note,
cp Gal 5:16-note,
Gal 5:25-note)
humility (Ep 4:2-note)
purity (Ro 13:13-note;
Ep 5:3-note)
contentment
(1Co 7:17)
faith (2Co 5:7-
note)
righteousness (Ep 2:10-note)
unity (Ep 4:3-
note;
Php 1:2-note)
gentleness (Ep 4:2-note)
patience (Col 1:11-note)
love (Ep 5:2-
note)
joy (Col 1:11-note)
thankfulness (Col 1:12-note)
light (Ep 5:8-note,
Ep 5:9-note
)
knowledge (Col 1:10-note)
wisdom (Ep 5:15-note)
truth
(3Jn 3, 4)
fruitfulness (Col 1:12-note)
In short, “The one who says he abides
in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1John
2:6), because that pleases God (1Thes 4:1 -
note).
Axios
(514)
the adjective
41x in 39v - appropriate(1), deserve(2), deserving(4), fitting(2),
keeping(2), unworthy*(1), worthy(29).
- Mt 3:8; 10:10f, 13, 37, 38; 22:8; Lk 3:8; 7:4; 10:7; 12:48; 15:19, 21;
23:15, 41; Jn 1:27; Acts 13:25, 46; 23:29; 25:11, 25; 26:20, 31; Ro
1:32; 8:18; 1Co 16:4; 2Th 1:3; 1Ti 1:15; 4:9; 5:18; 6:1; Heb 11:38; Rev
3:4; 4:11; 5:2, 4, 9, 12; 16:6
Axios was
used to describe the Roman emperor when he marched in a triumphal
procession. He was "worthy" (adjective). John tells us however that the One Who is
truly "worthy" (adjective) is the Lamb, recording that he heard all creation rightly
declare
Worthy
(adjective) is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and might and honor
and glory and blessing.
(Rev 5:12-note)
The Lamb slain (the resurrected and glorified Lord
Jesus Christ) is the only One Who is "worthy (adjective) to open the
book and to
break its seals." (Rev 5:2-note) The Redeemer Alone had the right to
consummate the full redemption of His creation, the "final act" of which
will begin when He breaks the seven
sealed scroll, which many
futuristic commentators identify as the
"title deed to the earth" (Click
discussion).
Jesus addressing the church at Sardis
said
But you have a
few
people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk
with Me in white; for they are
worthy.
(Re 3:4-note)
Keep in mind that
axios was originally used of drawing down a scale and hence it
had to do with weight and so of that which is of value. For example when
Paul says in Ro 8:18-note
"that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
(axios - adjective) to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" the
picture he is painting is that present sufferings are of no weight in
comparison with future glory and are not even to be balanced on the
scale with the "heavy" glory that endures forever.
You honor God's name
When you call
Him your Father
And live like His Son
“Am I
conducting myself in a manner worthy of the Gospel?” is a good question
for us to ask ourselves regularly.
To reiterate this important
point -- Right thinking should always lead
to right conduct. Knowledge and obedience go together. One cannot
separate learning from living. The idea of "worthy" is that the
conduct of the saints weigh as much as the character of Christ. Why?
Because
when we are surrendered to His will, He is living His life through us
via His indwelling Spirit.
Ultimately His conduct is the only conduct which is truly worthy, for no other conduct would
balance God's perfect scales. Christ alone pleases the Father completely and as we
allow Christ to rule and reign in our lives, our lives become pleasing
to the Father.
TO PLEASE HIM IN ALL
RESPECTS: eis pasan areskeian en panti:
(Col 3:20, Pr 16:7, 1Th 4:1, 2Ti 2:4, Heb13:16, 1Jn 3:22)
Spurgeon
calls us to observe that...
Next, the apostle would have us get
knowledge in order that we may so live as to be pleasing to our best
friend-
“worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing.”
Is not that beautiful? To live so
as to please God in all respects! Some live to please themselves, and
some to please their neighbors, and some to please their wives, and
some to please their children, and some live as if they wished to
please the devil; but our business is to please Him in all things
Whose servants we are. Without faith it is impossible to please Him;
so away with unbelief! Without holiness no man shall see Him, much
less please Him; therefore let us follow after holiness, and may the
Lord work it in us.
“Unto all pleasing”-so
that we may please God from the moment we rise in the morning to the
time when we lie down, ay, and please Him even when we are asleep:
that we may eat and drink so as to please Him; that we may speak and
think so as to please Him; that we may go or stay so as to please Him;
that we may rejoice or suffer so as to please Him- “walking worthy
of the Lord unto all pleasing.”
Oh, blessed man,
whose life is pleasing to God in all respects!
The apostle Paul desires that we
may be filled with knowledge to this very end. If I do not know the
will of God how can I do the will of God? At least, how can there be
anything pleasing to God which is ignorantly done without an intent to
do His will? I fear that many children of God grieve their heavenly
Father much through sins of ignorance-an ignorance in which they ought
not to remain a single day. Be it clearly understood that sins of
ignorance are truly sins. They have not about them the venom and the
aggravation which are found in sins against light and knowledge, but
still they are sins; for the measure of our duty is not our light, but
the law of God itself. If a man pleads that he follows his conscience,
yet this will ’not excuse his wrongdoing if his conscience is an
unenlightened conscience, and he is content to keep it in the dark.
You are to obey the will of the Lord: that will is the standard of the
sanctuary. Our conscience is often like a deficient weight, and
deceives us; be it ours to gather a clear knowledge of the word, that
we may prove what is that perfect and acceptable will of God. The law
makes no allowance for errors committed through false weights; when a
man says, “I thought my weights find measures were all right,” he is
not thereby excused. The law-deals with facts, not with men’s
imaginations; the weights must actually be correct, or the penalty is
exacted; so is it with conscience, it ought to be instructed in the
knowledge of the divine will, and if it is not so, its faultiness
affords no justification for evil. Hence the absolute necessity of
knowledge in order to true holiness. God grant us grace to know His
will, and then to obey it “unto all pleasing.” (See
the full sermon - Spiritual Knowledge: It's Practical Results)
Please
(699)
(areskeia)
means a desire or willingness to please, an endeavor to please,
complaisance (disposition to please or comply), obsequiousness (marked
by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness). Areskeia is
the desire to do something that produces satisfaction. Areskeia
was used especially in public documents, descriptive of exceptional
public service or expression of devotion. Interestingly, the root word
areskos is combined with the Greek word for man (anthropos)
to describe a "man pleaser". How would you describe yourself: "Man
pleaser" or "God pleaser"?
One of the chief aims of
our life should be to seek to please God and to do so because we love Him Who first loved us (1Jn
4:19),
for true love obeys. Everybody lives to please somebody. So the
question is - Who are you seeking to please? Pleasing God ought to be
the major motive of the Christian life. Children should live to please
their father, and even more so should spiritual children seek to
please their Father Who is in heaven. The Holy Spirit “is at work
in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Php
2:13-note).
Enoch walked with God (the Greek Septuagint of
Gen 5:22 says "Enoch was well
pleasing God"), and before God called him to heaven, Enoch “obtained
the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to
God" (He 11:5-note) What a testimony!
Our Lord Jesus, the One we
are to imitate and Who now indwells us in Spirit, while on earth as
Man said "I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."
(John 8:29).
Pleasing God means much more
than simply doing God’s will. The half hearted prophet Jonah
illustrates that it is possible to obey God and yet not please Him,
for Jonah did what he was commanded, but his heart was not in it. (see
Jonah 4:1ff) God blessed His Word but He
could not bless His servant, Jonah. So Jonah sat outside the city of
Nineveh angry with everybody, including the Lord! Our obedience should
not (be) by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
(see note
Ephesians 6:6)
It is well-pleasing to God when we
present our bodies to Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1 see
note)
and when we live so as to help others and avoid causing them to
stumble (Romans 14:18 -
note).
God is pleased when His children separate themselves from the evil
around them (Ephesians 5:10 -
note),
as well as when they bring their offerings to Him (Philippians 4:18 -note).
He is pleased with children who submit to their parents (Colossians
3:20 -
note), as well as with saints who permit Jesus Christ to
work out His perfect will in their lives (Hebrews 13:20-note;
Heb 13:21
-
note).
Paul summarized what the goal
should be for every saint
Therefore also we have as our ambition,
whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2Co 5:9)
Micah sums it up beautifully in the
OT writing
He
has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of
you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your
God?" (Micah 6:8)
One of the tragic paradoxes in many modern evangelical circles is the emphasis on
“spiritual knowledge” and “Christian service” without connecting
these matters to purity of personal character (eg, holiness,
godliness). God builds character before He
calls to service. He must
work in us before He can work through us. Knowledge, conduct,
service, and character must always go together. We know God’s will
that we might obey it; and, in obeying it, we serve Him and grow in
Christian character. While none of us is perfectly balanced in these
four factors, we ought to strive for that balance.
BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY
GOOD
WORK: ergo agatho karpophorountes (PAPMPN):
(John 15:4-5, 15:8,16 Ro 7:4; 7:5;15:26, 27, 28 Gal 5:22,23 Eph 2:10;
Php 1:11; Titus 3:1,14; Heb 12:11; 13:21; James 3:17 2Pe 1:8)
Spurgeon
calls us to observe that...
“That ye might walk worthy of the
Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful” Paul would have us producing
the best fruit. Without knowledge we cannot be fruitful; at least in
the points whereof we are ignorant we must fail to bring forth fruit.
Therefore would he have us to be right well taught, that we may
abundantly produce fruit unto God’s glory.
He says, “fruitful in every good
work”; and this means much. He desires us to be as full of good works
as we can hold. Some are hindered in this because they do not know how
to set about holy service. How can a man be fruitful as a preacher if
he does not know what to preach? True, he may preach the elementary
doctrine of the cross, but even that he will be apt to set forth in a
blundering manner. For certain, a man cannot teach what he does not
know. The zealous, but untaught man, would be much more fruitful if he
had a clearer understanding of divine things. In daily life, if in
knowledge you are ignorant as to the things of God, you will be ready
to become the prey of any false teacher who may chance to pick you up.
In hundreds of ways ignorance will make you run risks, lose
opportunities of usefulness, and fall into dangerous mistakes.
Knowledge is food to the true heart, and strengthens it for the Lord’s
work. Oh, to have knowledge placed like good soil around the roots of
the soul, to fertilize the mind, that thus the clusters of usefulness
may be as large as those of Eshcol: beautiful, plentiful, sweet, and
fall. May our Lord, the King of Israel, to Whom the vineyard belongs,
receive an abundant reward for all His labor for the vines which He
has planted.
There is another note in this
verse, which I beg you to notice. Paul would have them cultivate a
comprehensive variety of the best things. He says-
“Fruitful in every good work.”
Here is room and range enough- “in
every good work.” Have you the ability to preach the gospel? Preach
it! Does a little child need comforting? Comfort it! Can you stand up
and vindicate a glorious truth before thousands? Do it! Does a poor
saint need a bit of dinner from your table? Send it to her. Let works
of obedience, testimony, zeal, charity, piety, and philanthropy all be
found in your life. Do not select big things as your specialty, but
glorify the Lord also in the littles- “fruitful in every good work.”
You never saw in nature a tree
which yielded all sorts of fruit, and you never will. I have seen a
tree so grafted that it produced four kinds of fruit at one time, but
I remarked that it was a poor business in reference to two of the
varieties; for one of the grafts, more natural than the others to the
parent stem, drew off the most of the sap, and flourished well, but
robbed the other branches. The second sort of fruit managed to live
pretty fairly, but not so well as it would have done on its own stem.
As for the third and fourth, they were mere attempts at fruit of the
smallest size. This tree was shown to me as a great curiosity; it is
not likely that practical gardeners will be encouraged by the
experiment. But what would you think of a tree upon which you saw
grapes, and figs, and olives, and apples, and all other good fruits
growing at one time? This is the emblem of what instructed believers
will become: they will produce all sorts of goodness and graciousness
to the honor of their heavenly Father.
I have no doubt that you will
naturally abound most in certain good works for which you have the
largest capacity, but still nothing ought to come amiss to you. In the
great house of the church we want servants who will not be simply
cooks or housemaids, but general servants, maids of all work, prepared
to do anything and everything. I have known persons in household
employment in England who would not do a turn beyond their special
work to save their masters’ lives: these are a sort of servants of
whom the fewer the better. In India this is carried to a ridiculous
extreme. The Hindoo water-bearer will not sweep the house, nor light a
fire, nor brush your clothes-he will fetch water, and nothing else:
you must, therefore, have a servant for each separate thing, and then
each man will do his own little bit, but he will not go an inch
beyond. When we enter into Christ’s church we should come prepared to
wash the saints’ feet, or bear their burdens, or bind up their wounds,
or fight their foes, or act as steward, or shepherd, or nurse. It has
been well said that if two angels in heaven were summoned to serve the
Lord, and there were two works to be done, an empire to be ruled, or a
crossing to be swept, neither angel would have a choice as to which
should be appointed him, but would gladly abide the will of the Lord.
Let us be equally prepared for anything, for everything by which fruit
can be produced for the Well-beloved.
Why is it that some are not
fruitful in this comprehensive way?
Because they are not filled with
knowledge in all wisdom. When a man says,
“You ask me to do the lowest work!
Don’t you know that I am a man of remarkable ability who should have
higher work to do?”
I venture to assert that he is an
ignorant man. Self-assertion is ignorance on horseback. You have
probably read of a certain renowned corporal in the American service a
century ago. A general, as he rode along, saw a body of men
endeavoring to lift timber. They were shorthanded, and the work
lagged, but their famous corporal stood by ordering them about at a
magnificent rate. The general passed and said,
“Why don’t you lend them help and
put your shoulder to it?
“Why, sir,” said the great little
officer, “how can you think of such a thing? Do you know who I am? I
am a corporal!”
The general got off his horse,
pulled off his coat, and helped to move the timber, and by his
judicious help the soldiers achieved their task. Then he turned to the
high and mighty gentleman and said,
“Mr. Corporal, next time you want
a man to do such work as this you can send for me: I am General
Washington.”
Just so the Lord Jesus Christ if He
were here would gladly do a thousand things which His poor little
servants are too great to touch. I know you, dear brother, you are too
experienced, too old, too learned to help the Sunday school! I know
you are too respectable to give away a tract! Pray get out of such
ignorant ways of thinking, and ask to be useful in all possible ways.
If you have done a little, do much; if you have done much, do more;
and when you have more, ask for grace to proceed to the highest
possible degree of usefulness for your Lord. (See
the full sermon - Spiritual Knowledge: It's Practical Results)
Bearing fruit
(2592) (karpophoreo from
karpos = fruit, produce +
phero = bear, bring) literally means to bring forth
fruit, to be fertile, productive. It is used figuratively to refer to
bringing forth deeds or works (fruit), which depending on the context
can be good fruit or bad fruit (see verses below, especially notes on
Ro 7:4, 5-note)
In John 15:5 those who abide in the
Vine Christ Jesus, will bring forth "much fruit" ("good works"). In
this verse Paul says that they will continually (present
tense) bear
fruit in (every good work) every kind of activity undertaken for
the name of Christ and in the operating power of the indwelling Holy
Spirit, upon Whom the believer is entirely dependent.
Jesus used karpophoreo
several times...
"And the one on whom seed was sown
on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands
it; who indeed bears fruit (present
tense) and brings
forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." (Matthew
13:23)
"The soil produces crops (present
tense) by itself;
first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
(Mark 4:28)
Comment: This is the only
literal use of this verb in the NT
And the seed in the good soil,
these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and
good
heart,
and hold it fast (refers to ongoing obedience), and bear fruit
(present
tense) with
perseverance.
(Luke 8:15)
Comment: These hearer of the word (seed) not only
received the word but allowed it to mold their lives. They were
teachable and obedient, and developed true Christ-like character and
produced fruit that glorified their Father in heaven. They bore
genuine spiritual fruit which evidenced that they possessed genuine
spiritual life. As J Vernon McGee says these fruit bearers "are the
hearers who are genuinely converted by the Word of God."-
Thru the Bible Commentary)
Paul used karpophoreo in
Romans 7 writing...
Therefore, my brethren, you also
were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might
be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we
might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the
flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at
work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
(see note
Romans 7:4-5) (Comment: Regenerate and unregenerate men are
contrasted, in the unregenerate “the passions of sins,” or the sinful
impulses bearing fruit unto death, as these activities arise out of a
state of alienation from God. In the regenerate man the power of the
indwelling Spirit Who unites the soul with the risen Lord bears fruit
unto God = good fruit or
Good Deeds)
In this same chapter of Colossians
Paul in reference to 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 (Col 1:6-note)
Karpophereo is used 8 times
in the NT
Mt 13:23; Mark 4:20, 28; Lk 8:15;
Ro 7:4, 5; Col 1:6, 10
There is one use of Karpophereo
in the
Septuagint (LXX)
in Habakkuk 3:17...
Though the fig tree should not
blossom (bear no fruit - karpophoreo), And there be no fruit on the
vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields
produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And
there be no cattle in the stalls...
Lord, on
our souls Thy Spirit pour;
The moral waste within restore;
O let Thy love our springtide be,
And make us all
bear fruit to Thee
--Henry Lyte
(Play
hymn)
Precious
Jesus, I beseech Thee,
May Thy words take root in me;
May this gift from heav’n enrich me
So that I bear
fruit for Thee!
Almighty
Father, bless the Word,
Which through Thy grace we now have heard.
O may the precious seed take root,
Spring up, and bear
abundant fruit.
(Play
hymn)
Every
Good work - Not just "some"
but "every" work that is "good". See study on
Good Deeds
Good
(18)
(agathos) (click discussion of
good deeds) means intrinsically good, inherently good in
quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others,
benevolent (marked by or disposed to doing good).
The meaning of
kalos
(2570)
is also discussed in this topic. The basic meaning of kalos
describes that which is
inherently excellent or intrinsically good, providing some special or
superior benefit. Kalos is
good with emphasis (as discussed below) on that which is beautiful,
handsome, excellent, surpassing, precious, commendable, admirable.
Kalos describes that which is inherently excellent or
intrinsically good and/or that which provides some special or superior
benefit. In classical Greek kalos was originally used to
describe that which outwardly beautiful. Other secular uses of kalos
referred to the usefulness of something such as a fair haven, a
fair wind or that which was auspicious such as sacrifices.
Kalos referred to that which was "morally beautiful" or noble and
hence virtue was called "the good" (to kalon).
The New Testament uses of kalos are similar to the secular
Greek -- outwardly fair, as the stones of the temple (Lk 21:5); well
adapted to its purpose, as salt ("salt is good" Mk 9:50);
competent for an office, as deacons ("good servant of Christ
Jesus" 1Ti 4:6); a steward ("serving one another, as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God", see note
1 Peter 4:10);
a good soldier (note
2 Timothy 2:3);
expedient, wholesome ("it is better for you to enter life
crippled" Mk 9:43, 45, 47); morally good, noble, as works ("Let your
light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good
works" see note
Matthew 5:16);
conscience ("we are sure that we have a good conscience", see
note
Hebrews 13:18).
The phrase it is good, i.e., a good or proper thing ("It is
good not to eat meat or to drink wine", see note
Romans 14:21).
In the
Septuagint (LXX)
kalos
is the most commonly used word for
good as opposed to evil (e.g., see Ge 2:17; 24:50; Isaiah
5:20).
Agathos is used 102 times in
91v
the NT (Mt 5:45; 7:11, 17f; 12:34f; 19:16f; 20:15; 22:10; 25:21, 23;
Mark 3:4; 10:17f; Luke 1:53; 6:45; 8:8, 15; 10:42; 11:13; 12:18f;
16:25; 18:18f; 19:17; 23:50; John 1:46; 5:29; 7:12; Acts 9:36; 11:24;
23:1; Rom 2:7, 10; 3:8; 5:7; 7:12f, 18f; 8:28; 9:11; 10:15; 12:2, 9,
21; 13:3f; 14:16; 15:2; 16:19; 2 Cor 5:10; 9:8; Gal 6:6, 10; Eph 2:10;
4:28f; 6:8; Phil 1:6; Col 1:10; 1Th 3:6; 5:15; 2Th 2:16, 17; 1 Tim
1:5, 19; 2:10; 5:10; 2 Tim 2:21; 3:17; Titus 1:16; 2:5, 10; 3:1;
Philemon 1:6, 14; Heb 9:11; 10:1; 13:21; Jas 1:17; 3:17; 1 Pet 2:18;
3:10f, 13, 16, 21; 3 John 1:11)
and is translated generous, 1; good, 81; good man, 2; good thing, 6;
good things, 6; goodness, 1; goods, 2; kind, 1; kindly, 1; kindness, 1
Kalos is used 102 times in
91v the NT (Matt 3:10; 5:16; 7:17, 18, 19; 12:33; 13:8, 23f, 27, 37f,
45, 48; 15:26; 17:4; 18:8f; 26:10, 24; Mark 4:8, 20; 7:27; 9:5, 42f,
45, 47, 50; 14:6, 21; Luke 3:9; 6:38, 43; 8:15; 9:33; 14:34; 21:5;
John 2:10; 10:11, 14, 32f; Acts 25:10; 27:8; Rom 7:16, 18, 21; 12:17;
14:21; 1 Cor 5:6; 7:1, 8, 26; 9:15; 2 Cor 8:21; 13:7; Gal 4:18; 6:9;
1Thess 5:21; 1 Tim 1:8, 18; 2:3; 3:1, 7, 13; 4:4, 6; 5:10, 25; 6:12f,
18f; 2 Tim 1:14; 2:3; 4:7; Titus 2:7, 14; 3:8, 14; Heb 5:14; 6:5;
10:24; 13:9, 18; Jas 2:7; 3:13; 4:17; 1 Pet 2:12; 4:10)
and is translated beautiful, 1; better, 2; commendable manner,
1; excellent, 1; fair, 1; fine, 2; good, 79; high, 1; honest, 1;
honorable, 1; right thing, 1; sound, 1; treasure, 1; what is right, 2.
Agathos is one whose
goodness and works of goodness are transferred to others. Good and
doing good is the idea. Agathos describes that which is beneficial in
addition to being good.
Agathos is that which is
good in its character, beneficial in its effects and/or useful
in its action.
Agathos is used in the New
Testament primarily of spiritual and moral excellence. Paul uses
agathos to describe the gospel as the “glad tidings of good
things” (see note
Romans 10:15).
The writer of Hebrews uses it in the same way, of “the good
things to come” of which “Christ appeared as a high priest” (see
note
Hebrews 9:11)
and of which the law was “only a shadow” (see note
Hebrews 10:1).
The precise meaning of agathos
can be difficult to appreciate and distinguish from kalos (2570)
an adjective that is also translated good. An attempt is made in the
following discussion to bring out the difference, but in some verses
where both are used, this distinction can be difficult to appreciate.
Agathos describes that which
is perfect, producing pleasure, satisfaction, and a sense of
well-being, for example describing a good conscience in (1Ti
1:5).
But the goal of our instruction is
love from a pure heart and a good (agathos) conscience and a
sincere faith.
A good (agathos) conscience
is that which has been cleansed from guilt, through the blood of
Christ, and as a result of this, responds to the claims of the Lord to
exercise love, as being the aim of the charge Paul gives to Timothy in
this verse.
Agathos describes the
believer's deeds that remain withstand being tested by fire at the
Judgment Seat of Christ (1Cor 3:12, 13)
The words of saints are to be
agathos (good for edification) (see note
Ephesians 4:29)
Paul uses agathos in his
prayer in second Thessalonians writing...
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
Himself and God our Father, Who has loved us and given us eternal
comfort and good (agathos) hope by grace, comfort and
strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. (2Thes 2:16-17) (Comment:
Here the hope is classified as intrinsically good because of
its cheering and sustaining effect on the believer who cherishes it.)
In reference to God (as in Mt
19:16) agathos conveys the sense of perfect.
Agathos is distinguished
from kalos in that while agathos is inherently,
morally, or practically good, kalos takes that a step
further and adds the idea of aesthetically good, beautiful, fair and
appealing to the eye. Thus kalos is used to describe a
qualification of an elder as
one who manages his own household
well (kalos not agathos)" (1Ti 3:4).
In other words an elder must
be one whose leadership in the home is not only intrinsically good
(which it should be = agathos), but also visibly good (kalos = because
he as leader will be watched closely by the sheep under him and by the
pagan outside the flock). Agathos is good in the sense of
useful, kalos good in the sense of beautiful, although the
distinction is subtle.
This distinction between agathos
and kalos is brought out to a degree in
Romans 12:17 (note)
where Paul instructs believers to...
Never pay back evil for evil to
anyone. Respect what is right (kalos) in the sight of all men.
(Comment: Agathos refers to intrinsic goodness, and
kalos here, to exterior goodness, or goodness that is seen on the
exterior of a person, the outward expression of an inward goodness.
When this outward expression conforms to the inward goodness, then
that expression which a Christian gives of himself is an honest one,
one conforming to the inner facts. The word could be translated in a
connection like this by the word “seemly,” seemly in that the
expression is fitting. But if the Christian assumes an outward
expression which is patterned after this age, that expression not
representing what he is, a child of God, but giving the beholder the
impression that he is a person of the world, that expression is a
dishonest one. - from Wuest -
Reference
or
Logos)
Agathos refers to intrinsic
goodness, but in Romans 12:17 Paul uses kalos to describe
exterior goodness, or goodness that is seen on the exterior of a
person, the outward expression of an inward goodness. Such exterior
goodness (which is beautiful, fair, virtuous) is necessary because
what we do as Christians is observed by those around us, and it is
important that our conduct, which is open to “the eyes of
everybody,” brings honor to our God and corresponds to our
profession.
Vine notes that
The word kalos, “good,”
signifies the absolute worth of a thing, agathos denotes what
is beneficial...kalos...describes that which is intrinsically
good, that which is well adapted to the purpose intended; in 1Timothy
5:10, 25, 6:18 it describes that which is ethically good, right,
noble, honorable; it is to be distinguished from agathos, good
in character or constitution and beneficial in effect, as in 1Timothy
1:5, 19; 2:10; 5:10. (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
And so we encounter both kalos
and agathos in 1Timothy 5:10...
(widows) having a reputation for
good (kalos) works; and if she has brought up children, if she has
shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if
she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to
every good (agathos) work.
Vine commenting on the use
of both kalos and agathos in 1Timothy 5:10 writes
that...
Some would regard these adjectives
as merely interchangeable in this connection. Kalos, however,
directs attention to that which is fair, noble, honorable or
beautiful, outwardly and visibly, agathos to that which, being
good in character or constitution, is beneficial in effect. The
distinctive meanings are well exemplified here: in the first case the
word lays stress upon that which, being noble and honorable, bears a
favorable report (not that it is not at the same time beneficial); in
the second case the stress is on the beneficial character of the work.
(Ibid
or
Logos)
In 1Timothy 6:18 good occurs twice,
once as agathos and once as kalos...
Instruct them to do good,
(agahoergeo - from agathos) to be rich in good (kalos) works,
to be generous and ready to share. (Comment: Here Paul teaches
that the liberal use of one’s means, while beneficent in effect
(agathos), is intrinsically honorable, fair, beautiful (kalos).
In
Romans 7:18 (note)
Paul uses both agathos and kalos writing...
For I know that nothing good
(agathos - here referring to nothing capable of accomplishing
good. It is incapable of acting in a beneficial way) dwells in me,
that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing
of the good (kalos - that which is wholly admirable,
fair) is not.
Comment: Denney says that
kalos suggests the moral beauty of the law, agathos its
beneficial purpose.
As Vine emphasizes that
while the difference between the
words (agathos, kalos) may be thus generally stated, they are not
always readily distinguishable (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
Barclay writes that...
There are two Greek words for good.
Agathos simply describes a thing as good. Kalos means
that a thing is not only good but looks good; it has a winsome
attractiveness about it. Real Christianity is a lovely thing. There
are so many people who are good but with their goodness possess a
streak of unlovely hardness. (note on Acts 3:1)...Now in Greek, there
are two words for good. There is agathos which simply describes the
moral quality of a thing; there is kalos which means that in the
goodness there is a quality of winsomeness which makes it lovely. When
Jesus is described as the good shepherd, the word is kalos. In him
there is more than efficiency and more than fidelity; there is
loveliness. Sometimes in a village or town people speak about the good
doctor. They are not thinking only of the doctor’s efficiency and
skill as a physician; they are thinking of the sympathy and the
kindness and the graciousness which he brought with him and which made
him the friend of all. In the picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd
there is loveliness as well as strength and power. (note on John
10:16)... In Greek there are two words for good. There is agathos
which describes a thing which is morally good; and there is kalos
which describes a thing which is not only good but lovely. A thing
might be agathos, and yet be hard, stern, austere, unattractive. But a
thing which is kalos is winsome and lovely, with a certain bloom of
charm upon it. (note on Mark 14:10) (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press
or
Logos)
Richards writes that...
There are two basic words for
"good" found in the NT: agathos and kalos. Agathos
indicates the good as useful and came to have a strong ethical and
religious emphasis. On the other hand, the other word meaning "good,"
kalos, stresses the aesthetic. The person or thing that is
kalos is beautiful, fine, noble, and praiseworthy. As a thing of
beauty, such a person or object is pleasing to God and to his people
and is a source of joy. This happy tone in kalos is captured in
Jesus' words about the woman called Mary who washed his feet and
anointed him just before he was betrayed: "She has done a beautiful
thing to me," he said (Mt 26:10; Mark 14:6).
Because of their link with the good, kalos and agathos
are often used synonymously and usually both are translated "good."
Thus the aspect of beauty found in goodness and revealed in the Greek
language is often lost in our English translations.
Agathos views the good as
useful or profitable and is the word chosen when moral goodness is
being considered. Kalos tends to stress the aesthetic aspect of
good. Good is not only beneficial but also beautiful. (Richards,
L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency)
MacArthur commenting on the
fruit of the Spirit which includes goodness writes that the word is
agathos which...
has to do with moral and spiritual
excellence that is known by its sweetness and active kindness. Paul
helped define this virtue when he observed that “one will hardly die
for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would
dare even to die” (see note
Romans 5:7).
A Christian can be morally upright but still not manifest the grace of
goodness. He may be admired and respected for his high moral standards
and might even have a friend who would risk his life for him. But the
upright person who also has goodness is much more likely to have
serf-sacrificing friends...(Agathos) is the internal goodness
produced by the Spirit in the hearts of obedient believers, which then
finds expression in external goodness spoken by his mouth and
performed by his hands. It is also good that is unqualified and
unrestricted, to be shown all men, including unbelievers (see Gal
6:10) (MacArthur,
J. Galatians. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
In Mark 10:17 (also Luke
18:18 describing a certain ruler) we read of the man who came to
Jesus...
And as He was setting out on a
journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking
Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Mark and Luke both use agathos
for good, which implies that the questioner saw the Lord as
good in nature and in essence. The writers would have used the
word kalos if the questioner's intent was to denote strictly
external goodness or good form. In saying “good teacher” the
questioner was not just calling Jesus a capable teacher but was
affirming belief in the Lord’s essential (agathos) goodness.
Wuest adds that...
agathos which
speaks of intrinsic goodness, and kalos which speaks of
goodness as it is seen from without. The word kalos has
also the idea of “beautiful.” It was used by the Greeks of anything so
distinguished in form, excellence, goodness, usefulness, as to be
pleasing. Hence, it can refer to anything which is handsome, useful,
excellent, suitable, commendable, excellent in its nature and
characteristics, and therefore well adapted to its ends...Kalos (is) a
goodness seen on the outside as it strikes the eye, a beautiful,
pleasing goodness. It was a work that as Swete says, possessed true
moral beauty....Agathos always includes a corresponding
beneficent relation of the subject of it to another subject...Kalos
speaks of goodness as seen from the outside by a spectator.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
Saints are made adequate and
equipped for good (agathos) works by God's Word...
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the
man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good (agathos) work."
(see notes
2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Consider the fruit tree. It is not "conscious" of the bearing
process. We are to be like the fruit tree for it is God Who is causing
fruit be borne in good works
which blossom and ripen as we are walk obedient to His revealed will.
Vine comments that every good work
"signifies every kind of activity undertaken for the name of
Christ; everything so undertaken is a means of fruitfulness, and the
operating power is the indwelling Holy Spirit, upon whom the believer
is entirely dependent." (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
One way to think of this is as a
process, so that in salvation God does work for us, in
sanctification He does work in us and in service He does
work through us and bears fruit that remains. God builds
character before He calls to service. He must work in us
before He can work through us. God spent 25 years
working in Abraham before He gave him the promised son Isaac. Remember
too that although we are not saved by good works, we are saved unto
good works.
Theologian John Calvin wrote,
“It is faith alone that
justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.”
We are
not saved by faith plus good works, but by a faith that works. Any
declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works
is a false declaration. True saving faith can never be by itself for
it always brings life, and life produces good works.
The person with dead faith has only an intellectual experience. In his
mind, he knows the doctrines of salvation, but he has never submitted
himself to God and trusted Christ for salvation. He knows the right
words, but he does not back up his words with his works. Faith in
Christ brings eternal life right now (John 3:16), and where there is life there must be growth and fruit.
(cf James 2:17)
Are you bearing fruit in every good work?
Dearly beloved, be encouraged for Paul wrote that
"we are
(God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
(see note
Ephesians 2:10)
Many believers minimize the place of good works
in the Christian life reasoning that because we are not
saved by good works,
then good works
are something to be shunned. But our Lord reminds us that our
incredible privilege is to
"Let your light shine before men in such
a way that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.”
(see note
Matthew 5:16)
It is not only by words that we give testimony to the greatness of
God, but also by our works. Our good works in fact pave the way for
witness with good words. If our walk contradicts our words, we lose
our testimony. Our “walk” and our “talk” must agree. Good works and
good words must come from the same yielded heart. Too many believers
today emphasize guarding the truth, but downplay living
the truth. One of the best ways to guard the truth is to put it into
practice. It is good to be defenders of the faith, but we must not
forget to be demonstrators of the faith by letting them see our good works!
You are writing a Gospel,
A chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do
And the words that you say.
Men read what you write,
Whether faithful or true:
Just what is the Gospel
According to you?
--- Author unknown
When doing good works,
also remember that the following question is irrelevant "Does this
person deserve my good works?" We are to "abound to every good work"
(NIV, 2Cor 9:8).
Paul reminded Titus (and us) that
Jesus
"gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from
every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own
possession, zealous (afire, ardent, fervent, eager, enthusiastic) for good deeds."
(see note
Titus 2:14)
The writer of Hebrews exhorts believers "do not
neglect doing good and sharing; for with such
sacrifices God is pleased" (Heb
13:16 - note) so that good works
are actually “spiritual sacrifices” that we offer to God!
Please do not misunderstand. Believers do not manufacture these good works
but instead they are the fruit of God's Spirit working in our heart
for as Paul reminds us in (see note
Philippians 2:13)
it is God Who is at work in you, both to will and to
work for His good pleasure.
Paul acknowledges that the
key to his good works
was the grace of God which made him adding that God's "grace toward
me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of
them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." (1Cor
15:10).
Peter writes "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so
that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on
account of your
good deeds, as
they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." (se
note
1 Peter 2:12). Thus our good works
serve as testimonies to the lost and even win us the right to be
heard.
In sum, all of these truths about good works
indicate that God has a plan for our lives and that we should walk in
His will and fulfill His plan. If you'd like some additional study on
the topic of "good works (deeds)" click the following links for all of
the 24 passages on (good
works,
good deeds).
INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE
OF GOD: kai auxanomenoi (PPPMPN) te epignosei tou theou:
(1Pe 2:2, 2Pet 3:18, Col 2:19; Isaiah 53:11; Da 12:4; Hab 2:14; Jn
17:3; 2Cor 2:14; 4:6; 9:8; Eph 1:17; 4:13; 2Pet 1:2,3; 1Jn 5:20)
The Amplified version emphasizes that the growth is in (the sphere of)
and by (the instrumentality of) the full and true
knowledge of God (in contrast to the knowledge of the false
philosophies which "stunt" growth and even lead to "death" if
persisted therein).
Spurgeon
writes...
“Fruitful in every good
work”-what then? “increasing in the knowledge of God.” Look at
that. It seems, then, that holiness is the road to knowledge.
God has made it so. If any man will
do his will he shall know of the doctrine. If you read and study, and
cannot make out the meaning of Scripture, get up and do something, and
it may be, in the doing of it, you shall discover the secret.
Holiness of heart
shall increase the illumination of your mind.
Will you kindly observe that this
knowledge rises in tone? for Paul first prayed that they “might be
filled with the knowledge of God’s will”; but now he implores for
them an increase in the knowledge of God Himself. Oh, blessed growth,
first to know the law, and then to know the Lawgiver! first to know
the precept, and then to know the mouth from which it comes! This is
the height of knowledge, to see Christ and know the Father, and learn
how to say from the heart,
“Truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
I would call your willing attention
to another thought. The apostle, if he is to be judged according to
his outward language, often utters impossible things, and yet his
every sentence is not only full of deep meaning, but is strictly
correct. Notice his language here: in the ninth verse he says,
“that ye might be filled with the
knowledge of his will.”
Can anything go beyond this? The
vessel is filled right up to the brim, what can it have more? Yet the
apostle says,
“increasing in the knowledge of
God.”
What can that mean? If the mind is
full to the brim, how can it receive more? If the man is full of
knowledge, how can his knowledge increase? Can there be any increase
after that? I propose to you the riddle.
Here is the answer of it: Make the
vessel larger, and then there can be an increase. This solution of the
difficulty requires no great wit to discover it. So that Paul plainly
teaches us here that, if we have so increased in knowledge as to be
full, he would have us increased in capacity to know yet more; he
would have our manhood enlarged, our powers of reception increased,
that we might grow from being children to be young men, and from young
men to be fathers, and so may be filled--filled, always filled with
all the fullness of God!
The Lord grant unto us to perceive
with humility, that if we are already full of knowledge, we can still
advance, for we “have not yet attained.” Let no man think that he
can go no further.
“There is,” says Augustine, “a
certain perfection according to the measure of this life, and it
belongs to that perfection that such a perfect man should know that he
is not yet perfect.”
To that I heartily subscribe. There
is a certain fullness to be found in this life according to the
measure of a man, and it belongs to that fullness that the man should
know that he can yet increase in knowledge. Holy Bernard says
“he is not good at all who doth
not desire to be better.”
I also subscribe to that saying.
Some might become good if they were not puffed up with the fancy of
their own perfection. Others are somewhat commendable, but will never
grow because they judge themselves to be full-grown already. I would
have you filled, and yet have room for more: filled with all
knowledge, filled with all holiness, filled with the indwelling
Spirit, filled with God, and yet increasing in knowledge, in holiness,
in likeness to God, and in all good things evermore to His glory. The
Lord add His blessing for Jesus’ sake. Amen. (See
the full sermon - Spiritual Knowledge: It's Practical Results)
Increasing
(837)(auxano)
means to cause to grow
or cause to become greater in extent, size, state, or quality and in
the current verse pictures the believer's continual (present
tense) spiritual growth (note
passive voice = saint is acted upon by God's Spirit
Who produces
the growth) "in (the sphere of, circumscribed by, encircled by,
surrounded by - the "air" a believer "breaths" in and is
enabled to live and grow spiritually is called "grace" and "true
knowledge") the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2Pe 3:18-note)
as we obey (Jn 7:17)
and
as we walk worthy (cf Php 1:27-note).
Auxano - 23x times in 23v --
Matt. 6:28; 13:32; Mk. 4:8; Lk. 1:80; 2:40; 12:27; 13:19; Jn. 3:30;
Acts 6:7; 7:17; 12:24; 19:20; 1 Co. 3:6f; 2 Co. 9:10; 10:15; Eph.
2:21; 4:15; Col. 1:6, 10; 2:19; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18. NAS
= causes the growth(1), causing the growth(1), full grown(1), grew(1),
grow(8), growing(2), grows(2), increase(2), increased(2),
increasing(2), spreading(1).
Auxano - 34x in the
Septuagint (LXX)
- Gen 1:22, 28; 8:17; 9:1, 7; 17:6, 20; 21:8, 20; 25:27; 26:22; 28:3;
30:30; 35:11; 41:52; 47:27; 48:4; 49:22; Ex 1:7; 23:30; Lev 26:9; Num
24:7; Josh 4:14; Jdg 5:11; 1 Chr 14:2; 17:10; 23:17; 2 Chr 11:23; Job
42:10; Ps 105:24; Isa 61:11; Jer 3:16; 22:30; 23:3
Note especially the vitally
inherent in the Word of God - Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20 - So what?
Preach the Word in season and out if you want to see your congregation
grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
There are no shortcuts.
Paul used auxano in
this same chapter of spiritual growth, describing the gospel which had
come to and transformed the lives of the Colossians "just as in all
the world also it (the gospel) 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." (Col
1:6-note)
Paul later warned the Colossian saints to beware of
defrauders who were "not holding fast to the head, from whom the
entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and
ligaments, grows (auxano) with a growth (auxesis) which is from God."
(see note
Colossians 2:19).
There is no spiritual growth for the body (the
church) apart from union with the Head, Christ. Using auxano
with a similar meaning, Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:
"I
planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but God who causes the growth." (1Cor 3:6-7)
Increasing or
growth predicates an object having the element of life within
itself and being acted upon by an outside power or force to produce
either natural growth (eg, "lilies of the field grow"
- Mt 6:28-note) or, in the metaphorical
sense, spiritual growth, as used by John the Baptist in his
reference to Jesus, declaring "He must
continually increase (auxano) and
I must continually decrease." (Jn 3:30)
In (2Cor 10:15)
Paul writes to the Corinthians expressing his hope that their "faith
grows" (literally - is continually being grown)
Another picture of spiritual growth is found in Luke's three
descriptions of the Gospel as "the word of God ( which) kept
on spreading (increasing, growing) and the number of the
disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many
of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith." (Acts 6:7), "the Word of the Lord continued to grow and
to be multiplied." (Acts 12:24),
and "the Word of the Lord was growing mightily and
prevailing." (Acts 19:20).
How important for pulpits
everywhere to ensure and facilitate conditions which maximize the
"growth" of the Word of the Lord in the "garden" of the local body of
Christ,
in Whom the
whole building, being fitted together is (continually)
growing (auxano) into a holy temple in the Lord."
(Ep 2:21-note)
Paul exhorts believers at Ephesus
Enfolded in love, let us grow
up (auxano) in every way and in all things into Him
Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." (Eph
4:15-note,
Amplified)
And in one of the most foundational truths in the New
Testament regarding spiritual growth, Peter says that after
putting
aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
like newborn babes, long for the pure (unadulterated, no
additives, no artificial substitutes) milk of the Word, that
(purpose clause) by it you may grow (auxano)
in respect to salvation (into conformity to the image of Christ).
(see notes
1 Peter 2:1;
2:2)
Warren Wiersbe comments that
"It is sad when
Christians have no appetite for God’s Word, but must be ‘fed’
religious entertainment instead. As we grow, we discover that
the Word is milk for babes, but also strong meat for the mature (He
5:11, 12, 13, 14-see
notes
Heb 5:11-12;
13-14). It is also bread (Mt.
4:4) and honey (Ps 119:103)." (Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
The point is that their is no spiritual
growth in a believer who does not personally imbibe the milk of
the living and active Word of God.
Dear child of God, these truths
about auxano beg the question
"Beloved, beloved, tell me
beloved, how does your garden grow? (modified from the
familiar nursery rhyme)
Knowledge of God - Not just
becoming smarter sinners (smug and sacrosanct), but becoming more like
the Savior (submissive and serving).
Knowledge
(1922) (epignosis
[word study] from gnosis = knowledge gained by experience + epi
= here used to intensify the meaning) full, perfect, precise
knowledge
thus signifying a more complete, more thorough, larger knowledge than
that found in gnosis. Epignosis as used by
Paul stresses a true knowledge of God and His will. It was also,
generally, the appropriate term for personal rather than intellectual
knowledge. Epignosis thus implies a more intimate
and personal relationship than gnosis. The learner
exhibits a more thorough participation
in the acquiring of
knowledge.
CHRIST
IN ME