Tag: trecho

Romans 9:16 – All His Doing

Posted on by Will

So then it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of God who shows mercy.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all the praise and glory for our salvation.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “willing” is a form of the Greek word thelō, which we have looked at before. It refers to a person’s will. But there is another Greek word which also refers to a person’s will. That word is boulomai. Thelō refers to a person’s determined will, whereas boulomai refers to a person’s desirous will. It is like a child being sent into a candy store with a limited amount of money. His (or her) desirous will is to have everything in the store. But the child determines (decides) to purchase what can be acquired with the money he or she has; this is the child’s determined will. The current verse uses thelō indicating that it is not the one deciding (determined will).

The word translated “running” is the Greek word trechō, which means “to run” or “to walk hastily.” By implication it means “to run a course in an effort to achieve an objective.”

“Shows mercy” is from eleeō, which we looked at in yesterday’s verse. It refers to the act of showing mercy.

 

Meaning Explained

In the preceding few verses Paul talked about God’s loving some people and hating others, about God having mercy on some and not on others. He has made the point that God does so in complete righteousness because He is a holy and a righteous God who can do no evil. Paul now makes his first summary of these points. He says that the choosing is not about the one willing, nor the one running, but of God, the one showing mercy. It’s not about the person who determines or decides to get saved. Neither is it about the one who works hard to keep all the rules. It’s all about God determining who He will show mercy to.

In other words Paul is saying that salvation is not based on someone choosing to be saved nor is it about someone keeping all the rules or completing a course of action to earn righteousness. You see, both of these imply that a person deserves salvation because they did something to earn it. Instead, according to Paul, it is based on God showing mercy on someone who does not deserve it.

Here’s what Albert Barnes said about this:

Salvation in its beginning, its progress, and its close, is of him. He has a right, therefore, to bestow it when and where he pleases. All our mercies flow from his mere love and compassion, and not from our deserts. The essential idea here is, that God is the original fountain of all the blessings of salvation.

But Paul does not stop here. In the next verse he will use Pharaoh as an example of someone whose heart God hardened so that He could demonstrate His power.

 

Application

What we need to see in these verses is that God chooses some and not others so that He alone will get the glory. If salvation is in any way our doing, then we can take some credit for it. If we did something to obtain it, then we should get at least part of the credit. But God says that He wants to get all the credit. He wants all the glory and all the praise. Let’s give it all to Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 3:1 – Pray For God’s Glory

Posted on by Will

As to the rest, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it has with you,

Truth to Learn

Our prayers need to focus on God’s glory, not our own.

 

Behind the Words

“As to the rest” is translated from loipos, meaning “that which remains,” “as to the rest,” or “finally.”

The word translated “pray” is proseuchomai, which is made up of pros, meaning “to” or “towards” and euchomai, which literally means “to speak out, to utter aloud, or to express a wish.” Therefore, proseuchomai means “to express a wish to someone” or “to speak out to someone.” In virtually every occurrence of this verb in the New Testament, the person being spoken to is God. The verb is expressed here in the imperative mood, expressing a command.

The words “may run swiftly” are from the verb trechō, meaning “to run.” The word “swiftly” has been added for clarity, indicated by its being written in italics. The emphasis here is for fast action. It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating possibility or probability.

The Greek verb doxadzō is translated as “be glorified.” The root of this word is doxa, which we saw in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, meaning “reputation, praise, honor, or splendor.” Thus, doxadzō means “to give praise” or “to give honor.”

 

Meaning Explained

The main purpose of this second letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Thessalonica was to clear up some false teaching in the church regarding the Day of the Lord. Having finished that portion of his teaching, Paul then prayed that God might comfort them and strengthen them in their faith.

Paul is ever mindful of the necessity and power of prayer. His letters are filled with prayers for others and prayer requests for himself and his companions. So, after having prayed for the Thessalonians, he now asks them to pray for him. We might wonder why the eminently successful apostle frequently asks for prayer, until we realize that the reason for his success is partly a result of these prayers. He knows that whatever success he has is not because of how great he is, but how great God is.

Notice, now, that the object of Paul’s prayers is never his own glorification, but that God might be glorified. In fact, if you read 2 Corinthians chapter twelve, you will see that he did not like to boast about himself, even though he had experienced visions and had been given revelations directly from God. As a matter of fact, he realized that God had allowed an affliction which Paul called his “thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him humbly focused on God and His glory. Paul pleaded with the Lord several times for his infirmity to be removed but recognized that God allowed it to keep him from getting too proud of himself. He even learned to boast about his infirmity, knowing that it was for God’s glory.

In his current prayer request, Paul asks the Thessalonian Christians to pray that the word of the Lord might move quickly. He wanted the gospel message to travel far and wide so that many souls might be saved, resulting in glory to God.

 

Application

Think about your own prayer requests. When you ask others to pray for you, is it so that you will feel better or so that you will be successful? Are your prayer requests focused on God being glorified, or are they focused on you? Ouch! That hurts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 3:1 – Pray For God’s Glory

Posted on by Will

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,

Truth to Learn

Our prayers need to focus on God’s glory, not our own.

Behind the Words

“Finally” is translated from loipos, meaning “that which remains,” “as to the rest,” or “finally.”

The word translated “pray” is proseuchomai, which is made up of pros, meaning “to” or “towards” and euchomai, which literally means “to speak out, to utter aloud, or to express a wish.” Therefore, proseuchomai means “to express a wish to someone” or “to speak out to someone.” In virtually every occurrence of this verb in the New Testament, the person being spoken to is God. The verb is expressed here in the imperative mood, expressing a command.

The words “may run swiftly” are from the verb trechō, meaning “to run.” The word “swiftly” has been added by the translators, indicated by its being written in italics. The emphasis here is for fast action. It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating possibility or probability.

The Greek verb doxadzō is translated as “be glorified.” The root of this word is doxa, which we saw in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, meaning “reputation, praise, honor, or splendor.” Thus, doxadzō means “to give praise” or “to give honor.”

Meaning Explained

The main purpose of this second letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Thessalonica was to clear up some false teaching in the church regarding the Day of the Lord. Having finished that portion of his teaching, Paul then prayed that God might comfort them and strengthen them in their faith.

Paul is ever mindful of the necessity and power of prayer. His letters are filled with prayers for others and prayer requests for himself and his companions. So, after having prayed for the Thessalonians, he now asks them to pray for him. We might wonder why the eminently successful apostle frequently asks for prayer, until we realize that the reason for his success is these prayers. He knows that whatever success he has is not because of how great he is, but how great God is.

Notice, now, that the object of Paul’s prayers is never his own glorification, but that God might be glorified. In fact, if you read 2 Corinthians chapter twelve, you will see that he did not like to boast about himself, even though he had experienced visions and had been given revelations directly from God. As a matter of fact, he realized that God had allowed an affliction which Paul called his “thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him humbly focused on God and His glory. Paul pleaded with the Lord several times for his infirmity to be removed but recognized that God allowed it to keep him from getting too proud of himself. He even learned to boast about his infirmity, knowing that it was for God’s glory.

In his current prayer request, Paul asks the Thessalonian Christians to pray that the word of the Lord might move quickly. He wanted the gospel message to travel far and wide so that many souls might be saved, resulting in glory to God.

Application

Think about your own prayer requests. When you ask others to pray for you, is it so that you will feel better or so that you will be successful? Are your prayer requests focused on God being glorified, or are they focused on you? Ouch! That hurts.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

Romans 9:16 – All His Doing

Posted on by Will

Romans 9:16 – All His Doing

So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all the praise and glory for our salvation.

Behind the Words

The word translated “wills” is a form of the Greek word thelō, which we have looked at before. It refers to a person’s will. But there is another Greek word which also refers to a person’s will. That word is boulomai. Thelō refers to a person’s determined will, whereas boulomai refers to a person’s desirous will. It is like a child being sent into a candy store with a limited amount of money. His (or her) desirous will is to have everything in the store. But the child determines (decides) to purchase what can be acquired with the money he or she has; this is the child’s determined will. The current verse uses thelō indicating that it is not the one deciding (determined will).

The word translated “runs” is the Greek word trechō, which means “to run” or “to walk hastily.” By implication it means “to run a course in an effort to achieve an objective.”

“Shows mercy” is from eleeō, which we looked at in yesterday’s verse. It refers to the act of showing mercy.

Meaning Explained

In the preceding few verses Paul talked about God’s loving some people and hating others, about God having mercy on some and not on others. He has made the point that God does so in complete righteousness because He is a holy and a righteous God who can do no evil. Paul now makes his first summary of these points. He says that the choosing is not about the one willing, nor the one running, but of God, the one showing mercy. It’s not about the person who determines or decides to get saved. Neither is it about the one who works hard to keep all the rules. It’s all about God determining who He will show mercy to.

In other words Paul is saying that salvation is not based on someone choosing to be saved nor is it about someone keeping all the rules or completing a course of action to earn righteousness. You see, both of these imply that a person deserves salvation because they did something to earn it. Instead, according to Paul, it is based on God showing mercy on someone who does not deserve it.

Here’s what Albert Barnes said about this:

Salvation in its beginning, its progress, and its close, is of him. He has a right, therefore, to bestow it when and where he pleases. All our mercies flow from his mere love and compassion, and not from our deserts. The essential idea here is, that God is the original fountain of all the blessings of salvation.

But Paul does not stop here. In the next verse he will use Pharaoh as an example of someone whose heart God hardened so that He could demonstrate His power.

Application

What we need to see in these verses is that God chooses some and not others so that He alone will get the glory. If salvation is in any way our doing, then we can take some credit for it. If we did something to obtain it, then we should get at least part of the credit. But God says that He wants to get all the credit. He wants all the glory and all the praise. Let’s give it all to Him!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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