1 Corinthians 14:23 - If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
The word "mad" is the word maniac in Greek! I've seen meetings where everything is nice, and everything is flowing along, and then all of a sudden, a whole bunch of people jump up and just start jabbering, raising their hands and "speaking in tongues" or whatever it was that they called praising the Lord. People were jumping up and down and running around and rolling on the ground. And others were confused and saying, "What's going on around here?" But to the people that were doing it, they were supposedly "showing their spirituality." That's not spiritual at all!
1 Corinthians 14:28 - But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
If nobody's there to explain to the non-believer the sign they just witnessed, then be silent!
1 Corinthians 14:29 - Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
The word judge is the word for discernment. I think it's interesting that people are supposed to judge what they are hearing. In Acts Chapter 17, the Bereans eagerly received what Paul had to say, but they still searched the scriptures daily to see if it was true.
1 Corinthians 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
He says everywhere from doctrine to your social life; it will not be the believer that rubs off onto the non-believer. It will always be those who have corrupt morals. They are the ones in social interaction with believers that are going to corrupt your good ethics. The word manners is ETHOS where we get our word ethics from. So don't be deceived. If you're living that life of eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die, if you're hanging around that crowd, whatever good ethics you have is going to be down the drain.
1 Corinthians 16:14 - Let all your things be done with charity.
Literally, let all your things be done with agape love.
1 Corinthians 16:22 - If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
He says, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. If anybody does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be Anathema. That's the word for cursed. It means to offer a sacrifice that has been designated for a curse.
And then Maranatha is broken up into three words. And both of these words Anathema and Maranatha are Aramaic, but you may have never heard this one, so it's worth writing it down in your bible above the word. MAR is Aramaic for Lord. Mar is Lord. AN is our. And ATHA is come. Our Lord comes is what Maranatha means.
So, he says let them be cursed, our Lord is coming!
1 Corinthians 16:23 - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and notice the word "be" is in italics, which means that it is not in the original text. This is not a prayer, as it sounds. This is a factual statement in the Greek text. It literally read the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you!
1 Corinthians 16:24 - My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
It says, "My love be with you," and again, the word "be" is in italics. My love is with you all in Christ Jesus. It's a factual statement. That's the word AGAPE. And lastly, he says Amen. It comes from the Hebrew word that is pronounced the same, and it means so be it. That's the crowning touch of the letter, the sign off, so be it, of a truth!
This is all I have to share in 1 Corinthians. I will begin with 2 Corinthians next, Lord willing!
I've always wondered why the apostle chose to speak of those who "do not love the Lord Jesus", in such a way. Given that Paul had a direct calling to minister the Gospel to unbelievers & doubtless had a burning passion for their salvation, as he did for his own people, it seemed hypocritical of him to then want them to be Anathema before God & His Salvation.
I remember the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about those who reject them & their message ( Matthew 10:14,15), which gives us some licence to step aside & depart from those who refuse to hear the Words of Life & Truth, but to treat them as 'Cursed' seemed quite strong & unpalatable.
The only way I could bring those thoughts together is that Paul was stating that if people continued to refuse to hear & obey, then their end was to be as Anathema by the Lord, for our Lord is soon coming & they will be righteously judged. But while there is time for all to hear & repent, we should endeavor to take every opportunity to share what Christ has done - that they be not forever cursed, but to be saved & as children of God, longingly look for His Coming. Would I be understanding this correctly, or any further thoughts? Blessings.
About your inquiry about the "anathema" that Paul says in 1 Cor:16-22, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha."
There two ancient greek words that are very similar, that they are both wtitten in Engl as "anathema" but in grk that "e" is written with a different grk vowel. The first is pronounced in grk as "a-na'-thee-ma" and it means something which is dedicated to God, eg a sacrifice or a gift to God. The second (which is the one written in 1 Cor) is pronounced in grk as "a-na'-theh-ma" and it had several meanings in anc grk. 1. something that is offered to God for distruction, eg a sacrifice which will be burned, 2. people or things (including cities) that were to be distructed. Often these two are the meaning of the word in the OT, 3. something that is separated for distruction, ...
In Romans 9:3, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" the precise translation is "that myself to be separated (for distruction) from Christ".
In 1 Cor 16:22 many translate it as "if any man does not love Lord Jesus Christ let him be separated for distruction (if he eventually doesn't believe in Him and repent in his life). And this seems to be the right interpretation of that verse.
And eventually in the following centuries the word anathema came to mean "a curse/cursed person/thing", and in the church terminology the "excommunication(separation) from the church".
Great to see you back. It looks like you had a very enjoyable vacation in Florida and the Caribbean. I assume you made it back home safely. The Lord is good!
You are understanding correctly, and I do agree that Paul had a burning passion for their salvation as you say. If Paul truly wished for them to be anathema before God, then I would have to agree that it can be viewed as being hypocritical. My thoughts on this are that Paul was perhaps giving warning to not only those who were rejecting the gospel message, but also to those who professed to believe but, in their heart, they had no love for the Lord.
A person who does not have love in their heart for the Lord is already in a cursed state. This is not to say that they will always remain in this condition, but if they continue to reject the gospel message, Paul says let them be accursed. I think we both agree that Paul had no desire to see anyone lost or accursed. In fact, in Romans 9:3, Paul makes a very powerful statement. We know he was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he had a deep love for his fellow brethren, Jewish, Hebrew brethren. He was willing to suffer the separation from Christ throughout eternity so that they would be saved, even though that's not possible.
Brother, it is truly amazing how we can recall certain messages given many years ago. That message had to be powerful to stick with you for so long. I notice in Colossians 3:3 that it says we are dead, and the word for dead in the verb tense is Aorist which means that it has already happened in the past. Upon salvation, we died to our old self and put on Christ, so we are dead, and our life is hidden with Christ in God.
You gave a great summary passage in Romans 8:38-39. There isn't anything that can take us and separate us from the love of God. Jesus is interceding for us. The Holy Spirit is interceding for us. We are in God's mighty grip with a salvation complete and secure in Christ Jesus!
Thanks for that quick reply brother Jesse, confirming & adding to my understanding of 1 Corinthians 16:22. And your reference to Romans 9:3, which I had forgotten about, gave strong support to the apostle's passion for the Gospel and willingness to become God's anathema & off scouring for the sake of the many destined for hell.
That Damascus Rd experience must have truly set his heart on fire for the Savior & for lost souls. He heard Jesus speak, he believed & went forth with a singular determination in his heart. We haven't seen with the physical eye or heard with the ear, yet with Spirit-given faith we ought to have the same heart & fervour for Jesus and those lost without Him: "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" ( John 20:29). Every blessing.
I love the way you explained being hidden in Christ. We are covered fully by Him, kept secure from the condemnation and accusations of the evil one, freed from the slavery of sin, and bound to Christ like His own flesh.
It is so reassuring to come to grips with this profound teaching. When we feel like God is not near or cannot see Him working in our situation we can with assurance hold on to the truth that He is always with us, in us, and at work in our lives and situations for the good of His pleasure and perfect will.
Thank you GiGi. We can indeed rest fully in the promises to us in His Word, "being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" ( Philippians 1:6). Where the religions of this world will surely fail, 'God's Promises in Jesus are yea, and in Him, Amen'. Blessings to you and your dear ones. I continue to remember your sons & their wives in prayer for His mighty revelation & conviction in them.
Thank you brother S. Spencer; yes, we had a very enjoyable time away, spending a little time just south of where you are - in Florida & Key West particularly (we've never been to visit here before). Also, taking in a short cruise around the Caribbean, and with great weather made our long travel there very worthwhile, restful, and special. The Lord has indeed blessed us throughout our journeyings & given opportunity to witness to a couple of folk of His unfathomable, undeserved Love for us. Trust you and yours continue to do well. Every blessing brother.
Next, it says be strong. It's a Passive. Literally, be strengthened. Be the recipient. Not you be strong, meaning from out of yourself work it up. It means be receptive to being strengthened. And the word happens to be KRATOS. In Greek, it's the word for grip. Again, it's the same word that Paul used for putting on the armor of God in Ephesians Chapter 6. He says be empowered in the strength of His grip. That is literally what he said in Ephesians Chapter 6.
What Paul pictures is God's hand, and that when we belong to Christ, we are in God's hand. And he's telling us to draw off the strength of that grip that God has on you. But we try to get away. We are always trying to be on the run. But God has a grip on you. Receive from the strength of that grip.
Remember what Jesus said? He said no one can take you out of my Father's hand, and no one can take you out of my hand. So basically, there's two, the Father's hand, and the Lord's hand. And we are in His grip. Now who in the world is going to break that grip and get us away from Christ? It won't happen. So instead of wiggling and trying, and because we've got this tremendous grip over us, just receive the strength from that grip. Be at peace!
j'ust receive the strength from that grip. Be at peace!
Great statement!
As Brother Chris mentioned It reminds me of Romans 8:31-32, and also Jude 1:24-25.and Ephesians 3:12-17. "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence BY THE FAITH OF HIM. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH MIGHT BY HIS SPIRIT in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Yes, those are great pieces of scripture. The Lord keeps His people. He keeps us from falling from our position of grace, and from our relationship with Christ. One day we're going to stand before God. And we will be presented by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But He's going to present us as faultless because He died for our sins. He paid the penalty for our sins. He is the one who keeps us. He is the one who's going to present us as faultless before His glory.
I find it very interesting that you bring up Ephesians 3:12-17. The reason I find it interesting, and I know the Lord works in ways that we sometimes cannot comprehend but check this out: We (brother Chris and I) were just talking about God's powerful grip, and you also were reminded of this passage in Ephesians.
But here's something you may or may not have been aware of, but in Ephesians 3:16, The word "strengthened" in the Greek text is from the word KRATOS which means grip. Paul says that we might be strengthened (Gripped) with power, DUNAMIS. It's through His Spirit and the location is in the inner man where Christ dwells. He has us in His grip!
Yes Brother Jesse, I expanded on this study last night and looked up Ephesians 3:16 in my strongs concordance and found that strengthened is krataioo in the Greek and the strengthening with might is "by his Spirit in the inner man"
I felt that the verse sums up a lot of what we're studying on.
Thanks brother Jesse for your ongoing explanations of these selected verses; they are of great help in my readings and appreciation of the original language. I have been following your offerings whilst away, but a couple of your notes caught my eye. One of them here on this page, and another on the next one.
When you referred to us being in God's Grip & our security therein, my thoughts immediately went back to a sermon given by my pastor in the 70s, which was so dramatic in nature, that it was firmly embedded in my mind. He referred to Colossians 3:3 in his message, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God". When he came to getting his point across with this verse, he held up his right hand, then made a fist & stated that we are hidden with Christ & in Christ in there in His Palm. While still holding up his right fist, he then raised his left hand & swiftly brought it to grab onto his right fist, clenching it tightly, and asked us, 'how secure are we now? We are secure in Christ & together with Him firmly held by a loving merciful Father - there can be no safer, loving & more secure place than in such a perfect relationship with the Eternal God, designed & executed by God Himself'. Romans 8:38,39.
1 Corinthians 16:13 - Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
It says first of all, Watch ye, or watch. This is a Present Imperative which means to be continually watching! The word is the opposite of the word for sleep. So, it means to be on guard. Be awake! Jesus used the word in Mark 14:38 when the disciples fell asleep when he was praying, and He said stay awake, be watchful.
Also, Peter, in 1 Peter 5:8, he says be watchful, be sober, because your adversary the devil is walking around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He's not saying don't get physical sleep. But literally "Wake up, spiritually. Wake up. Be on the alert because Satan is waiting to catch you off guard. That's command number one.
Command number two: Stand firm in the faith. In Ephesians Chapter 6, Paul tells us put on the whole armor of God in order that you may be able to stand. Not run, not even fight, because he's already been defeated. Stand firm in the faith!
Number three: quit you like men. "And like a man, I've quit several times!" No, that's not what it means. It's literally one Greek word that means be a man. It's associated with courage! Remember what God told Joshua in Joshua Chapter 1 Verses 8 through 11? Be of courage Joshua for I am with you wherever you go. It's not a human courage. It's a spiritual trust that no matter what, we can face anything in life because Christ is there.
1 Corinthians 15:34 - Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
It says here, "I speak this to your shame," but literally in the Greek text, Paul says I am speaking this to shame you. There were times when Paul thought that it was appropriate to tell Christians or believers "You don't feel shame so I'm going to tell you what the truth is so it will shame you!
1 Corinthians 15:52 - In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Fascinating statements! The word moment is ATOMA in Greek and it is the word for atom. What he's saying is that it will be so fast. It's less than a millisecond. The atom cannot be split so he says it's that short of a time. You can't even split the second that it's going to take for this to happen! It's in the twinkling of an eye, not the blinking of an eye, but the twinkling of an eye, the sparkle. And it's at the last trumpet.
1 Corinthians 16:3 - And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
The word liberality is gift, and the word gift is CHARIS which means grace. It's not a forced thing. It's a gift. It's the work of grace in people's hearts that causes them to give.
1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
For a great door and effectual, which means powerful, energy, ENERGEO, is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. So, he says I'm right in the middle of God opening a door by His power, so that I can preach the gospel, but I have many adversaries, many opponents.
1 Corinthians 14:23 - If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
The word "mad" is the word maniac in Greek! I've seen meetings where everything is nice, and everything is flowing along, and then all of a sudden, a whole bunch of people jump up and just start jabbering, raising their hands and "speaking in tongues" or whatever it was that they called praising the Lord. People were jumping up and down and running around and rolling on the ground. And others were confused and saying, "What's going on around here?" But to the people that were doing it, they were supposedly "showing their spirituality." That's not spiritual at all!
1 Corinthians 14:28 - But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
If nobody's there to explain to the non-believer the sign they just witnessed, then be silent!
1 Corinthians 14:29 - Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
The word judge is the word for discernment. I think it's interesting that people are supposed to judge what they are hearing. In Acts Chapter 17, the Bereans eagerly received what Paul had to say, but they still searched the scriptures daily to see if it was true.
1 Corinthians 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
He says everywhere from doctrine to your social life; it will not be the believer that rubs off onto the non-believer. It will always be those who have corrupt morals. They are the ones in social interaction with believers that are going to corrupt your good ethics. The word manners is ETHOS where we get our word ethics from. So don't be deceived. If you're living that life of eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die, if you're hanging around that crowd, whatever good ethics you have is going to be down the drain.
1 Corinthians 16:14 - Let all your things be done with charity.
Literally, let all your things be done with agape love.
1 Corinthians 16:22 - If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
He says, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. If anybody does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be Anathema. That's the word for cursed. It means to offer a sacrifice that has been designated for a curse.
And then Maranatha is broken up into three words. And both of these words Anathema and Maranatha are Aramaic, but you may have never heard this one, so it's worth writing it down in your bible above the word. MAR is Aramaic for Lord. Mar is Lord. AN is our. And ATHA is come. Our Lord comes is what Maranatha means.
So, he says let them be cursed, our Lord is coming!
1 Corinthians 16:23 - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and notice the word "be" is in italics, which means that it is not in the original text. This is not a prayer, as it sounds. This is a factual statement in the Greek text. It literally read the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you!
1 Corinthians 16:24 - My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
It says, "My love be with you," and again, the word "be" is in italics. My love is with you all in Christ Jesus. It's a factual statement. That's the word AGAPE. And lastly, he says Amen. It comes from the Hebrew word that is pronounced the same, and it means so be it. That's the crowning touch of the letter, the sign off, so be it, of a truth!
This is all I have to share in 1 Corinthians. I will begin with 2 Corinthians next, Lord willing!
God Bless!!!
I've always wondered why the apostle chose to speak of those who "do not love the Lord Jesus", in such a way. Given that Paul had a direct calling to minister the Gospel to unbelievers & doubtless had a burning passion for their salvation, as he did for his own people, it seemed hypocritical of him to then want them to be Anathema before God & His Salvation.
I remember the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about those who reject them & their message ( Matthew 10:14,15), which gives us some licence to step aside & depart from those who refuse to hear the Words of Life & Truth, but to treat them as 'Cursed' seemed quite strong & unpalatable.
The only way I could bring those thoughts together is that Paul was stating that if people continued to refuse to hear & obey, then their end was to be as Anathema by the Lord, for our Lord is soon coming & they will be righteously judged. But while there is time for all to hear & repent, we should endeavor to take every opportunity to share what Christ has done - that they be not forever cursed, but to be saved & as children of God, longingly look for His Coming. Would I be understanding this correctly, or any further thoughts? Blessings.
About your inquiry about the "anathema" that Paul says in 1 Cor:16-22, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha."
There two ancient greek words that are very similar, that they are both wtitten in Engl as "anathema" but in grk that "e" is written with a different grk vowel. The first is pronounced in grk as "a-na'-thee-ma" and it means something which is dedicated to God, eg a sacrifice or a gift to God. The second (which is the one written in 1 Cor) is pronounced in grk as "a-na'-theh-ma" and it had several meanings in anc grk. 1. something that is offered to God for distruction, eg a sacrifice which will be burned, 2. people or things (including cities) that were to be distructed. Often these two are the meaning of the word in the OT, 3. something that is separated for distruction, ...
In Romans 9:3, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:" the precise translation is "that myself to be separated (for distruction) from Christ".
In 1 Cor 16:22 many translate it as "if any man does not love Lord Jesus Christ let him be separated for distruction (if he eventually doesn't believe in Him and repent in his life). And this seems to be the right interpretation of that verse.
And eventually in the following centuries the word anathema came to mean "a curse/cursed person/thing", and in the church terminology the "excommunication(separation) from the church".
Great to see you back. It looks like you had a very enjoyable vacation in Florida and the Caribbean. I assume you made it back home safely. The Lord is good!
You are understanding correctly, and I do agree that Paul had a burning passion for their salvation as you say. If Paul truly wished for them to be anathema before God, then I would have to agree that it can be viewed as being hypocritical. My thoughts on this are that Paul was perhaps giving warning to not only those who were rejecting the gospel message, but also to those who professed to believe but, in their heart, they had no love for the Lord.
A person who does not have love in their heart for the Lord is already in a cursed state. This is not to say that they will always remain in this condition, but if they continue to reject the gospel message, Paul says let them be accursed. I think we both agree that Paul had no desire to see anyone lost or accursed. In fact, in Romans 9:3, Paul makes a very powerful statement. We know he was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he had a deep love for his fellow brethren, Jewish, Hebrew brethren. He was willing to suffer the separation from Christ throughout eternity so that they would be saved, even though that's not possible.
Brother, it is truly amazing how we can recall certain messages given many years ago. That message had to be powerful to stick with you for so long. I notice in Colossians 3:3 that it says we are dead, and the word for dead in the verb tense is Aorist which means that it has already happened in the past. Upon salvation, we died to our old self and put on Christ, so we are dead, and our life is hidden with Christ in God.
You gave a great summary passage in Romans 8:38-39. There isn't anything that can take us and separate us from the love of God. Jesus is interceding for us. The Holy Spirit is interceding for us. We are in God's mighty grip with a salvation complete and secure in Christ Jesus!
Blessings!
That Damascus Rd experience must have truly set his heart on fire for the Savior & for lost souls. He heard Jesus speak, he believed & went forth with a singular determination in his heart. We haven't seen with the physical eye or heard with the ear, yet with Spirit-given faith we ought to have the same heart & fervour for Jesus and those lost without Him: "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" ( John 20:29). Every blessing.
I have been keeping you and yours in my prayers.
I love the way you explained being hidden in Christ. We are covered fully by Him, kept secure from the condemnation and accusations of the evil one, freed from the slavery of sin, and bound to Christ like His own flesh.
It is so reassuring to come to grips with this profound teaching. When we feel like God is not near or cannot see Him working in our situation we can with assurance hold on to the truth that He is always with us, in us, and at work in our lives and situations for the good of His pleasure and perfect will.
Those were lovely words of wisdom from God's Word.
I hope you enjoyed your vacation.
Blessings.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Continued...
Next, it says be strong. It's a Passive. Literally, be strengthened. Be the recipient. Not you be strong, meaning from out of yourself work it up. It means be receptive to being strengthened. And the word happens to be KRATOS. In Greek, it's the word for grip. Again, it's the same word that Paul used for putting on the armor of God in Ephesians Chapter 6. He says be empowered in the strength of His grip. That is literally what he said in Ephesians Chapter 6.
What Paul pictures is God's hand, and that when we belong to Christ, we are in God's hand. And he's telling us to draw off the strength of that grip that God has on you. But we try to get away. We are always trying to be on the run. But God has a grip on you. Receive from the strength of that grip.
Remember what Jesus said? He said no one can take you out of my Father's hand, and no one can take you out of my hand. So basically, there's two, the Father's hand, and the Lord's hand. And we are in His grip. Now who in the world is going to break that grip and get us away from Christ? It won't happen. So instead of wiggling and trying, and because we've got this tremendous grip over us, just receive the strength from that grip. Be at peace!
j'ust receive the strength from that grip. Be at peace!
Great statement!
As Brother Chris mentioned It reminds me of Romans 8:31-32, and also Jude 1:24-25.and Ephesians 3:12-17. "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence BY THE FAITH OF HIM. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH MIGHT BY HIS SPIRIT in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Looking forward to 2 Corinthians.
Blessings
Yes, those are great pieces of scripture. The Lord keeps His people. He keeps us from falling from our position of grace, and from our relationship with Christ. One day we're going to stand before God. And we will be presented by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But He's going to present us as faultless because He died for our sins. He paid the penalty for our sins. He is the one who keeps us. He is the one who's going to present us as faultless before His glory.
I find it very interesting that you bring up Ephesians 3:12-17. The reason I find it interesting, and I know the Lord works in ways that we sometimes cannot comprehend but check this out: We (brother Chris and I) were just talking about God's powerful grip, and you also were reminded of this passage in Ephesians.
But here's something you may or may not have been aware of, but in Ephesians 3:16, The word "strengthened" in the Greek text is from the word KRATOS which means grip. Paul says that we might be strengthened (Gripped) with power, DUNAMIS. It's through His Spirit and the location is in the inner man where Christ dwells. He has us in His grip!
Blessings!
I felt that the verse sums up a lot of what we're studying on.
Blessings.
When you referred to us being in God's Grip & our security therein, my thoughts immediately went back to a sermon given by my pastor in the 70s, which was so dramatic in nature, that it was firmly embedded in my mind. He referred to Colossians 3:3 in his message, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God". When he came to getting his point across with this verse, he held up his right hand, then made a fist & stated that we are hidden with Christ & in Christ in there in His Palm. While still holding up his right fist, he then raised his left hand & swiftly brought it to grab onto his right fist, clenching it tightly, and asked us, 'how secure are we now? We are secure in Christ & together with Him firmly held by a loving merciful Father - there can be no safer, loving & more secure place than in such a perfect relationship with the Eternal God, designed & executed by God Himself'. Romans 8:38,39.
1 Corinthians 16:13 - Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
It says first of all, Watch ye, or watch. This is a Present Imperative which means to be continually watching! The word is the opposite of the word for sleep. So, it means to be on guard. Be awake! Jesus used the word in Mark 14:38 when the disciples fell asleep when he was praying, and He said stay awake, be watchful.
Also, Peter, in 1 Peter 5:8, he says be watchful, be sober, because your adversary the devil is walking around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He's not saying don't get physical sleep. But literally "Wake up, spiritually. Wake up. Be on the alert because Satan is waiting to catch you off guard. That's command number one.
Command number two: Stand firm in the faith. In Ephesians Chapter 6, Paul tells us put on the whole armor of God in order that you may be able to stand. Not run, not even fight, because he's already been defeated. Stand firm in the faith!
Number three: quit you like men. "And like a man, I've quit several times!" No, that's not what it means. It's literally one Greek word that means be a man. It's associated with courage! Remember what God told Joshua in Joshua Chapter 1 Verses 8 through 11? Be of courage Joshua for I am with you wherever you go. It's not a human courage. It's a spiritual trust that no matter what, we can face anything in life because Christ is there.
1 Corinthians 15:34 - Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
It says here, "I speak this to your shame," but literally in the Greek text, Paul says I am speaking this to shame you. There were times when Paul thought that it was appropriate to tell Christians or believers "You don't feel shame so I'm going to tell you what the truth is so it will shame you!
1 Corinthians 15:52 - In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Fascinating statements! The word moment is ATOMA in Greek and it is the word for atom. What he's saying is that it will be so fast. It's less than a millisecond. The atom cannot be split so he says it's that short of a time. You can't even split the second that it's going to take for this to happen! It's in the twinkling of an eye, not the blinking of an eye, but the twinkling of an eye, the sparkle. And it's at the last trumpet.
1 Corinthians 16:3 - And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
The word liberality is gift, and the word gift is CHARIS which means grace. It's not a forced thing. It's a gift. It's the work of grace in people's hearts that causes them to give.
1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
For a great door and effectual, which means powerful, energy, ENERGEO, is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. So, he says I'm right in the middle of God opening a door by His power, so that I can preach the gospel, but I have many adversaries, many opponents.
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