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For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n God deserves all our praise for only He is worthy.<\/p>\n There is a three-fold expression that Paul uses in the first part of this verse which is very simple and yet profound. In the Greek Paul says ex autou kai di autou kai eis autou ta panta<\/em><\/span>. Let\u2019s look at this in detail.<\/p>\n The word kai<\/em> <\/span>simply means \u201cand\u201d and the word autou<\/em> <\/span>means \u201chim, that is, in relation to him or with respect to him.\u201d Next, let\u2019s look at the three words ex<\/em><\/span>, di<\/em><\/span>, and eis<\/em><\/span>. All three of these are prepositions. The first, ex<\/em> <\/span>is a form of ek<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cfrom\u201d or \u201cout of,\u201d implying that He is the source. The second preposition is di<\/em><\/span>, a contraction of dia<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cthrough, either as movement or as the instrument of action.\u201d Finally, the third preposition is eis<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cinto\u201d or \u201cunto.\u201d Paul then finishes the first phrase with the two words, ta panta<\/em><\/span> which mean \u201call things,\u201d or \u201ceverything.\u201d Thus, Paul says that all things originate with God, He is the instrument of action for all events, and all things will culminate in Him.<\/p>\n \u201cGlory<\/span>\u201d is translated from doxa<\/em><\/span>, from which we get our English word doxology. It is derived from the verb doke\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cthought or opinion, particularly favorable human opinion.\u201d Thus, we see that doxa<\/em> <\/span>means \u201cdignity, glory, or honor.\u201d This word is sometimes translated as \u201cpraise\u201d or \u201cworship,\u201d since that is the highest possible form of favorable human opinion.<\/p>\n The Greek expression translated \u201cforever<\/span>\u201d is eis tous ai\u014dnas<\/em><\/span>. This literally means \u201cunto the ages\u201d or \u201cforever.\u201d<\/p>\n Putting this all together we see that this verse says: All things come from God, are created and sustained by God, and ultimately belong to God. Therefore, He alone should receive our praise both now and forever! Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n Paul ends this chapter of Romans with a doxology that we would all do well to meditate on. He says that everything which exists, both physical and spiritual, has its source in God and God alone. Everything that is, exists through God\u2019s instrumentality, that is, it has come into being as a result of His creative action. Finally, everything that exists belongs to God and will be laid at His feet, and all creatures will give Him the glory. We see this in the heavenly scene painted for us by the Apostle John in the book of the Revelation:<\/p>\n the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”<\/span> (Revelation 4:10-11<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n And every creature which is in heaven an<\/span>d on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and<\/span> power <\/span>be<\/em> <\/span>to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”<\/span> (Revelation 5:13<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n Application<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Think about that as you celebrate Christmas this year!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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