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Joy and Grace

02 Monday Aug 2021

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A few weeks ago, one of the teachers at the church I attend via Zoom said, “We stand and fall by our definitions”.  That struck me and I wrote it down.  I have been thinking how true that statement is.  While conducting my study on The Fruit of the Spirit, I realized my belief in the meaning of a word also meant I brought that preconceived idea to scripture.  Of course I knew what patience was, what peace was, what joy was, etc. because I understood the definitions of all these words.  I had barely begun my study before I realized how incorrect that assumption was: I didn’t really know what these words meant at all.

I have been meaning to look at the meaning of the Grace of God because I came across a statement while studying The Fruit of the Spirit: Joy.  I was looking up joy in The Dictionary of New Testament Theology and read this: “Also to be noted is the etymological connection with charis (grace) which has not always been clearly distinguished in meaning from chara.”1 In a brief review: Joy in the Greek is chara (G5479).  It comes from the root word chairo (G5463) which is a primary verb meaning “to be cheerful”.  I did make a note of the connection but, as I was studying joy and not grace, I didn’t pursue it further.

A little time passed and then, while watching one of his teachings, I heard Malcolm Smith say that grace and joy shared a root word.  My attention was caught.  I remembered the statement I’d read and how I meant to take a further look at grace.  And then I got busy with other studies and it went onto a back burner.  Then I saw a post on Instagram which brought the statement, “we stand and fall by our definitions” back to the forefront of my mind.  The Post was by Dictionary.com and said, “True or False?  Grace means having moral, not physical, strength”.  I had to read that a few times because I had not ever defined grace as strength: moral or physical.  My answer would thus be “false” but I realized I wasn’t certain.  I had intended to look up the meaning of grace but had gotten sidetracked.  I would be sidetracked no longer.  I got to work.

The church world I’ve been part of has defined grace for me as “unmerited favor” and I’ve never questioned that.  Perhaps I should have done because, as I read through the scriptures listed under Grace in the Strong’s Concordance while substituting “unmerited favor”, I find the scriptures cease to make sense.  I could not come boldly before the throne of “unmerited favor” nor does it make sense that, in doing so, I would find the “unmerited favor” to help in time of need (Hebrews. 4:16).  It does not make sense that His “unmerited favor” would be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) nor does it make sense that, in describing Jesus, Luke’s Gospel would say “the unmerited favor of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40).  How can Paul say he does not frustrate the “unmerited favor” of God (Galatians 2:21) or tell the Galatians they have fallen from “unmerited favor” (Galatians 5:4)?

As an interesting experiment (because Dictionary.com might know something I do not), I read through the list using “strength”.  That didn’t make much sense either although I did find the idea of strength in some of the scriptures.  In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul does say, “according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power” (Ephesians 3:7) and he does tell Timothy to, “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).  So then my answer to Dictionary.com’s mini quiz is no longer unequivocally “false” but then neither is my answer “true”.  We stand and fall by our definitions.  That being so, what does grace really mean?

My trusty New World Dictionary gives me quite an extensive definition.  I won’t share the entire entry for the sake of space but I find grace defined as: pleasing quality, favor, thanks, to lift up the voice in praise, an attractive quality, a sense of what is right or proper, thoughtfulness toward others, good will, mercy, clemency, etc.  Under definition number 10 I do find “the unmerited love and favor of God toward man”.2

The Strong’s Concordance doesn’t necessarily disagree with the dictionary but I do not find any definition of unmerited favor, or strength for that matter.  The Strong’s Concordance entry for charis (G5485) is: from 5463; graciousness (as gratifying) of manner or act (abstr. Or concr,; lit., fig., or spiritual; espec. the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life; incl. gratitude), acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace (-cious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, worthy)”.3 I repeat, there is nothing here to suggest grace means “unmerited favor”.  And, it is interesting to note grace does come from the root word chairo (G5463) which is a primary verb meaning “to be cheerful”.  Grace and Joy are related to each other.  These two words are not interchangeable but, because they are members of the same word family, they have a common feature, pattern, or meaning.4 This is definitely a time to Selah: pause and calmly think of that!

What conclusion do I draw?  I go back to the list of scriptures in the concordance and read them again, this time plugging in Strong’s definition, especially the words “the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life”.  I thrill at Paul’s greeting in his letters.  “Grace be to you and peace from God…” I read through the scriptures and know that I am just beginning to understand the Grace of God.  I read through the scriptures and am reminded of Ezekiel 36 verses 25-27: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” 

John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”  This is what I see as the Grace of God.  It is a revelation of His heart.  It is summed up in Jesus Christ.  It is His free gift to me in His Spirit.  It is God keeping the promise He made in Ezekiel.  The Grace of God is Him keeping all His promises. He has His own joy and that too He freely gives to me.

Is it unmerited?  Of course.  I can’t begin to fathom the heart of God much less begin to think I deserved any of His gifts.  But then, He keeps His promises because of who He is, not because of anything I could ever do or not do.  All I can do is say, “Yes.  Thank you.  I receive it.  Hallelujah!  Amen.”

And Amen.

Unless noted otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

References

  1. Brown, Colin, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, Joy, Page 356
  2. Guralnik, David B., Webster’s New World Dictionary of The American Language, William Collins+World Publishing Company, Cleveland-New York, 1974
  3. Strong, James, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990
  4. “Word Family”, What is a Word Family? | Word Families | Examples (twinkl.com)

Fruit of the Spirit-Self-Control

07 Monday Jun 2021

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“But of the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control” Galatians 5:22-23

I must admit I dislike the translators’ choice of “self-control” in this passage.  The King James has “temperance” which I don’t find to be any better of a translation than “self-control”.  Knowing this final item in the Apostle Paul’s list pertains to the Holy Spirit, I was looking for a word that reflected action of the Holy Spirit rather than action on the part of the human.  Regardless of what translation I looked at, I didn’t find it.

Looking into the Greek was very little help.  The word is egkrateia (G1466) and carries the definition of self-control.  Strong’s Concordance pointed me to egkrates (G1468) which means “strong in a thing”.  I can see being strong in the Spirit as a meaning here but it isn’t the only meaning and I don’t want to bend this definition to fit what I believe it should say.  I am not ever looking to do that.  I want to know the truth of Jesus.  I don’t want to study to reinforce what I think.  The definitions in Strong’s point to the word here meaning self-control, self-mastery, being in strength, having dominion.  The meaning does appear to be mastery over one’s self.

And yet, as I continued my study using different Bible Dictionaries, I found the writers thought it was obvious that the self-control mentioned in this passage was a work of the Holy Spirit.  Vine’s Expository Dictionary says, “The various powers bestowed by God upon man are capable of abuse; the right use demands the controlling power of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God.”1  Hastings’ Bible Dictionary says, “From the NT point of view, the grace of ‘self-control’ is the result of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling; it is the Spirit-controlled personality alone that is ‘strengthened with power’ (Eph 316 cf. 518) to control rebellious desires and to resist the allurements of tempting pleasures.”2   At the conclusion of the entry on temperance, Hastings’ Dictionary says, “The flesh triumphs when the Spirit is quenched; but the Spirit’s victory is gained, not by suppressing, but by controlling the flesh.  Those who are ‘led by the Spirit’ who ‘live by the Spirit’ and ‘by the Spirit also walk’ attain, in its perfection, the grace of complete ‘self-control”.3

It is this last quote that has arrested me.  It got me thinking about the difference between suppressing and controlling the flesh.  By suppressing it, isn’t it controlled?  Aren’t I saying the same thing just using different words?  I admit, I was confused.  That is, until I had an experience that helped me see the difference.

I’ve mentioned good works in earlier posts and the difference between doing works for Jesus and doing works out of the flow of the life of Jesus.  This doesn’t mean I don’t expect opposition and obstacles-I see these things as opportunities for growth-and they do not prevent me from pursuing the calling placed in my heart.  Then, last week, circumstances changed and it became impossible for me to pursue that calling.  I was confused, bitterly disappointed, and shed quite a few tears but there was nothing for it but to do what had been put in my hand to do.  I did not want to do it and yet there was an awareness deep inside, a knowing that yes, this is what I was meant to do in this moment. 

This knowing did not stop my mind from erupting in outright rebellion.  My thoughts did remind me, I’m sad to say, of a temper tantrum.  They were all negative and geared to make me doubt my own relationship with Jesus and ability to hear His voice.  After all, if I had really heard and was really walking and living in His Spirit, my circumstances would look a lot different, wouldn’t they?  Since I had so obviously failed God, I should give up entirely.  I had no control over the thoughts swirling in my mind.  I could answer them and did so but was in a fight.  If I had continued to attempt to control my thoughts on my own, I would have ended in a terrible state.  Rather, I labored to enter into the rest of, no matter what happened even in the next minute, I would rest in the knowledge that right now I was doing what my Lord wanted me to do. 

I am quoting Hebrews 4:11 and the word for labor (spoudazo G4704) means to hurry, hasten. When I engaged my negative thoughts on my own, I found my response was equally negative, even when I used the word of God.  Once I stopped fighting in my own strength and submitted to the plan of God for me in that moment, all those swirling thoughts stopped.  In the rest of Jesus, the power of His Spirit, I had self-control.  I ended up having an enjoyable day.  I don’t have any idea why the day happened the way it did because I wasn’t aware of any great Spiritual Happenings but I figure that’s up to Jesus.  I don’t doubt I’ve only begun to learn lessons from that experience but I know one is, when I hasten to enter His rest, I immediately experience His peace. The battle truly belongs to Him.

I am reminded of Romans 7 and Galatians 5.  In his letter to the Galatians the Apostle Paul says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Verse 17).  In Romans 7, Paul says, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Verses 22-24)

At best, I can make good choices and suppress my flesh.  It might look like self-control and self-mastery but I have no power to stop my flesh from wanting to do a thing, I can only choose not to do it.  My self-control is never perfect.  Am I then doomed to this double existence?  Do I have nothing more to look forward to but endless warfare between the Spirit and the flesh?

“But!” Paul says in Galatians 5 and then contrasts the works of the flesh with the works of the Spirit.  He then says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Verse 25).  “I thank God!” Paul says in Romans 7.  “Through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Verse 25) No! The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.  I am, in all things, made more than a conqueror through Him who loves me (Romans 8:37, paraphrased).  Jesus forming His life in me is a process, I don’t deny that, but He who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).  I say along with the Apostle Paul, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). 

Even so, Come Lord Jesus. 

Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

  1. Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville Tennessee, 1997, Temperance, Temperate, Page 1126
  2. Hastings, James, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2001, Temperance, Page 897
  3. Hastings, James, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2001, Temperance, Page 898

Fruit of the Spirit-Gentleness

24 Monday May 2021

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness” Galatians 5:22-23

The New King James Version I quote from most often has “gentleness” in this passage but I am used to hearing and quoting “meekness”.  “Gentleness” is without doubt a more positive word choice but it is “meekness” I find in the King James and Amplified versions.  It is the word I find most interesting in this list of Spirit Fruit because it is the one that carries the most negative connotation.

What do you think of when you think of meekness?  I mentioned in an earlier post how literature forms my understanding of words and, thinking on books I’ve read, I cannot think of one time where a character was described as “meek” and it was meant to be positive.  A “meek” character is a “weak” character and is someone to be mocked rather than emulated.  This cannot be what the Bible means.  Moses is called “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, KJV) and I do not read of a weak man in his story.  Jesus calls Himself “meek and lowly of heart” (Matthew 11:29, KJV) and I do not read of a weak man in the gospels.  If Jesus were weak, spiritless, spineless, and easily imposed on-all words I’ve found used to define meek-He would have been no threat to the rulers of His day.

I did hope the dictionary definitions would help clarify the meaning of meek for me but they did not.  The New World Dictionary gives the first definition of meek as 1, patient and mild; not inclined to anger and resentment and then 2, too submissive, easily imposed on; spineless, spiritless.  Webster’s give me “humble and patient, submissive”; not necessarily a negative attribute of a weak character but not necessarily positive either. 

Looking at the Greek was also of little help.  The Greek word for meekness in the Galatians passage is praotes (G4236) and the Strong’s Concordance defines it as, “gentleness, humility, meekness.”  None of the related words, praos (G4235), praus (G4239), and prautes (G4240) offered any enlightenment.  The definitions do not go beyond “gentle, gentleness, humble, humility, meek, meekness.”  Not a great deal of new information here so I went to my reference materials.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary defined meekness as, “…in the scriptural sense is an inwrought grace of the soul and the exercises of it are first and chiefly toward God” and then quotes Trench’s Synonyms saying, “The Greek term ‘expresses that temper or spirit in which we accept his dealings with us without disputing and resisting; and it is loosely lined with humility and follows close upon it (Eph. 4:2, Col 3:13) because it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God.”

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines meekness in a similar way.  The entry for MEEK, MEEKNESS says: “PRAUTES, or PRAOTES, an earlier form, denotes meekness.  In its use in Scripture in which it has a fuller, deeper significance than in non-scriptural Greek writings, it consists not in a person’s outward behavior only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow men; as little in his mere natural disposition.  Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God.  It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting”.

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary did not care for “gentleness” as a definition for meekness neither did it suggest prautes/praotes had any inference of weakness: “The meaning of prautes is not readily expressed in English, for the terms meekness, mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness…whereas prautes does nothing of the kind…’gentleness’ has been suggested but as prautes describes a condition of mind and heart,  and as ‘gentleness’ is appropriate rather to actions, this word is no better than that used in both English Versions.” 

While none of these entries gave me a clear idea what meekness means, I did begin to see a pattern emerge.  I found that I was defining meekness for myself as submission to God, but a submission flowing from relationship.  I looked to the lives of Moses and Jesus to see if this definition held and I believe it does.

There is a beautiful statement expressing the relationship between Moses and God in Exodus 33:11; “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”  Moses’ story is full of speaking to God, listening to God speak, and then obeying: relationship.  And yet, Moses’ didn’t always obey.  The word of the Lord came to him to speak to the rock and instead Moses struck it.  This disobedience cost him the Promised Land (Numbers 20).  Moses’ story is one of a mighty man and one of an incredible relationship with God, and yet this relationship was not perfect: something more was needed.

Jesus is the example of perfect submission and obedience to God.  He says of Himself, ““For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49) and also “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19).  John 5: 20 says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”  Jesus was submitted to His Father because of love even though that love took Him to the cross.

I would encourage the reading of the stories of Jesus’ arrest: Matthew 26: 50-57 (especially verse 53), Mark 14: 43-50, Luke 22: 47-54, and John 18: 3-12 (especially verse 6).  There isn’t space in this post to go into why the cross and why God didn’t/couldn’t choose another way to deal with sin but I hope you can see reading these passages that nothing happened that Jesus didn’t anticipate and allow.  He was submitted to His Father’s will and He was anything but weak.

With Jesus’ Spirit within us, we have His same love relationship to the Father. His Spirit at work in us means we can keep ourselves in perfect submission and obedience to the voice of The Father.  This obedience is always our choice and I don’t pretend it’s easy.  His voice is at odds with the voices we hear in the world.  There are so many demands for our attention, time, and activity.  Good works need to be done and we’re the ones who need to be doing them.  But, our ears are inclined toward the voice of Our Father, we must be about His business, and we only do what we see the Father doing.

“Spineless,” the world calls us.  “Spiritless.”  “Weak.”  These words hurt, especially when they come from someone close to us.  We know we are none of these things in Christ Jesus: we are meek.  One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 30:15: “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’ But you would not.”

I will.  His Spirit within me strengthens me to choose Him as Jesus chose Him and the cry of my heart becomes, “I delight to do your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)!

Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

References:

The Comparative Study Bible, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984

Guralnik, David B., The New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, William Collins + World Publishing Company, Cleveland • New York, 1976

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990

Unger, Merrill F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1982, Page 709

Vine, W.E., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1997, Pages 727-728

Webster’s New Reference Library: An Encyclopedia of Dictionaries, Webster’s New Dictionary of the English Language, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1984 

Fruit of the Spirit-Faithfulness

17 Monday May 2021

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“The fruit of the Spirit is…faithfulness” Galatians 5:22

I was certain I knew how this week’s study would go.  I know what “faithfulness” means.  Indeed, when I went to my dictionary, I anticipated no surprises. Nor did I find any, except that “faithfulness” didn’t appear in my dictionary on its own but at the end of the entry for “faithful”.  No matter.  There were no surprises in the definition of “faithful”: keeping faith, maintaining allegiance to someone or something; constant; loyal.  That is God, I said to myself, and knew what scriptures I would use to declare His faithfulness.

Well, He is faithful and faithfulness but that isn’t the word used for this particular aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in the original Greek.  The Greek word here is pistis (G4102) and it means faith.  If faithful, or even faithfulness was meant, the Greek word pistos (G4103) would have been used.  I had to double check with The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament and the fruit of the Spirit is pistis-faith.  What’s the big deal?  Am I getting nitpicky?  I don’t think so because I am aware of controversy surrounding the meaning of faith.

I looked up “faith” in two separate dictionaries and found the same definition.  The definition in The New World Dictionary of the American Language does start out with the word’s origins which include fides (Latin) meaning confidence, belief.  No controversy here.  But then, the first definition is “unquestioning belief that does not require proof”.  The World Book Dictionary puts the word origins at the end of the entry and starts with “a believing without proof”.  I have to read down to definition #5 in The New World Dictionary before I find a semblance of what is meant by “faith” in the Bible: complete trust, confidence, or reliance.  The World Book Dictionary does eventually give me “confidence, reliance” as well.  Confidence, trust, and reliance is not possible without proof. 

I am going to set pistis and its meaning aside for the moment and ask myself the question, does the Bible require me to have blind faith-faith based on no evidence whatsoever?  I cannot see that it does.  Quite the opposite.  In his first epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul tells them to “test all things: hold fast what is good” (1 Thes. 5:21).  In his second letter to Timothy, Paul says, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing–rightly handling and skillfully teaching–the Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, Amplified).  I’ve already written posts on 1 John 4 but this is an excellent chapter on the necessity of testing as is Romans 12:2.  The expectation of the New Testament writers was that believers would be active in their beliefs, investigators, and would not blindly follow after anyone. 

Neither do I find an inference of blind following in the original Greek.  The definition of pistis is: persuasion, credence, conviction, assurance, belief, faith, fidelity.  I do agree a person can have all of these things without proof or evidence but the root of pistis is peitho (G3982) and contains the meaning “to assent (to evidence or authority).” No blind following is inferred here.

There are voices today who insist there is no evidence for even the existence of God and that, because that is so, my faith is not only blind I hold to it in the face of evidence proving the opposite.  That is not true.  My faith is based on evidence.  Greater minds than mine have done this work: minds like Dr. John Lennox, Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, and Dr. David Berlinski for the science-minded among you.  There are so many other men and women, brilliant minds, who believe in God and did not have to set aside their intellects to do so.  I encourage anyone and everyone to test, investigate, study, and decide for yourself.  Do not blindly follow anyone.

While I am grateful for the scientists, philosophers, and theologians I have read over the years who have shown me I am not irrational for believing in God, I have the very best proof of my faith in another source.  That is, of course, God Himself.  The word pistis is relational.  The Dictionary of New Testament Theology tells me the following about “faith”:

“The words dealt with here are basically concerned with that personal relationship with a person or thing which is established by trust and trustworthiness (including their negation).  If this relationship comes about through persuasion or conviction, the vb. peithomai is used.  The perf. tense pepoitha expresses the firm conviction and confidence that has come about.  The words of the pistis group are derived from the same verbal stem.  They denoted originally the faithful relationship of partners in an agreement and the trustworthiness of their promises.  In a broader sense, they came to denote the credibility of statements, reports, and accounts in general, both sacred and secular.  In NT Gk., they gained a special importance and specific trusting acceptance and recognition of what God has done and promised in him” (Page 588).

I have come across many instances where study has led to a belief in God but leaves Him remote.  He’s an “intelligence”, “a mind”, but uninvolved and uninterested in His creation.  I think Andrew Murray says it best: “Nature speaks of God and His work; but of Himself, His heart, and His thoughts of love toward us sinners, nature cannot tell” (Holiest of All, Page 43).  There comes a point where evidence of the existence of God is not enough.  Without a revelation of Himself; His personhood, His intentions, and His nature, faith becomes belief without proof.  At the very least, it is not the faith that is the fruit of the Spirit.  This faith is a living, breathing, person centered in Jesus Christ. 

In Galatians 2:20, Paul says; “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  There is a mistranslation in this passage and it’s “I live by faith IN the Son of God”.  The true translation is “l live by faith OF the Son of God.”  It’s a subtle difference and yet it’s all the difference in the world.  The Greek word for in, en, is not the word here.  It’s tau (G5120) and it appears twice in the sentence:  OF (tau) the Son OF (tau) God.  It means “of this person, his.” 

This faith that is the fruit of the Spirit, His Spirit, has nothing to do with us.  It’s very good to have evidence for our beliefs but we do not live this Christian life because we have built up our own faith in Jesus.  We live it through His faith, His relationship to the Father, which is also our relationship to the Father through His Spirit living in us.  The proof is in the person, in this case.

Isn’t it wonderful?  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Amen!

And Amen.

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

References:

The Comparative Study Bible, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984

The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1958

Barnhart, Clarence L., The World Book Dictionary, Volume One, Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, 1970

Brown, Colin, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Volume I, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967

Guralnik, David B., The New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, William Collins + World Publishing Company, Cleveland • New York, 1976

Murray, Andrew, Holiest of All: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990

Leaving It All Behind

10 Monday May 2021

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Over the last week, I had the opportunity to find and read a book I had never read before; a book by one of my favorite authors.  The book was exceptionally written and yet, when I closed the covers for the last time, I was left wondering if I’d enjoyed it.  There was a tone of misery throughout the entire work and I felt a bit down after I’d finished it.  This got me thinking of a previous post where I mentioned trying a book by my favorite author even though the title and description gave me qualms and where I wondered if what I was about to read meant I would have to stop reading this author. 

“Have to stop reading” sounds a bit legalistic now that I think about it and legalism was not at all what I meant to imply.  Life changes as I move forward in the Spirit. Books I used to read are no longer enjoyable.  Television shows I used to watch are no longer entertaining.  Jokes I used to laugh at are no longer funny.  These things are so not because I’m worried about GOD getting mad at me and judging me.  No, these things are so because I AM a new creation in Christ.  I have been born again by His Spirit.  The same mind that was in Christ Jesus is in me.  I have been and am still being transformed by the renewing of my mind.  This transformation has meant leaving behind many things.

I closed last week with the comment: “If our denominations, doctrines, creeds, and knowledge have become a substitute for this living in vital union with Jesus through his Spirit, let us turn from them.”  I want to take this week to expound on that and, while doing so, write more on the goodness of God.  My main scripture passage for this week is Romans 2 verse 4: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

What do you think of when you think of repentance?  Whatever the word originally meant, it has come to mean the doing of penance over and over.  If that is the definition we hold in our minds, then this verse also takes on a meaning far different than that intended by the Apostle Paul.  If the end result we Christians are looking for is doing penance over and over, then we need look no further than the religious institutions that define themselves by lists of rules and regulations.  We cannot help but fail if our focus is on not breaking rules and being sure we pray enough and read our bibles enough and attend enough meetings and memorize enough and serve enough.  The guilt that goes along with that sense of failure always ensures there are people flooding the altars on Sunday mornings, repenting, re-dedicating, seeking renewal and hoping enough anointing of the Lord had been received to last through another week.  At least, it always ensured I was doing and hoping so.

What freedom there is in the Spirit!  Some of the truest words ever written are 2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”  Liberty.  Freedom.  He does not call us to a life of doing penance over and over.  His goodness leads us to metanoia (G3341) which means “change of mind”1.  Malcolm Smith calls it a radical change of mind and indeed it is.  It is not a changing of our minds about Jesus, it is exchanging our minds for His.  “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2: 5).  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).  As my mind is transformed, so is my entire inward life, and the outward life cannot help but change as well.

The goodness of God that leads us to this radical change of mind is not the agathosune (G19) I wrote about last week.  The Greek word isn’t chrestotes (G5544) either but a related word chrestos (G5543).  This word means “employed, useful, better, easy, good(-ness), gracious, kind”.  There is no harsh edge or admonishment associated with this word.  It is the word translated “easy” in Matthew 11:30: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  He does not demand.  Rather, He lives in me and wroughts changes I’m not even aware of until the day comes when I realize I’ve lost the enjoyment I used to have in a thing and He bids me come away from it.  I don’t want to give the impression it’s always easy.  Sometimes it is.  Sometimes there is the realization that I don’t enjoy whatever the thing is anymore and it’s done.  Then there are the times when, even though my enjoyment has fled, I do want to keep reading, watching, or doing it.  These are times when there needs to be a subduing of my flesh but He gives the strength for that as well.  I promise this much is true: there is not one thing I have turned away from that I ultimately miss.  There is nothing I leave behind but He does not give me the greater portion of Himself.

I don’t have to work on myself and clean up my behavior before He’ll come live in me.  No, the good news of the gospel is that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). There is no great work I must do but I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, I believe in my heart God has raised Him from the dead, and I am saved (See Romans 10:9-10). Truly, He has put His spirit in me.  He causes me to walk in His statutes.  He enables me to keep His judgments and do them.  (See Ezekiel 36:27) I “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8) and His goodness leads me to metanoia. 

Amen

Unless notes otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1982

  1.  Hastings, James, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Fifth Printing-March 2001, Page 790

Other References:

Strong, James, LLD., S.T.D., The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990