Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3:8 (ESV)
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
Philippians 3:8 (NASB, Updated 1995)
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Revelation 2:10 (ESV)
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
Psalm 27:4
This is something I believe we all forget from the Scriptures at least from time to time.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
James 2:10-11
. . . let me guide you in some ways we can uphold the truth both individually and corporately:
1. Believe it
2. Memorize it.
3. Meditate on it.
4. Study it.
5. Obey it.
6. Defend it.
7. Live it.
8. Proclaim it.
The supreme mission of the church is to uphold the precious legacy of God’s Word. What privilege to support the truth!
Pastor Jack Jenkins
This above quote came from the message “Proper Conduct & Confession Within the Church (part 2)“.
What is apostasy?
This word brings up others like heresy which is considered by some to be synonymous. It is incorrect to do so.
I would disagree with dictionary.com’s use of the word “total” as apostates (those in apostasy) often reject only portions of the faith though there are those who step away entirely. However, heresy is often included as they will turn around and add or alter things that were previously not there. It is possible to be just apostate as it is possible to be just a heretic (though often heretics are also apostate).
To be clear, terms like apostasy and heresy are used towards those who previously espoused the faith. These are not terms applied to those who never were part of the faith. Also, just because someone can be described as being in apostasy, it doesn’t mean they’ll always be so. There are various early church figures that others have described as apostate based upon a certain period in that individual’s life but in later life could easily be described as orthodox.
It is natural to be bitter towards those who have misrepresented the faith, but we must be willing to genuinely accept them as fellow believers when it is clear they have turned from their wrong.
The following chart gives a convenient one-stop place to compare and contrast the various verbal formulas. Use the following along with the Four-Quad chart to understand verbal formations.
See the verbal endings here.
| aug. | stem | connector | verbal ending | |
| Aorist Active | stem | + σα + | B | |
| Aorist Middle | stem | + σα + | D | |
| Aorist Passive | stem, may change | + θη + | B | |
| Future Active | + σ + c.v. + | A | ||
| Future Middle | + σ + c.v. + | C | ||
| Future Passive | same as Aorist passive stem | + θησ + c.v. + | C | |
| Imperfect Active | + c.v. + | B | ||
| Imperfect Middle | + c.v. + | D | ||
| Perfect Active | stem, may change | + κα + | A | |
| Perfect Middle | stem, may change | + | C | |
| Present Active | + c.v. + | A | ||
| Present Middle | + c.v. + | C | ||
| Second Aorist Active | aor. stem | + c.v. + | B | |
| Second Aorist Middle | aor. stem | + c.v. + | D | |
c.v. = connecting vowel, aug. = augment
There are many things misunderstand by the world when they glance at the Scriptures. 1 Timothy 2:9-15 is no different. Even followers of Christ have been known to misinterpret such a passage. This face emphasizes all the more the need for careful study of any text – especially every inch of the Bible!
In verse 9-15 we see a call for women to not make themselves a distraction in the church. To be clear, we are talking about within church gatherings and functions – especially worship times.
“I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,” (v. 9)
When we look into the original Greek it was written and the context, we see a few things:
Following on the heels is verse 10:
“but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.“
Intent of the heart flows out into one’s actions. A woman following after God will make clear such intent in her actions resulting in good works that ultimately point back to the God that has influenced their heart to act so.
No where is this passage saying women cannot wear nice things to church, have nice hair, or wear jewelry. The core, the chief point is the intent of the heart and the actions that flow out of this. This will naturally include a cultural sensitivity to the norms the people of the gathering are most accustomed in the surrounding culture to gauge what would be excessive. In my mind, what would be considered typically great to look like at prom wouldn’t be a good idea for church worship (as an example).
On the points of culture, no where do I intend to suggest that culture should trump Scripture. In what has been said so far, the point was to bring attention and understanding to the context of the audience Paul was writing to in 1 Timothy. This context helps us to understand the reason for why the particular words were stated in this letter as they were. It would be no different today. We see politicians deliberately ripping what opponents have said out of the original context in order to twist the original meaning to their own ends. Considering the context of any particular passage in Scripture helps us to ensure we avoid twisting the original meaning of the text as it was written and reading the Greek helps all the more with this.
Continue onto Part 2.
A Woman’s Conduct – 1 Timothy 2:9-15 (Part 1)
Why would you want to study a particular version (Koine) of Greek that no one speaks anymore?
The straightforward answer is because it is the language in which the New Testament (NT) was written. In addition, there was written a Koine Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint.
Koine (sounds like coin-ay) effectively means common so we have “common” Greek and this was the common tongue in the time of Jesus and the Apostles as well as beyond. Any time you study languages, you will come across the term lingua franca which is used to refer to the common language of a time. For NT times, this was Greek.
I’m sure I could make more points but already you can see how each point made easily feeds into the others. Also, many of these reasons to study Greek would also apply to study Hebrew which is the original language of the Old Testament Scriptures. Sure, you could just stick to the Greek Septuagint but that work is a translation of the original Hebrew. Once again, it is good and profitable to get to the original language.
Now, with all that said, I am not trying to say that every Christian must learn Greek, Hebrew, or whatever other languages. I would highly recommend it though. Between Greek and Hebrew, most English speakers will find Greek relatively easier to learn as there are clear similarities between the two languages.
Other languages used in the time of Christ and thereafter include Aramaic and Latin which can also prove useful.
