Testing for Approval (δοκιμάζω)
Testing for approval (δοκιμάζω) is to make a critical examination of a person or thing to determine its authenticity, drawing a conclusion about its worth. Therefore, it is testing to establish whether or not there is something of value within who or what is put to the test.
Today, the wrath of God is upon all ungodliness and those holding down the truth in unrighteousness, for they consider the knowledge of God to be of no value and are therefore given over to a mind that, when tested, fails because it is found to be full of unrighteousness, Romans 1:28. This lack of worth is seen in the conclusions that this type of unapproved mind makes, for they go against the facts presented and are not base on reality. Such as a man who claims there is no God; however, he is fully aware that the universe is more expansive than humans have currently examined, and therefore, making such a statement shows that his conclusions are not of any value. Or a scientist who claims humans came from evolution. A hypothesis that is its own worst enemy, for within its declarations, it ignores the facts and presents evidence for support that is contrary to its own theories, because the evidence actually shows that humans were created. Therefore, the mind can be in such a state from the result of rejecting truth and reality that when put to the test for approval, it fails.
A Jew who claims to rest upon the law and makes his boast in God, asserting he knows His desirous will and is able to discern for good all things for he is instructed in the law, yet breaks the very rules he states others must follow is only fooling himself, Romans 2:18. These types of people we see even in the Church today, who claim to follow Christ and understand Spiritual things; however, when put to the test they do not line up to the standard of who and what a Christian is. Today, we use the term Christian as a general reference to those who are saved. However, technically, this is a saved person who is living in a Christ-like manner, Acts 11:26. Therefore, only the one who has believed that Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and is feeling at ease in the Christ can be Christ-like, Galatians 2:20. Those who claim a gospel other than the one found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 are not saved, for it is the message by which we are saved. The new creation is the Church, in which Christ is the head and the Church is the body, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Within this new creation, all things have become new because we are born again, 1 Peter 1:23. Therefore, the old nature has been rendered ineffective, Romans 6:6, which is plagued with the sin nature passed down from Adam, Romans 5:12-21. Since we now possess a new nature, when we feel at ease with what God has done in salvation, we are able to manifest the life of Christ within us, Colossians 3:10. Therefore, this is a life that is living out from faith, Romans 1:17. Law is not out from faith; therefore, anyone teaching the Mosaic law for Christians today is not approved, Galatians 3:12.
When it comes to our works, we should be putting them to the test to verify that they are being done in a proper way, out from faith, not because of any quality of Law, 1 Corinthians 11:28, for our works will be declared on the day the Lord returns to take His church home and all that are not approved will be burned up just as all impurities when put to the test with fire, 1 Corinthians 3:13. Therefore, it is important that we have our faith to ourselves. That is, if we say we have faith, let us live out that faith unto God regardless of what others are doing around us, for happy is the man that does not condemn himself for what he approves, Romans 14:22.
One of the aspects of our salvation is that we possess a renewed mind. It is with this mind that we are able to put all things to the test to approve what is the desirous will of God for us, Romans 12:2. We were once children of darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. Therefore, let us walk as children of the light, putting all things to the test, training our senses to discern what is proper from what lacks in character, so that our fruit is found to be of good quality as we seek to please the Lord, not taking part in the unfruitful works of darkness but exposing them, Ephesians 5:8-11. As we grow in knowledge and discernment, we will be able to approve the things that differ so that we live a life that is sincere and without offense, being full of the fruits of righteousness, Philippians 1:9-11. Not fearing trials and temptations that only serve to put our faith to the test so that it is found to be genuine and more precious than gold refined by fire, 1 Peter 1:7. Therefore, let us test all things and hold to what is proper while refraining from all appearances of malignant evil, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22.
Knit-together (συμβιβάζω)
Knit-together (συμβιβάζω) expresses closely connecting things together in a logical way.
When we go back to the root of this word, without the concept of close together, it is used of prisoners being put onto a ship, Acts 27:6. It is not the same as embarking, which is articulated by ἐμβαίνω as seen in Matthew 8:23. Therefore while putting the prisoners in the ship, the centurion did this in such a way as to ensure they are not mixed with anyone else, not just causing them to get onto the ship. Therefore, it predominantly relates to connecting things together in a logical manner based upon the facts.
After Saul’s encounter with the resurrected Christ on the Damascus road and his time in the desert training to understand what new thing God was doing, he returned to the city. However, this time, rather than seeking to imprison those who followed the way, he returned proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ and was confounding the Jews by knitting together the facts in the Old Testament that prove Jesus is the Messiah, Acts 9:22. Therefore, Paul was properly and logically closely connecting the revelations in the Old Testament concerning Christ to reveal that, in fact, Jesus is the Messiah.
As Paul traveled around spreading the Gospel of the Christ, the Holy Spirit forbade them from entering Asia. Arriving at Troas, Paul is given a vision in the night of a man of Macedonia. Through all of this, Paul logically closely associated what had happened and his vision in the night, concluding that the Lord wanted them to go to Macedonia and proclaim the gospel to them, Acts 16:10.
In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul asks a question concerning who has known the mind of the Lord. This refers to a statement made by Isaiah in 40:13-14 where he writes, “Who can measure the Spirit of the Lord or a man His counselor having caused Him to know? With whom did the Lord take advice, and has caused Him to understand, and taught Him in the way of justice?” However, Paul is not quoting Isaiah in 1 Corinthians 2:16; rather, based upon Isaiah’s statement, Paul is asking who is the one who will be knit-together with the Lord. No one possesses the ability to know the mind of God and, therefore, will be knit together with Him in the future. One of the aspects of our salvation today is that we have the Holy Spirit, Who intuitively knows the things of God and reveals them to us, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13. These things are spiritually discerned, for when we focus on our emotions, we cannot understand the things of God, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15. We are then able to understand the things of God because, as part of a new creation, the Christ, we have a new mind that relates to our spirit, which is connected to God. “For who has known [the] mind of [the] Lord, who will be knit-together with Him? Indeed, we have a quality of the mind of Christ” – 1 Corinthians 2:16. Many English translations make the error of interpreting the Greek word for “knit-together” with “instruct”. However, this Greek word is never used for instruction; rather, the concept of instructing is found in κατηχέω (instruct), Romans 2:18. The only justification for this interpretation is an erroneous translation that has not been corrected with new Bible versions, by taking this as a quote and swapping the Greek with the Hebrew word, for within the Greek language, “knit-together” is not used in this manner. Therefore, because we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, we can know a quality of the mind of the Lord; however, no one knows His mind and consequently can be knit-together with Him in a manner, that Isaiah expresses, as to advise Him.
Due to the Church being part of a new creation, in which Christ is the head and the Church is the body, 2 Corinthians 5:17 – So then, since someone is in Christ, a new creation (the Christ), the archaic things have passed away, behold, all things have become new; Ephesians 1:22-23, Christ is the One Who knits together those in the body, by giving us Pastors even teachers to bring us to a oneness of the faith unto a mature man in Christ so that we are no longer tossed around by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men, Ephesians 4:16. We are not to let anyone cheat us out of the benefits of being in the Christ by taking delight in humility or the worship of angels. These are the ones introducing things which they have not seen, vainly puffed up in their minds, not holding to the Head from Whom the whole body is nourished and knit-together, Colossians 2:18. They claim authority over demons, receiving of visions, interpreting of dreams, imagining spiritual battles in the heavens, which they have only seen in their minds while ignoring the body of the Christ and the truths concerning this dispensation. It is Christ Who knits us together, and therefore, it is through fellowship and studying of the Word that the saints grow together as one body, supporting each other. Against those who would deceive us with persuasive words, we are to stay steadfast in our faith, being knit-together in love, having a full assurance of understanding concerning the mystery of God and the Christ, in Whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Colossians 2:2-3.
Knitting together does not express the concept of instructing; rather, it can articulate the logical putting together of facts that are closely associated, or how saints become meticulously connected with each other within the body of The Christ as we are being built up together unto a mature man to the stature of Christ, being knit together in love.
Apostle (ἀπόστολος)
An apostle (ἀπόστολος) is a messenger who is sent out on a specific mission; however, unlike a regular messenger who delivers a message, an apostle is sent with a specific task to perform while giving the message.
Christ sent out the 12 apostles to the Jews during His earthly ministry to proclaim the message of the kingdom of the heavens, Matthew 10:5-42. They were not to take any provisions with them for their journey or go into any city of the Gentiles nor to the Samaritans, for they were sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Herod sent forth men with a specific mission to slay all the children in Bethlehem who were two years old or younger after the Magi left the region, having been warned by a messenger, failing to report where they found the King of the Jews, Matthew 2:16.
In a single act of expressing love towards the inhabited world, God the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, 1 John 4:14. He sent Him on a specific mission so that through Him we should have life, 1 John 4:9. In this we know love, for God sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins, 1 John 4:10.
When Christ ascended, He gave gifts to men for the edification of the Church to bring us to a oneness of the faith so that we are no longer tossed around like inarticulate babblers by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men, Ephesians 5:8. Of these gifts were the Apostles, Ephesians 5:11. Twelve of them to the Church. These twelve laid down the foundation of the Church, built upon Christ, giving us the entire revelation concerning the whole council of God. Christ instructed them before His final ascension that as they were caused to go, they were to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ had commanded them, Matthew 28:18-20.
In the upper room, before the disciples were aware that Paul would be the twelfth Apostle to the Church, in determining to replace Judas, they gave the requirements for a disciple who could be counted among the twelve. They had to be with them for the entire time the Lord Jesus went in and out, from the beginning of John to the day He was taken up; therefore, seeing the resurrected Christ, Acts 1:21-22. As one of the Pharisees, Paul knew of the immersion of John and would have known about Christ. Paul is the last of those who saw the resurrected Christ and considered himself to be one who was born out of time regarding becoming an Apostle to the Church, 1 Corinthians 15:1-9.
The Apostles to the Church are the twelve men, eleven of whom walked with Christ during His earthly ministry, that were given to the Church by Christ when He ascended on High, Ephesians 4:11. There are no additional Apostles added to the Church today, for these twelve make up the foundation, Revelation 21:14. And anyone claiming to have seen Jesus today is lying, for when we see Him we will be like Him, 1 John 3:2, and none of us will be in our current condition before all of us receive our full redemption, the resurrection of our bodies. Not even those who have died in Christ see Him before we all share in that moment, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Therefore, the title of an Apostle in the Church is reserved for only the original twelve apostles who were sent specifically to proclaim the Gospel of the Christ. Eleven of whom focused on Israel and Paul, who is the apostle to the Gentiles, Acts 18:6.
To Discern (ἀνακρίνω)
As a derivative of the word for judge, discern expresses the careful study of a question, and is often used in a judicial hearing.
After discerning if Jesus was guilty, Pilate’s response to the Chief Priest and rulers of Israel was that he found no fault in Christ, whom they accused of misleading the people. Not only did he find no blame, but also Herod sent Him back to Pilate for Christ had done nothing worthy of death, Luke 23:13-15. Before the rulers and elders, Peter calls them out for having Christ put to death because he and John were being examined concerning a good deed done to a helpless man, Acts 4:8-10. After killing James and seeing that it pleased the Jewish leaders, Herod locks up Peter so he can continue putting the disciples to death after the days of Unleavened Bread were over, Acts 12:2-3. However, God sent a messenger during the night to release Peter from prison. In the morning, when the guards found that Peter was not in the prison, they were examined and put to death for failing to secure their prisoner, Acts 12:19.
Outside of a judicial setting, discern is used concerning what a person is speaking or how they are acting. The Jews of Berea were high-born, unlike those of Thessalonica. Therefore, they were able to examine the Scripture concerning what Paul was stating to them about the Christ, for they could afford personal copies of the scrolls. As a result of their access to Scripture, many believed what Paul was proclaiming, Acts 17:11. When it comes to discerning the things of the Spirit, they cannot be examined by those who are carnal, for the fleshly mind is not subject to God, 1 Corinthians 2:14; however, an individual who is spiritual is able to discern the things of the Spirit. One who has their mind framed on and seeking the desires of the Holy Spirit has to emanate this mindset through their actions and lifestyle in order for us to know they are Spiritual, for we cannot discern a spiritual person by their appearance, 1 Corinthians 2:15.
Attempting to discern the intentions of others is not something we are to be involved with, for it is the Lord who will judge the hidden things of the heart, 1 Corinthians 4:3-5. We are still to identify, mark, and, when necessary, separate from those who teach false doctrine and walk in a manner that is contrary to the Christ, Romans 16:17; 2 John 10; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15. Be cautious concerning those who seek to discern others, for just as the false apostles did with Paul to persuade the Corinthians saints against him, they will do to gather people unto themselves. Although Paul had the right for the Corinthian saints to support him financially, he did not take anything from them, knowing that it would hinder the gospel among them, 1 Corinthians 9:3. The false apostles attempted to use this against Paul, claiming by it that he was not an apostle. What the purpose of the heart is should always be left up to God, for we judge the actions, not the intent.
Although the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues has ceased, for we have the full revelation of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, we can still learn from the Corinthian saints who were not holding meetings in an orderly manner; therefore, when someone who did not understand what they were doing joined them, their impression was that these people were out of their minds. Within the context of 1 Corinthians chapters twelve to fourteen, Paul rebukes these saints for misusing Spiritual gifts, for the Church is not to be ignorant concerning them. If a person had the gift of speaking in tongues, he is not to speak unless he finds one who could interpret what he had to say. Since speaking in tongues was a known language, not what is falsely taught today in assemblies claiming the gift, the interpreter would be familiar enough with the language to express the wonder of God being stated in that tongue. However, with prophecy being active at this time, for all Scripture had not yet been written, Paul encouraged them to seek it out, for when an unbeliever enters their midst, it is through prophecy that he is convinced because it discerns all things, 1 Corinthians 14:23. Where speaking in tongues was a sign to the unbelieving Jew, not for the Gentiles, 1 Corinthians 14:22. Therefore, it is important that all things are done in an orderly manner within the Church and the spiritual gifts are not abused so that all can discern what is being taught.
The act of discerning requires a careful examination of a question to properly understand the answer. In terms of spiritual matters, one must focus his mind on the things above and prioritize seeking out and fulfilling the desires from the Spirit so that they are led by Him in order to discern them properly. When we attempt to know God through our emotions or fleshly desires, we cannot discern Spiritual things and will end up being led astray, for our sin nature wars against our soul, which is the center of our emotions, seeking to bring us into obedience to fulfill its desires.
Waging of War (στρατεύω)
As Christians, although we walk in the flesh, our waging of war is not done according to the flesh, for our weapons of warfare are not carnal in nature, 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. We battle malignantly evil spiritual forces that seek to ensnare our minds into doing the will of Satan while persuading us that we are doing what God wants, 2 Timothy 2:26. One of the most influential means by which war is waged upon humans is through the world system, for it is set up to pacify the sin nature through the desires of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of biological life, just as a baby is appeased by his mother rocking him in her arms, 1 John 2:16; 5:19. The wars of this world are a direct result of seeking to fulfill the desires of the flesh, James 4:1. Since we are engulfed in a spiritual battle, we are not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of this world, 2 Timothy 2:3.
Although we are at war, we do not need to fear. God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3. We are not ignorant of Satan’s methods and have been provided with armor that handles any attack he brings our way, Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 2:11. As part of our salvation, we also have light armor for everyday use so that we are always ready to give a defense for the hope that we have as we shine as luminaries to this crooked and perverse generation through living out who we are in Christ while casting off the works of darkness, Romans 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:8. We are not part of the world system, for our citizenship is in the heavens, John 17:15-16; Philippians 3:20. Even though we live in the world, we are not to govern our lives according to its desires, for we are strangers and pilgrims in this land, 1 Corinthians 7:31.
Therefore, our focus should always be set upon the things related to God. What job we have, where we live, what we purchase, who we associate with, and all other things related to the world need to be governed by who we are in Christ. First and foremost is the fellowshipping with the saints, Hebrews 10:26. Then we are to be content with what we have, for godliness with contentment is of great gain, 1 Timothy 6:6. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy; however, the fondness of money is a root of all wrong things, 1 Timothy 6:10. Therefore, we should not be seeking money over the care and fellowship of other saints. When the desires from our sin nature rise up within us and strongly seek to be fulfilled, we are to respond by using the truth, for through it, we will always have victory over our sinful desires (the truth is doctrine for having victory over the sin nature, Romans 6:3-13). When we are discouraged, disappointed, or find ourselves desiring what others have, we are to put on the armor from God to protect ourselves from all the fiery darts of the malignantly evil one. When the world system seeks to impose its desires upon us through the lust of the flesh and eyes and the pride of biological life, we are to recognize the fact that we are not of the world. Although we use it, we do not abuse it, for it is designed to distract us from seeing things as they truly are and living out the life we have in Christ.
Therefore, since we are at war, let us abstain from fleshly desires that are waging war against our emotions so that our conduct in this world is proper, 1 Peter 2:11, for we are the children of the light, and sons of the day, Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5.
No savingness (ἀσωτία)
In Ephesians 5:18, the saint is instructed to stop being drunk with wine, in which is no savingness. In many English translations the word “dissipation” is used, meaning the foolishness of using one’s money or time in a way that only seeks pleasure, resulting in these resources being wasted. However, in the original language, it is a negation of the word “save”, which expresses the lack of salvation; not focusing on using one’s time and resources in a preserving manner. Therefore, intoxicated Christians are not able to relate to the things pertaining to salvation; rather, they are wasting their time with foolishness due to seeking after pleasure. Therefore, they are not redeeming the time, Ephesians 5:16. This type of lifestyle is seen in the parable of the prodigal son, who took all his possessions and foolishly squandered them, Luke 15:13.
In Titus, Paul writes concerning the requirements of a Pastor. He is to be a one-woman type of man, meaning only married to one woman, and not have children who are accused of seeking pleasure over the things that relate to salvation, Titus 1:6. These are children who have no discipline in using their time and resources in a proper way and are living a lifestyle following after foolish things.
The things related to salvation impact our conduct. As Christians, we are not to foolishly waste our time with the things the Gentiles go after, for they seek pleasure above all else, living a lifestyle of licentiousness, running after every desire in debauchery and partying. This type of conduct leads to destruction for it does nothing more than waste the resources a person has, bringing upon them ruin. When we start to govern our lives according to the things related to salvation, those who are unsaved or carnal will look on with surprise that we do not follow with them after the flood of dissolution (unsavingness) they mindlessly follow, while speaking false things about us because we refuse to join them, 1 Peter 4:3-4.
Drunkenness has no value in the Christian life, for it comes from a mindset that is seeking after foolish pleasure and wasting resources on licentiousness. Therefore, when Christians are intoxicated, they are not able to focus on Spiritual things and therefore cannot relate to their salvation.