very little or shabby clothing.

“Should be” is not translated from the normal verb of being, but from huparchō. This is a word made up of hupo (or hypo), meaning “under” and archō, which means “to begin.” It refers to a condition of being and could be translated as “exists.” Hence, James is referring to a brother or sister who exists in a condition of having insufficient food.

Leipō is the word translated “lacking.” This word means “to leave” or “to forsake.” Used, as it is here in the passive voice, it means someone who is left without something.

The word “daily” is translated from ephēmeros. This is made up of epi, meaning “upon or over” and hēmera, meaning a day. It refers to that which lasts for only a single day. It is the word from which we get our English word ephemeral, meaning something that is fleeting or that lasts for only a short time.

Meaning Explained

James is using a grammatical device called hyperbole (which, in Greek, means “to throw over” or “to overstate”). He is stating an extreme case as if it were the general rule. Teenagers are masters of the use of hyperbole, saying such things as “I’m starving” or “You never let me do that.”

This verse, like several we have looked at previously, cannot stand on its own. It needs the following verses to make sense. James is using an exaggerated example to make a point about the difference between a faith in words and a faith in action. This verse could be interpreted as:

If one of our fellow Christians should be regularly dressed is shabby or inadequate clothing and does not even have enough food to feed himself, or herself, on a daily basis …

This is an example of James’ very practical writing style. He doesn’t talk about theological concepts in an abstract manner but in a down-to-earth, put-it-on-and-wear-it manner. That’s what makes this book so practical. It’s Christianity in action!

Application

In keeping with what James has been teaching us about the way we discriminate against the poor and lonely of our churches while favoring the rich and famous, let me give you a challenge. Next Sunday, look around your church and specifically note those who are poor and needy. It’s quite likely that you will see people who you have never even noticed before. They are the ones who need your mercy. What are you going to do about it?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Romans 16:15 – Family of Saints

Posted on by Will

Romans 16:15 – Family of Saints

Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

Truth to Learn

All Christians are saints and are God’s children.

Behind the Words

The name “Philologus” means “one who loves to learn.”

“Nereus,” by some sources is said to be derived from Nereo or Neriene. It is a name that signifies “strength” and is the word from which Emperor Nero’s name is derived.

“Sister” is from the Greek noun adelphē. This is the feminine form of the word adelphos, which means “brother.” Hence, adelphē means “sister.”

The word “saints” is translated from the Greek noun hagios, meaning “holy” or “set-apart.” It refers to things which have been set-apart from common usage and dedicated to use for God’s service. Throughout the New Testament, it is a term used of those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who are, therefore, sanctified or set-apart from the commonness of mankind and dedicated to God for His use and His glory.

Meaning Explained

Philologus, like a number of others in Paul’s greeting list, was named among the seventy disciples sent out by our Lord referenced in Luke 10:1. A man by this name (perhaps this same person) later became Bishop at Sinope (a city in present day Turkey). Julia (also sometimes written as Junia) is believed to have been his wife.

Nereus and his sister are the next ones greeted by Paul. We know nothing of this man or his sister. It is interesting to note in this lengthy list of people to whom Paul sends greetings by name that he does not greet Nereus’ sister by name. This would seem to indicate that either Paul forgot her name (unlikely, given his demonstrated ability to remember names) or he never knew her name.

The final person greeted by name in this verse is Olympas (or Olympius) who, like many others in this list, was listed among the seventy disciples sent out by our Lord. Olympius is also identified in writings outside the Bible as one of the Christian martyrs in Rome.

As in the previous verse, it appears that this group of five people may have been the core of a church group meeting together for worship and/or fellowship. The fact that Paul refers to the “saints” who are with this group indicates that it is more than just a group of friends, that it is a gathering of Christian believers.

By the way: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Apostle Peter was designated as the first Bishop of the Roman Church or “Pope” as he is called today. If this were true, one would expect Paul to have sent him greetings as part of this extensive list of personal salutations.

Application

If you are a born again Christian, the Bible declares you to be a saint. That means, as we have said previously, that you have been specifically set-apart by God for His use. You are not a commoner; you are a holy child of the King of Kings!

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 16:1 – Phoebe the Deaconess

Posted on by Will

Romans 16:1 – Phoebe the Deaconess

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

Truth to Learn

Women who serve in formal positions in a church perform an important service to God and His church.

Behind the Words

“Commend” is translated from the Greek verb sunistēmi, a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together with” and histēmi, meaning “to stand or to set in place.” Thus, the literal interpretation of this word is “to stand together.” When used of persons it generally means “to introduce or present to one’s acquaintance for favorable notice.” Thus, it means to commend or present as worthy. This is the word which was commonly used in letters of commendation.

The word translated “sister” is adelphē. This is the feminine form of adelphos, which is made up of a, implying togetherness or unity and delphus, meaning “the womb.” Thus, adelphē means a female who has come out of the same womb. Both adelphos and adelphē are frequently used metaphorically to refer to a brother or sister in Christ.

“Servant” is from the Greek word diakonos, meaning “a minister, a servant, or a deacon.” In this verse it most likely refers to the formal position of deaconess within the church.

“Cenchrea” was a port city just nine miles east of the city of Corinth. Some believe that this was where the church of Corinth actually met, though there is some dispute on this matter.

Meaning Explained

Having finished his doctrinal teaching, Paul now closes the letter with a series of salutations. In doing so he demonstrates his intimate knowledge of members of the church in Rome even though he had not yet been to Rome. This is a sign of a good minister of the Gospel, knowing personal details about the people to whom and with whom he ministers.

He starts off this verse with a formal commendation of a woman named Phoebe, who was probably the messenger carrying this letter from Corinth (where Paul was when it was written) to Rome. Phoebe is referred to as a deaconess. Though this could be interpreted as simply “a minister” or “a servant,” the fact that Paul refers to her as a diakonos “of the church in Cenchrea” indicates that it probably was her formal position in the church. In the first century of the Christian church, it was not uncommon to have deaconesses whose primary responsibilities were to minister to and care for other women in the church. Elsewhere in the New Testament, references are made to a class of females whose duty it was to teach other females and to take the general superintendence of that part of the church. Also, various letters of ecclesiastical history (not included in the Bible) give evidence to this class of females within the church. The strict separation of the sexes in the early church made the services of deaconesses necessary for baptism, visiting the women, and teaching women’s study groups.

Application

Though there is sound Biblical evidence that the position of pastoring a church is to be strictly limited to men, that doesn’t mean that women are to be excluded from serving in formal positions. Women are needed to perform much needed duties in the church and are commended by God for doing so.

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: