Tag: suneido

Romans 9:1 – Oath of Certainty

Posted on by Will

I speak the truth in Christ, not a lie, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit,

Truth to Learn

Paul’s concern for the welfare of the unsaved Jews is demonstrated by his passionate proclamation.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “truth” is alētheia, which is composed of a, meaning “not” and a form of lanthanō, meaning “to be hidden or to be unaware of.” Hence, this word refers to something that is not hidden but out in the open and subject to public scrutiny.

“Lie” is from a form of pseudō, which means “to lie or to speak falsely or deceitfully.”

The word “conscience” is from the noun form of suneidō, which means “to be one's own witness, one's own conscience coming forward as witness.” This word denotes a conscience that bears witness to the morality of one's own conduct.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul was accused by his own countrymen (the Jews) of being a turncoat and of rejecting all they stood for as the chosen people of God in favor of this “new religion.” In fact, his fellow Jews were openly desirous of having Paul killed as we see from the book of Acts:

And Festus said: "King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. (Acts 25:24)

In reality Paul had not turned from the Jews. In fact, he was greatly troubled that so many of his countrymen not only denied the true Messiah, but were openly hostile toward the gospel. He opens this chapter declaring that he is deeply committed to his countrymen and, in fact, would rather that all of them be saved. But he will demonstrate later in this ninth chapter that election has been part of God’s dealing with mankind throughout history, including the offspring of the patriarchs, and he will cite several examples.

He starts out this verse with a declaration of an oath, “I speak the truth in Christ, not a lie,” yet he does not swear by heaven, or the temple, or any other thing. In fact in Matthew 5:34-36 Christ told us not to swear by these things. Instead, he declares this oath in the presence of Christ himself. We so easily pass by this term, Christ, but the Jews of Paul’s day understood that he was referring to the Messiah, the Anointed One for whom the Jews were eagerly waiting.

So we see that Paul is invoking the witness of the highest authority possible regarding what he is about to say. He follows this up with the witness of his own conscience in the presence of the Holy Spirit as well. This is an urgent plea to his countrymen to understand that what he is about to say is true and straight from the innermost part of Paul’s being.

 

Application

When challenged by others regarding the truthfulness of what we have said, we are prone to say, “I swear it’s true.” This is an oath declaring the absolute certainty of what we have said. That is just how passionate Paul was about the eternal welfare of his fellow Jews who have rejected the gospel message.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 4:4 – The Final Judge

Posted on by Will

For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

Truth to Learn

Serve God with diligence and with a humble spirit. Don’t worry about what others say.

Behind the Words

“I know” is translated from the Greek verb suneidō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and eidō, meaning “to know.” Together they mean “to be consciously aware of.” It is expressed in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect.

The word “nothing” is from oudeis, which is made up of ou, meaning “not” and heis, meaning “one” or “one thing.” So, oudeis literally means “not one thing.”

Dikaioō is the word translated “justified.” It means “to bring out the fact that a person is righteous or without fault.” It is also expressed here in the perfect tense.

The word “judges” is translated from anakrinō, which we saw in yesterday’s verse meaning, “to discern, to decide, or to judge.” It is expressed as a present tense participle, indicating continuous ongoing action. We could paraphrase the end of this verse as “He who is continuously examining me is the Lord.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse, Paul boldly proclaimed that it is a very little thing to him if he is judged by the Corinthians or even a court of law (remember, this literally reads “man’s day”). He went on to say that he does not even make judgment against himself. In today’s verse he clarifies this last statement. He says that he is not consciously aware of anything against himself. In classical Greek literature, the expression he used means “I am not conscious regarding myself of any guilt or neglect of duty.” He is not claiming to have reached a state of sinlessness (which some refer to as “complete sanctification”), rather he is saying that regarding his ministry in Corinth, he is not aware of any malpractice or negligence of duty. He did what God called him to do and he did it wholeheartedly for God, not for himself.

He quickly follows this up with, “yet I am not justified by this.” In other words, just because he is not consciously aware of any faults in his ministry, it does not mean that he is claiming himself guiltless. He leaves here the possibility that he may have committed some act of neglect or malpractice in his ministry to the Corinthians. If so, he simply states that he is not aware of such an act.

In a final statement on the subject, Paul proclaims what should be obvious to any Christian: God is the Judge and final authority on all thoughts and actions of all Christians. If Paul had committed any neglect or malpractice while ministering to the Corinthians, he knows that God will judge such actions. That’s why it is such a small concern to him regarding what people in Corinth say.

Application

Each one of us has responsibilities that God has given us in spreading the gospel message and in building up His church. We are to perform such duties in complete subservience to God, not concerning ourselves with what others say about it. If we are doing our part as a totally committed servant, giving Him all the glory, then we needn’t be concerned about what others say. Give all you have and keep your eyes on Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Romans 9:1 – Oath of Certainty

Posted on by Will

Romans 9:1 – Oath of Certainty

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,

Truth to Learn

Paul’s concern for the welfare of the unsaved Jews is demonstrated by his passionate proclamation.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “truth” is alētheia, which is composed of a, meaning “not” and a form of lanthanō, meaning “to be hidden or to be unaware of.” Hence, this word refers to something that is not hidden but out in the open and subject to public scrutiny.

“Lying” is from a form of pseudō, which means “to lie or to speak falsely or deceitfully.”

The word “conscience” is from the noun form of suneidō, which means “to be one’s own witness, one’s own conscience coming forward as witness.” This word denotes a conscience that bears witness to the morality of one’s own conduct.

Meaning Explained

Paul was accused by his own countrymen (the Jews) of being a turncoat and of rejecting all they stood for as the chosen people of God in favor of this “new religion.” In fact, his fellow Jews were openly desirous of having Paul killed as we see from the book of Acts:

And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. (Acts 25:24)

In reality Paul had not turned from the Jews. In fact, he was greatly troubled that so many of his countrymen not only denied the true Messiah, but were openly hostile toward the gospel. He opens this chapter declaring that he is deeply committed to his countrymen and, in fact, would rather that all of them be saved. But he will demonstrate later in this ninth chapter that election has been part of God’s dealing with mankind throughout history, including the offspring of the patriarchs, and he will cite several examples.

He starts out this verse with a declaration of an oath, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying,” yet he does not swear by heaven, or the temple, or any other thing. In fact in Matthew 5:34-36 Christ told us not to swear by these things. Instead, he declares this oath in the presence of Christ himself. We so easily pass by this term, Christ, but the Jews of Paul’s day understood that he was referring to the Messiah, the Anointed One for whom the Jews were eagerly waiting.

So we see that Paul is invoking the witness of the highest authority possible regarding what he is about to say. He follows this up with the witness of his own conscience in the presence of the Holy Spirit as well. This is an urgent plea to his countrymen to understand that what he is about to say is true and straight from the innermost part of Paul’s being.

Application

When challenged by others regarding the truthfulness of what we have said, we are prone to say, “I swear it’s true.” This is an oath declaring the absolute certainty of what we have said. That is just how passionate Paul was about the eternal welfare of his fellow Jews who have rejected the gospel message.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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