then – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: then

Romans 10:17 – Hear to Eternity

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Will

Then faith is from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Truth to Learn

Faith comes as a result of hearing the Gospel message which originated from the utterance of God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Then” is the Greek word ara, which is used here as an inferential particle meaning “therefore” or “consequently.” It directly ties this verse to what immediately preceded it.

“Hearing” is translated from the Greek word akoē, which we looked at in the previous verse and we noted that Paul is making a kind of play on this word. This is a noun form of the verb akouō, meaning “to hear” and from which we get our English word “acoustics.” The noun form of this word can have several nuances of meaning. It can refer to the sense of hearing, the instrument of hearing (the ear), or that which is or may be heard (the message or report). If we assume that Paul is referring to the report, or message, in both of these verses, we see that they could be translated as:

For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our message?” Therefore, faith comes from the message and the message through the word of God.

The other word we want to look at is the Greek word rhēma, which is translated “Word” in this verse. It means, “that which is spoken, particularly that which is uttered by a living voice.”

Meaning Explained

On the surface this verse seems disjointed from the previous one, but that is not the case at all. Though the word ara technically ties these two verses together, it still doesn’t feel like they are very well connected does it? That is, until you recognize how skillfully Paul has used various forms of the word akouō. Though many people throughout history have not listened attentively to the message of salvation, it is from this message that faith is acquired, the message that originated from Almighty God. We have been given this precious, powerful message to carry throughout the world. Also remember, that when we carry and proclaim this message, God sees us as particularly beautiful, like a flower in full bloom.

Faith cannot exist unless there is a message, or report, to be heard and believed. It cannot come any other way than by such a proclamation. This demonstrates the importance of the message, and the fact that people are converted by listening to and believing the truth of this gospel message. And ultimately, the source of this message is the very utterance of God Himself.

Application

The next time you are witnessing to someone and declaring the message of salvation through faith in the blood of Christ, remember that you are sharing gloriously good news that originated from God Himself. You may feel awkward and others may call you a fool, but you are particularly beautiful in God’s sight when you proclaim it, whether you are proclaiming it to a prospective child of God or to a fool.

So, how awesome is that? Be a blooming flower and spread the Word!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:1 – Imitators, Not Actors

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Will

Then become imitators of God as beloved children.

Truth to Learn

We need to live the part that God has given us.

Behind the Words

“Then” is translated from oun, which indicates a connection of two thoughts, sometimes indicating an affect from the previous thought, but often just a link between the two. It is sometimes translated as “Therefore” and sometimes as “Then.” I believe the best translation in this case is “Then.”

“Become” is the command form of ginomai, which we saw in yesterday’s verse. It means “become.” The implication is that we are not simply to stay the same, we are to move forward and actively become more like our loving God.

The word translated “imitators” is mimētēs, from which we get our English word “mimic,” meaning “to imitate or copy in action and speech.”

“Beloved” is translated from agapētos, which is based on the verb agapaō, meaning “to love with a perfect, self-sacrificing love.” Agapētos refers to someone who is loved with that kind of love. All Christians are loved by God with this perfect, self-sacrificing love.

Meaning Explained

Nearly everyone has someone to whom they look with respect and admiration, in many cases wishing they could be just like them. Some people go so far as to imitate the clothing style of the one they admire, combing their hair the same way, and even talking like their idol. In fact, there are those who go to the extreme, having plastic surgery so that they even physically resemble the one whom they revere so much. Sort of crazy, huh? The Apostle Paul tells us that being imitators is a good thing, as long as the one we’re imitating is God.

In chapter four of this letter to the Christians in the church of Ephesus, Paul instructed them (and us) to take off the old man and put on the new man. In effect, he told us to quit behaving like our sin nature and begin behaving like our new nature. He even went so far as to instruct us in some of the characteristics of the old man (things we are to avoid) and some of the characteristics of the new man (things we are to do). Now, he gives us some practical insight into how we can put on the new man.

We’ve all seen an actor who, even though we know his or her real identity, portrays a character so completely that we perceive the character they’re playing rather than the actor. And, when we think of that actor, we often think of him or her as one of the characters they have portrayed. In reality, however, we all know that they are just acting like someone else; they’re not really the character they imitate. The Greek word for a professional actor is hupokritēs (hypocrite), indicating someone who is acting in a role that is not who he or she really is.

Unlike professional actors, we need to become more than just pretenders. God doesn’t want us to be hypocrites and just pretend that we’re His children. We are His children! And He wants us to live like His children are supposed to live. While professional actors portray the character on the outside, we need to become the character on the inside.

Application

“I don’t want to be a phony, acting like someone I’m not,” you may say. Well, you don’t have to. If you are a born-again Christian, then you are a child of God. By learning how to think and behave like a child of God you become the new character that God has made you to be. If you learn the part well enough, others will see God in you. Now, that’s something to think about!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 3:17 – Heavenly Wisdom

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Will

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and unpretentious.

Truth to Learn

Heavenly wisdom is “others” focused, not “self” focused.

Behind the Words

“First” is from the Greek word proton, meaning “first in importance, order, or time.”

The word translated “pure” is hagnos, which has the same root as hagios (holy). It means “freedom from defilements or impurities.” Therefore, it is often translated as innocent, clean, or pure.

Epeita is the word translated “then.” When combined with proton (mentioned above) it implies that everything else in this list comes after hagnos in importance, order, and time.

“Peaceable” is the Greek word, eirēnikos which means “pacific” or “relating to peace.”

The word translated “gentle” is epieikēs, which is made up of epi, meaning “over” and eikos, meaning “reasonable or fair.” Hence, this word means overly reasonable or overly fair. There really is no English word that fully expresses the meaning of this word, but the overriding idea is that of showing clemency mercy even when it is clearly undeserved.

“Compliant” is translated from eupaithēs, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “easy” and a form of peithō, meaning “to persuade.” So, literally this word means “easily persuaded.” Thus, it is translated “compliant.”

The word “impartial” is translated from adiakritos, which is made up of a, meaning “without” and a form of diakrinō, meaning “to distinguish or to judge.” Therefore, we see that this heavenly wisdom is not selfishly judgmental, but remains impartial.

The word “unpretentious” comes from the Greek word, anupokritos. This is made up of a or an, meaning “not or without” and hupokritos from which we get our English word “hypocrisy.” Hence this word means “without false pretense, unpretentious, or genuine.”

Meaning Explained

In contrast to the worldly wisdom that was spoken of in the previous few verses (with bitter envying and self-serving motives, causing confusion), James now describes what godly wisdom looks like. He tells us first of all, it is “first pure.” As explained above, this word means first essentially, that is, first in importance, order, and time. The other qualities of heavenly wisdom are secondary and necessarily follow from the quality of purity. Heavenly wisdom engenders peace, not strife. It is gentle and exceedingly reasonable. It is compliant, not argumentative. It is merciful, not vengeful. It produces good fruit, not rottenness. It is impartial, and it is sincere, without even a hint of pretense.

We can see from this list that heavenly wisdom is not focused on self, but on the good of others. This is essentially what Paul said in his letter to the Philippians:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

Application

Let’s remember this when we share the gospel with others. We should be sharing the Word with godly wisdom, not worldly wisdom, and godly wisdom is first pure, then peaceable, overly reasonable, and compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. In other words, it acts the same way that Jesus did.

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Thessalonians 4:17 – Glorious Meeting

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Will

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Truth to Learn

Living Christians will join the “dead in Christ” at the rapture.

Behind the Words

“Then” is from the Greek word epeita, meaning “afterwards” or “next.”

The words “who are alive and remain” are translated from the same Greek words as in verse fifteen. They literally mean “the remaining, living ones.”

“Shall be caught up” is the translation of the Greek verb harpadzō. This verb means “to seize by force” or “to snatch away.” In the Latin translation of the Bible it is translated as a form of rapare, from which we get the English word rapture.

The words “together with” are from two Greek words. They are hama, meaning “at the same time” and sun, meaning “with.”

Nephelē is the word translated “clouds.” This is the diminutive form of nephos, meaning “clouds.” Thus, nephelē literally means “little clouds” or “cloudiness.” The Greek text does not contain the definite article (the), so a more accurate translation would be “in clouds,” not “in the clouds.”

“Meet” is from apantēsis, a form of apantaō, meaning “to meet, coming from different directions.” The form of apantēsis used here literally means “a meeting.”

“In the air” is from eis aera, meaning “into air” or “into the atmosphere.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that those “who sleep in Jesus,” Christians who have died physically, will be raised from the dead first. Now we learn that right afterwards, Christians who have not yet died will be snatched away from the earth. These two groups of Christians will be joined together in clouds. This could be a description of the weather conditions at the time (cloudiness) or, more likely, it means that there will be clouds of people being raised up off the earth for a meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This glorious meeting will take place “in the air” or “in the earth’s atmosphere.” This is a significant statement because it indicates that our Lord will not come to the surface of the earth, just into the atmosphere. In other words, this is not “the second coming of the Lord,” which occurs on the “Day of the Lord.” According to the prophet Zechariah, on the day of the Lord, the Messiah will come to the surface of the earth and stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:1-4). Keep in mind, the day of Christ (the rapture) is a time of celebration and joy, whereas the Day of the Lord is a day of judgment and woe.

From the moment of the rapture, for the rest of eternity, we will be with our Lord. Also, note again that Paul says “we who are alive.” Paul expected to be alive for the rapture.

Application

When we hear the trumpet call at the time of the rapture, we will be filled with joy and we will be changed. Rejoice my friends, for the time of celebration is very near.

In God's service, for His glory,