Tag: unruly

1 Thessalonians 5:14 – Caution, Support, and Patience

Posted on by Will

And we exhort you, brothers, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all.

Truth to Learn

We all need to patiently work toward peace in the church.

 

Behind the Words

The word “exhort” is from parakaleō, meaning “to encourage, challenge, or comfort.”

“Warn” is translated from noutheteō, which was translated as “admonish” a couple of verses ago. It means “to put in mind,” “to caution,” or “to reprove.”

“Unruly” is from the Greek word ataktos. This is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and a form of the verb tassō, meaning “to arrange in an orderly manner.” Thus, ataktos literally means “disorderly.”

The word translated “comfort” is paramutheomai, which is made up of para, meaning “alongside” or “near” and the verb form of muthos (a myth or story), meaning “to relate a story.” Paramutheomai means “to speak kindly or soothingly.”

“Fainthearted” is translated from oligopsuchos. This word is made up of oligos, meaning “small or little” and phuchē, meaning “soul.”

Anthechō is the Greek word translated “support.” It is composed of anti, meaning “against” and echo, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” So, literally this word means “to hold close.”

“Be patient” is from makrothumeō, from makros, meaning “long” and thumos, meaning “anger.” It means “to be long-suffering or patient.”

 

Meaning Explained

At the end of yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be at peace with each other (referring to Christians); however, being at peace (or making peace) is an active process, not a passive one. Here, Paul gives us some ideas regarding how we can make peace. Notice, first of all, that he doesn’t say, “Just ignore problems that are in the church.” When we see problems in the church we are to take positive, loving action.

The first issue that Paul addresses is members who are unruly or disorderly. In 1 Corinthians 14:33, Paul contrasted confusion (or disorder) with peace. Those who are disorderly, cause confusion and strife. We need to caution such people and remind them of the need for order and peace within the church.

The second issue that Paul addresses is faintheartedness. These people lack courage or conviction to pursue what is right. They tend to just “give-in and give-up” when faced with opposition. We need to speak kindly to such people and remind them that doing things God’s way is always the right way.

The third issue involves those who are weak. This word is usually applied to those who are physically weak. We are to put effort into lending support to those who are weak, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

In each of these situations, however, we are to be patient with those who cause problems. That doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, rather giving loving support and guidance even when the problem recurs over and over again.

 

Application

Making peace within the church is a full time job and it is to be done in a kind, loving way just as our Lord would do.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 3:8 – Poisonous Tongue

Posted on by Will

But no man is able to tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Truth to Learn

Although men have managed to tame every kind of wild animal, no man can tame the tongue.

Behind the Words

“No man” is translated from oudeis anthrōpōn, which literally means “not one of men.” There is not one human being who can tame the tongue, his own or anyone else’s.

The word translated “unruly” is akataschetos, which means “unrestrainable.” There is a variant reading on this word with some texts using the word akatastatos, meaning “unsettled” or “unstable.” Whichever is the proper reading, it is nonetheless clear that the tongue cannot be completely controlled.

The word “evil” is from kakos, which literally means “worthless.” It refers to that which is intrinsically or inherently worthless, bad, or evil.

“Full” is from the Greek word mestos, which means “stuffed completely full.” It is the picture of a vessel that is filled to the brim without any room for anything more.

The word translated “deadly” is thanatēphoros, which is a compound word made up of thanatos, meaning “death” and a form of pherō, meaning “to bring” or “to bear.” Hence, it refers to something which brings death.

Though it may appear in our English translation that evil is full of deadly poison, the Greek construction makes it clear that James is referring to the tongue as being full of deadly poison.

Meaning Explained

In spite of mankind’s ability to tame all the wild animals, no one can completely tame the tongue, according to James. This is not to say that it is never brought under control for a time, but eventually our tongue gets us all in trouble. The way it bites is like a poisonous snake.

The Apostle Paul, quoting from Psalms 5:9 said a similar thing in his letter to the Romans:

“their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they used deceit”; “the poison of asps is under their lips” (Romans 3:13)

And the Psalmist, in Psalms 140:3 said:

They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips.

How many times has someone said something to you that hurt deeply, whether they intended it that way or not? And which one of us has not experienced a time when we said something out of the emotion of the moment, only to regret it as soon as the words were out of our mouth. “Oh, I wish I hadn’t said that,” we tell ourselves, wishing we could control our tongue.

Keep in mind that James is not saying that we can’t control our tongue, therefore we shouldn’t try. He is saying that with God’s help we need to work especially hard at controlling the tongue because it is such an unruly thing!

Application

Let us all take a few minutes in prayer right now and ask God to help us control our tongue. May our words be a blessing to God and to others, and may we give the praise to God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Thessalonians 5:14 – Caution, Support, and Patience

Posted on by Will

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

Truth to Learn

We all need to patiently work toward peace in the church.

Behind the Words

The word “exhort” is from parakaleō, meaning “to encourage, challenge, or comfort.”

“Warn” is translated from noutheteō, which was translated as “admonish” a couple of verses ago. It means “to put in mind,” “to caution,” or “to reprove.”

“Unruly” is from the Greek word ataktos. This is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and a form of the verb tassō, meaning “to arrange in an orderly manner.” Thus, ataktos literally means “disorderly.”

The word translated “comfort” is paramutheomai, which is made up of para, meaning “alongside” or “near” and the verb form of muthos (a myth or story), meaning “to relate a story.” Paramutheomai means “to speak kindly or soothingly.”

“Fainthearted” is translated from oligopsuchos. This word is made up of oligos, meaning “small or little” and phuchē, meaning “soul.”

Anthecō is the Greek word translated “uphold.” It is composed of anti, meaning “against” and echo, meaning “to have” or “to hold.” So, literally this word means “to hold close.”

“Be patient” is from makrothumeō, from makros, meaning “long” and thumos, meaning “anger.” It means “to be long-suffering or patient.”

Meaning Explained

At the end of yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be at peace with each other (referring to Christians); however, being at peace (or making peace) is an active process, not a passive one. Here, Paul gives us some ideas regarding how we can make peace. Notice, first of all, that he doesn’t say, “Just ignore problems that are in the church.” When we see problems in the church we are to take positive, loving action.

The first issue that Paul addresses is members who are unruly or disorderly. In 1 Corinthians 14:33, Paul contrasted confusion (or disorder) with peace. Those who are disorderly, cause confusion and strife. We need to caution such people and remind them of the need for order and peace within the church.

The second issue that Paul addresses is faintheartedness. These people lack courage or conviction to pursue what is right. They tend to just “give-in and give-up” when faced with opposition. We need to speak kindly to such people and remind them that doing things God’s way is always the right way.

The third issue involves those who are weak. This word is usually applied to those who are physically weak. We are to put effort into lending support to those who are weak, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

In each of these situations, however, we are to be patient with those who cause problems. That doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, rather giving loving support and guidance even when the problem recurs over and over again.

Application

Making peace within the church is a full time job and it is to be done in a kind, loving way just as our Lord would do.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved