To Jesus who loves us: Rev 1:5

While exiled to the island of Patmos, John, writing to the seven churches in Asia, opens his letter with praise to their common savior. He writes in praise, “To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev. 1:5 NASB 2020). In this passage, there are two participles that further describe who Jesus is. The first is an aorist participle which describes a one-time past action. John says that Jesus “released us from our sins,” a one-time past action. The other is a present participle, which describes an ongoing activity. This is the case where John says that Jesus “loves us.” This phrase could also have been translated, “the one who is loving us.” Jesus’ love for us was not a one-time event. Jesus did not only love us when he came to give his life for us. Neither did he love us only when he forgave and released us from our sins. Jesus continues to love us today, and he will love us tomorrow and the next day. Jesus' love for us is both continual and active. We can trust in his love day-by-day, knowing that we can never exhaust his love for us. What comfort and hope this revelation ought to give us, and what motivation to share that same never-ending love with the people around us.

David Robison

Overcoming: Rev 2-3

While exiled to the island of Patmos, John received a lengthy revelation of Jesus Christ. As part of that revelation, Jesus gives him seven messages to seven churches in Asia. Included in each of these seven messages is a blessing for those who overcome in this life. Here are the blessings pronounced by Jesus upon the overcomer:

“To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God) (Rev. 2:7 NASB 2020).

“The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death” (Rev. 2:11 NASB 2020).

“To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it” (Rev. 2:17 NASB 2020).

“The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the patter are shattered, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star” (Rev. 2:26-28 NASB 2020).

“The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Rev. 3:5 NASB 2020).

“The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name” (Rev. 3:12 NASB 2020).

“The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne” (Rev. 3:21 NASB 2020).

What is interesting in all these cases is that the Greek word translated as “overcomes” is in the present tense, which, in Greek, indicates an ongoing activity. These verses could have been translated as “to the one who is overcoming” or “the overcoming one.” This is even more interesting when compared to what John previously wrote in his first letter to the church. John wrote, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them [the antichrists]; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NASB 2020). Here, the verb is in the perfect tense, which indicates a one-time past action whose effects are still being felt today.

When we come to Christ, we are placed on the winning team. The book of Revelation tells an epic story where, as believers, we overcome and win in the end. However, this does not mean that we do not face daily battles, battles in which we are called to fight and overcome by the grace of God. While we have won the battle, we still must secure that victory through daily skirmishes with the enemy. We have both overcome, and are overcoming, through our daily lives through the power of God that lives within us. Our daily victories flow from the grand victory we won over the enemy when we first became believers. What comfort this ought to give us as we fight our battles and learn to overcome day-by-day.

David Robison

 

 

Entrusting ourselves to God: 1 Peter 4:19

 

In his first letter to the church, Peter reminds us that suffering is part of the Christian life. Peter writes, “For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21 NASB 2020). Part of those footsteps that we are to follow in is to suffer both for the sake of Christ and the sake of others. Peter goes on to write, “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose” (1 Peter 4:1 NASB 2020). This same purpose includes suffering. Suffering is part and parcel of the Christian life. Peter encourages us that we ought not to be “surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12 NASB 2020), for such suffering is a normal part of being a Christian. So how is a believer to bear up under such suffering and come through it even stronger in the Lord? Peter gives us this counsel, “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 4:19 NASB 2020).

Two things are of note in this verse. First is the Greek word translated as “entrust.” This word means to put, place, or stand near or around something. It is often translated as commit, entrust, and deposit. Peter is telling us to commit and entrust our souls to God as if we were depositing them with him for safekeeping. But how does one do this? How can we entrust and commit our souls to a God we cannot see and who is enthroned in heaven? We do so by choosing to do good. 

The Greek word translated here as “doing what is right” is a compound word made from the Greek word for good and the Greek word for doing or making. We commit ourselves to God by committing ourselves to doing good. It is a bit surprising that the way we commit ourselves vertically to God is by committing ourselves horizontally to doing good to other people. Some may question if such counsel is contrary to faith and returns us to a works-oriented salvation. Are good works compatible with salvation by faith? The answer is “Yes!” Often, especially when we are suffering some fiery ordeal, it takes faith to continue in doing good. It takes faith in the goodness, graciousness, and merciful favor of God in our lives. Only as we have faith in God’s goodness and faithfulness can we do good, even while suffering. The way through suffering is to entrust ourselves to a faithful God in doing what is good and right to others. 

David Robison

Co-worker in the truth: 3 John 8

In his third letter to the church, John praises the believers for how they had treated strangers and those who traveled with the Gospel. John writes, “You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may prove to be fellow workers with the truth” (3 John 1:6-8 NASB 2020). There are two things of interest in these verses. First is the Greek word translated here as “ought.” The root of this word is the Greek word for profit or advantage. The idea is of a duty that has accrued to us on the basis of the benefits and blessings we have received. John is reminding his readers that, because of the blessings, favors, and advantages of God that have become theirs in the Gospel, the duty of supporting those who have gone out in the service of the Gospel has been accrued to their account. Because we have been blessed, we ought to support those ministers of the Gospel.

The second thing of interest is the Greek word translated as “fellow workers.” This is a single compound Greek word containing the preposition “with” and the Greek word for worker, which is the same Greek word from which we get our word for “energy.” This particular word is used only here by John but is often used by Paul to speak of those who were working with him in the cause of the Gospel. Consider some of the people whom Paul calls his fellow workers: Prisca and Aquila (Rom. 16:3), Urbanus (Rom. 16:9), Timothy (Rom. 16:21), Titus (2 Cor. 8:23), Epaphroditus (Philip. 2:25), Clement (Philip. 4:3), Jesus (not Jesus Christ) and Justus (Col. 4:11), Philemon (Philemon 1:1), and Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke (Philemon 1:24).

However, here, John is saying that if we help and support those who have gone out for the sake of the Gospel, then we have become co-workers with them in the truth. In God’s perspective, those who go and those who supply are both workers in the truth. When we support missionaries and workers in the Gospel, we are not simply supporting them or donating to their cause; we are actually co-working with them in the truth. This ought to change the way we view missions, missionaries, and our participation with them by supporting them in their work. When we support them, then we too are participating with them in the work. By giving, we too have become workers.

David Robison

Troublesome meddler: 1Peter 4:14

Peter writes to encourage us that suffering is a normal part of the Christian life. However, he goes on to say, “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler” (1 Peter 4:15 NASB 2020). This last word in the Greek text, translated here as “troublesome meddler,” is particularly interesting, and its exact meaning is still debated. This Greek word is a compound word, the first part meaning “another’s,” and the second word is often translated in the New Testament as “bishop” or “overseer.” Peter is saying that we should not pretend to be another’s bishop, or another’s overseer. Craig Keener writes that this word could refer to those “giving unwanted or ill-timed advice. Mediling tactlessly in others affairs was a vice often attributed to unpopular Cynic philosophers” (The IVP Bible Background Commentary).

In thinking about this word, we ought to remember what Peter previously wrote in this same letter. Peter writes, “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25 NASB 2020). The Greek word translated here as Guardian is the same word for bishop used by Peter when he later warns us about trying to be another’s bishop. The truth is, people do not need another bishop, someone else to intrude into their lives to tell them how to do things or to point out where they are wrong. They already have a bishop and overseer in their life, and that is Jesus. This further reminds me of Paul’s words when he wrote, “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Rom. 14:4 NASB 2020). In Christ, we are called to be one another’s brothers and sisters, not their bishop. That job we ought to leave to the Lord.

David

In which direction are you running? 1 Peter 4:4

 Peter writes to remind us that suffering is a normal part of the Christian experience. Peter writes, “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1 NASB 2020). One of the ways we suffer is by being misunderstood by those who do not believe. Peter goes on to say, “In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of debauchery, and they slander you” (1 Peter 4:4 NASB 2020).

There are two things of note in this verse. The first is the word translated here as “debauchery” and as “dissipation” in other translations. In the original Greek, this word is a compound word containing the negative article (think of “un”) and the Greek word for salvation. Perhaps the most literal way of understanding this word is as “unsavedness.” Peter describes people as running in one of two directions. Either we are running into the savedness of God, or we are running into the unsavedness of the world; there is no middle ground. Peter goes on to tell us that a life lived in running towards unsavedness, is a life lived in pursuing “indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries” (1 Peter 4:3 NASB 2020). However, a life lived in running towards savedness, is a life lived in “sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer … fervent in your love for one another … hospitable to one another without complaint … [and] serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God” (1 Peter 4:7-10 NASB 2020).

The second thing of note is that Peter speaks of us running in one direction or the other. We often think of the fast pace of our modern life, but we rarely think of the pace at which we are running towards unsavedness or savedness. People do not drift towards savedness or away from savedness; they run! I know of a man who, one day, started going out for drinks after work. This led him to stop going to church, which led to more drinking, and eventually to being arrested for sexual assault. What is shocking is that this entire process took only six months! Our journey toward sin is a quick journey. It does not take long to become completely consumed by sin. We must ask ourselves, in which direction am I running? Am I running towards God and his savedness? Or toward the world and its unsavedness?

David Robison

No, by no means, never ever ever! (Hebrews 8:12)

The writer of Hebrews reminds his readers of the new covenant God promised to make with all people. In quoting an Old Testament prophecy from the book of Jeremiah, he writes, “For I will be merciful towards their wrongdoings, and their sins I will no longer remember” (Hebrews 8:12 NASB 2020). To further drive home this point, the author again quotes this promise, repeating it in Hebrews 10:17. In the Greek language, there are two words that are both translated as “no” or “not.” Each is used with a different form of speech. One is used for what is called the indicative mood, which is used when stating a fact. For example, “the student does not teach the teacher.” The other word for “no” is used for all other forms of speech, including the subjunctive mode. For example, “the student should not teach the teacher.” However, when these two words are used together in the same sentence, they form the most emphatic use of the word “no” in the Greek language. This is the case in this promise from God. God did not say that he might not remember our sins, nor that he would not remember our sins, but that he would in no way, by no means, never ever ever remember our sins. There is no equivocation in God’s promise to those who would receive his forgiveness, nor can we misunderstand his intentions or his promise. To those who receive his forgiveness, he will never ever remember their sins. What a blessing and what confidence before God have those who have thus been forgiven by God. As David once said, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psalms 32:1-2)!

David Robison

Jesus sings our praises: Hebrews 2:11-12

One of the themes of the letter to the Hebrews is how Jesus stands apart from all other spiritual beings and how he is superior to all others, even to the angels. The writer of the letter also describes how, though he is exalted, he humbled himself and chose to take upon himself human flesh that he might dwell among us. The author writes, “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of His suffering death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9 NASB 2020). The author goes on to express the relationship between Jesus and those he came to save, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim you name to my brothers, in the midst of the assembly I will sing your praise’” (Hebrews 2:11-12 NASB 2020). This last sentence is a direct quote from Psalm 22:22, and the writer of Hebrews puts these words in the mouth of Jesus.

The word translated here as “praise” is the verb form of the Greek word from which we get our word for hymn. This verse could be translated, “In the midst of the assembly I will hymnify you.” What an encouragement to think that, while we are here on Earth singing his hymns, Jesus is in heaven singing our hymns. He is speaking of us, of his love for us and our worth to him, to that heavenly assembly surrounding him. Sometimes, I think that God is just putting up with me and that he saved me only because he had to. However, the truth is that we are all valuable to him, so much so, that he cannot help boasting about us before the heavenly assembly! Regardless of how much or how little other people might think about us, Jesus loves us and is singing our hymns in that great heavenly assembly.

David Robison

Distributions of the Holy Spirit: Hebrews 2:2-4

In the second chapter of the letter to the Hebrews, the author gives evidence as to how we can know that the message being preached is truly from God. He writes, “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will” (Hebrews 2:2-4 NASB). We know the Gospel is true, not only because it is contained within the canon of scriptures, but we know it is true because God himself testifies of its truth. Even today, God is testifying to his word through signs, wonders, miracles, and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit. All over the World, God is moving in miraculous power. Part of the reason for these miracles is to give continued evidence to the truth of his word.

One thing that is of interest in the original Greek text is the phrase, “gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word translated here as “gifts” is used only twice in the New Testament and only by this author. While it can mean divisions, here, it should more accurately be translated as “distributions.” What is important to see is that what we receive is not just some gift from the Holy Spirit. Rather it is a distribution of the Holy Spirit himself. Miracles, signs, and wonders work through us, not because of some gift that resides within us, but because the Holy Spirit himself lives within us! Paul puts it this way, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NASB). The reason we can manifest the Holy Spirit is that he lives within us. Because he lives in us, we can manifest him in various ways. Paul goes on to say, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of  miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the  distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:8-11 NASB). As we share the Gospel with people around us, God wants us to be aware of the indwelling of his Holy Spirit within us and to be willing to that same Holy Spirit manifest his presence and power through us. We not only have a message to share, we also have the presence and power of God to make known to the world around us and to give evidence, or testimony, to his word.

David Robison

Remembering and mentioning: Philemon 1:4-5 NASB

In the opening of his letter to Philemon, Paul tells him, “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints” (Philemon 1:4-5 NASB). The Greek phrase for “making mention” occurs several times in the New Testament and almost always with reference to prayer. What is interesting about this phrase is that the word translated as “mention” comes from a Greek word that means to remember. There seems to be a close association, at least for Paul, between remembering someone and mentioning them in prayer. As Paul would remember specific people, he would instinctively turn to pray for them. I think this is a key for how we ought to also pray for one another. As the Holy Spirit brings people to our remembrance, we ought to not only remember them but to remember them before the Lord by praying for them. This is especially important for those people who might have hurt us or injured us in some way. Every time you remember that person, and the pain and hurt they caused you, turn that remembrance towards God by praying for them; praying for God’s forgiveness and salvation in their lives. By doing so, not only will we stop the cycle of rehearsing our hurts over and over, but it will also release God’s hand to move redemptively in the situation. Who is God bringing to your remembrance right now? Take the time to not only remember them but also to pray for them. In doing so, we will be releasing the kingdom of God both into their lives and also into ours.

David Robison

Calling upon the Lord: 2 Timothy 2:22

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul gives Timothy several commands. One of these is found in the second chapter of his letter. “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22 NASB). As important as this command is, it is the phrase, “those who call on the Lord,” that is particularly interesting in the original Greek. The word translated here as “call” is a present middle participle. As a participle, though it is a verb, it acts as an adverb to modify the object of the sentence. Timothy is not only to flee youthful lists with “those,” but with “those who call” upon the Lord. This participle is also in the present tense, which in Greek implies a continuous action. Those whom Paul is referring to are not those who have called upon the Lord in the past, but those who have, and are continually, calling upon the Lord. Finally, the middle voice indicates an action that is done on behalf of the subject. Those whom Paul is referring to are calling upon the Lord for themselves. It is an action which affects them and which they do for themselves.

We can glean three things by an understanding of this phrase. First, calling upon the Lord is something that we must do. Our parents, grandparents, and friends cannot do it for us. We are the ones who must make the choice to call upon the Lord. Secondly, calling upon the Lord is something that we must continually do throughout our lives. We may have called upon the Lord in the past, but we still need to call upon him today. Thirdly, we must call upon the Lord for ourselves. We should not call upon the Lord to please others or to fulfill the expectations of others. We should call upon the Lord because we see our own need for him and desire his presence and grace in our everyday lives.

Finally, I believe that the key to fleeing youthful lusts is to call upon the Lord. In and of myself, I do not have the strength or will to flee sin as I ought. However, when I call upon the Lord, he strengthens me and enables me to resist sin and practice righteousness. Jesus is our strength, but often he is waiting for us to call upon him so that he might show himself strong in our lives. Today, in whatever circumstance, temptation, or trial you may find yourself, call upon the Lord, and he will deliver you and save you.

David Robison

False Teachers: 2 Timothy 2:17-18

One of the topics of Paul’s second letter to Timothy is that of false teachers. In referring to false teachers, Paul is drawing a comparison between them and himself. Of such false teachers, Paul writes, “and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:17-18 NASB). Two things are of interest in this passage. First, in the Greek, the word translated here as “talk” is the singular form of the word often translated as “word.” I believe that Paul uses the singular form of this word to indicate that, for these men, their entire body of teaching is in error. Paul is not saying that some of their teachings are in error, but that their entire doctrine is false. I suppose that, if we examined anyone’s teaching hard enough, we would find something that we disagree with. However, just because someone has some beliefs that are different than ours does not make them a false teacher. We ought not to be quick to pronounce those who disagree with us in some fine point of theology as a false teacher. The truth is that we all, like Apollos, have areas of our theology where we could stand to be taught “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26 NASB). False teachers are not just wrong in their teaching; they are completely devoid of the truth of God in their teaching, their conduct, and their love. These are the false teachers that Paul is referring to.

Secondly, the word translated here as “spreading” is the Greek term that can also mean pasture. It is used only one other time in the New Testament when Jesus spoke of himself as being the door of the sheep. Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9 NASB). Jesus spoke this in contrast to the false teachers who came before him, saying, “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them” (John 10:8 NASB). False teaching does not inflict a wound that kills all at once. Instead, it slowly eats away at us as we continue to graze and pasture on its words. Paul’s words regarding false teachers ought to cause us to ask ourselves, “what are we feeding upon?” Are we grazing and pasturing on the word of God, or are we like those whom Paul speaks of who “will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB). What we choose to fill our lives with matters. If we choose to continually feed ourselves on the word of God, then we will continue to grow in our walk with God. However, if we turn away to false teachers, those teaching a Gospel other than that taught by Jesus and his apostles, then the very word we feed on will consume us little by little until we are completely consumed by death. The choice is ours! Choose wisely!

David Robison

Never imprisoned: 2 Timothy 2:8-9

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned” (2 Timothy 2:8-9 NASB). The Greek verb translated here as “imprisoned” is in the perfect tense, which can indicate an enduring state of an object. With this understanding, this verse could be translated, “the word of God has not, is not, and will not be imprisoned.” In this world, there are an array of forces that seek to oppose the word of God. However, the word of God remains active and fruitful in the world. In writing to the church at Colossae, Paul reminds them of the ever-active word of God, saying, “the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as  in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:5-6 NASB). As believers, we experience many things, and sometimes our circumstances can seem to hinder us in our walk with the Lord. However, the word of God is never hindered and is always working to renew us and bring us closer to God. The writer of Hebrews stated it this way, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NASB). The word of God is, has been, and will continue to be living and working in the world and in our lives.

This thought ought to encourage us and remind us that the advancement of the Kingdom of God is not entirely dependent upon us as if, without us, the Kingdom of God will fail to advance and expand in the world. In sharing the Gospel, we must learn to trust in the inherent power of the Gospel we are sharing. Jesus wrote of the hard-working farmer who “casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know” (Mark 4:26-27 NASB). The farmer trusts in the ability of the seed to produce a crop on its own. His job is to plant it, and the seed does the rest. So, it is with us. Our job is to cast forth the Gospel, but it is the Gospel that produces the crop. In sharing the Gospel, our trust is not in ourselves or our powers of persuasion but in the power of the Gospel to yield fruit in the world and in the lives of people who choose to believe it.

David Robison

Repay a recompense: 1 Timothy 4:5

Paul writes to Timothy regarding how the church at Ephesus should deal with certain problems that have been cropping up within the church. On if the issues centered around the support of widows in need. Paul writes that, instead of the church being their first line of support, “if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God” (1 Timothy 5:4 NASB). Two things are of interest in this verse. First, the phrase “practice piety” is a single word in the original Greek. This word is the verb form of the noun meaning to be well-reverent. This word is used only twice in the New Testament. In addition to its use here in Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul uses this term when he refers to how the men of Athens worshiped their idols (Acts 17:23). While it is possible that Paul was referring to how children and grandchildren should show their piety towards God by their care and support for their parents and grandparents, it is also possible that Paul was instructing them to show piety towards their parents and grandparents. Paul may have been speaking as much to their attitudes towards their own parents and grandparents as he was in regards to their attitude towards God. Children and grandchildren ought not only to be reverent and pious towards God but also towards their ancestors. Interestingly, one of the meanings for the root of this word is to adore. We ought to reverence our parents with a sense of adoration for all they have done for us.

Secondly, the phrase “make some return” is more closely rendered from the Greek as “repay a recompense.” The 2020 version of the New American Standard Bible translates this phrase as “to give back compensation” to their parents. The idea here is that, as our parents and grandparents age and are in need of help and support, it is the children and grandchildren who ought to first repay their parents and grandparents for everything they have done for them and have given to them over the years. We have received so much from our parents; how shall we reframe from even paying back a small portion of what they have given us to help them when they are in need?

I have seen this principle being lived out in the lives of my wife and her siblings. My wife’s father is quickly approaching a hundred and one years of age. He is at a point in his life where he needs constant care to keep from falling. In addition to paid help, his children are taking turns spending time with him and helping him with his everyday needs. In a very practical way, they are reverencing him by repaying him a recompense for the years he provided for them. They have taken it upon themselves to be personally involved in his care. This care is not always easy, and sometimes it requires great sacrifice, but Paul tells us that it is this kind of piety that is “acceptable” to God.

David Robison

Established Hope: 1 Timothy 4:7-10

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes to Timothy telling him to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers” (1 Timothy 4:7-10 NASB). This passage tells us two important things regarding the hope we have in God. The first is that our hope ought to be established hope. When using the Greek verb “to hope,” Paul uses it in its perfect tense. The perfect tense refers to a past action whose state, condition, or effect is still felt today. In this passage, the perfect tense refers to an established hope. It is a hope that, once established, continues to motivate, encourage, and strengthen us even into our present. This kind of hope is based upon a decision to trust God, regardless of what may come our way.  Do you have this kind of hope? Have you made the decision to once-and-for-all place your hope and trust in God? Or do you continue to waffle between hope in God and hope in a job, a relationship, money, and so forth? God is calling us to make a decision, a decision to trust and hope in him.

The second thing about hope that this passage reveals to us is that hope, true established hope, ought to motivate us to action. Paul says that, because of the hope we have in God, and the promise that godliness has great reward both in the present and the age to come, we ought to work hard to discipline ourselves for godliness. The Greek word translated here as “struggle” means to labor to the point of exhaustion, and the Greek word translated here as “strive” means to compete in a battle or a contest. Our hope ought to cause us to labor and fight, to the point of exhaustion, for the promises of God, especially for those promises attached to godliness. Hope is more than a passive emotion. Hope is a decision, a decision that not only sets the course of our lives but also strengthens, motivates, and empowers us to continue in that path no matter what may come our way. This is true hope. This is saving hope.

David Robison

Being out-of-place: 2 Thessalonians 3:2

In his second letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul asks them to pray for him and his team that they might be “rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith” (2 Thessalonians 3:2 NASB). A couple of things are of interest when reading this verse in the original Greek. First, in referencing the perverse and evil men, Paul includes the definite article. This verse could be rendered “from the perverse and evil men.” This may possibly indicate that Paul had certain perverse and evil men in mind when he wrote his letter. The second thing of interest is the word translated here as “perverse.” The various English translations of this verse have translated this word as unreasonable, wicked, inappropriate, worthless, bad, importunate, crooked, and so forth. In the Greek text, this word is a compound of the negative article and the Greek word for place. It means “no place” or, in this context, “out-of-place.”

In America, we are facing a cultural war where social norms and mores are being redefined. We speak of “being on the right side of history,” “being woke,” and “being in” as it pertains to the new morality of the emerging culture. Often, Christians, and those who hold to conservative or traditional values, are seen as being outsiders, as being “out-of-place” or outside of modern culture, ethics, and morality. However, it is not the believer who is “out-of-place” but those who are evil in their thoughts and actions. It is the unbeliever who is truly out-of-place when it comes to the Kingdom of God. They may fit well into the kingdom of this world, but they have no place in the Kingdom of God. As believers, and those who desire goodness in both mind and deed, we are those who are in-place, who stand on the right side of history, who are truly woke to the reality of life around them. It matters little what the world may think of us, for God has already seen fit to approve us and welcome us into his Kingdom. We must not let the world, and those who are out-of-place, define us. Rather, we must stand secure in our place as we invite others to join us and to find their place in the Kingdom of God.

David Robison

Perplexed, but not despairing - 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul enumerates both the similarities and differences between those who are believers and those who are in the world. In noting the differences, Paul reminds us that it is the Lord who enables us to live differently from the rest of the world. Paul writes, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NASB). Of particular interest is the phrase “perplexed, but not despairing.” In this phrase, Paul uses a play on words to highlight an important truth about our life in Christ.

The Greek word for “perplexed” is a compound word containing the negative particle and the Greek verb “to go.” This word could also be translated, “nowhere to go” or “no way out.” In this sense, “perplexed” is a good translation. However, the Greek word for “despairing” is also a compound word containing the preposition for “from,” “out of,” or simply “of,” and the same Greek word that was translated as “perplexed.” This word could be translated as “from nowhere to go” or “of nowhere to go.” Paul is saying that, while at times we may face challenges where we may find ourselves with “nowhere to go,” we are not “of nowhere to go.” In other words, our identity is not in our circumstances, nor do we live our life out of that place. Instead, our identity is in Christ, and we live our lives centered in his love and presence in our lives. We are of his kingdom, not of our circumstances. This is the reason why, as believers, we can have great hope. Because no matter how great our trials and tribulations are, no matter how often we feel we have “nowhere to go” or “no way out,” we realize that these things do not define us nor control the arc of our lives. We may experience these things, but they do not control us. Our hope is not in our circumstances but in a God who loves us and who has redeemed us from the power of our circumstances. In whatever we face, the source of our life is in God, not in the world or our circumstances. What great hope this is to our lives, even in the face of difficult circumstances.

David Robison

God is raising the dead: 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

In the opening of his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul writes of the persecution and affliction he experienced as he traveled and shared the Gospel in Asia. Paul writes that he and his fellow apostolic workers were “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8 NASB). However, Paul understood that, in part, this affliction was part of the will of God for them to keep them humble and trusting in the Lord. Paul writes, “indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope.” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NASB). One of the things that are interesting in Paul’s confession is the central role that the hope for a resurrection played in his faith. Paul’s faith was a faith that believed in a resurrection from the dead. Jürgen Moltmann writes in his book, Theology of Hope, “A Christian faith that is not resurrection faith can therefore be called neither Christian nor faith.” There is no Christianity without a resurrection, and there can be no resurrection hope without faith in the resurrection of Jesus.

The second thing that is interesting in Paul’s phrase “who raises the dead” is that the verb “raises,” in the original Greek text, is a present active verb. In Greek, present active verbs are verbs of continual activity. They speak of an action that is presently happening and continuing to happen. It is interesting that Paul does not say that God will raise the dead someday, but that he is presently, and continually, raising the dead. This verse could be translated, “in God who is raising the dead.”

God is actively raising the dead right here and right now. Our participation in the resurrection of Jesus is not some future participation that we must hope for. To be sure, there is a physical resurrection from the dead that, as believers, we will all one day experience. But we also experience this resurrection in our lives every day as we live with Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this (John 11:25-26 NASB)?” Jesus did not say that, someday, he would be the resurrection, but that he is, here and now, the resurrection and the life. God’s resurrection power is presently working within us, raising us up from the deadness that still lies within us. Every day we live is another day to experience the reality of his resurrection in our lives. What hope this gives us for our today as it also does for our tomorrow.

David Robison.

Hearing for yourself: 1 Corinthians 14:21

In the fourteenth chapter of his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul addresses the issue of speaking in tongues. This phenomenon was first recorded in the scriptures in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit had come upon those present, Luke records that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:4 NASB). Towards the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives some instructions about the use of the gift of tongues in the church at Corinth. Paul even writes, “I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all” (1 Corinthians 14:18 NASB). Paul believed that the gift of speaking in other tongues was prophesied in the Law by Isaiah when he wrote, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to me” (1 Corinthians 14:21 NASB). In reading this in the original Greek language, this final phrase is interesting, “they will not listen to me.”

In Greek, a verb can be spoken using one of three voices. There is the active voice where the subject is doing the action, such as “the professor is teaching the students.” The professor is the subject, and he is doing the teaching. In the passive voice, the action is being done to the subject. For example, “the students are being taught by the professor.” The students are the subject, and the action is being done to them. However, in the Greek language, there is a third voice, the middle voice. In the middle voice, the subject does the action, but they do it for themselves. This is the voice that the future verb “will hear” is spoken in this passage. Paul says that, even with the sign of speaking in tongues, people will not listen to God for themselves.

Not everyone who hears the word of God is changed, healed, and saved by the word of God. Some hear the word of God only to criticize it, judge it, and mock it. Some listen only that they might use the word of God to judge others by it, all the while justifying their own actions. However, in doing so, they never hear the word of God for themselves. They never listen with the intent of obeying or applying the word of God to their own lives. They may hear the word of God, but they never listen for themselves. For such people, Paul writes that “tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers” (1 Corinthians 14:22 NASB) Tongues are a sign for such people because it demonstrates what is happening in their hearts. Because they refuse to listen to God for themselves, the word of God has become as unfruitful and impotent as listening to a message in a language one does not understand. Only when we listen for ourselves, with the intent to obey and apply the word of God to our lives, will the word of God change us and cause us to grow in the grace and love of God.

David Robison

Giving forethought to what is good: Romans 12:17

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes to them regarding how they ought to live out their Christian lives. For example, in the seventeenth chapter of his letter, Paul writes, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17 NASB). Two things are interesting in this passage. First is the Greek word translated here as “respect.” This is a compound word that literally means to “think before” or to have “forethought” towards something. This word is also written in the middle voice, which implies that the thinker is as much affected by their forethought as those upon whom they are thinking. Secondly, the Greek word translated here as “right” is actually the opposite of the Greek word translated as “evil.” This word can also be translated as “good” or even “beautiful.” Both these sentences, to never pay back evil for evil and to give forethought to what is good in the sight of all people, deal with how we perceive and behave towards others. However, the key to doing both is to give forethought to what is good and acceptable to all people. There are many themes that resonate as being good and beautiful in the hearts of people. For example, the themes of justice, mercy, sacrifice, duty, honor, and selfless love. Most, if not all, would agree that these things are important and that the one who models these themes in their life is one who leads an exemplary life. However, none of these things are guaranteed to be automatic in one’s life. Often, they require intentional consideration and a determined will to live one’s life in accordance with these ideals. Repaying evil for evil requires no forethought and is often done by impulse and reaction. However, the doing of good usually requires giving forethought to what is good and considering how one can practice that good they seek. So, my question to you is, how much time have you given to what is good, and how you can practice that good in your life? If left to chance, we may never end up practicing the good we wish to do. However, if we intentionally give it the forethought it deserves, then our will and actions will follow along, and we will find the good we desire being accomplished in our lives.

David Robison

Pursue Hospitality: Romans 12:9-13

In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul lists a number of things that ought to be a part of every believer’s life. Each of these is presented as an active present participle which represents a present ongoing activity. Paul writes, 

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality” (Romans 12:9-13 NASB).

It is this last item that caught my interest. The Greek word, which is translated here as “practicing,” is the same word that Paul uses in the very next verse for persecuting, “Bless those who persecute you” (Romans 12:14 NASB). This Greek word can mean both to pursue and to persecute. It speaks of an intentional, deliberate, and intense act of pursuing something. There is nothing passive or half-hearted about this word. This is the same word Paul uses when he speaks of his pressing towards the things that lie ahead, “but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB). Paul was certainly not going to leave his future to chance. Rather, he was going to press on towards the future with all the grace and strength Christ had supplied to him.

To me, what I find most interesting, is that Paul applies this same active and intentional word to our pursuit of hospitality. Hospitality is not something that should be left as an afterthought, something we do once we have done everything else, assuming we then still have time for hospitality. Rather, Paul raises hospitality almost to the level of a divine obligation. Hospitality is something we should pursue as being of chief importance in our lives, even before much of what we might consider to be religious or urgent. Furthermore, we ought not to leave hospitality to happenchance. We must be intentional in our pursuit of hospitality, purposing, and planning for its inclusion in our lives. For the believer, hospitality is a holy obligation and one that comes with a unique promise from God, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2 NASB). As we press forward into the things of the Kingdom of God, let us not forget to also press forward to show hospitality.

David Robison