Tag: xenos

Romans 16:23 – Give Your All

Posted on by Will

Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.

Truth to Learn

God wants us all to give liberally.

Behind the Words

“Host” is from the Greek word xenos, which literally means “a foreigner” or “a stranger.” It is often used to refer to “a friend who is not a family member.” By implication, it refers to “a guest” or “a host.” It is this latter sense in which it is used in today’s verse.

The word translated “treasurer” is oikonomos, made up of oikos, meaning “house” and nomos, derived from the verb nemō, meaning “to parcel out” or “to distribute.” It is, therefore, a reference to the one who distributes duties and wages within a household (see Luke 12:42 for an example given by Jesus). In other words, it refers to a house steward or a house manager. The fact that Gaius is said to be the oikonomos of the city implies that he is the steward, manager, or treasurer of the city of Corinth.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been including greetings from people with him in Corinth to the Christians in Rome. Today’s verse contains the final three people who send their greeting. The first of these three is Gaius. There are at least two people by that name mentioned in the New Testament. One of these was a Macedonian man who was with Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:29) and another was a man from Derbe, in Asia Minor who accompanied Paul in his travels there (Acts 20:4). We are also told that Paul personally baptized a man by the name of Gaius. There is one more mention of a man named Gaius in the New Testament. He is the one to whom the Apostle John wrote a personal letter (3 John 1:1).

What we do know about Gaius is that he was a very benevolent person. We know this because Paul refers to him as his host, implying that he provided lodging and food for the apostle while he was in Corinth. It is very likely that this is the Macedonian mentioned in Acts 19:29 and the one who Paul baptized. Paul tells us that Gaius also hosted the entire Corinthian church, probably providing a meeting place and financial support for the church there.

The next person that Paul mentions is Erastus. Here we are told that Erastus was the city manager or the city treasurer of Corinth. This implies that he, like Gaius, was a fairly wealthy person. In Acts 19:22 we are told that Paul sent Erastus and Timothy ahead into Macedonia while he finished business in Ephesus. Paul also told Timothy that he left Erastus in Corinth (2Timothy 4:20), so it is likely that all three of these references are of the same person named Erastus.

The final greeting included here is from a man names Quartus (Latin for “fourth”). All we know about him is that he was a brother in the faith.

Application

We know from Matthew 19:23 that it is difficult for a rich person to get saved. Here we see how two men used their wealth to strengthen the church, but God expects the rest of us to give just as liberally of our time, talents, and financial resources. If the widow of Mark 12:42-44 was willing to give all she had, how can we desire to do anything less?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2019 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:19 – Household Members

Posted on by Will

So, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Truth to Learn

Christians are part of God’s household and will live with Him for eternity.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “So” is ara, which is an inferential particle. That is, it indicates that an inference, or conclusion is being made. It is somewhat difficult to translate directly into English, but is often translated as “now,” “then,” “so,” “in conclusion,” or “truly.”

“Therefore” is from another Greek inferential particle, oun. This word is most often translated “therefore” or “certainly.”

The words “no longer” are translated from a single Greek word, ouketi. This is made up of ouk, meaning “not” and eti which refers to a duration of time. It is most often translated as “yet” or “still.” When these two words are combined they mean “not still” or “no longer.”

“Strangers” is the Greek word xenos, which we saw back in verse twelve. It refers to someone who is “a stranger” or “an alien.”

Paroikos is the Greek word translated “foreigners.” It is made up of para, meaning “by, beside, or near” and oikos, which refers to “a dwelling place” or “a house.” Thus, paroikos refers to “someone who lives nearby,” that is, “someone who lives in a nearby foreign country.” The strong implication here is that the foreigner is not of the household (see below).

“Fellow citizens” is translated from the Greek word sumpolitēs. This word is made up of sun, meaning “together’ or “together with” and politēs (from which we get our English word “politics”), meaning “citizen.”

Hagios is the word translated “saints.” The fundamental idea behind this word is “separation from one thing and consecration to another.” Throughout the New Testament, this word is used to refer to those who have been separated from the world (world system) and consecrated to God.

The word “household” is from oikeios, which is derived from oikos, meaning “a house” or “a household.” Thus, oikeios means “a member of a household.”

 

Meaning Explained

As we saw above, the opening words of this verse indicate a conclusion is being drawn. In this case, the two words ara oun, are best translated as “So then” or “so therefore” as we have in our translation here. Some translations have this as “Now, therefore” which can be a little confusing. Paul is not saying “Now” as opposed to “previously.” He is simply summarizing what he has been teaching. This summary takes us back to verse twelve, where Paul said that we were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise.”

Paul has been teaching us about how the blood of Jesus Christ and faith in His death on the cross as payment for our sins has broken down the dividing wall between the Gentiles and Jews. By breaking down this wall, we are at peace with the Jews and with God, and we have access to God the Father through the Holy Spirit. So, therefore …

We are no longer strangers from the covenants of promise and we are no longer foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel. Instead, we are fellow citizens of a holy nation with all the saints. “Saints” is a reference to all those whom God has declared righteous through faith, from the time of Adam to the present day. And, not only are we fellow citizens of that holy nation, we are now members of God’s household. That means that when we leave this life and “go home” it will be to God’s home.

 

Application

As Christians, we have so many precious promises that will help us endure this life of service to God. One of the greatest promises, however, is that when this life is over, we will live with Him in His home forever. What a blessing!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 2:19 – Household Members

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:19  – Household Members

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Truth to Learn

Christians are part of God’s household and will live with Him for eternity.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Now” is ara, which is an inferential particle. That is, it indicates that an inference, or conclusion is being made. It is somewhat difficult to translate directly into English, but is often translated as “now,” “then,” “so be,” “in conclusion,” or “truly.”

“Therefore” is from another Greek inferential particle, oun. This word is most often translated “therefore” or “certainly.”

The words “no longer” are translated from a single Greek word, ouketi. This is made up of ouk, meaning “not” and eti which refers to a duration of time. It is most often translated as “yet” or “still.” When these two words are combined they mean “not still” or “no longer.”

“Strangers” is the Greek word xenos, which we saw back in verse twelve. It refers to someone who is “a stranger” or “an alien.”

Paroikos is the Greek word translated “foreigners.” It is made up of para, meaning “by, beside, or near” and oikos, which refers to “a dwelling place” or “a house.” Thus, paroikos refers to “someone who lives nearby,” that is, “someone who lives in a nearby foreign country.”

Meaning Explained

As we saw above, the opening words of this verse indicate a conclusion is being drawn. In this case, the two words ara oun, are best translated as “So then,” That’s the basic meaning of “Now, therefore” as we have in our translation here (New King James Version). Paul is not saying “Now” as opposed to “previously.” He is simply summarizing what he has been teaching. This summary takes us back to verse twelve, where Paul said that we were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise.”

Paul has been teaching us about how the blood of Jesus Christ and faith in His death on the cross as payment for our sins has broken down the dividing wall between the Gentiles and Jews. By breaking down this wall, we are at peace with the Jews and with God and we have access to God the Father through the Holy Spirit. So then …

We are no longer strangers from the covenants of promise and we are no longer foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel. Instead, we are fellow citizens of a holy nation with all the saints. “Saints” is a reference to all those whom God has declared righteous through faith, from the time of Adam to the present day. And, not only are we fellow citizens of that holy nation, we are now members of God’s household. That means that when we leave this life and “go home” it will be to God’s home.

Application

As Christians, we have so many precious promises that will help us endure this life of service to God. One of the greatest promises, however, is that when this life is over, we will live with Him in His home forever. What a blessing!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Ephesians 2:12 – Without Hope?

Posted on by Will

Ephesians 2:12  – Without Hope?

that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Truth to Learn

Through faith in Christ we are no longer without hope.

Behind the Words

The word “without” is translated from the Greek word chōris, which means “without” or “separated from.”

“Being aliens” is from the verb apallotrioō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “apart from” and allotrioō, meaning “to alienate” or “to separate from.” Thus, this word means “to be completely separated from.”

“Commonwealth” is translated from politeia (from which we get our English word politics). It is indirectly derived from polis, meaning “a city.” Politeia refers to a community or commonwealth of citizens.

Xenos is the Greek word translated “strangers.” It refers to someone who is not a citizen of a commonwealth.

The words “without God” are from atheos, which is made up of a, meaning “not” or “without” and theos, which is the Greek word for “god.” Therefore, we see that atheos refers to someone “without God” or “Godless.”

“Hope” is translated from the Greek word elpis, which refers to more than just a wish. It is “a hope for something with the full expectation that it will happen.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul noted that before we were saved we were called “the uncircumcision” by the Jews, because we were not part of the covenant that God made with them through Abraham. Even though the Jewish faith had degenerated into a works oriented religion, they still were the recipients of God’s covenant because they were descendants of Abraham.

Paul now expands on what he has just said. He tells us that before we were saved, we were without Christ. That’s pretty obvious. But, he also tells us that we were not part of the political entity called Israel either. The significance of this is that only Israel was privy to the covenant. Now, we have to ask, what covenant is Paul talking about?

Shortly after the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God was poured out, Peter preached a message to the Jews in the temple area. As part of that message, he said:

You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, “and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Acts 3:25)

This is the covenant referred to by Paul, the promise of a Messiah. Before the coming of Christ, we were outside the commonwealth to whom the promise was made. Therefore, before Christ, we were without hope and we were without God. We were alone in the world system.

Application

Before we were saved, we were hopelessly lost and destined for eternal punishment in Hell. But now, through faith in the blood of Christ, we have hope and the assurance that we will spend eternity in God’s holy presence. There is hope for us!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 16:23 – Give Your All

Posted on by Will

Romans 16:23 – Give Your All

Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.

Truth to Learn

God wants us all to give liberally.

Behind the Words

“Host” is from the Greek word xenos, which literally means “a foreigner” or “a stranger.” It is often used to refer to “a friend who is not a family member.” By implication, it refers to “a guest” or “a host.” It is this latter sense in which it is used in today’s verse.

The word translated “treasurer” is oikonomos, made up of oikos, meaning “house” and nomos, derived from the verb nemō, meaning “to parcel out” or “to distribute.” It is, therefore, a reference to the one who distributes duties and wages within a household (see Luke 12:42 for an example given by Jesus). In other words, it refers to a house steward or a house manager. The fact that Gaius is said to be the oikonomos of the city implies that he is the steward, manager, or treasurer of the city of Corinth.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been including greetings from people with him in Corinth to the Christians in Rome. Today’s verse contains the final three people who send their greeting. The first of these three is Gaius. There are at least two people by that name mentioned in the New Testament. One of these was a Macedonian man who was with Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:29) and another was a man from Derbe, in Asia Minor who accompanied Paul in his travels there (Acts 20:4). We are also told that Paul personally baptized a man by the name of Gaius. There is one more mention of a man named Gaius in the New Testament. He is the one to whom the Apostle John wrote a personal letter (3John 1:1).

What we do know about Gaius is that he was a very benevolent person. We know this because Paul refers to him as his host, implying that he provided lodging and food for the apostle while he was in Corinth. It is very likely that this is the Macedonian mentioned in Acts 19:29 and the one who Paul baptized. Paul tells us that Gaius also hosted the entire Corinthian church, probably providing a meeting place and financial support for the church there.

The next person that Paul mentions is Erastus. Here we are told that Erastus was the city manager or the city treasurer of Corinth. This implies that he, like Gaius, was a fairly wealthy person. In Acts 19:22 we are told that Paul sent Erastus and Timothy ahead into Macedonia while he finished business in Ephesus. Paul also told Timothy that he left Erastus in Corinth (2Timothy 4:20), so it is likely that all three of these references are of the same person named Erastus.

The final greeting included here is from a man names Quartus (Latin for “fourth”). All we know about him is that he was a brother in the faith.

Application

We know from Matthew 19:23 that it is difficult for a rich person to get saved. Here we see how two men used their wealth to strengthen the church, but God expects the rest of us to give just as liberally of our time, talents, and financial resources. If the widow of Mark 12:42-44 was willing to give all she had, how can we desire to do anything less?

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: