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Colossians
4:7-11
Commentary |
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AS TO ALL MY AFFAIRS: Ta kat
eme panta:
(Eph 6:21, 22, 23)
All the things relating to me
In this final
section of the letter we find the apostle revealing his great love and
concern for the members of the body of Christ, a concern which vividly
illustrates the statement made by the apostle in
Colossians 1:24 (note), namely, that
he fills up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in his
flesh "for his body's sake." Love for the brethren predominates.
Guy King has an interesting
introduction to this next section in which Paul mentions numerous
individuals by name...
I DARE say you have had the
experience of receiving a letter from a friend, in which he has
enclosed a group photograph of friends well-known to you both. Paul
seems to have done here, in words, something of the same kind. He has
grouped together, in thumbnail sketches, a number of people who are
roundabout him in Rome, and who are all well-known to the church
members in Colossae. How interested they will be in these glimpses, on
that Sabbath morning, in the Assembly, of their far-off comrades in
the Faith, brought so vividly to sight and memory by these spoken
miniatures. I dare say that we, too, may gain interest and inspiration
from a study of their features, for each has a characteristic profile
of his own. Take a good look at them, there in the group, one by one.
(His
Enclosed Group Photograph)
TYCHICUS, OUR BELOVED
BROTHER AND FAITHFUL SERVANT AND FELLOW BOND-SERVANT IN THE LORD: humin Tychikos o agapetos adelphos kai pistos diakonos:
(Acts 20:4; 2Ti 4:12; Titus 3:12) (Col 4:9,12; Ep 6:21; Phil 2:25)
(1Cor 4:1, 2, 3, 4)
Beloved
brother...faithful servant...fellow bondservant in the Lord - This
designation represents a beautiful threefold commendation of Tychicus.
APPLICATION:
If Paul were writing a letter to
your church, would he give a similar description of your Christian
walk?
Beloved (27)
(agapetos from agapáo = love) means
beloved, dear, very much loved. Agapetos is
love called out of one’s heart by preciousness of the object loved.
Agapetos is used
only of Christians as united with God or with each other in love.
God the Father uses this same word describing Jesus declaring that
This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." (Mt 3:17)
In fact the first 9 uses in the NT are of God the Father speaking of
Christ, His beloved Son. This gives you some idea of the preciousness
of the word "beloved"! This truth makes it even more
incredible that Paul described the saints at Thessalonica (and by
application all believers of all ages) as
brethren beloved (agapao) by God, His choice" (1Th 1:4
click for note).
Brother (80)
(adelphos from a = denoting unity +
delphús = womb) is literally one born from same womb.
Literally it is a male having the same father and mother.
Adelphos describes a close association of a group of persons
having well-defined membership. In the NT it often refers to fellow
believers in Christ united by the bond of affection. It can also refer
to a fellow countryman or a fellow Jew. In the present context it
refers to a fellow believer.
Faithful
(4103)
(pistos) (Click for an in depth word study of
pistos) means trustworthy, dependable, reliable. Tychicus
was faithful in duty to himself and to others. He was a man of true
fidelity, which is a word we don't here much in our society any
more but which is defined as
faithfulness to something to
which one is bound by pledge or duty and implies strict and continuing
faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty.
Fidelity
is the degree to which an electronic device (CD, radio, television)
accurately reproduces its effect (as sound or picture). Think about
that for a moment!
Servant (1249)
(diakonos from diako = run on
errands) (Click word study on related word
diakonia) is not used in
the technical sense of deacon, but in the sense of servant, Tychicus
being a lovely illustration of one serving the Lord in a lowly place.
Fellow bondservant
(4889) (sundoulos from
sun
= with +
doulos = servant) refers to a fellow
slave who is found in the same conditions as another. They were both
in bondage or bound to Jesus, in the state of being completely
controlled by Him and served Him joyfully as His property.
Vincent
says:
By this term he designates Tychicus
as, in common with himself, a servant of Jesus Christ.
The noun
doulos conveys the idea of the
slave's close, binding ties with his master, belonging to him,
obligated and desiring to do his will, and in a permanent relation of
servitude to another. The will of the doulos was altogether consumed
in the will of another, in this case of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tychicus is mentioned in four
other places (Acts 20:4;
see notes
2 Timothy 4:2
;
Titus 3:12;
Ephesians 6:21)
WILL BRING YOU INFORMATION: gnorisei (3SFAI)...kai sundoulos
en kurio:
Will bring information
(1107)
(gnorizo from ginosko = acquire
information by whatever means but often with the implication of
personal involvement or experience) means to cause information to be
known by someone, communicating things before unknown or reasserting
things already known.
Paul is going to explain why God
has done so much for us as He has just described.
We first meet Tychicus in (Acts 20:4). Paul was in
Ephesus near the end of his third missionary journey. He planned to
return to Jerusalem via Macedonia, where he intended to collect an
offering. With the offerings from Galatia and Achaia, he would present
it to the needy believers at Jerusalem (cf. 1Co 16:1-9). By so doing,
he hoped to cement the bond between the predominantly Gentile churches
outside of Palestine, and the predominantly Jewish church at
Jerusalem. He also planned to take some Gentile believers from Greece
and Asia Minor as representatives of their churches to the Jerusalem
church. Among them was Tychicus.
Tychicus’ willingness to travel with Paul to Jerusalem shows his
servant’s heart. Such a journey was not to be undertaken lightly.
Travel in the ancient world was far more difficult and dangerous than
in our day. The trip to Jerusalem would be very arduous, and it would
take Tychicus away from his family, friends, and church for a long
time. Along the way, Paul was repeatedly warned that trouble awaited
him in Jerusalem. Although Tychicus must certainly have heard those
warnings, he remained with Paul.
As Paul wrote Colossians, it had been more than two years since his
arrest at Jerusalem. Since then he had survived a plot by the Jewish
leaders to murder him, trials before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, and a
harrowing voyage to Rome. Tychicus may have been with Paul through
that entire time. He definitely was with him during his imprisonment
at Rome. After Paul’s release, Tychicus remained with him. When Paul
needed a temporary replacement for Titus as pastor of the church on
Crete, Tychicus was one of the ones considered (see note
Titus 3:12). Tychicus,
who had begun as a messenger, was now a candidate to fill in for as
great a man as Titus.
At the very end of Paul’s life, during his second Roman imprisonment,
Tychicus was still with him. Facing imminent execution, Paul desired
to see Timothy one last time. Because Timothy could not leave his
congregation at Ephesus without a replacement, Paul sent
Tychicus (see note
2 Timothy 4:12). Once again, Tychicus’ name comes up as a
replacement for one of Paul’s prominent associates. That speaks highly
of his character.
The writing of Colossians finds Tychicus in Rome with Paul during his
first imprisonment. By this time about four years have passed since
Tychicus joined Paul in Ephesus. Because he is a man of proven
loyalty, Paul has an important task for him: He is to deliver the
letter to the Colossians. Not only does he carry Colossians, but
Ephesians (cf. note
Ephesians 6:21) and probably Philemon as well (cf.
note
Colossians 4:9). The
trip from Rome to Colossae was a difficult one. Tychicus would first
have to cross much of Italy on foot, then sail across the Adriatic
Sea. After traversing Greece on foot, he would sail across the Aegean
Sea to the coast of Asia Minor. After all that, he still faced a
journey of nearly one hundred miles on foot to reach Colossae. That he
was entrusted with delivering three inspired books of Scripture once
again indicates Paul’s trust in him.}
Not only will Tychicus deliver the letter of Colossians, he will also
bring the Colossians information about Paul’s affairs and update them
on his circumstances. That would include bringing them information on
Paul’s health, his hopes, and his future prospects. He would also
encourage their hearts by adding a personal word of encouragement to
what was written in the letter and answering their queries about
Paul’s condition.
Paul next lists three credentials Tychicus possessed that qualified
him to act as Paul’s personal envoy. First, he was a beloved brother
in the Lord. That Paul calls him a brother shows he was one of the
family of believers. His personal character had earned him the
designation beloved from no less than the apostle Paul himself.
Second, Paul describes him as a faithful servant. He never achieved
prominence, but he served in an important capacity as Paul’s liaison
to the churches. He was a faithful steward of his ministry—the highest
commendation Paul could give (cf. 1Cor 4:2). Finally, Paul calls him a
fellow bond-servant in the Lord. He was a diakonos (servant) in
relationship to Paul, but a sundoulos (fellow bond-servant) with Paul
in relationship to the Lord. |
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FOR I HAVE SENT HIM TO YOU
FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE: on epempsa (1SAAI) pros umas eis auto touto :
(1Co 4:17; 2Cor 12:18; Eph 6:22; Phil 2:28; 1Thes 3:5)
I have sent (3992)
(pempo) means to dispatch, send, thrust out. When used of persons, pempo means to cause to go. It is used to describe
messengers, agents or ambassadors.
Vincent
comments that pempo is in the so called...
Epistolary (relating to a letter)
aorist.
Tychicus carried the letter.
Wuest explains this further writing that...
“I have sent” is the epistolary
aorist, in which the writer puts himself at the standpoint of the
reader when he receives the letter, and looks at the writing of the
letter which is a present event with him, as a past event. Paul sent
this letter with Tychicus.
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans
or
Logos)
In this concluding section, Paul commends the two bearers of the epistle, Tychicus and Onesimus.
Tychicus is evidently the more prominent postman of the two. No doubt
he would have been astonished to know that the letters he bore,
Colossians and Ephesians (cf notes
Ephesians 6:21;
22), would outlast the power of
the imperial city of the seven hills itself.
THAT YOU MAY KNOW ABOUT OUR
CIRCUMSTANCES AND THAT HE MAY ENCOURAGE YOUR HEARTS:
hina gnote (2PAAS) ta peri hemon kai parakalese (3SAAS) tas kardias
humon:(Col 2:2; Isa
40:1; 61:2,3; 2Cor 1:4; 2:7; 1Thes 2:11; 3:2; 4:18; 5:11,14; 2Thes
2:17)
That (hina)
introduces a purpose clause. The idea is that you "may come to know".
Know (1097)
(ginosko) means to acquire information by whatever means, but often
with the implication of personal involvement or experience.
Encourage (3870)
(parakaleo from para = side of +
kaléo = call) conveys the basic idea of calling one alongside to
help or give aid. Because a person can be called alongside for many
purposes, the word has a wide range of meanings. They include to
entreat, appeal to, summon, comfort, exhort, or encourage.
The English word encourage
is derived from a root which means “with heart.” To encourage in a sense is to give
a new heart. Shallow sympathy makes people feel worse but true
spiritual encouragement makes them feel better. It builds up. It brings out the best
in people.
Hearts
(2588)
(kardia
from a root word meaning to quiver or palpitate) describes the
seat and center of human life and in the NT is used only figuratively.
The heart is the center of each person from which thoughts, emotions
and
affections flow. Figuratively the heart is often used in a more general
way referring
not only to the inner person and the center of life but also referring
to the mind, where thinking occurs.
For example Jesus describes an
evil slave (who) says in his heart,
'My master is not coming for a long time. (Mt 24:48)
In context the "evil slave" is clearly thinking plotting out what he
will do indicating that heart in this verse is a reference to the mind. The
emotions respond to what goes on in the heart and to what the mind
perceives. The way to control the emotions, then, is through the mind.
When the mind is filled with biblical truth (cf notes
Philippians 4:8;
4:9),
the emotions respond properly. For that reason the Bible counsels to
watch over your
heart with all diligence, for from it flow the
springs of life” (Pr 4:23) |
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AND WITH HIM ONESIMUS OUR FAITHFUL AND BELOVED
BROTHER, WHO IS ONE OF YOUR NUMBER THEY WILL INFORM YOU ABOUT THE
WHOLE SITUATION HERE: sun Onesimo to pisto kai agapeto adelpho
os estin (3SPAI) ex humon panta humin gnorisousin (3PFAI) ta ode: (Col
4:7; Phile1:10-19)
Onesimus (3682) (from oninemi = to be of use, to
profit) is the escaped slave of the Epistle to Philemon. Notice that Paul makes no reference to the offence he had committed
against his Colossian master, Philemon, and no call for confession of it
before the whole church. The sin's guilt had been forgiven by God and any
consequences were a private matter between Philemon and him.
Onesimus, the man with
the sinful past, is the runaway slave whose return to his master was
the occasion for the book of Philemon. Philemon was one of the leaders
of the Colossian church, and it is likely that the church met in his
home. Onesimus had been a slave in Philemon’s household until he ran
away and made his way to Rome. There he met the apostle Paul, who led
him to Christ. Now he was returning to Colossae and his master. Paul
wrote to urge Philemon to forgive Onesimus for running away and
defrauding him and to welcome Onesimus as a brother in Christ.
Regarding
Onesimus, Lightfoot writes
The man whom the Colossians had
only known hitherto, if they knew him at all, is thus commended to
them as no more slave but a brother, no more dishonest and faithless
but trustworthy, no more an object of contempt but of love.
Onesimus was a living testimony to the power of the
gospel to
transform a life. Paul tells the Colossians that the man who left
Colossae as a runaway slave now returns as "one of your number".
Clearly he was to be treated as a member of the church, because in
Christ
There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there
is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
(Gal 3:28).
In the present
epistle Paul had reminded the saints at Colossae that the possess
a renewal in which there is no distinction between
Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all." (Col 3:11 note)
Paul
in fact shows his high regard for Onesimus
by having him, along with Tychicus, inform the Colossians about Paul’s
situation in Rome.
Vincent
has the following lengthy note on Onesimus in his comments on
Philemon...
Onesimus. The name is
withheld until Paul has favorably disposed Philemon to his request.
The word means helpful, and it was a common name for slaves. The same
idea was expressed by other names, as Chresimus, Chrestus (useful);
Onesiphorus (profit-bringer, 2Ti 1:16); Symphorus (suitable).
Onesimus was a runaway Phrygian
slave, who had committed some crime and therefore had fled from his
master and hidden himself in Rome. Under Roman law the slave was a
chattel. Varro classified slaves among implements, which he classifies
as vocalia, articulate speaking implements, as slaves; semivocalia,
having a voice but not articulating, as oxen; muta, dumb, as wagons.
The attitude of the law toward the slave was expressed in the formula
servile caput nullum jus habet; the slave has no right. The master’s
power was unlimited. He might mutilate, torture, or kill the slave at
his pleasure. Pollio, in the time of Augustus, ordered a slave to be
thrown into a pond of voracious lampreys. Augustus interfered, but
afterward ordered a slave of his own to be crucified on the mast of a
ship for eating a favorite quail. Juvenal describes a profligate woman
ordering a slave to be crucified. Some one remonstrates. She replies:
“So then a slave is a man, is he! ‘He has done nothing,’ you say.
Granted. I command it. Let my pleasure stand for a reason” (6:219).
Martial records an instance of a master cutting out a slave’s tongue.
The old Roman legislation imposed death for killing a plough-ox; but
the murderer of a slave was not called to account. Tracking fugitive
slaves was a trade. Recovered slaves were branded on the forehead,
condemned to double labor, and sometimes thrown to the beasts in the
amphitheatre. The slave population was enormous. Some proprietors had
as many as twenty thousand. (Vincent, M. R. Word studies in the New
Testament 3:518-519). |
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Colossians
4:10
Aristarchus, my
fellow
prisoner,
sends you his
greetings; and
also
Barnabas's
cousin
Mark
(about
whom you
received
instructions;
if he
comes to you,
welcome him); |
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Greek:
Aspazetai (3SPMI)
umas
Aristarchos
o
sunaichmalotos
mou,
kai
Markos
o
anepsios
Barnaba
peri
ou
elabete (2PAAI)
entolas,
ean
elthe (3SAAS)
pros
humas
decasthe (2PAMM)
auton,
Amplified: Aristarchus my fellow prisoner wishes to be
remembered to you, as does Mark the relative of Barnabas. You received
instructions concerning him; if he comes to you give him a [qhearty]
welcome. (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Phillips:
Aristarchus, who is also in prison here, sends greetings, and so does
Barnabas' cousin, Mark. I believe I told you before about him; if he
does come to you, make him welcome. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: There greet you Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, and
Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you received orders; if
he comes to you, receive him, (Eerdmans) |
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ARISTARCHUS, MY FELLOW
PRISONER, SENDS YOU HIS GREETINGS: Aspazetai (3SPMI) humas Aristarchos
o sunaichmalotos mou:
(Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2; Phile 1:24)
Aristarchus (708)
whose name means "best ruler" was a Jewish believer (next verse) had a
Greek name and was a Macedonian of Thessalonica (Acts 20:4; 27:2) who
traveled with the Paul on his third missionary journey through Asia
Minor (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2). Aristarchus first appeared during
Paul’s three year ministry at Ephesus. He was seized by the rioting
mob, who recognized him as one of Paul’s companions (Acts 19:29) and
later preceded Paul to Troas (Acts 20:4-6). A faithful companion and
friend, Aristarchus accompanied Paul on his return trip to Jerusalem
(Acts 20:4), and on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:4) where he attended
the apostle and shared his imprisonment. As Paul writes Colossians,
Aristarchus is still beside him.
Fellow prisoner (4869) (sunaichmalotos
from
sun = with, together with + aichmalotos = literally taken captive by sword, a
prisoner of war). Note that aichmalotos referred to prisoners
of war. In a
sense Paul is a prisoner in Rome as the result of "spiritual war".
AND ALSO BARNABAS' COUSIN
MARK (ABOUT WHOM YOU RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS): kai Markos o anepsios
Barnaba peri ou elabete (2PAAI) entolas:
(Acts 12:12; 13:5,13; 15:37-39; 2Ti
4:11; 1Pe 5:13)
Barnabas'
cousin Mark - John Mark had a
very different career in the ministry than either Tychicus or
Aristarchus. A companion of Paul and Barnabas on their first
missionary journey (Acts 13:5), he deserted them when the going got
tough. Acts 13:13 relates the story: “Paul and his companions put out to
sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John left them and
returned to Jerusalem.” Mark’s desertion was later to become a source
of friction between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas wanted to take his
cousin along on the second missionary journey, but Paul, not trusting
Mark to be loyal, refused. That led to such a sharp disagreement
between Paul and Barnabas that they separated from each other
(Acts 15:37-39).
Fortunately, the
story does not end there. By the time Paul wrote Colossians, Mark had
become a changed man. He had been restored to usefulness, probably
through the ministry of Peter (Himself no stranger to failure) in his
life (cf. note
1 Peter 5:13).
In Phile24, Paul names him among his fellow workers. The man whom Paul
once rejected became one of his greatest helpers. In
2 Timothy 4:11 (note), Paul tells Timothy to “pick
up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”
Paul told the Colossians that if Mark came to them, they were to obey
their instructions (Which may have come from Paul, Peter, or Barnabas)
and welcome him. They were not to shun him because of his previous
failure. We might also call Mark the man with a second chance. His
life was a testimony to God’s ability to use failures. In fact, he
later received a privilege shared by only three other men in history:
writing one of the gospels.
The story of John Mark has become one of the telling illustrations of
the fact that, for the believer who confesses sin, the path of the
future
is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the
perfect day” (Pr 4:18, cp Da 12:3).
Not meet for Paul’s use earlier, he is
now profitable for Paul and meet for the Master’s use—the highest
ultimate approval.
IF HE COMES TO YOU,
WELCOME
HIM: ean elthe (3SAAS) pros humas decasthe auton:
(Ro 16:2; 2Jn 1:8,9)
Welcome (1209)
(dechomai
[word study])
means to accept deliberately and readily, receive kindly or welcome as a teacher, friend, or guest into ones
house. It means to to receive something offered or transmitted by
another (Luke 2:28). To take something into one's hand and so to grasp
(Luke 2:28, 22:17). To be receptive to someone (Mt 10:14, 40). To take
a favorable attitude toward something (Mt 11:14). Paul issues this as
a command (aorist
imperative).
The picture
here in Colossians is of one "putting out the welcome mat" for Mark as
one would a good friend or guest, inviting him into one's house
(Luke
10:8,10;
Rahab welcomed the spies
- see note
Hebrews 11:31)
Two different verbs are rendered to receive lambano in
the section above ("received instructions") which was the usual and general term
and in this section "dechomai" which conveys the sense of receipt with
a welcome.
Guy King
comments on Mark writing that...
Yes, he had a past; but that is now
all over. Largely, I suppose, he had a second chance through the
kindly action of his uncle. Do you think that GOD ever judges a man on
a first chance? I recollect how Peter, after his dismal failure, was
graciously re-instated in his apostleship to "feed" the flock. I
recall how Jonah ran away from GOD, rather than go to preach to the
despised Gentiles, and how "the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the
second time," Jonah 3:1.
And now, here is young Mark - such
a disappointment, but GOD will not leave him there. A past, yes; but
as we look at him there in the group, it is his future - of which, at
the moment, he is wholly unaware - that strikes us. Listen: this is
the man upon whom GOD has His hand for the writing of the Second
Gospel. You and I are not given the honour of writing a Gospel, but we
are privileged in being a Gospel - "You are writing a Gospel, a
chapter each day, By all that you do, and all that you say. Men read
what you write, whether faithless, or true. Say! What is the Gospel
according to you?" So John Mark gets his second chance; and he is now
back again with his old leader, and Paul rejoices to have him in the
group of his now faithful friends....
If any of us have wandered, let us
take heed and heart, in the knowledge that, if there is sincere
repentance, there remains for us a future of boon and blessedness. I
don't know what, but something, for Him and His glory.
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Colossians
4:11 and also
Jesus who is
called
Justus;
these are the
only
fellow
workers for the
kingdom of
God who are from the
circumcision, and they have
proved to be an
encouragement to me. |
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Greek:
kai
Iesous
o
legomenos (PPPMSN)
Ioustos,
oi
ontes (PAPMPN)
ek
peritomes
outoi
monoi
sunergoi
eis
ten
basileian
tou
theou,
oitines
ethenethesan (3SAPI)
moi
paregoria.
Amplified:
And [greetings also from] Jesus, who is called Justus. These [Hebrew
Christians] alone of the circumcision are among my fellow workers for
[the extension of] God’s kingdom, and they have proved a relief and a
comfort to me.
Phillips: Jesus Justus, another Hebrew Christian, is here too.
Only these few are working with me for the kingdom, but what a help
they have been!
Wuest: and Joshua, the one called Justus, who are of the
circumcision. These are my only fellow workers with respect to the
kingdom of God who are of such a character as to have become a solace
to me. |
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AND ALSO JESUS WHO IS
CALLED JUSTUS THESE ARE THE ONLY FELLOW WORKERS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
WHO ARE FROM THE CIRCUMCISION: kai Iesous o legomenos (PPPMSN) Ioustos oi ontes (PAPMPN) ek peritomes outoi monoi sunergoi eis
ten basileian tou theou: (Col 4:7; 1Co 3:5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 2Co
6:1; Phil 4:3; 1 Th 3:2; Philemon 1,24) (Acts 10:45; 11:2; Ro 4:12;
Gal 2:7,8; Eph 2:11; Titus 1:10)
Jesus (2424) (Iesous from Yeshu'a meaning Jehovah
His help) was a quite common name in Palestine.
The only
fellow workers...from the circumcision - The three who were ethnic
Jews - Aristarchus . . . Mark . . . Jesus who is called Justus.
But they were more than that for they were believing ethnic Jews and
thus had not received not just external circumcision but internal
circumcision of their heart by the Spirit of God. They composed the
believing Jewish
remnant
of Israel or what Paul referred to
in Galatians 6:16 as the
Israel of God (note)
(a synonym for NT believing Jews,
not
the NT church as tragically is so widely taught by those who hold to
the false notion that God is finished with the nation of Israel and
believe that the NT church has replaced Israel as the recipient of all
the promises initially made by God to the literal nation of Israel.
This is simply not what a literal, normative reading of Scripture
teaches and the Spirit of God foreseeing that such a gross distortion
would occur, inspires Paul to correct this aberration with the Word of
Truth in Romans 9-11. Unfortunately, many churches tread rather
lightly on these chapters with the result that few even with an
evangelical persuasion are genuinely comfortable with these vitally
important chapters. For an excellent audio discussion (the best
discussion I have ever heard) of Romans 9-11, I highly recommend the
studies by Tony Garland at spiritandtruth.org - they are balanced,
richly interwoven with OT passages and doctrinally sound -
Click here,
then click on each of the 10 separate sessions and select the audio
recording - these 12+ hours of lectures are superb, especially
if you have only a vague understanding (or none at all) of God's plan
for His chosen people, Israel. To aid your study I would also
recommend downloading lesson 1 of Precept's inductive study on
Romans 9-11 - Part 3,
which is a 64 page Pdf with an overview study of the 3 chapters as
well as the text of Romans 9-11 in NAS, double spaced and with wide
margins to allow you to carry out your own observations and then take
notes as you listen to the 12+ hours of lectures by Tony Garland. You
will be equipped and edified and hopefully can pass this information
on to others in your church, so that they are not driven and tossed by
every wind of doctrine, especially the false doctrine of replacement
theology which is blowing through much of the modern church.)
Fellow workers (4904)
(sunergos
from
sun =
together with, speaks of an intimate relationship + érgon =
work) means literally working together with and thus refers to a
companion in work, a colleague, a co-laborer, a fellow laborer or
fellow helper.
This word refers to someone who is
a team player, who does not seek to run or control things on his own,
nor serve for selfish or personal agendas.
Keathley says that
sunergos...
refers to someone who is a team
player. This is someone who does not seek to run or control things on
his own, nor serve for selfish or personal agendas. There are two
aspects of a team player in the body of Christ:
1.He or she is one who is a fellow
worker with God. The head of the body is the Lord Jesus. The church
belongs to Christ, not us. This means we are to get our orders and
spiritual strength from the Lord and allow Him to work in and through
us. We work as God’s fellow workers by submission to Him and by faith
in His provision.
2.This also means we are to work
together with our brethren in Christ as a part of God’s team. There is
no such thing as a one-man team. We work to build up others and to
help the body to function as a body. It means team work with each
believer doing his share for the goals of the Head and the team.
In addition, sunergos brings out
the fact that Timothy was a worker, which, in New Testament terms,
means a minister or a servant of others. Selfish, self-centered
agendas spoil our ability to not only be team players, but to work as
servants. (1Thessalonians
3:1-13 )
Kingdom of God -
Click to study
the 65 uses in the NT.
See also dictionary discussion (Kingdom
of God •
Kingdom Of God or Of Heaven, The
•
Kingdom of Heaven)
( KINGDOM
OF GOD) This (and the
essentially synonymous phrase "kingdom of heaven") refers most general
to the realm where God rules. The proclamation of this coming
Kingdom was the central element of the preaching and teaching of
Jesus. There is a sense in which this Kingdom was initiated by the
first advent of Christ the King, but because He was rejected, the
Kingdom was not fully consummated at His first coming. Jesus Himself
explained that the kingdom of God had come as evidenced by His
demonstration of His power over Satan's kingdom of darkness (see Mt
12:28). Since the Kingdom of God (Heaven) is the sphere of God’s
dominion over those who belong to Him, this kingdom is now "manifest"
in King Jesus' spiritual rule over the hearts of His bondservants,
those who have been saved by grace through faith (Luke 17:21 Jesus
explained that "the Kingdom of God is in your midst"). The Kingdom of
God (Heaven) will be fully established when Messiah, the King of kings
returns at His Second Coming to take His royal throne in the literal
1000 year earthly (Millennial)
kingdom (see notes
Revelation 20:4;
20:5;
20:6).
Circumcision (4061)
(peritome
from perí = around +
témno = cut off) (Click word study of
peritome)
In Romans Paul explains the true
(spiritual) meaning of circumcision
writing that
he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is
circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew
who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from
men, but from God." (see notes
Romans 2:28;
2:29)
The circumcision that God has
always desired is not some external, physical act any man can
perform, but is an internal, spiritual act that only
the Spirit of God can perform. Physical Jews who had experienced
spiritual circumcision are regenerated Jews, true Jews in the richest
way.
Paul explained to the saints at Colossae that in Christ
you were
also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,
in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also
raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him
from the dead." (see notes
Colossians 2:11;
12)
The critical phrase to note is "made without hands" which
clearly refers to a spiritual, supernatural circumcision by God as the
result of their faith in Christ.
AND THEY HAVE PROVED TO BE
AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO ME: hoitines ethenethesan (3SAPI) moi
paregoria: (2Co 7:6,7;
1Th 3:7)
Encouragement
(3931) (paregoria
from parēgoréō = to speak with, to exhort, to console
<> from para = beside + agora =
assembly <> from ageirein = to gather) refers to
consolation, comfort, solace. This is the only NT use.
Paregoria uses more
than just words in contrast to a similar verb, paramuthia
(para = near + muthéomai = to speak, consolation) which means
to speak kindly, soothingly
and so to comfort or pacify.
There is a medicine called
Paregoric which is given to infants as a sedative. It tends to soothe
and quiet them. The manufacturers certainly chose the right Greek word
to describe the medicinal effects of their product. How precious to
think that while Paul was in prison, deprived of his liberty to
preach, his fellow-workers by their activities in preaching the
gospel, were a soothing, quieting influence to him. In that sense they
were a comfort to him. The noun form means “comfort, solace, relief,
alleviation, consolation.” We Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit,
can be all that to our sorely-tried fellow-saints. The word is found
in a pagan letter of consolation on the occasion of a death. |
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