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The Obligation of the Stronger in the Faith

Romans 15:1-16

The stronger, we are obligated to carry the weakness of the incapable and not please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor because of the love towards edification. For also the Christ did not please Himself, but just as it stands written, “The reproaches of the ones reproaching you fell up Me.” For as much as was written before hand, was written before hand for our teaching, in order that though the patience and through the encouragement of the writings we should have the hope. And the God of the patience and the encouragement, gives to you the same frame of mind among one another according to Christ Jesus, in order that in one accord with one mouth you should glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, you receive alongside one another, just as also the Christ received you along side unto the proper opinion of God.
And I say, Christ Jesus came to be a minister of circumcision on behalf of truth of God unto the confirmation of the promises of the fathers. And the Gentiles on behalf of mercy to glorify God, just as it stands written, “Because of this I will confess to You among Gentiles, and I will praise Your Name.” And again he said, “You rejoice, Gentiles, with His people. ” And again, “You praise the Lord all the Gentiles and all the people, you praise Him. ” and again Isaiah says, you are the root of Jesse and the one risen to rule the Gentiles . On the basis of Him the Gentiles will have hope. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace while believing , resulting […]

The Obligation of the Stronger in the Faith2023-12-14T11:15:18-08:00

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω)

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω) expresses the concept of acting in a fawning manner to win favor or to act in a way that is pleasing. Therefore, it has a negative, flattery, and a positive, pleasing, side to its meaning.

On Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced before Herod and his guests to please him, instigating a response from him that resulted in a promise of a reward. This allowed Herodias to have John the Baptist put to death for calling out Herod’s unlawful act of being with her (his brother’s wife), for she had already instructed her daughter to ask for his head when the King offered her whatever she wanted because she pleased him, Matthew 14:6.

At the beginning of the Church, before the complete revelation concerning the Church was given, the first assembly in Jerusalem faced an issue with the care of the widows among the Hellenistic Jews. This issue required substantial attention and would impact the disciples’ ability to minister to the saints. To address this, the disciples called the multitude together to discuss selecting men who would handle the day-to-day affairs of the assembly, including ensuring that all widows were adequately cared for. This solution would allow the disciples to focus on ministering the Word instead of serving tables. The proposed resolution pleased the multitude, creating the position of Deacon, Acts 6:5.

The desires and works of the flesh cannot please God, for they are carnal in nature and, therefore, hostile to God, Romans 8:8. Because God imputes Christ’s death and resurrection to us, we are able to walk in newness of life, free from slavery to the sin nature, Romans 6:5-6. However, when we try to live the Christian life through law, the result […]

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω)2024-09-05T05:52:16-07:00

Happy are those who die by a lord, Revelation 14:13

In Revelation 14:13, we come across the phrase “by a lord” when John is instructed to write, “Happy are the dead, the ones who die from now on by a lord (ἐν κυρίῳ).” The word “lord” is capitalized in some English translations, indicating it is in the Lord Jesus. However, the context does not support this interpretation. The timing of Revelation chapter fourteen, starting in verse six, is in the last half of the Tribulation Period, just before the return of Christ. Three angels are seen giving distinctly different messages. The first angel has good news related to eternity, the gospel for those in the Great Tribulation. This is not the gospel message presented today, which has the inherent ability to save a person, Romans 1:16, and relates to the death for sin and resurrection of Christ three days later according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. This messenger is bringing a message to the Nations, telling them to worship the God, Who is the Creator of heaven and earth, for the hour of His judgment has come, Revelation 14:7. The second angel cries out with the message that Babylon, the great religious harlot, has fallen, Revelation 14:8. Her fall is just before the return of Christ to claim the earth and set up His kingdom. A third angel is then heard shouting that anyone who worships the beast and his image, having received his mark, will now face the wrath of God, Revelation 14:9-11. At this point, John is instructed to write, “Happy are the dead, the ones dying by a lord from now.” They are happy because they are able to rest from their hard labor, Revelation 14:13.

The tribulation period […]

Happy are those who die by a lord, Revelation 14:132024-04-04T05:30:14-07:00

Edification

Edification (οἰκοδομή) describes the act of building up and is especially focused on improving the mind and understanding. In Scripture, it is used to describe the building of the temple along with the edification of those within the Church; both are illustrating the act of building.

Edification is an important aspect of our relationship among the saints. Christ commanded us to love other saints in the New Commandment, John 13:34. This is a unique relationship that those of the Church are to have for each other and through our love, others will see that we are Christ’s disciples, John 13:35. One aspect of this love is how we edify others. Within the assembly, those who are strong in the faith support the weak ones. When it comes to how we live out our faith in what we eat and the days that we honor, we are to be respectful of each other’s decisions, pursuing peace so that we build each other up, Romans 14:19. One who is strong in the faith will build up those who are weak, not pleasing themselves, but bearing their weaknesses so that we all can through support, encouragement, fellowship, and learning together, be strengthened in our understanding of the faith, Romans 15:1-2.

When it comes to the manifestation of Spiritual gifts within the assembly, edification should be the main point. When the Church was young and did not have its full revelation, those with the gift of prophecy could edify the saints, where those with the gift of tongues would only edify themselves, for the speaking of tongues is a gift given for a sign to the unbeliever and therefore should not be used among the saints, where the gift of prophecy […]

Edification2023-11-25T07:53:31-08:00

The Book of Romans

The original writing of the book of Romans was in the form of a letter. This translation has been put back into this form to emphasis the unity that is within the book, which is often interfered with by chapter and verse breaks that are very poorly placed and lead the reader to misunderstand the context – verses are often placed in the middle of sentences; some chapter breaks are in the middle of sentences and some are in the middle of a context, which lead the reader to believe a break has occurred when it has not. The verses have been superscripted to reduce distraction but still provide a reference point.

[] = Ellipsis
Italics = added for clearly. Either implied by the context or added for a smoother English translation.
a = “that which has quality of”. The Greek Language does not have the same concept of an inarticulate article as the English does.

 

The letter to the saints in Rome was written by Paul in A.D. 57-58 from Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul reminded the Corinthian saints what the message for salvation is – Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Salvation is by faith, not by any quality of work. In this letter Paul goes beyond initial salvation into the Christian life showing how to have victory over our sin nature and walk by the Spirit. This is a Gospel that he is not ashamed of and has the natural ability to save, 1:16.

Romans Translation

The Book of Romans

1.1 Paul, a servant belonging to Jesus Christ, a called one, an apostle, having been set apart unto […]

The Book of Romans2016-10-12T06:02:38-07:00
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