romans 12:20-21 romans 12:20-feed your enemy when · pdf filepossibly lead to a change of mind...

2009 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

1

Romans 12:20-21

Romans 12:20-Feed Your Enemy When He Is Hungry, Give Him A Drink

When He Is Thirsty So As To Heap Burning Coals On His Head

The apostle Paul in Romans 12:20 quotes from the Septuagint translation of

Proverbs 25:21-22, which contains the commands to feed one’s enemy when they

are hungry, give them a drink when they are thirsty so as to heap burning coals on

their head. Heaping burning coals on the head of one’s enemy means that

performing these acts on behalf of one’s enemy in response to the evil they’ve

practiced to you will produce in your enemy intense guilt and shame, which could

possibly lead to a change of mind about you and maybe even the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:20, “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND

IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL

HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”

In Romans 12:20, except for the alla at the beginning of the verse, Paul is

quoting exactly from the Septuagint (MS B) translation of Proverbs 25:21-22.

Commenting on this Moo writes, “Paul’s wording agrees exactly with that of

LXX MS B but B differs from the two other most important MSS, A and S, at one

point, translating ywvmize in place of the roughly synonymous trevfe. The reading

of B has probably been assimilated to Paul’s wording. The LXX and the Hebrew of

the MT are similar.” (Moo, Douglas J., The New International Commentary on the

New Testament, The Epistle to the Romans, page 787; William B. Eerdmans

Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, U.K., 1988)

Proverbs 25:21-22, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if

he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his

head, and the LORD will reward you.”




“BUT” is the strong adversative conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which

introduces a statement that stands in direct contrast with the idea presented in

Romans 12:19 of Paul’s readers avenging themselves of their enemies.

Romans 12:19, “All of you do not avenge yourselves divinely loved ones but

rather I solemnly charge all of you to give an opportunity for His righteous

indignation because it stands written for all of eternity, ‘Vengeance, as an

eternal spiritual truth, belongs to Me, I myself will exact retribution,’ says the

Lord.”

Now, in Romans 12:20, Paul quotes from Proverbs 25:21-22, which contains

the command to feed one’s enemy when they are hungry, give them a drink when


2

they are thirsty so as to heap burning coals on their head. Thus, by issuing this

command the apostle in Romans 12:20 is forbidding his readers from retaliating

against those who mistreat them or harm them in any way. This command expands

upon the command issued by Paul in Romans 12:14 to bless those that persecute

them and not to curse.

Romans 12:14, “All of you continue to make it your habit to bless those

who persecute you. All of you continue to make it your habit to bless and do

not curse.”

The command in Romans 12:20 echoes the prohibition in Romans 12:17 to

never repay evil for evil to anyone.

Romans 12:17, “All of you continue to make it your habit to never repay

evil in exchange for evil to anyone. All of you continue to make it your habit to

take into careful consideration words and actions, which are considered by all

men to be virtuous for the purpose of manifesting them through your

conduct.”

This command in Romans 12:20 echoes the teaching of the Old Testament.

Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge

against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I

am the LORD.”

This command in Romans 12:20 defines for the Roman believers how loving

one’s neighbor as oneself manifests itself.

It also echoes Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5:15.

1 Thessalonians 5:15, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but

always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”

It also echoes Peter’s teaching in 1 Peter 3:9.

1 Peter 3:8-9, “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic,

brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or

insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very

purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

This command in Romans 12:20 echoes the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching.

Matthew 5:38-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN

EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil

person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of

you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You

have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and

hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who

persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for

He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the


3

righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what

reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet

only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the

Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly

Father is perfect.”

Luke 6:27-35, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to

those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat

you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever

takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to

everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not

demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you

love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those

who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that

to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you

expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in

order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good,

and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you

will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil

men.”

Therefore, in Romans 12:20, the conjunction alla presents a strong contrast

between the Roman believers avenging themselves of their enemies with that of

feeding them when they are hungry and giving them a drink when they are thirsty.

These actions by the believer are a manifestation of loving one’s neighbor as

oneself.

The believer who comprehends and acknowledges that he is the object of God’s

love will receive the capacity to love others, even the obnoxious. It is only when

the believer realizes and accepts by faith the extent to which God loves him that he

can in turn love like God. This gives the believer the capacity to love others as God

has loved the human race.

God commands the believer to love his fellow human being.

Mark 12:28-31, “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and

recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What

commandment is the foremost of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is,

‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU

SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND

WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH

ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR

NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than

these.’”


4

John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you self-sacrificially

love one another, even as I have self-sacrificially loved you, that you also love

one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have

self-sacrificially love for one another.”

John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you self-sacrificially love one

another, just as I self-sacrificially loved you.”

God would never command the believer to love like Himself unless He had

already given the believer the capacity to execute the command. The fact that the

believer is an object of the Father and the Son’s love provides the believer the

capacity to love others and execute these commands.

Once, the believer comes to grips with the fact and accepts by faith that God

has loved him, and then he can love those who are obnoxious in his life. He must

recognize his own sinfulness and unworthiness before God before he attempts to

love others in the manner that the Lord has commanded.

The Holy Spirit reveals to the believer the extent to which God has loved him

and he does this through prayer and the study of the Word. The Spirit enlightens

the believer regarding the love that has been directed toward him.

All believers are equal before the Cross of Christ. In fact, all men are equal

before the Cross of Christ. We are all sinners. The believer must look at himself as

no better than the obnoxious person in his life and realize that just like the

obnoxious person in his life, that he too, is an obnoxious sinner before God.

The believer must experience the love of God in his own life before he can obey

the commands to love as Christ has loved all men. The Holy Spirit enables the

believer to experience the love of God in his own life and the Spirit accomplishes

this through prayer and the Word of God. The Lord’s love for the believer serves

as the strength of the believer’s love for others. As long as the believer does not

understand these principles, he will never be able to execute the command to love

others as Christ has loved him.

Christ’s love must be imparted to the believer by faith in what the Spirit’s says

about Christ’s love in the Word of God. The believer must be rooted and ground in

this divine love. This divine love is the source of the believer’s love. Therefore, the

Christian who loves God and loves his fellow believer and fellow human being as

God through Christ loved him and his fellow believer and fellow human being is

exercising or manifesting divine love, God’s love.

The love of Christ for the believer thus serves as the power and motivation to

love others. The love that loves like Christ is the sign of true discipleship. As

conformity to the image of the Lord Jesus must be the chief mark of the believer’s

Christian walk, so love must be the chief mark of that conformity. This takes time.

Christian upon being saved cannot love like Christ. He must learn. The

Christian will fail but he must not become disheartened and discouraged but rather


5

depend totally and completely upon God who will perform this great work of

reproducing the character and life and love of Christ in them (Phlp. 1:6). The

diligent study of the Word, prayer and meditation upon this love of Christ must be

a priority for every believer in order for the love of Christ to be manifested in their

life. The believer must meditate and be conscious of his union with Christ and that

he can do nothing without Him (Jn. 15:1-11). Therefore, the more the believer

spends time in fellowship with the Lord in prayer, the study of the Word, the

greater the love of God will manifest in his life-in his thoughts, words and actions.

Living our lives by means of God’s love demands that we obey the Lord’s

command in John 13:34 to love one another as He has loved us.

John 13:34, “A new commandment in example I give to all of you, that all

of you divinely love one another, even as I have divinely loved all of you, that

all of you also divinely love one another.”

When we obey the command to love one another as Christ loved, we reflect

God’s love. But in order to obey this command we must first prayerfully meditate

upon the Spirit’s revelation in the Word of God of the Lord Jesus Christ’s self-

sacrificial love for us at the Cross.

Romans 5:5, “In fact, this confidence, as an eternal spiritual truth, never

disappoints because God’s love is always being poured out within our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who was given to us for our benefit.”

Then we must accept by faith the Spirit’s revelation of the Lord’s self-

sacrificial love and service for us, and which faith expresses itself in obedience to

the Lord’s command to love one another as He has loved him.

1 John 4:16, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God

has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God

abides in him.”

When we obey the command to love one another as Christ loved, we are in

effect responding to God’s love for us, which He demonstrated at the cross and by

saving us and giving us a new nature and making us His children.

Love for others is motivated by our love for the Lord and our love for the Lord

is demonstrated by our obedience to His commands to love one another and our

obedience to His commands is the response in our souls to the love, which He

exercised towards us.

1 John 4:7-21, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and

everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love

does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in

us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might

live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us

and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved

us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we


6

love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we

know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His

Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the

Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God

abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the

love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides

in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we

may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we

in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because

fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We

love, because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his

brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has

seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have

from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”

The diligent prayerful and meditative study upon this love of Christ, which is

revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God, must be the number one priority for the

believer in order for the love of Christ to be manifested and reflected in his life.

The more time the believer spends in fellowship with the Lord in prayer, the study

of the Word, the greater the love of God will be manifested and reflected in his

life-in his thoughts, words and actions. Therefore, Bible instruction is a means to

an end and not an end in itself.

Bible instruction is a means to an end and that end is the love of God being

reflected in our lives. The apostle Paul taught this principle to Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:5, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart

and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

There are a lot of Christians who have been exposed to Bible teaching for years

and thus have a tremendous academic knowledge of the Scriptures but do not have

the love of God being reflected in their lives. This is reflected in their relationships

with their fellow believers.

This knowledge is a gnosis, “an intellectual comprehension, academic

knowledge” of the love of God but not an epignosis, “experiential knowledge” in

the sense that they have not personally encountered the love of God in their own

lives. Consequently, they have not been affected by the Spirit’s revelation in the

Word of God through the process of fellowship regarding the manner and extent

and nature in which God has loved them through the Person and Work of Christ.

Their knowledge of the Scriptures is not benefiting them or others since they

are not applying this knowledge to themselves or their relationships with their

fellow believers.

God’s objective in revealing His love to us at the Cross of Calvary through His

Son Jesus Christ was so that we might live according to His love. We must not take


7

our knowledge of the Word of God to boast and serve ourselves but rather to love

and serve others as Christ loved and served us. We must not abuse our knowledge

of the Word of God to boast or to criticize and tear down others but rather we are

to use that knowledge to encourage and build up our fellow believers and correct

them in gentleness when need be.

Romans 14:15, “For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no

longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for

whom Christ died.”

Romans 15:1-2, “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of

those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his

neighbor for his good, to his edification.”

We are not to abuse our spiritual freedom to live for self and be inconsiderate

and critical of our fellow believer but rather we are to use our spiritual freedom to

love and serve the Lord and our fellow believer as Christ loved and served us.

Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not

turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve

one another.”

Bible instruction is not an end in itself but rather it is a means to an end and that

end is the love of God being reflected in our lives. Our knowledge of the Scriptures

should be reflected in our relationships with God and each other and if it is not, we

are arrogant.

1 Corinthians 8:1, “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that

we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.”

Our love for the Lord and all men should grow each day. This was so important

that the apostle Paul made it his habit to pray to the Father that the Philippians love

toward God and man would continue to grow.

Philippians 1:9, “Now, this I make it a habit to pray that your divine-love

might continue to flourish yet more and more by means of a total discerning

experiential knowledge.”

This too should be our prayer not only for others but also for ourselves. Without

the love of God in our lives, we are living in sin and the darkness of the cosmic

system of Satan and are in reality hating our brother. Growing in our love for the

Lord and for all men, especially believers should be our main objective in this life

for without it, we have wasted our lives here on planet earth. We must not become

selfish and self-centered and bitter and resentful towards one another but rather

forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven us. If we know God’s love by

experience, then we would forgive and not be bitter and critical towards our fellow

believer.

Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and

slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another,


8

tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven

you.”

Our knowledge of the love of God should be reflected in our relationships with

each other.

Obedience to the command in Romans 12:20 would manifest the fact that the

Roman believers are functioning in their royal ambassadorship. Remember, what

in Romans 12:17-21 is addressing the believer’s relationship to the unsaved.

At the moment of salvation, God gives the church-age believer two royal

commissions: (1) a royal ambassadorship (2 Corinthians 5:20), which represents

Christ before the unbeliever and (2) a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5, 9), which

represents himself before God.

At the moment of his salvation, the church age believer was given a royal

ambassadorship in which he is to represent the absent Christ who sits as the right

hand of the Father and present the gospel message of peace with God to the

unsaved through faith alone in Christ alone (2 Cor. 5:20a).

2 Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all

these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and

gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ

reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them,

and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are

ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us;

we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew

no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of

God in Him.”

The believer’s responsibility is to clearly present the gospel message to the

unbeliever and the rest depends upon the convincing ministry of God the Holy

Spirit (John 16:7-11). The church age believer as a member of the royal family of

God represents his King, the Lord Jesus Christ, on official business.

This official business is the communication of the gospel or the good news that

Jesus Christ died for every sin committed in the human race-past, present and

future and has reconciled us to God the Father with His death.

An ambassador is a high-ranking minister or member of royalty sent to

represent his nation in a foreign country. As spiritual ambassadors, the church age

believer represents the Lord Jesus Christ in the devil’s kingdom.

The church age believer represents the King of kings and Lord of lords, the

Lord Jesus Christ who is now absent from the earth because He sits at the right

hand of God representing us before God the Father as our High Priest.

As royal ambassadors, believers are responsible for “witnessing” to the

unbeliever, which is communicating God’s plan of salvation to unbelievers on a


9

personal basis in two ways: (1) The example of your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3). (2) Your

words (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 6:2).

Obedience to the command in Romans 12:20 would allow the Roman believers

to witness to the unbeliever with their actions.

Just like an ambassador in the natural realm has his instructions in written form

so the church age believer’s written instructions are found in the Bible. Just like an

ambassador in the natural realm does not belong to the country to which he is sent

so church age believers are citizens of heaven, and do not belong to the devil’s

world (Phil. 3:20).

Philippians 3:20, “For our citizenship exists from eternity past in the realm

of the heavens, out from which also we ourselves at the present time are

eagerly anticipating as Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Every church age believer as a royal ambassador for Christ has the

responsibility to proclaim the gospel to the unbeliever.

The gospel means, “good news” and at the point of salvation the gospel is the

presentation to the unbeliever regarding God’s victorious proclamation of Christ’s

death, burial and resurrection, which delivers the believer positionally from the

power of the old sin nature and Satan and eternal condemnation. The gospel is the

good news to the human race that God has made a peace treaty with the entire

human race and the terms of that peace treaty is accepting the gospel message

through faith alone in Christ alone.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I

also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Old Testament

Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day

according to the Scriptures.”

Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of

God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the

Greek.”

Every believer in the church age, as an ambassador for Christ, has the

responsibility of presenting the terms of the God’s peace treaty to the unbeliever

and the terms of the peace treaty is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31;

John 3:16, 36).

The reward for witnessing is a part of your blessings in time and eternity (Dan.

12:3).

In relation to the unsaved, the gospel message is God’s victorious proclamation

of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, which delivers the believer positionally

from the power of the old sin nature and the cosmic system of Satan and eternal

condemnation. Accepting the Gospel message on the basis of faith is the means of

receiving salvation. The gospel message is the instrument or the vehicle that God

employs to provide salvation for mankind.


10

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the emphasis of the gospel

message. The part of man is to exercise faith in the gospel message in order to

receive salvation.

The gospel message after salvation is God’s victorious proclamation of the

believer’s deliverance experientially from the power of the old sin nature and the

cosmic system of Satan. The gospel is the message of Christ’s victory over the

enemy, Satan and the kingdom of darkness. The strong one (Satan) has been

conquered by the One (Christ) who is stronger (cf. Mt. 12:29). Therefore, the good

news of Christ’s victory is to be proclaimed to the spiritually poor (unregenerate)

who are the captives of Satan who will be set at liberty by its power (cf. Lk. 4:18;

Rm. 1:16).

The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross

has reconciled the entire human race to God. The gospel is the good news to the

human race that God has made a peace treaty with the entire human race and the

terms of that peace treaty is accepting the Gospel message through faith alone in

Christ alone. It is the result of the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the unbeliever the

spiritual gift of evangelism and the royal ambassadorship of believers as the

vehicles that God the Holy Spirit employs to communicate the gospel of Jesus

Christ for their salvation (Jn. 16:7-11; Eph. 4:11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21).

Therefore, in Romans 12:20, we will translate the conjunction alla, “on the

contrary.”




“IF” is the conditional particle ean (e)avn) (eh-an), which introduces the protasis

of a fifth class conditional statement.

The fifth class offers a condition the fulfillment of which is realized in the

present time and is known as the present general condition. The present general

condition addresses a generic situation in the present time.

Paul employs a fifth class conditional statement, which semantically presents a

logical connection in the present time that is sometimes called a present general

condition, and indicates nothing as to the fulfillment of the protasis.

In the protasis, we have the present subjunctive form of the verb pienao, “IS

HUNGRY” whereas in the apodasis we have the present imperative form of the

verb psomizo, “FEED.” Thus this particular type of construction is known as a

present general condition and is called a fifth class condition.

In Romans 12:20 we have an example of the present general condition since

there is no hint of uncertainty about this event occurring, nor is it something

presented as an eventuality. Paul is simply presenting a hypothetical situation in


11

order to teach spiritual principle with the fifth class condition. The third class

condition depicts what is likely to occur in the future, what could possibly occur or

even what is only hypothetical and will not occur whereas the fifth class condition

gives no indication about the likelihood of its fulfillment. It is neutral meaning “If

A, then B.”

In Romans 12:20, Paul is offering no indication about the likelihood of

fulfillment. The fifth class condition expresses the spiritual principle that if a

believer’s enemy is hungry he is required by God to feed them just as God does for

His enemies.

The subjunctive mood of pienao is used because the subject is undefined, not

because the time is future. It is undefined because Paul is issuing a command that

requires every believer to obey and is not speaking of any one specific individual

believer in Rome.

Usually, in the apodasis of the fifth class condition there is required a present

indicative. However, in Romans 12:20, we have the present imperative form of the

verb psomizo, “FEED,” which does not rule out a fifth class condition since the

present imperative has an obvious present force.

So in Romans 12:20, Paul employs a fifth class condition in order to present a

hypothetical situation in order to teach his readers the spiritual principle that if

your enemy is hungry, then feed him. We will translate ean, “if.”




“YOUR ENEMY” is composed of the articular nominative masculine singular

form of the adjective echthros (e)xqrov$) (ech-thros), “ENEMY” and the genitive

second person singular form of the personal pronoun su (suv) (soo), “your.”

In classical Greek, the adjective echthros means, “hostile, hated.” The word

pertains to manifesting hostility with another. In the active sense, the adjective

means, “to be hateful, hostile toward, at enmity with or to be adversarial with

someone. In the passive sense, it means, “to be subjected to hostility, to be hated or

to be regarded as an enemy of someone.

Liddell and Scott list the following classical usages for the adjective echthros

(Greek-English Lexicon, New Edition, page 748): (1) Hated, hateful, of persons

and things (2) Active, hating, hostile (3) As substantive, enemy (4) Regul. Comp.

(5) Adverb.

When our relationships with others rise above absolute indifference, they are

conditioned by basic attitudes, which may be positive or negative in character.

The Greek New Testament describes an inward attitude which is directed

positively towards the well-being of another as love or friendship, and the esteem

which derives from such an attitude as honor.


12

The opposite concepts are enmity and hatred. Miseo, “hate,” originally denoted

the resentment which arises when someone feels himself injured by the behavior of

another. This meaning is also broadened to include an active element.

Echthrous and its cognates, on the other hand, derive from the Greek echthos,

“hatred,” and convey rather the fixed idea of irreconcilable, deep-rooted enmity.

An echthos is someone from whom one can expect only harm and danger, or at

least from whom one imagines that this is what one should expect.

In the Septuagint, echthros occurs more than 450 times, usually to translate

`ayav (bya). Echthros has the sense of personal hostility.

The word is used in the Septuagint for the following: (1) Enemies in war among

the Gentiles (Na. 3:11, 13). (2) The nations, i.e., the Gentiles around Israel who are

opponents of Israel or its king (3) The enemies of the righteous (4) The enemies of

God.

The root of the usage is to be found in the fact that the relation between Israel

and the Gentiles is not purely political relation which may change from friendship

to war and vice versa, so that the Gentiles are polemioi only in times of war and

philoi in days of peace.

The relation is one of constant opposition which can express itself only in wars

and other forms of enmity. Thus the enemy of Israel is the enemy of God (Ex.

23:22).

Defeat of Israel brings to dishonor to God (Josh. 7:8). David’s adultery gives

cause for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme (2 Bas. 12:14). God’s attitude to

Israel is reflected in victory or defeat (Ju. 2:14, 18). In Isaiah 1:24 we have the

transition from an enmity which is partly religious and partly national to one which

is purely religious, the reference being to God’s enemies within Israel.

The adjective echthros appears 32 times in the Greek New Testament. It

functions in different capacities in the Greek New Testament, but primarily it

refers to those who oppose God, which are composed of two groups of humanity:

(1) Unregenerate (2) apostate regenerate.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “Echthros, an adjective,

primarily denoting ‘hated’ or ‘hateful’ (akin to echthos, ‘hate’; perhaps associated

with ekos, ‘outside’), hence, in the active sense, denotes ‘hating, hostile’; it is used

as a noun signifying an ‘enemy,’ adversary, and is said (a) of the Devil, (Matt.

13:39; Luke 10:19); (b) of death, (1 Cor. 15:26); (c) of the professing believer who

would be a friend of the world, thus making himself an enemy of God, (Jas. 4:4);

(d) of men who are opposed to Christ, (Matt. 13:25,28; 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke

19:27; 20:43; Acts 2:35; Rom. 11:28; Phil. 3:18; Heb. 1:13; 10:13); or to His

servants, (Rev. 11:5,12); to the nation of Israel, (Luke 1:71,74; 19:43); (e) of one

who is opposed to righteousness, (Acts 13:10); (f) of Israel in its alienation from

God, (Rom. 11:28); (g) of the unregenerate in their attitude toward God, (Rom.


13

5:10; Col. 1:21); (h) of believers in their former state, (2 Thess. 3:15); (i) of foes,

(Matt. 5:43-44; 10:36; Luke 6:27, 35; Rom. 12:20; 1 Cor. 15:25); of the apostle

Paul because he told converts ‘the truth,’ (Gal. 4:16).”

Louw and Nida define the word “pertaining to being at enmity with someone –

‘being an enemy, in opposition to’ (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament

Based on Semantic Domains, volume 2, page 494).

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian

Literature-Third Edition: (1) pertaining to being subjected to hostility, hated (2)

pertaining to being hostile, hating, hostile (Page 419).

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following (page 265): (1)

Passively, hated, odious, hateful (2) Actively, hostile, hating and opposing another.

The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised lists the following meanings (page 179):

(1) Hated, under disfavor (2) Inimical, hostile (3) As a substantive, an enemy,

adversary.

In the New Testament, echthros is used for personal enemies in the various

relationships of everyday life (R. 12:20, a quotation; Ga. 4:16). More important is

the use which follows the Old Testament and the Septuagint. Thus echthros can be

used for the enemies of Israel (Lk. 1:71, 74).

The same sense is found in a different connection, namely, in the prophecy of

the destruction of Jerusalem (Lk. 19:43). Revelation speaks of the enemies of the

New Testament witnesses to God in 11:5, 12, and echthros is used in the same way

in the saying concerning family division during Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Mt.

10:36).

Echthros is particularly used, however, for what is hostile to God and His Christ

(Lk. 19:27) and the latter’s work on the cross (Phlp. 3:18; Acts. 13:10). The

enemies of Christ are referred to in many New Testament passages which quote

Psalm 110:1: Mk. 12:36; Ac. 2:34f.; 1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 1:13; 10:13.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:25, 26 refers the passage explicitly to all the powers

hostile to God, including physical death. Echthros is also used to describe the

relationship of the unregenerate man to God (Rom. 5:10; 11:28; Col. 1:21; Jam.

4:4).

The word is used of the devil in the parable of the wheat and the tares in

Matthew 13:24 ff and in Luke 10:19. The devil is the enemy in the absolute sense

in the parable of the wheat and the tares (Mt. 13:24 ff.; Lk. 10:19). He is the enemy

both of men and also of God and His kingdom.

Echthros is used by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:15 in regards to not treating a

fellow believer out of fellowship as an enemy but rather to admonish him as a

spiritual brother.

The first time that echthros appeared in the Roman epistle was in Romans 5:10.


14

Romans 5:10, “For if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of

argument that while, we were, as an eternal spiritual truth, enemies, we were

reconciled to God (the Father) by means of the spiritual death of His Son? Of

course, we believe that this is true! How much more then because, we have

been reconciled will we be delivered on account of His life.”

In Romans 5:10, the context indicates that the adjective echthros is used in a

“passive” sense rather than an active sense to describe unregenerate humanity as

being regarded by God as an enemy.

Echthros appeared in Romans 11:28.

Romans 11:28, “On the one hand, from the perspective of the gospel, they

are, as an eternal spiritual truth, enemies on behalf of all of you while on the

other hand from the perspective of their election, they are, as an eternal

spiritual truth, divinely loved because of the promises to the fathers.”

The adjective in this passage is used in the passive sense to describe

unregenerate Israel as being regarded by God as His enemy.

In Romans 12:20, the adjective echthros means “enemy” and is used in the

passive sense of being subjected to hostility, to be hated or to be regarded as an

enemy by someone. So the word speaks of the unbeliever hating the Roman

believers. It speaks of the Roman believer being regarded by the unbeliever as an

enemy.

The definite article before the adjective is used with the personal pronoun su,

“your” to denote possession. The personal pronoun su refers to no particular

enemy of Paul’s readers and functions as a “genitive of possession” and

“possessive” pronoun indicating that this enemy in question “belongs to” one of

Paul’s readers. We will translate the prepositional phrase ho echthros sou, “your

enemy.”

Corrected translation thus far of Romans 12:20: “On the contrary, if your

enemy…”




“IS HUNGRY” is the third person singular present active subjunctive form of

the verb peinao (peinavw) (pi-nah-o).

The essential classical meaning of peinao is “to hunger.” By extension it also

means to long for something which is necessary for the sustenance of life. Peinao

thus may range from simple desire for a meal to starvation brought on by poverty

or disaster. It may even refer to an intense desire for something other than food

deemed necessary for well being.

The ancients attributed famine to the wrath of the gods. Vegetation gods and

cults were therefore supposed to guarantee the provision of food. In the later


15

mystery religions these old fertility gods satisfied men’s hunger for enduring

eternal life. It was the task of rulers such as the Pharaohs of Egypt to protect their

subjects against hunger. But every case of hunger and thirst presented an obligation

to help whoever was in need.

Greek philosophers generally attempted to educate their adherents to free

themselves from enslavement to the needs of the body. Thus the Stoics sought to

make themselves independent of all the vicissitudes of life by the practice of

asceticism, and the Gnostics to free themselves from a sensual attachment to the

world through the denial of the body which belongs to material world, alienated

from God, in order to attain to the realm of the spirit.

Liddell and Scott lists the following definitions: (1) hunger, famine (2)

metaphorically, hunger or longing for a thing (Greek-English Lexicon, New

Edition, page 1354).

The concept of famine that peinao can express is predominant in the Septuagint.

Famine is more frequently spoken of than that of hunger which results from a

short-term absence of food. For this reason, in the Septuagint the more intense

word limos usually translated “famine,” is more common.

Long-term, persistent hunger or starvation may, however, be translated by the

word peinao. It may result from the following: (1) natural (Gen. 41:55) (2) military

(2 K. 7:12) (3) failure of the rains with consequent failure of the harvest (1 K.

17:1) (4) war, wanderings in the desert (Ps. 107:5) (5) idleness (Prov. 19:15) (6)

godlessness (Ps. 34:10; Is. 65:13).

God sends hunger and thirst as judgment of unbelievers or divine discipline for

believers. He employs it to dealing with cosmic attitudes. The Lord is said to take

up the cause of the hungry who belong to the dispossessed (1 S. 2:5). He expects

His people to adopt the same attitude to the poor (Is. 58:7, 10; Ezek. 18:7, 16).

There are times in the Old Testament where judgment is pronounced on those

who are satiated and there is the promise of salvation for the hungry (Ps. 107:36 ff;

146:7; Is. 65:13).

Peinao is used to translate the following Hebrew terms: (1) yaèph (pu@y*), “get

tired, get weary” (Is. 40:30 f.) (2) yaèph (pu@y*), “weary” (Is. 40:29) (3) naham

(shn*), “roar” (Prov. 28:15) (4) àyeph (py@u*), “faint, weary” (Deut. 25:18; Is. 28:12)

(5) raèv (bu@r*), “be famished, be hungry” (Gen. 41:55; Ps. 50:12 [49:12]; Is. 8:21)

(6) raèv (by@r*), “hungry” (2 K. 7:12; Job 24:10; Is. 58:10).

Peinao is used in the Septuagint in 26 of its occurrences to translate r`v, either

in verb form raèv (bu@r*), or its adjective form raèv (by@r*), The verb peinao appears 23 times in the New Testament where it retains the

dual meaning of the word as suggested by its classical usage. It may refer either to


16

a hunger in the literal or metaphorical sense for an intense desire for spiritual

nourishment.

The word is used in the Greek New Testament for literal hunger or starvation

(Mt. 4:1l; 12:1, 3; 21:18; 25:35, 37, 42, 44; Mk. 2:25; 11:12; Lk. 4:2; 6:3; Rm.

12:20; 1 Cor. 4:11; 11:21, 34; Phlp. 4:12; Rev. 7:16). It is used in the metaphorical

sense for spiritual hunger in the following passages (Mt. 5:6; Lk. 1:35; 6:21, 25;

Jn. 6:35).

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains

(volume 2): (1) to be in a state of hunger, without any implications of particular

contributing circumstances – ‘to be hungry, to have hunger’ (page 253). (2) to have

a strong desire to attain some goal, with the implication of an existing lack – ‘to

desire strongly’ (page 291).

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (page 498): (1) to hunger, be hungry

(2) to suffer want (3) to be needy (4) metaphorically, to crave ardently, to seek

with eager desire.

The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (page 314): (1) to hunger, be hungry (2)

to be exposed to hunger, be famished (3) met. To hunger after desire earnestly,

long for.


Literature-Third Edition: (1) to feel the pangs of lack of food, hunger, be hungry

(2) desire something strongly, hunger for something (Page 792).

In Romans 12:20, the verb peinao means “hunger” and refers to being in a state

of hunger as a result of the lack of food. As we noted in our study of the

conditional particle ean, the subjunctive mood of the verb peinao is used with the

word to form the protasis of a fifth class condition.

The present tense is a “gnomic present,” which is used to describe something

that is true “any” time and “does” take place. Therefore, the “gnomic” present says

to Paul’s readers that if their enemy “does” exist in the state of being hungry, then

feed him. Or, if their enemy “at any time” exists in the state of being hungry, then

feed him.

The active voice is “stative” meaning that the Christian’s enemy, as the subject,

exists in the state of being hungry.

We will translate peinao, “is, at any time, hungry.”


enemy is, at any time, hungry…”




“FEED HIM” is composed of the second person singular present active

imperative form of the verb psomizo (ywmivzw) (pso-mid-zo), “FEED” and the


17

accusative masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos

(au)tov$) (ow-tos), “HIM.”

In classical Greek, the word psomizo means “feed, nourish.” It can also mean

“to hand-feed” or to “bait a trap” (Liddell-Scott, page 2029).

The word has two primary usages: (1) with an accusative of person, it means

“to feed someone.” (2) with an accusative of thing, it means “to give away all of

one’s property.”

Psomizo appears twenty times in the Septuagint and primarily it is used to

translate the hiphil (causative) form of the Hebrew verb akhal, which literally

means “to cause to eat,” or “to feed.”

The word appears only twice in the Greek New Testament (Romans 12:20; 1

Corinthians 13:3).

In Romans 12:20, the verb psomizo means “to feed” and is used with one of

Paul’s Christian readers in Rome as its subject and their enemies as the object.

Feeding one’s enemy when they are hungry is an act of loving one’s neighbor as

oneself.

The second person singular form of the verb refers to one of Paul’s readers in a

hypothetical case.

The active voice indicates that this command is directed towards the believers

in Rome and is thus their responsibility to obey it.

The present imperative form of the verb is a “customary present imperative,”

which is a command for action to be continued, action that may or may not have

already been going on and is often a character building command to the effect of

“make this your habit.” The present imperative of the verb is used of a general

precept for habits that should characterize one’s attitude and behavior. Therefore,

the present imperative form of the verb psomizo indicates that Paul is addressing a

hypothetical situation where the enemy of one of Paul’s Christian readers is hungry

and Paul is commanding them to “continue to make it their habit” to feed their

enemy. Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 suggest strongly that the

Roman believers were in fact doing so.

The intensive personal pronoun autos refers to an enemy of one of Paul’s

readers. The word functions as an accusative direct object meaning that it is

receiving the action of the verb psomizo.

We will translate psomizo, “continue to make it your habit to feed” and autos,

“him.”


enemy is, at any time, hungry, then continue to make it your habit to feed

him…”


18




“IF” is the conditional particle ean (e)avn) (eh-an), which once again introduces

the protasis of a fifth class conditional statement.

As we noted the first time that the word appeared in Romans 12:20, the fifth

class offers a condition the fulfillment of which is realized in the present time and

is known as the present general condition.

The present general condition addresses a generic situation in the present time.

Paul employs a fifth class conditional statement, which semantically presents a

logical connection in the present time that is sometimes called a present general

condition, and indicates nothing as to the fulfillment of the protasis.

In the protasis, we have the present subjunctive form of the verb dipsao, “HE

IS THIRSTY” whereas in the apodasis we have the present imperative form of the

verb potizo, “GIVE A DRINK.” Thus this particular type of construction is known

as a present general condition and is called a fifth class condition.

In Romans 12:20 we have an example of the present general condition since

there is no hint of uncertainty about this event occurring, nor is it something

presented as an eventuality. Paul is simply presenting a hypothetical situation in

order to teach spiritual principle with the fifth class condition.

The third class condition depicts what is likely to occur in the future, what

could possibly occur or even what is only hypothetical and will not occur whereas

the fifth class condition gives no indication about the likelihood of its fulfillment.

It is neutral meaning “If A, then B.”

In Romans 12:20, Paul is offering no indication about the likelihood of

fulfillment. The fifth class condition expresses the spiritual principle that if a

believer’s enemy is thirsty he is required by God to give him a drink just as God

does for His enemies.

The subjunctive mood of pienao is used because the subject is undefined, not

because the time is future. It is undefined because Paul is issuing a command that

requires every believer to obey and is not speaking of any one specific individual

believer in Rome.

Usually, in the apodasis of the fifth class condition there is required a present

indicative. However, in Romans 12:20, we have the present imperative form of the

verb potizo, “GIVE A DRINK,” which does not rule out a fifth class condition

since the present imperative has an obvious present force.

So in Romans 12:20, Paul employs a fifth class condition in order to present a

hypothetical situation in order to teach his readers a spiritual principle, namely that

if their enemy is thirsty, then give them a drink. We will translate ean, “if.”


19


enemy is, at any time, hungry, then continue to make it your habit to feed him.

If…”




“HE IS THIRSTY” is the third person singular present active subjunctive form

of the verb dipsao (diyavw) (dip-sah-o).

This verb appears throughout classical Greek and the Septuagint in a variety of

ways. It appears sixteen times in the Greek New Testament and describes three

types of thirst: (1) thirst in the physical sense that can cause physical suffering and

even death (Matthew 25:35, 37, 42, 44; John 4:13, 15; 19:28; Romans 12:20) (2)

figuratively for the water of life (John 4:14, 16; 6:35; 7:37; Revelation 21:6;

22:17). (3) figuratively for the longing or strong desire for righteousness (Matthew

5:6).

So we can see that in Romans 12:20, the verb dipsao is used of thirst in the

literal, physical sense that can cause physical suffering and even physical death. As

we noted in our study of the conditional particle ean, the subjunctive mood of the

verb dipsao is used with the word to form the protasis of a fifth class condition.

The present tense is a “gnomic present,” which is used to describe something

that is true “any” time and “does” take place. Therefore, the “gnomic” present says

to Paul’s readers that if their enemy “does” exist in the state of being thirsty, then

give him a drink. Or, if their enemy “at any time” exists in the state of being

thirsty, then give him a drink.

The active voice is “stative” meaning that the subject exists in the state

indicating by the verb. This indicates that the Christian’s enemy, as the subject,

exists in the state of being thirsty.

We will translate dipsao, “he is, at any time, thirsty.”



If, he is, at any time, thirsty…”




“GIVE HIM A DRINK” is composed of the second person singular present

active imperative form of the verb potizo (potivzw) (pot-id-zo), “GIVE A

DRINK” and the accusative masculine singular form of the intensive personal

pronoun autos (au)tov$) (ow-tos), “HIM.”


20

The verb potizo means “to drink” and has the meaning of action directed to or

on behalf of another. Thus, it can mean “to cause another to drink.” It corresponds

to the Hebrew shaqah, which has also has the same meaning.

In the Greek New Testament, the word appears fifteen times. It is used literally

of the action of watering animals (Luke 13:15) and of watering or irrigating plants

(1 Corinthians 3:6).

The verb refers literally to the vinegar (sour wine) offered to the Lord Jesus

Christ on the cross (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36). In 1 Corinthians 3:2, it is used

figuratively of Paul’s ministry where he gave the Corinthian believers milk to

drink, which refers to teaching that it not in depth.

The word is used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:6 of the function of Apollos’

ministry giving them the Word of God, which is analogous to watering them. It is

used this way by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:7-8.

The verb potizo appears in Matthew 10:42 and is used in a literal sense of

giving a drink of water to a believer, which will be rewarded by the Lord. It is

found in Matthew 25:35, 37, 42 of those Gentiles during the Tribulation who will

give a drink to an Israelite and which act will be rewarded by the Lord Jesus

Christ.

In Romans 12:20, the verb potizo means “to give a drink” and is used with

Paul’s Christian readers in Rome as its subject and their enemies as the object.

Giving a drink to one’s enemy when they are thirsty is an act of loving one’s

neighbor as oneself.


hypothetical case.



The present imperative form of the verb is a “customary present imperative,”

which is a command for action to be continued, action that may or may not have

already been going on and is often a character building command to the effect of

“make this your habit.” The present imperative of the verb is used of a general

precept for habits that should characterize one’s attitude and behavior. Therefore,

the present imperative form of the verb potizo indicates that Paul is addressing a

hypothetical situation where the enemy of one of Paul’s Christian readers is thirsty

and he is commanding them that they must “continue to make it their habit” to give

their enemy a drink. Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 suggest

strongly that the Roman believers were in fact doing so.

The intensive personal pronoun autos refers to the enemy of one of Paul’s

readers. The word functions as an accusative direct object meaning that it is

receiving the action of the verb potizo.


21

We will translate potizo, “continue to make it your habit to give a drink” and

autos, “him.”



If, he is, at any time, thirsty, then continue to make it your habit to give him a

drink…”




“For” is the “causal” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which

introduces a statement that presents the reason why the Roman believers are to

obey the previous commands to feed their enemies when they are hungry and give

them a drink when they are thirsty. We will translate the word “because.”




drink because…”




“IN DOING SO” is the accusative neuter singular form of the demonstrative

pronoun houtos (ou!to$), “SO” and the nominative masculine second person

singular present active participle form of the verb poieo (poievw) (poy-eh-o), “IN

DOING.”

In Romans 12:20, the verb poieo means “to do” and refers to Paul’s readers

obeying his commands to feed their enemy when they are hungry and giving them

a drink when they are thirsty.

The present tense of the verb is a “perfective present,” which is used to

emphasize that the results of a past action are still continuing. Therefore, the

“perfective present” emphasizes the result of Paul’s readers obeying his command

to feed their enemy when they are hungry and giving them a drink when they are

thirsty.

The active voice denotes that the subject produces the action of the verb. The

subject in our passage is Paul’s readers. Therefore, the active voice of poieo

denotes that Paul’s readers produce the action of the verb of obeying his

commands to feed their enemy when they are hungry and give them a drink when

they are thirsty.

The verb poieo also functions as a participle of result indicating the actual

outcome or result of Paul’s readers obeying his commands to feed their enemy


22

when they are hungry and giving them a drink when they are thirsty. We will

translate poieo, “as a result of doing.”

Preceding the verb poieo is the accusative neuter singular form of the

immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos, which means “this very thing.” Here in

the causal clause with the verb poieo, the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos

means, “this very thing.” It refers to obeying the previous Pauline commands to

feed your enemy when he is hungry and give them a drink when they are thirsty.

Houtos is functioning as the “accusative direct object” of the verb poieo

meaning that it is receiving the action of this verb. We will translate houtos, “this

very thing.”




drink because as a result of doing this very thing…”




There are several different interpretations of this expression “burning coals.”

First of all, it may be an image of treating an enemy kindly that is like putting coals

in a clay pot so that someone whose cooking fire had gone out could carry them

home and restart it. This expression could also be related to a putative Egyptian

ceremony in which the repentant sinner would possibly “wear” coals on his head as

a sign of repentance. In this interpretation, the coals signify shame and repentance.

The coals could also represent judgment (cf. Psalm 11:6; 140:9f). This would

indicate that the proverb means that the believer should love his neighbor as

himself and leave vengeance to God.

Thomas Constable commenting on the meaning of the expression “heap

burning coals on his head,” writes, “One interpretation of heaping burning coals on

his head is that it figuratively describes doing good that results in the conviction

and shame of the enemy. The expression supposedly alludes to the old custom of

carrying burning coals in a pan. When one's fire went out at home, a person would

have to go to a neighbor and request hot coals that he or she would then carry

home on the head. Carrying the coals involved some danger, discomfort, and

uneasiness for the person carrying them. Nevertheless they were the evidence of

the neighbor's love. Likewise the person who receives good for evil feels

uncomfortable because of his neighbor's love. This guilt may convict the

wrongdoer of his or her ways in a gentle manner. A better interpretation, I think,

takes the burning coals as a figure of God's judgment that will come on the enemy

if he persists in his antagonism. The figure of ‘coals of fire’ in the Old Testament

consistently refers to God's anger and judgment (cf. 2 Sam. 22:9, 13; Ps. 11:6;


23

18:13; 140:9-10; Prov. 25:21-22). Thus the meaning appears to be that the

Christian can return good for evil with the assurance that God will eventually

punish his or her enemy.” (Constable, Thomas L.; Romans 2006 Edition; page 135;

Published by Sonic Light)

Thayer has this note associated with his definition of anthrax noting that

heaping burning coals signifies, “to call up, by the favors you confer on your

enemy, the memory in him of the wrong he has done you (which shall pain him as

if live coals were heaped on his head), that he may the more readily repent. The

Arabians call things that cause very acute mental pain burning coals of the heart

and fire in the liver.” (cf. Gesenius in Rosenmüller's Biblical-exeg. Repert. i., p.

140f (or in his Thesaurus i. 280; cf. also BB. DD. under the word Coal).

William MacDonald writes, “If the live coal treatment seems cruel, it is because

this idiomatic expression is not properly understood. To heap live coals on a

person’s head means to make him ashamed of his hostility by surprising him with

unconventional kindness.” (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible

Commentary: Thomas Nelson or Logos)

Leon Morris makes the following comment regarding the expression “heaping

burning coals on his head,” he writes, “It is clearly a metaphorical expression

whose meaning is not obvious. From early times some have drawn attention to Old

Testament passages expressing the idea of punishment (e.g., 2 Sam. 22:9, 13=Ps.

18:8, 12; Ps. 11:6; 120:4; 140:10). The thought then would be that by doing your

enemy kindness you were increasing his guilt and magnifying his punishment. But

to most commentators this seems an impossible way of understanding the passage.

The context is dominated by thoughts of love and indeed the whole paragraph

(verses 9-21) is an expression of what Christian love means in practice. For

reasons like this most agree that something like Moffat’s translation gives the

sense of it: ‘for in this way you will make him feel a burning sense of shame.’

William Klassen, however, has made a detailed examination of the problem and

rejects such solutions. ‘The interpretation so widely accepted by interpreters that

the coals of fire refer to shame, remorse, or punishment lacks all support in the

text.’ He points to a custom attested in Egyptian literature whereby a penitent

person carried coals of fire in a bowl on his head and to contacts between Proverbs

and Egyptian writings and says, ‘In the Egyptian literature and in Proverbs the

‘coals of fire’ is a dynamic symbol of change of mind which takes place as a result

of a deed of love.’ Whether we prefer to go along with Moffat or with Klassen,

there can be no doubt that Paul is referring to the change in the enemy which deeds

of love effect. As Barrett, Bruce and Barclay all say in one form or another, we

should use deeds of love to turn the enemy into a friend.” (Leon Morris, The Pillar

New Testament Commentary, The Epistle to the Romans, pages 454-455; William

B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, U.K., 1996)


24

Douglas Moo writes, “The Greek for the phrase ‘coals of fire’ occurs only two

other times in the LXX, neither of which is metaphorical (Isa. 47:14; Prov. 6:28).

However, when used metaphorically in the OT, the words “coal” and “fire” usually

refer to God’s awesome presence and especially to His judgment. Paul may then

view our giving of food and water to the enemy to be means by which-if such

actions do not lead to repentance-the enemy’s guilt before the Lord will be

increased, leading in turn to an increase in the severity of his or her judgment.

Paul, of course, would not mean, on this view, that we are to act kindly toward our

enemy with the purpose of making his or her judgment more severe. Paul would

simply be noting that our good actions can have this result. Understood in this way,

this view of the text cannot be cavalierly dismissed as ‘sub-Christian,’ for there is

biblical precedent for the idea. The major difficulty with the view is that it does not

fit well in the context. In verses 17-21, Paul has been urging that Christians avoid a

spirit of retaliation; yet, however qualified, this first interpretation comes close to

encouraging just such an attitude. Moreover, the teaching of Jesus from which Paul

draws so much of what he says in these verses contains no such idea. Most modern

commentators have therefore concluded that Paul views ‘coals of fire’ as a

metaphor for ‘the burning pangs of shame.’ Acting kindly toward our enemies is a

means of leading them to be ashamed of their conduct toward us and perhaps, to

repent and turn to the Lord whose love we embody. While the linguistic basis for

this view is not all that one would wish, it is probably the best alternative. Paul is

giving us a positive motivation for acts of kindness toward our enemies. He does

not want the prohibition of vengeance (verse 19) to produce in us a ‘do-nothing’

attitude toward our persecutors. However, Paul is not claiming that acts of

kindness toward enemies will infallibly bring repentance; whatever degree of

shame our acts might produce, they may be quickly pushed aside and produce even

greater hostility toward both us and the Lord.” (Moo, Douglas J., The New

International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle to the Romans,

pages 788-789; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids,

Michigan/Cambridge, U.K., 1988)

Klassen’s interpretation that the “coals of fire is a dynamic symbol of change of

mind which takes place as a result of a deed of love” is incorrect for the simple

reason that acts of love by the believer on behalf of his enemy do not always lead

to a change of mind by the enemy. In fact, it may further harden one’s enemy. For

example the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross did not bring about the

repentance of all His enemies. Most of His enemies were hardened by His act of

love. During His ministry, He did good to His enemies (the Pharisees) but most of

them became hardened toward Him and plotted His assassination.

Like Moo and many other commentators, it is better to view “coals of fire” as a

metaphor for “the burning pangs of shame.” By Paul’s readers feeding their


25

enemies when they are hungry and giving them a drink when they are thirsty, they

would be causing their enemy to be ashamed of their conduct toward them so that

maybe they will change their attitude toward them. Thus, by their enemy changing

their attitude toward them, they might possibly change their attitude toward Jesus

Christ whom they represent so that their enemy trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior.

There is no guarantee that their enemy will change their mind toward them and

Christ since it could also produce even greater hostility toward them and the Lord.

So in Romans 12:20, the statement “you will heap burning coals on his head”

is a quotation from Proverbs 25:21, which speaks of the shame produced in the

conscience of the Christian’s enemy as a result of feeding them when they are

hungry and giving them a drink when they are thirsty.




“YOU WILL HEAP” is the second person singular future active indicative

form of the verb soreuo (swreuvw) (sore-yoo-o).

The verb soreuo in classical Greek means “to heap” or “to pile up.” It appears

in the writings of Aristotle in the fourth century B.C. and in the writings of

Polybius in the second century B.C.

The first great church historian, Eusebius used this word extensively in his

writings. The word is found in the Septuagint in Proverbs 25:22, which Paul is

quoting in Romans 12:20.

Soreuo appears in the New Testament in Romans 12:20 and 2 Timothy 3:6. In

Romans 12:20, the verb soreuo means “to heap” and is used with one of Paul’s

readers as the subject and their enemies as the recipient of its action.

The verb is used in a figurative sense for the consequences of Paul’s readers

obeying his commands to feed their enemy when they are hungry and giving them

a drink when they are thirsty.


hypothetical case.

The future tense of the verb is a “predictive” future indicating the certainty that

the conscience of this hypothetical enemy of one of Paul’s readers will be filled

with guilt and shame for the way they treated them.

The active voice indicates that this command is directed toward one of Paul’s

readers in Rome and is thus their responsibility to obey it.

The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion as an unqualified

statement of fact.

We will translate soreuo, “you will, as a certainty, heap.”




26


drink because as a result of doing this very thing, you will, as a certainty,

heap…”




“BURNING COALS” is composed of the accusative masculine plural form of

the noun anthrax (a&nqrac) (anth-rax), “COALS” and the genitive neuter singular

form of the noun pur (pu~r) (poor), “BURNING.”

In classical Greek as well as in the papyri, anthrax denotes “coal” or

“charcoal.” Biblical references are not to mineral coal but to charcoal which is

made from wood since the former was not found in Palestine.

In general, the word in the Septuagint speaks of anthrax as fuel for cooking

(Isaiah 44:16, 19) or to kindle a fire (2 Samuel 22:13 [LXX 2 Kings 22:13]) and

often serves as a picture of judgment.

Anthrax is frequently intensified by the noun puros, which means “red hot coal”

or “burning coal.” That the word is associated with divine judgment is important to

know in order to understand the way the word is used in Romans 12:20.

God’s judgment is often symbolized in the Bible by fire whether the judgment

of the believer’s works (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) or the unbeliever by Christ (2

Thessalonians 1:7-9). The Lord Jesus Christ describes where unbelievers will

experience eternal condemnation as a place of fire (Matthew 5:22; 13:42, 50; 18:8-

9; Mark 9:43, 48; Luke 3:17).

John describes the place where unbelievers will experience eternal

condemnation as the lake of fire (Revelation 14:9-11; 19:20; 20:14-15; 21:8).

Anthrax appears only in Romans 12:20 in the New Testament. In this passage, it

means “coals” and is used with the noun puros, which means “burning” and

intensifies the meaning of the noun anthrax.

In Romans 12:20, the noun anthrax is used in a figurative sense with the noun

pur to denote intense shame and guilt in the conscience of a person. This is the

result of a deed of kindness that was performed on their behalf by their enemy in

response to the evil they performed against their enemy.

The noun pur denotes the intensity of this guilt and shame in the conscience of

one’s enemy as a result of responding to the evil performed against you by feeding

him when he is hungry and giving him a drink when he was thirsty.

Anthrax is functioning as an accusative direct object meaning that it is receiving

the action of the verb soreuo. The noun pur functions as an attributive genitive

meaning that it is specifying an attribute or innate quality of the head noun

anthrax, “coals” and is similar to an adjective in its semantic force, though more

emphatic.


27




drink because as a result of doing this very thing, you will, as a certainty, heap

burning coals…”




“ON HIS HEAD” is composed of the preposition epi (e)piv) (ep-ee), “ON” and

the articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun kephale (kefalhv) (kef-

al-ay), “HEAD” and the and the genitive third person masculine singular form of

the intensive personal pronoun autos (au)tov$) (ow-tos), “HIS.”

The noun kephale means “head” and is used in a figurative sense for the human

soul and in particular the conscience.

The term used in the Greek New Testament for the conscience is the noun

suneidesis (suneivdhsi$) (soon-i-day-sis), which is composed of the preposition

sun, “with” and the noun eidesis, “knowledge,” thus the word literally means, “a

knowing with.”

Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines conscience, “A person’s inner

awareness of conforming to the will of God or departing from it, resulting in either

a sense of approval or condemnation.”

The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament Based on Semantic

Domains defines suneidesis, “the psychological faculty, which can distinguish

between right from wrong.” (Volume 1, page 324).

The conscience is that aspect of the soul that evaluates one’s actions and

distinguishes between right from wrong.

So by the Christian doing good to his enemy when his enemy has practiced evil

toward him, his conscience will accuse him of doing wrong to the Christian.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Wherever you go, you find people with an inner sense

of right and wrong; and this inner judge, the Bible calls ‘conscience.’ You find

among all cultures a sense of sin, a fear of judgment, and an attempt to atone for

sins and appease whatever gods are feared.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary,

page 520).

Immanuel Kant wrote, “Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder

and awe…: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

The conscience is that aspect of the soul and psychological faculty that

approves when we do right and accuses when we do wrong.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Conscience is that inner faculty that indicates to us

whether our actions are right or wrong, according to the standards within our

hearts…Conscience is not the law; conscience bears witness to the law.


28

Conscience is not the standard; conscience bears witness to the standard. In

different parts of the world there are different standards. Let me illustrate this.

When the British took over India as part of their empire, they found some practices

that simply had to be abolished. One of these practices was to burn the widow of a

deceased man on the funeral pyre. The British issued a law abolishing this practice.

One of the religious leaders among the Indian people came to a British leader and

said, ‘Our conscience tells us that the widow must be burned.’ And he responded,

‘And our conscience tells us that if you do it, we’ll hang you!’ That gives the

difference, doesn’t it? Conscience can guide us aright if we have the right

standard.” (Real Peace, pages 92-93).

Oswald Chambers wrote, “The conscience is that innate faculty in a man’s spirit

that attaches itself to the highest that the man knows.”

Suneidesis is used thirty times in the Greek New Testament. Paul uses the word

about twenty times, which is more than any other New Testament writer.

John 8:9, “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience,

went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was

left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” NKJV

Webster defines “conscience” as the sense or consciousness of the moral

goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character

together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good.

The Greek noun suneidesis is the exact counterpart of the Latin con-science, “a

knowing with,” a shared or joint knowledge. It is our awareness of ourselves in all

the relationships of life, especially ethical relationships.

We have ideas of right and wrong; and when we perceive their truth and claims

on us, and do not obey, then our souls are at war with itself and with the law of

God.

Suneidesis is that process of thought which distinguishes what it considers

morally good or bad, commending the good, condemning the bad, and so

prompting to do the former and avoid the latter.

Proverbs 20:27, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all

the innermost parts of his being.”

To have a “clear conscience” does not mean that we have never sinned or do

not commit acts of sin but rather it means that the underlying direction and motive

of life is to obey and please God, so that acts of sin are habitually recognized as

such and confessed to God the Father (1 John 1:9).

1 John 1:9, “If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God

the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and

purifies us from each and every wrongdoing.”


29

The first manifestation in history of the function of the conscience was in the

Garden of Eden when Adam and the Woman disobeyed the Lord’s command and

ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-17).

The function of the conscience is further illustrated with Joseph’s brothers who

were convicted by their collective conscience for selling him into slavery when he

was seventeen years of age (Genesis 42).

Adam Smith, “Conscience is the judgment which we pronounce on our own

conduct by putting ourselves in the place of a bystander.”

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Conscience is a marvelous gift from God, the window

that lets in the light of His truth. If we sin against Him deliberately, that window

becomes dirty, and not as much truth can filter through. Eventually, the window

becomes so dirty that it no longer lets in the light. The Bible calls this a defiled,

seared conscience...Do you keep a clean conscience? It is a part of your inner being

that responds to God's truth. When you sin, the window of your conscience

becomes dirty and filters out truth. Avoid sin in your life and live with a clean

conscience. Every day feed yourself truth from the Word of God.” (Prayer, Praise

and Promises: Ps 51:3-6)

Rutherford, “Hurt not your conscience with any known sin.”

John Trapp, “Conscience is God’s spy and man’s overseer.”

Thomas Brooks, “A good conscience and a good confidence go together.”

Franklin P. Jones wrote that “Conscience is a small, still voice that makes

minority reports.”

Someone once said, “Conscience is also what makes a boy tell his mother

before his sister does.”

On the subject of conscience Martin Luther declared before the court of the

Roman Empire at Worms in 1521, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.

... I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have

within me the great pope, Self.”

Billy Graham wrote concerning the importance of a clear conscience, “To have

a guilty conscience is a feeling. Psychologists may define it as a guilt complex, and

may seek to rationalize away the sense of guilt, but once it has been awakened

through the application of the law of God, no explanation will quiet the insistent

voice of conscience.”

In addition to an innate awareness of God’s law, men have a warning system

that activates when they choose to ignore or disobey that law and it is this

instinctive, built-in sense of right and wrong that activates guilt.

All mankind has an innate inner sense of right and wrong, which Scripture

refers to as “conscience.” Sociologists have encountered in all cultures a sense of

sin and fear of judgment which leads that culture to make some attempt to appease


30

whatever gods are feared and this built in discernment of right and wrong is what

Paul is alluding to in Romans 2:15.

Romans 2:14-15, “Since, whenever Gentiles, who, as a fact of history, do

not possess the Law, obey, at any time, instinctively the principles belonging to

the Law, although, these, as a fact of history, do not possess the Law, they, as

an eternal spiritual truth, manifest that they possess inherently, a law, which

belongs to them who, indeed by virtue of their obedient character,

demonstrate, as an eternal spiritual truth and fact of history, the conduct

produced by obedience to the Law as written on their hearts. During which

time their conscience does confirm the testimony, namely, their thoughts

alternately, at any time, making an accusation or else, at any time, making a

defense.”

Conscience is like an inner judge that accuses and condemns us when we have

done wrong and approves and commends us when we have done right. The

conscience varies in sensitivity, depending on the degree of one’s knowledge of

and feeling about right and wrong. The person who has considerable knowledge of

God’s Word will have a more sensitive conscience than someone who has never

had opportunity to know Scripture.

Furthermore, repeated sinning hardens the conscience so that it becomes

“seared” like scar tissue (1 Timothy 4:2). To continually reject God’s truth causes

the conscience to become progressively calloused, hardened and less sensitive to

sin, as if covered with layers of unspiritual scar tissue.

A. W. Tozer writes, “Conscience singles you out as though nobody else existed.

God has given us a faithful witness inside of our own being...It is able to single a

man out and reveal his loneliness, the loneliness of a single soul in the universe

going on to meet an angry God. That’s the terror of the conscience. Conscience

never deals with theories. Conscience always deals with right and wrong and the

relation of the individual to that which is right or wrong. Remember the conscience

is always on God’s side! It judges conduct in the light of the moral law, and as the

Scripture says, excuses or accuses.”

Barclay commenting on the conscience, writes, “The instinctive knowledge of

right and wrong. The Stoics said that in the universe there were certain laws

operative which a man broke at his peril—the laws of health, the moral laws which

govern life and living. The Stoics called these laws phusis, which means nature,

and urged men to live kata phusin, ‘according to nature.’ It is Paul’s argument that

in the very nature of man there is an instinctive knowledge of what he ought to do.

The Greeks would have agreed with that. Aristotle said, ‘The cultivated and free-

minded man will so behave as being a law to himself.’ Plutarch asks, ‘Who shall

govern the governor?’ And he answers, ‘Law, the king of all mortals and

immortals...which is not written on papyrus rolls or wooden tablets, but is his own


31

reason within the soul, which perpetually dwells with him and guards him and

never leaves his soul bereft of leadership.’”

John A. Witmer writes, “Conscience is an important part of human nature, but it

is not an absolutely trustworthy indicator of what is right. One’s conscience can be

‘good’ (Acts 23:1; 1 Timothy 1:5, 19) and ‘clear’ (Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 3:9; 2

Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 13:18), but it can also be ‘guilty’ (Hebrews 10:22),

‘corrupted’ (Titus 1:15), ‘weak’ (1 Corinthians 8:7, 10, 12) and ‘seared’ (1

Timothy 4:2). All people need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ so that the ‘blood of

Christ’ might ‘cleanse [their] consciences’ (Hebrews 9:14).” (Bible Knowledge

Commentary, New Testament Edition, page 446).

Therefore, in Romans 12:20, the noun kephale means “head” and speaks of that

aspect of the human soul, which is called the “conscience.” The conscience of the

Christian’s enemy will accuse them and point out to them that their evil actions

against the Christian were wrong when the Christian feeds them when they are

hungry and gives them a drink when they are thirsty.

The word functions as the object of the preposition epi, which functions as a

marker of location denoting that the conscience of the enemy of one of Paul’s

readers is the place upon which intense shame and guilt will reside as a result of

Paul’s readers obeying his two previous commands.

The definite article before the word is used with the intensive personal pronoun

autos, “HIS” to denote possession. The intensive personal pronoun autos, “HIS”

refers to no particular enemy of Paul’s readers and functions as a “genitive of

possession” and “possessive” pronoun indicating that the head, i.e. conscience in

question “belongs to” the enemy of one of Paul’s readers. We will translate the

prepositional phrase epi ten kephalen autou, “upon his head.”

Completed corrected translation of Romans 12:20: “On the contrary, if your



drink because as a result of doing this very thing, you will, as a certainty, heap

burning coals on his head.”

So to summarize what we have learned in Romans 12:20, Paul uses a fifth class

condition to teach his readers a spiritual principle. There are two commands in the

fifth class condition, namely, if their enemy is hungry, then feed him and if he is

thirsty, give him a drink. These commands stand in direct contrast with the idea

presented in Romans 12:19 of Paul’s readers avenging themselves of their

enemies. They are followed by a causal clause that presents the reason for the two

commands. Paul wants them to obey the commands because by doing so it will

produce guilt and shame in the conscience of their enemy, which could possibly

lead to a change of mind about them and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.


32

Romans 12:21-Paul Commands Romans To Continue Not Being Overcome By

Satan But To Continue To Overcome Him By Means Of Good, Which Is

Divine In Quality And Character

By way of review of the chapter, we have noted the following: In Romans 12:1,

the apostle Paul appealed to his Christian readers in Rome on the basis of the

merciful acts of the Father on their behalf to offer their bodies as a sacrifice-alive,

holy, extremely pleasing to the Father, which their reasonable service to the Father.

Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I appeal to each and every one of you spiritual

brothers and sisters on the basis of the merciful acts produced by God the

Father to offer your bodies as a sacrifice-alive, holy, extremely pleasing and

beneficial to God the Father, which is your reasonable service.”

Then, in Romans 12:2, Paul prohibited his Christian readers in Rome from

being conformed to the standards of the cosmic system of Satan.

Romans 12:2a, “Consequently, do not conform your behavior in

accordance with the standards of this age.”

He then issued a command on the heels of this prohibition to be transformed in

their character into the image of Christ by the renewing of their minds. He teaches

that this transformation of the believer’s character into the image of Christ by

renovating their mind accomplishes what the Father intended in that it provides the

believer the capacity to discern what the will of God is with regards to any

situation.

Romans 12:2b, “On the contrary, permit yourselves to be transformed by

renovating your mind in order that each and every one of you may discern

what is, as an eternal spiritual truth, God the Father’s will, that which is good

as well as extremely pleasing and in addition perfect.”

In Romans 12:3, Paul forbid his readers from thinking more highly of

themselves than they were obligated to think.

Romans 12:3a, “In fact, by means of the spiritual gift, which was assigned

to me for the benefit of myself and others I say for the benefit of each and

every person, namely those who are at this particular time living among all of

you not to think more highly of oneself than what one is, as an eternal

spiritual truth, obligated to think.”

In contrast to this he commanded that they think properly about themselves,

which is accomplished by obeying the command in Romans 12:2 to renovate one’s

mind. Thinking properly about themselves would be consistent with the objective

standard that the Father distributed to each believer by which they can accurately

and objectively form an opinion of themselves, namely justifying faith.

Romans 12:3b, “On the contrary, make it a habit to think so that you think

properly about yourselves consistent with the objective standard God the


33

Father distributed to each and every person without exception for their

benefit, namely justifying faith.”

Then, in Romans 12:4-5, Paul teaches that the reason why it is essential that the

believer maintain a humble attitude toward self is that like the human body has

many members with differing functions so they are one body in Christ and

individually members of one another.

Romans 12:4-5, “Because in fact, just as in one body, we, as a physiological

fact, possess many members however all the members, as a physiological fact,

by no means possess the same function so in the same way, we, the many, as

an eternal spiritual truth, exist as one body in union with Christ, thus logically

are, as an eternal spiritual truth, members individually belonging to one

another.”

There two verses form a comparative clause, which compares the different parts

of the human body that have various functions that benefit the body as a whole

with the individuals who compose the Christian community that also have various

functions that benefit the community as a whole. The comparative clause in

Romans 12:4-5 teaches that the Roman believers should obey his command in

Romans 12:3 because just as the human body has many members with diverse

functions so the Christian community is one body in union and identified with

Christ and thus individually members of one another. The implication is that Paul’s

reader need to maintain a humble attitude about themselves and avoid being

arrogant because they need each other to function effectively as a group since they

have different functions which benefits the entire group just as the human body has

different parts with different functions. Therefore, the implication of this is that

maintaining a humble attitude is essential in order to serve the body of Christ.

Now, in Romans 12:6, he advances upon the idea by teaching that because all

Christians are one body in union with Christ and thus logically members

individually belonging to one another, thus logically speaking they possess

spiritual gifts that differ from each other according to God’s grace policy. It is

logical because just as the human body has different members with different

functions that contribute to the proper function of the body as a whole so the

Christian community has different members with different functions or spiritual

gifts that contribute to the proper function of the Christian community as a whole.

Romans 12:6a, “Thus logically, as a result we, as an eternal spiritual truth,

do possess and experience diverse spiritual gifts according to the grace which

was given for the benefit of each and every one of us…”

Therefore, Romans 12:6a is a continuation of the body metaphor in Romans

12:4-5 rather than a new sentence and a transition of thought as many

commentators interpret this verse and many English translations do as well. In

Romans 12:6a, he teaches that there is a diversity of spiritual gifts in the body of


34

Christ according to God’s grace. Then, in Romans 12:6b-8, Paul goes a step further

in the progression and identifies the various spiritual gifts and their function. In

Romans 12:6b, he presents the first of seven spiritual gifts, namely the temporary

gift of prophecy. In this passage, Paul teaches that this gift was to function

according to the absolute standard, which is the Christian faith.

Romans 12:6b, “If the function of prophesy, according to the standard,

which is the Christian faith.”

The gift of prophecy is a temporary or discontinued spiritual gift meaning that it

is no longer existent since it existed during the pre-canon period of the church to

fill the void until the New Testament canon had been completed. The gift of

prophecy involved not only communicating with regards to the future but also

communicating messages from God to the church that were consistent with the

completed canon of Scripture, which was not yet complete when this gift was

extant. Paul teaches that the gift of prophecy was to be exercised according to the

standard of the Christian faith, i.e. the Word of God or the body of Christian

doctrine.

Next, in Romans 12:7, Paul teaches that the function of the gift of service is

manifested by serving the body of Christ and the function of the spiritual gift of

teacher is manifested by teaching the body of Christ.

Romans 12:7, “Or the function of service, by service, or the one whose

function it is to teach by teaching.”

The gift of service is a permanent gift meaning that unlike the gift of prophecy

it was not discontinued with advent of the completed canon of Scripture. This gift

is synonymous with “helps” in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and “whoever serves” in 1

Peter 4:11 and expresses itself in a variety of ways that aid the church and its

members.

The gift of teaching is also a permanent gift, which involved teaching or

communicating the Word of God to the congregation.

Then, the apostle in Romans 12:8 completes his list of seven spiritual gifts by

noting the gifts of exhortation, giving, leadership and mercy.

Romans 12:8, “Or, the one whose function it is to encourage by

encouragement or the one whose function it is to give sincerely or the one who

devotes himself to exercising leadership diligently or the one whose function it

is to demonstrate compassion cheerfully.”

The gift of exhortation actually refers to encouraging and is also a permanent

gift and manifests itself by encouraging members of the body of Christ to live in a

manner worthy of their calling, to grow up to become like Christ. This gift

manifests itself in the person who gives advice to other members of the body of

Christ that is consistent with Scripture and under the guidance and direction of the

Holy Spirit.


35

Though all believers are commanded to encourage one another according to 1

Thessalonians 4:18 and 5:11, the spiritual gift of encouraging functions or

manifests itself in a manner that goes beyond what is normally exercised by

Christians who obeys the command to encourage one another.

The gift of giving is also a permanent gift, which involves distributing one’s

own money to others and is to be done with simplicity, i.e., with no thought of

return or gain for self in any way.

Though all believers are commanded to given to one another (Matthew 5:42;

10:8) the spiritual gift of giving functions or manifests itself in a manner that goes

beyond what is normally exercised by Christians who obey the command to give to

one another.

This gift is not given to wealthy believers only but rather it is can given to

believers regardless of their social or economic status. The believer who exercises

this gift properly will enjoy giving of himself and his possessions and will do so

without a desire for thanks or recognition. The person who possesses this gift is to

exercise it with pure motives or in other words with sincerity.

The gift of leadership is also a permanent gift and is identified by Paul in 1

Corinthians 12:28 as “administrations.” Those individuals who possess this gift of

leadership, along with the pastor-teachers, help compose the leadership of the local

church. These individuals often hold the office of deacon, which remember is not a

spiritual gift since it was established by the apostles and those who were deacons

were elected by the Jerusalem congregation according to Acts 6:1-6.

Like the gift of teaching, only men have been given the gift of leadership by the

Holy Spirit since Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 that a woman is prohibited

from exercising authority over men because of the divine order and because Eve

was deceived and Adam was not.

The man with the spiritual gift of leadership is to exercise his gift with diligence

in the sense that he is to be constantly and earnestly devoted to working hard on

behalf of the body of Christ to lead them.

“He who shows mercy” actually refers to the gift of compassion rather than

mercy because the latter has the connotation of withholding judgment whereas the

former connotes the intense desire to act to alleviate the pain and suffering of

another or remove its cause (1 John 3:16-17). This gift has been given to both men

and women in the body of Christ and is a permanent gift in that unlike the gift of

prophecy it was not discontinued with the completion of the canon of Scripture.

Though all believers are commanded to be compassionate towards one another

according to Ephesians 4:32 and 1 John 3:16-17, the spiritual gift of compassion

functions or manifests itself in a manner that goes beyond what is normally

exercised by Christians who obeys the command to encourage one another.


36

Like all spiritual gifts, the exercise of the gift of compassion is for the benefit of

the body of Christ. Specifically, it is directed towards those in the body of Christ

who are suffering, whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. It can involve

feeding the hungry in the body of Christ and caring for those who are sick in the

body of Christ as well as caring for the elderly and the disabled.

Like the function of all spiritual gifts, the gift of compassion is an expression of

God’s love that is manifested in the body of Christ. As is the case with the gifts of

service (aka helps), encouraging, giving, leadership, those with the gift of

compassion are often those who hold the office of deacon. This gift does not

appear in the list in 1 Corinthians 12.

The believer with the gift of compassion is to exercise this gift with a cheerful

attitude as opposed to an attitude of considering it a great burden to exercise

compassion to those in need in the body of Christ.

Romans 12:9-21 contains three paragraphs: (1) Verses 9-13 (2) Verses 14-16

(3) Verse 17-21. Romans 12:9-21 contains 23 commands and 7 prohibitions. Three

of these commands are not expressed explicitly in that in verses 9, 10 and 11, Paul

omits the imperatival participle form of the verb eimi, though it is clearly implied.

Paul uses the imperatival participle of a verb twenty times to express one of these

commands and prohibitions if we include these three instances where the

imperatival participle form of the verb eimi is omitted but implied (Verse 9:

apostugeo, kollao; verse 10: proegeomai; verse 11: zeo, douleuo; verse 12: chairo,

hupomeno, proskartereo; verse 13: koinoneo, dioko; verse 16: phroneo twice,

sunapago; verse 17: apodidomi, phroneo; verse 18: eireneuo; verse 19: ekdikeo).

Twice, Paul uses a imperatival infinitive (verse 15: chairo, klaio). Five times he

uses the imperative mood of a verb to express either a command or prohibition

(verse 14: eulogeo twice, kataraomai; verse 19: didomi; verse 20: psomizo, potizo).

Now, in every instance in which Paul issues a command, he is simply

reminding them of what they have already been taught and were already in fact

practicing. This is indicated by his statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15.

Romans 1:8, “First and foremost indeed, I make it a habit to give thanks to

my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you because your faith is at

the present time being proclaimed everywhere throughout the entire world.”

Romans 15:14-15, “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am

convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge

and able also to admonish one another. But I have written very boldly to you

on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given

me from God.”

Therefore, everything that Paul is saying in Romans 12:9-21 is a simply a

reminder and to protect their fellowship with God and each other and their

testimony to the unsaved in their periphery in Rome.


37

Furthermore, in every command whether the imperatival participle or infinitive

is used or the usual imperative mood, the present tense is used with each forming a

“customary present imperative.” A “customary present imperative” is a command

for action to be continued, action that may or may not have already been going on

and is often a character building command to the effect of “make this your habit.”

The present imperative of each of these commands is used of a general precept

for habits that should characterize the Roman believers’ attitude and behavior.

Therefore, it denotes that the Roman believers must “continued to be

characterized” performing each of the commands.

Again, Paul’s statement in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 implies that they were

doing exactly what he is commanding them in Romans 12:9-21. Therefore, the

customary present” of each of these imperatival participles or infinitives or the

usual present imperative indicates that Paul is commanding the Roman believers to

continue to make it their habit practicing each of these commands.

Also in every instance in which Paul issues a prohibition, he is simply

reminding them of what they have already been taught and were already in fact not

doing. This is indicated in that in each of the seven times in which he issues a

prohibition, Paul employs me and not ouk. The latter is much stronger than the

former and would indicate that Paul’s readers were in fact practicing what he was

prohibiting them from doing. Thus, by employing me instead of ouk in each of

these seven prohibitions he does not believe that his readers were doing what he

was forbidding them from doing, which ouk would indicate. Therefore, when the

particle me is used in each of these seven prohibitions, it indicates that they were

not doing the very thing that he was prohibiting but rather was simply protecting

them from doing so in the future.

Now, Paul in Romans 12:9 issued three commands.

Romans 12:9, “Your divine-love must continue to be characterized as being

without hypocrisy. All of you continue to make it your habit to detest that

which is evil in character. All of you continue to make it your habit to be

devoted to that which is good.”

The first command requires that the Roman believers’ divine-love continued to

be characterized as being without hypocrisy. This command serves as a heading for

the rest of the chapter and refers to the commands to love God and one’s fellow

believer and fellow man. The second requires that they continue to detest that

which is evil in character, i.e. anything that is contrary to the will of God. The third

requires Paul’s readers to continue to be devoted to that which is good, i.e.

obedience to the Father’s will.

The second and third commands are related to the believer’s vertical fellowship

with God or in other words, his relationship to God since detesting evil involves


38

rejecting anything that is contrary to the will of God and being devoted to that

which is good is obedience to the will of God.

In Romans 12:10, Paul issues two more commands but these are related to the

believer’s horizontal fellowship or in other words, his relationship with his fellow

believer.

Romans 12:10, “Concerning affection among spiritual brothers and sisters,

all of you must continue to make it your habit to be affectionate with one

another. Concerning honor, all of you continue to make it your habit to

regard one another more highly than yourselves.” The first command in this passage requires the Romans believers to continue to

make it their habit to be affectionate with one another. The second requires that

they continue to make it their habit to regard each other as more important than

themselves. These two commands are related to the believer’s horizontal

fellowship or in other words, his relationship with his fellow believer.

Then in Romans 12:11, the apostle Paul issues a prohibition and two

commands.

Romans 12:11, “Concerning zeal, do not be lazy. All of you continue to

make it your habit to be on fire by means of the omnipotence of the Spirit. All

of you continue to make it your habit of conducting yourselves in total service

to the Lord.”

In the prohibition, he forbids the Romans to be lazy. Then, he commands them

continue to make it their habit to be on fire for the Lord by means of the power of

the Spirit. Lastly, he commands them to continue to make it their habit to conduct

themselves in total service to the Lord. In this passage, Paul is attempting to

protect the vertical aspect of fellowship of his readers, which is related to God and

their horizontal fellowship, which is with each other. Their service for the Lord

who they can’t see is manifested through their service on behalf of each other who

they can see.

The apostle Paul in Romans 12:12 issues three commands to his readers.

Romans 12:12, “Concerning your confident expectation, all of you continue

to make it your habit to rejoice. Concerning adversity, all of you continue to

make it your habit to persevere. Concerning prayer, all of you continue to

make it your habit to be persistent.”

First of all, with respect to their confident expectation of blessing, he

commands them to continue to rejoice. Also, with respect to adversity, he

commands them to continue to persevere. Lastly, with respect to prayer, he

commands them to continue to make it their habit to be persistent.

Romans 12:13 contains two more commands that are related to the horizontal

aspect of Christian fellowship, namely fellowship with other believers.


39

Romans 12:13, “All of you continue to make it your habit to contribute to

the saints’ needs. All of you continue to make it your habit to eagerly seek out

opportunities to practice hospitality.”

In this verse, Paul commands the Romans to continue to contribute to the needs

of the saints. On the heels of this, he commands them to continue to make it their

habit of eagerly seeking out opportunities to practice hospitality. Obedience to

these two commands is an expression of not only the believer’s love for his fellow

believer but also his love for the Lord since the believer loves the Lord who he

can’t see through his fellow believer who he can see (Compare Matthew 25:40;

Acts 9:4).

Since Christ is the head and the Christian is a member of Christ’s body, any act

of love and service on behalf of one’s fellow believer is equivalent to loving and

serving the Lord. Obeying these two commands is a manifestation of the

righteousness of God and the practice of it since practicing the righteousness of

God means fulfilling one’s obligations to love both God and one’s fellow human

being.

Romans 12:14 begins a new paragraph as indicated by a change in style. In

Romans 12:9-13, Paul used imperatival participles but now in Romans 12:14 he

uses the imperative mood. A new paragraph is further indicated in that Paul in

verse 14 addresses his readers’ relationship to the unsaved whereas in verses 9-13,

he was addressing their relationship with each other as believers.

Romans 12:14 contains two commands.

Romans 12:14, “All of you continue to make it your habit to bless those

who persecute you. All of you continue to make it your habit to bless and do

not curse.”

In Romans 12:14, Paul issues a command to the Roman believers to continue to

make it their habit to bless those who persecute them and he repeats this for

emphasis and to reinforce this command he issues the prohibition for them to not

curse. Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 indicate that they were

obeying this command and prohibition. Therefore, they are issued by Paul so as to

protect their fellowship with God and their testimony to the unsaved community

that they lived in the midst of.

In Romans 12:15, Paul issues yet two more commands.

Romans 12:15, “Continue to make it your habit to rejoice together with

those who are rejoicing. Continue to make it your habit to weep together with

those who are weeping.”

In this first command, the apostle directs his readers to continue rejoicing with

those who rejoice and in the second he directs them to weep with those who weep.

These two commands are related to the believer’s fellowship with other believers


40

and emphasize the importance of identifying in the sorrows and joys of our fellow

believers since we are members belonging to one another.

Paul in Romans 12:16 issues two commands and two prohibitions.

Romans 12:16, “All of you continue to make it your habit to have the same

attitude toward each other. Do not think arrogant thoughts but rather all of

you continue to make it your habit to associate with those who are

insignificant. All of you do not become wise in the opinion of yourselves.”

These two commands and two prohibitions are interconnected with the each

other, which is indicated in that in the first command, Paul wants his readers to

continue to make it their habit to maintain the same attitude towards each other. He

describes how they are to do this in the two prohibitions and command that follow

it.

In the first prohibition, Paul forbids his readers from thinking arrogant thoughts.

He describes what he means in the command and prohibition that follows it. In the

second command, Paul wants his readers to associate with those in the body of

Christ who are insignificant in human society. If they fail to do this then they

would be disobeying the first command to maintain the same attitude towards each

other. They would also be disobeying the first prohibition to not think arrogant

thoughts.

In the second prohibition, the apostle forbids his readers from becoming wise in

the opinion of themselves or in other words, considering themselves as superior to

those who are of a lower economic or social status than they are. By obeying this

second prohibition, Paul’s readers would be obeying the second command to

associate with those in the body of Christ who are insignificant in human society.

Paul in Romans 12:17 issues a prohibition and a command that address the

conduct of his readers in Rome in relation to the unsaved.





conduct.”

In the prohibition, Paul commands the Roman believers to continue making it

their habit of never repaying evil in exchange for evil to anyone. The implication

of this prohibition is that they were to continuing being magnanimous towards the

unsaved. They were to continue practicing forgiving their enemies just as God in

Christ had forgiven them and raised them up and seated them with Christ when

they were His enemies (Romans 5:6-8; Ephesians 2:1-8; 4:30-32).

In the command, the apostle wants his readers to continue to make it their habit

of taking into careful consideration words and actions which are considered by all

men to be virtuous for the purpose of manifesting these virtuous words and actions


41

through their conduct with the caveat that they are in according to the Father’s will.

This command refers to the function of the believer’s royal ambassadorship, in

which the believer through his words is to proclaim the gospel to the unsaved.

In Romans 12:18, Paul employs a first class condition to persuade his readers to

respond to his command to continue to make it their habit to live peaceably with all

men.

Romans 12:18, “If and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument

that there continues to exist a possibility to continue to live peaceably with all

people as far as it depends on all of you and we agree that there continues to

be that possibility then all of you continue to make it your habit to live

peaceably with all people.”

In the protasis, he states that “if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of

argument that there continues to exist the possibility to continue to live peaceably

with all people as far as it depends on the Roman believers and they would agree

that there continues to be that possibility.” They would agree that it is possible

because they have already been doing it under the enabling power of the

indwelling presence of the Spirit and could continue to doing it under the Spirit’s

power.

Paul then infers the following in the apodasis, “then continue to make it their

habit to live peaceably with all men.” Therefore, Paul’s audience would have to

come to his conclusion if they submit to this line of argumentation and continue to

live peaceably with all people. He wants them to come to his line of argumentation

because he wants his readers to continue to evangelize the unsaved in their

personal periphery.

Therefore, it is essential that they agree with him on this point since it will

continue to contribute to the evangelization of Rome. This command refers to the

function of the believer’s royal ambassadorship, in which the believer through his

words is to proclaim the gospel to the unsaved. Paul is also teaching in this passage

that peace with others may not always be possible but believers should never be

responsible for the lack of peace in their relationships with the unsaved.

Romans 12:19 contains a prohibition and a command.

Romans 12:19, “All of you do not avenge yourselves divinely loved ones but

rather I solemnly charge all of you to give an opportunity for His righteous

indignation because it stands written for all of eternity, ‘Vengeance, as an

eternal spiritual truth, belongs to Me, I myself will exact retribution,’ says the

Lord.”

In the prohibition, he warns his readers to not avenge themselves of their

enemies. Then, in the command, he makes a strong contrast between the Roman

believers avenging themselves of their enemies and the Lord Jesus Christ

exercising His righteous indignation against their enemies by exacting retribution


42

upon them. He solemnly charges the Roman believers to make it their top priority

to give an opportunity for the Lord Jesus Christ exercise His righteous indignation

on their behalf against their enemies. He cites Deuteronomy 32:35 to support this

command, which states vengeance belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ and that He

will exact retribution upon the enemies of God’s people.

The apostle Paul in Romans 12:20 quotes from the Septuagint translation of

Proverbs 25:21-22, which contains the commands to feed one’s enemy when they

are hungry, give them a drink when they are thirsty so as to heap burning coals on

their head. Heaping burning coals on the head of one’s enemy means that

performing acts on behalf of one’s enemy in response to the evil they’ve practiced

to you will produce in your enemy intense guilt and shame, which could possibly

lead to a change of mind about you and maybe even the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:20, “On the contrary, if your enemy is, at any time, hungry,

then continue to make it your habit to feed him. If, he is, at any time, thirsty,

then continue to make it your habit to give him a drink because as a result of

doing this very thing, you will, as a certainty, heap burning coals on his head.”

In this verse, Paul uses a fifth class condition to teach his readers a spiritual

principle. There are two commands in the fifth class condition, namely, if their

enemy is hungry, then feed him and if he is thirsty, give him a drink. These

commands stand in direct contrast with the idea presented in Romans 12:19 of

Paul’s readers avenging themselves of their enemies. They are followed by a

causal clause that presents the reason for the two commands. Paul wants them to

obey the commands because by doing so it will produce guilt and shame in the

conscience of their enemy, which could possibly lead to a change of mind about

them and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

We will complete our study of Romans chapter twelve by noting verse 21 in

which Paul issues one more final prohibition and command. First of all, he forbids

the Romans to be overcome by evil and then on the heels of this he commands

them to overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

As he has done throughout Romans 12:9-20, here in Romans 12:21, the apostle

Paul employs the figure of “asyndeton.” The common practice of the Greek

language was that each clause be connected with the preceding by some connective

word.

The term for the lack of such a connective is “asyndeton.” The use of

conjunctions came to be very common in the Greek so that the absence was

noticeable and was called “asyndeton,” which literally means, “not bound

together.”

“Asyndeton” is a vivid stylistic feature that occurs often for emphasis,

solemnity, or rhetorical value (staccato effect), or when there is an abrupt change


43

in topic. Thus, it is found, for example, with commands and exhortations, put forth

in rapid succession (cf. John 5:8; Eph 4:26-29; Phil 4:4-6; 1 Thess 5:15-22),

sentences in a series (cf. Matt 5:3-11 [the beatitudes]; 2 Tim 3:15-16), sentences

unrelated to each other/topic shift (cf. 1 Cor 5:9).

This figure appears with the series of prohibitions and commands that appear in

rapid succession in Romans 12:9-21. He does not use a connective between each of

the commands and prohibitions he employs in this paragraph. Paul does this

because he wants his readers to carefully meditate upon each of the commands and

prohibitions that he issues in this paragraph so as to protect their fellowship with

God, each other and their testimony before the unsaved.

“Do not be overcome by evil” is composed of the negative particle me (mhv) (may), “not” and the second person singular present passive imperative form of the

verb nikao (nikavw) (nik-ah-o), “do…be overcome” which is followed by the

preposition hupo (u(pov) (hoop-o), “by” and the articular genitive neuter singular

form of the adjective kakos (kakov$) (kak-os), “evil.”

The verb nikao appears from Homer onward and was used frequently in secular

Greek literature. The word was used intransitively meaning, “to win” and

transitively meaning, “to defeat.”

In classical Greek, nikao meant, “to be victorious, both in military and legal

combat.” The verb nikao and its cognate noun nike denoted a victory over an

opposing force that was manifested publicly. It also expresses “superiority in the

natural rivalry, which takes place among men.”

The word was also used of the gods. Nikao could mean, “to surpass, overcome,

be stronger.” It presupposes achievement in physical and spiritual combat.

The verb nikao is related to the noun nike, “victory, the power that provides

victory.”

Liddell and Scott (Greek-English Lexicon, New Edition, page 1176): (1)

Absolute, conquer, prevail in battle, in the games, or in any contest; prevail, be

superior (2) Conquer, vanquish; overpower; passively, to be vanquished; with

genitive of comparison, to be inferior, yield to, give way to.

The verb nikao does not appear very often in the Septuagint (LXX) where it is

found 25 times. It is used primarily in the LXX to denote “victory over hostile

foreign nations.” Of course, the Lord God is the reason for the believer’s victory

over these hostile foreign powers.

The Old Testament like the New Testament teaches that life on earth is one of

conflict. A rebellion has taken place among God’s creatures against God’s

sovereign authority and will. An angel who the Bible calls, “the devil, Satan”, led

this rebellion. This rebellion is recorded in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-19.

Adam and the woman joined in this rebellion by disobeying the Lord’s

command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 3:1-19).


44

The Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan at the Cross with His voluntary

substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the Cross and resurrection (Phlp.

2:5-11). The Father raised Christ and seated Him at His right hand indicating

Christ’s victory over Satan. This victory will be complete at Christ’s Second

Advent when He establishes His millennial reign and Satan is imprisoned for a

thousand years (Rev. 19:7-20:3). Satan will be released for a brief period after the

millennium but then his sentence will be executed and he will be thrown into the

Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:7-10).

The victories of Israel and individual believers were victories, which the Lord

won for His people. David recognized this fact when he stated before facing

Goliath, that the “battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47). Moses addressed Israel

before she crossed over the Jordan an entered the land of Canaan that the Lord

would go ahead of them and give them victory over the nations resided in the land

of promise (Dt. 31:1-3).

The verb nikao appears 28 times in the Greek New Testament. In the Greek

New Testament, the word could mean, “to overcome, conquer, to be superior.”

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, “to

win a victory over – ‘to be victorious over, to be a victor, to conquer, victory’

(volume 2, page 501).

The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised (page 277): (1) To conquer, overcome,

vanquish, subdue (2) To overcome, prevail (3) To come off superior in a judicial

sense.

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon (page 426): (1) To carry off the

victory, come off victorious, of Christ (2) To win the case.


Literature-Third Edition: (1) to win in the face of obstacles, be victor, conquer,

overcome, prevail (2) to overcome someone, vanquish, overcome (3) to surpass in

ability, outstrip, excel (Page 673).

The verb nikao was used of overcoming an enemy in the temporal realm and

Satan and the kingdom of darkness in the spiritual realm. The word was used by

our Lord in Luke 11:22 and means, “to overcome.” It appears in John 16:33 where

the Lord states to His disciples that He has “overcome” the cosmic system of

Satan.

The word is in the intensive perfect in 1 John 2:12-14 where it is used of young

spiritual adults who are “victorious” over Satan in spiritual combat with the Word

of God. John uses it again in 1 John 4:4 to assure his readers that they have

“overcome” the Satanically inspired false prophets because of the indwelling

Spirit. John employs the verb nikao in 1 John 5:3 where he states that the new

Christ nature “overcomes” the cosmic system of Satan and this new nature was

received the moment they exercised faith alone in Christ alone for eternal


45

salvation. Therefore, in 1 John 5:4, he states that the one who believes in Christ has

“overcome” the cosmic system of Satan.

The articular participle form of the verb nikao appears in Revelation 2:7, 11, 17,

26, 3:5, 12, 21, 21:7 and means, “the overcomer” and is one who is faithful to the

Lord Jesus Christ to physical death or the rapture, whichever comes first. The Lord

Jesus Christ states that the “overcomer” will be rewarded for his faithfulness.

The word is used of the Lord Jesus Christ who has “overcome” Satan and is

able to open the book and the seven seals, which contains the judgments of God.

The verb nikao appears in Revelation 6:2 of antichrist who during the Tribulation

period will conquer the entire world. It is used again of antichrist in Revelation

11:7 where he will “overcome” the two Jewish witnesses during the Tribulation

period and will kill them.

Nikao appears in Revelation 12:11 where believers are said to “overcome”

Satan with the blood of the Lamb, which is a designation for the voluntary

substitutionary spiritual and physical death of the impeccable humanity of Christ in

hypostatic union on the Cross. The word is used again of antichrist in Revelation

13:7 where the passage states that he will “overcome” believers during the

Tribulation by killing them for their faith in Christ. It is used in Revelation 15:2

where it is used of Tribulational martyrs who were “victorious” over the antichrist

by refusing to worship his image and wear his mark. Revelation 17:14 teaches that

the Lord Jesus Christ will “overcome” the antichrist and the 10-nation European

confederacy that will appear during the Tribulation.

We have seen this verb nikao once already in our studies of Romans. In

Romans 3:4, the verb is used in a judicial sense referring to God winning a court

case against unsaved, sinful humanity when they stand before Him at the Great

White Throne Judgment.

Romans 3:1-4, “Therefore, what is the advantage of being a Jew? Or, what

is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect! Indeed, the primary one

that they were entrusted with the declarations by God. So then, what if-and let

us assume that it’s true for the sake of argument some did not believe, then

will their unbelief render inoperative God’s faithfulness? No! Absolutely not!

God must be acknowledged as true but each and every member of the human

race a liar. Just as it stands written, for all of eternity, ‘that You will be

acknowledged as righteous by means of Your pronouncements so that You

will be victorious while You are undoubtedly being accused of injustice.’”

Now, in Romans 12:21, the verb nikao means “to overcome” and appears twice,

once in a prohibition to not be overcome by the evil one, Satan and once in a

command to overcome Satan with good.


46

The verb’s meaning is negated by the negative particle me, “not.” Together,

they form a prohibition. The Roman believers are of course the subject of this

prohibition.

The second person singular form of the verb emphasizes that Paul is addressing

his readers as a corporate unit.

Now, Paul is prohibiting his readers from being overcome by evil as indicated

by the prepositional phrase hupo tou kakou. The passive voice of the verb nikao

means that the subject receives the action of the verb from either an expressed or

unexpressed agency. The agency is expressed here by the prepositional phrase

hupo tou kakou, “by evil,” which indicates that Paul is prohibiting his readers from

being overcome by the evil one, Satan.

In classical Greek, the word kakos expresses the presence of a lack and is not

positive for it is an incapacity or weakness. The adjective kakos among the Greeks

described that which was evil.

The adjective kakos appears extensively in the Septuagint (LXX), occurring 371

times and is used predominately for the Hebrew term ra` and ra`ah (227 times). In

the whole complex of historical books the Septuagint uses the term only in the

sense of “evil” or “disaster” (to kakon, ta kaka). The adjective kakos is the term in

the Septuagint used to translate the Hebrew terms ra` and ra`ah.

The adjective kakos appears 52 times in the Greek New Testament and is used

to describe anything by way of thought, word and action that is produced by the

old sin nature and is motivated by indoctrination from the cosmic system of Satan.

Therefore, it refers to any thought, word or action which is contrary to the perfect

character and integrity of God.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words makes the following comments

regarding the adjective kakos, he writes that the word “stands for ‘whatever is evil

in character, base,’ in distinction (wherever the distinction is observable) from

poneros (see No. 2), which indicates ‘what is evil in influence and effect,

malignant.’ Kakos is the wider term and often covers the meaning of poneros.

Kakos is antithetic to kalos, ‘fair, advisable, good in character,’ and to agathos,

‘beneficial, useful, good in act’; hence it denotes what is useless, incapable, bad;

poneros is essentially antithetic to chrestos, ‘kind, gracious, serviceable’; hence it

denotes what is destructive, injurious, evil. As evidence that poneros and kakos

have much in common, though still not interchangeable, each is used of thoughts,

cf. (Matt. 15:19) with (Mark 7:21); of speech, (Matt. 5:11) with (1 Pet. 3:10); of

actions, (2 Tim. 4:18) with (1 Thess. 5:15); of man, (Matt. 18:32) with (24:48).

The use of kakos may be broadly divided as follows: (a) of what is morally or

ethically ‘evil,’ whether of persons, e. g., (Matt. 21:41; 24:48; Phil. 3:2; Rev. 2:2),

or qualities, emotions, passions, deeds, e. g., (Mark 7:21; John 18:23, 30; Rom.

1:30; 3:8; 7:19,21; 13:4; 14:20; 16:19; 1 Cor. 13:5; 2 Cor. 13:7; 1 Thes. 5:15; 1


47

Tim. 6:10; 2 Tim. 4:14; 1 Pet. 3:9,12); (b) of what is injurious, destructive, baneful,

pernicious, e. g., (Luke 16:25; Acts 16:28; 28:5; Titus 1:12; Jas. 3:8; Rev. 16:2),

where kakos and poneros come in that order, ‘noisome and grievous’” (page 390).

As in the LXX, it is used to describe any thought, word or action performed by

the unbeliever who rejects establishment principles ordained for a client nation to

God as a result of the unbridled function of the old sin nature and indoctrination

and influence from the evil produced by the cosmic system of Satan.

The adjective kakos appears 52 times in the Greek New Testament. It is used to

describe anything by way of thought, word and action that is produced by the old

sin nature and is motivated by indoctrination from the cosmic system of Satan, thus

it refers to any thought, word or action which is contrary to the perfect character

and integrity of God.

In the Greek New Testament, the adjective kakos describes that which is done

against the laws of God and in opposition to Him and independently of Him and

can refer to both moral and immoral degeneracy. The word describes any thought,

word or action performed by either the unbeliever or apostate believer.

The adjective kakos can describe the person or his thoughts, words and actions

which are a result of sin nature control and indoctrination from the cosmic system

of Satan.

This is the sixth time that we have seen this word in our studies of the book of

Romans (Romans 1:30; 2:9; 3:8; 7:19, 21). In Romans 1:30 and 2:9, the noun

kakos describes that which is done against the laws of God and in opposition to

Him and independently of Him and can refers to both moral and immoral

degeneracy.

Romans 1:28-30, “Furthermore, just as, they never approved of God for

the purpose of retaining (Him) in the realm of knowledge, God, as an eternal

spiritual truth, gave them over to a disapproved intellect in order to

habitually do improper things with the result that they have been consumed

with each and every kind of unrighteousness, evil, greed, malice, extensively

engaged in envy, murder, strife, deception, evil dispositions, scandals,

slanders, God-haters, violent insolents antagonists, arrogant, loud arrogant

boasters, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents.”

Romans 2:9, “There will be tribulation and distress upon each and every

soul of man, who continue to accomplish that which is evil, namely, both to the

Jew first and also to the Greek.”

In Romans 3:8, the word describes actions that are done against the laws of God

that reveal His will and thus refers to various acts of sin that constitute evil. In this

passage, the apostle Paul relates that he and his fellow communicators of the

gospel of Jesus Christ were accused by the Judaizers of teaching others to

perpetrate “evil acts.”


48

Romans 3:8, “Furthermore, what is the conclusion that we are forced to?

(As we have been slanderously charged with in the past and continue to be up

to the present moment and as some have in the past alleged we say and

continue to do so up to the present moment), ‘Let us perpetrate evil acts in

order that blessings might result.’ No! Their condemnation is, as an eternal

spiritual truth, deserved.”

In Romans 7:19 and 21, the adjective kakos describes actions that are done

against the laws of God that reveal His will and thus refers to various acts of sin

that constitute evil. It describes the actions that flow from the sin nature.

Romans 7:19, “For you see, the good that, I habitually desire to do, I by no

means habitually accomplish. On the contrary, I habitually practice the very

evil that I by no means habitually desire to do.”

Romans 7:21, “Therefore, I surprisingly discovered through my own

personal experience the principle: when I, at any time, desire to accomplish

that which is perfect that evil is, as an eternal spiritual truth, present in me.”

In Romans 12:17, the adjective kakos is used to describe anything by way of

thought, word and action that is produced by the old sin nature and is motivated by

indoctrination from the cosmic system of Satan. Therefore, it refers to any thought,

word or action which is contrary to the perfect character and integrity of God. The

adjective kakos describes that which is done against the laws of God and in

opposition to Him.





conduct.”

The first time kakos appears in Romans 12:17 it is used of the evil that might be

contemplated by Paul’s readers against their enemies whereas the second time it

appears the word refers to the evil exercised towards Paul’s readers by their

enemies.

In Romans 12:21, adjective kakos appears twice and in both instances, the word

means “the evil one” and refers to Satan and not to the practice of sin by the

enemies of the Roman believers.

Usually, in the Greek New Testament, the articular form of the adjective

poneros is used for Satan.

Matthew 13:37-38, “And He said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the

Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the

sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one.’”

John 17:15, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep

them from the evil one.”


49

Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to everything, I solemnly charge all of you to

take up for yourselves your shield, which is your faith because that will enable

all of you to extinguish all the flaming arrows originating from the evil one.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and

protect you from the evil one.”

1 John 2:13-14, “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who

has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you

have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know

the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has

been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are

strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil

one.”

1 John 3:11-12, “For this is the message which you have heard from the

beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil

one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his

deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous.”

1 John 5:18-19, “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He

who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We

know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil

one.”

That Satan is in view when Paul uses kakos in Romans 12:21 is indicated by the

fact that the word is in the genitive case and is the object of the preposition hupo.

This preposition with the genitive case is used in the Greek New Testament to

indicate the person who is ultimately responsible for an action and who may or

may not be involved.

Also indicating that kakos refers to Satan is the word’s articular construction,

which converts the adjective into a substantive. The article is also monadic

meaning that it is referring to the devil who is one of a kind, or in other words, he

is the one and only devil.

Further indicating that kakos refers to Satan and not the evil practiced by the

enemies of Paul’s readers is that Paul employs agathos as the object of the

preposition en in the command to follow. This prepositional phrase is instrumental.

If kakos in the prohibition was referring to the evil practiced by the Christian’s

enemy then Paul would have used the preposition en instead of hupo. However, he

uses hupo to emphasize personal agency, thus indicating that the articular form of

the adjective kakos is referring to a personality, which of course is Satan.

Therefore, in this prohibition in Romans 12:21, Paul wants his readers to

continue to not being overcome by the evil one, Satan.

He employs me and not ouk since the latter is much stronger than the former

and would indicate that his readers were being overcome by Satan. Thus, by


50

employing me instead of ouk, he does not believe that his readers were being

overcome by Satan. Therefore, the particle me indicates that this has not taken

place but is used with the verb nikao to prohibit Paul’s readers in the future from

being overcome by Satan.

Also, further indicating that the prohibition here in Romans 12:21 does not

imply that the Roman believers were being overcome by Satan is that the present

imperative form of the verb nikao with the negative particle me has the force of a

general precept. It makes no comment about whether the action is going on or not.

Thus, Paul’s readers were “not” presently disobeying this prohibition.

Furthermore, the context of the epistle further indicates that the Roman

believers were not being overcome by Satan. Paul wrote in Romans 1:8 that he

gave thanks to the Father for them because their faith was being proclaimed

everywhere throughout the Roman Empire.

Romans 1:8, “First and foremost indeed, I make it a habit to give thanks to

my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you because your faith is at

the present time being proclaimed everywhere throughout the entire world.”

In Romans 15:14-15, Paul writes to the believers in Rome that he was

convinced that they were full of goodness and filled with knowledge and able to

admonish each other. Thus, his teachings in this epistle would serve as a reminder

to them.

Romans 15:14-15, “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am

convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge

and able also to admonish one another. But I have written very boldly to you

on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given

me from God.”

Therefore, as he has been doing throughout Romans 12:9-20, Paul is simply

performing preventive maintenance by employing this prohibition in Romans

12:21. He is in effect warning the believers in Rome to not be overcome by Satan.

Thus, he is simply stating a general precept for his readers to follow in the future

that would protect their fellowship with God.

In 1 John 2:13-14 and 1 John 5:4, the apostle John uses the verb nikao in

relation to his readers overcoming Satan and his cosmic system by faith in the

Word of God.

1 John 2:13-14, “I am providing information in writing at this particular

time for the benefit of all of you spiritually mature ones in view of the fact that

all of you know experientially the One from eternity past. I am providing

information in writing at this particular time for the benefit of all of you

young spiritual adults in view of the fact that all of you are victorious over the

evil one. I have provided information in writing for the benefit of all of you

spiritually immature ones in view of the fact that all of you know


51

experientially the Father. I have provided information in writing for the

benefit of all of you spiritually mature ones in view of the fact that all of you

know experientially the One from eternity past. I have provided information

in writing for the benefit of all of you young spiritual adults in view of the fact

that all of you are at this particular time powerful as a result of the Word

originating from God the Holy Spirit being habitually resident and active in

all of you and as a result all of you are victorious over the evil one.”

1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is

the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith.”

John states that these young spiritual adults are victorious over Satan and his

armies in spiritual combat. They accomplished this by using the sword of the

Spirit, which is the Word of God. John states that these young spiritual adults are

victorious over Satan and his armies in spiritual combat as a result of the Word of

God being habitually resident and active in their souls.

The Scriptures teach emphatically that the church age believer is involved in

spiritual warfare with the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 6:12-16; Phil. 1:27-30). In

fact, he is described as a “soldier” in Scripture (1 Cor. 9:7; Phil. 2:25; 2 Tim. 3-4).

The church age is the intensive stage of the angelic conflict. God has provided

the believer the means to fight in this intensive stage of the angelic conflict. Satan

and the kingdom of darkness would easily destroy the believer if the believer were

left to his own devices using his own human power. God has provided the believer

the power to overcome his spiritual adversary, Satan and the kingdom of darkness

through their union and identification with the Lord Jesus Christ in His crucifixion,

death, burial, resurrection and session (1 John 4:4).

The kingdom of darkness will employ fear and intimidation tactics to get the

believer to go AWOL (Absent without Official Leave) from the plan of God (Phil.

1:28; Heb. 2:15; 1 Pet. 5:1-9). Fear is a contradiction to the believer’s spiritual life,

which is a lifestyle of power, love and discipline (2 Tim. 1:7).

Occupation with Christ is the greatest weapon that a church age believer can

employ when entering into offensive action (Col. 3:1-4; Heb. 12:2-3). To be

occupied with Christ is concentrate upon your position in Christ, which refers to

your eternal union and identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection

and session.

John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

Your “position in Christ” refers to the fact that at the moment you believed in

Christ, the omnipotence of the Spirit caused you to become identical and united

with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session, and which

ministry of the Spirit is called in Scripture, the “baptism” of the Spirit. This means

that when Christ was crucified, God crucified you with Him. It also means that

when Christ died and was buried, God considers you to have died and been buried


52

with Christ. It also means that when Christ was raised from the dead and seated at

the right hand of the Father (the session of Christ), God raised and seated you with

Him.

Colossians 3:1-4, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep

seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set

your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you

have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our

life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Your “position in Christ” also refers to the fact that through the Spirit’s ministry

of “regeneration,” the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ were

ascribed to you by giving you the nature of Christ.

Galatians 3:27, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed

yourselves with the nature of Christ.”

To be occupied with Christ is to concentrate upon the self-sacrificial love He

exercised on behalf of you at the Cross.

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who

live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by

faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

God wants us to be occupied with our position in Christ, His love for us and not

occupied with our adversities, problems with sin and people. This does not mean

we are to ignore our adversities, problems with sin and people but to deal with

them head on with the divine resources that God has provided us through our union

and identification with Christ. When we face adversity we are not to panic but

instead we are to put on the full armor of God by appropriating by faith our

position in Christ and then to apply the Word of God, which is the sword of the

Spirit and pray to the Father for help and guidance and strength in Jesus name.

When we face adversity, we are not to panic but rather are to be aware of the fact

that the Lord Jesus controls history and therefore our circumstances and that our

heavenly Father cares for us as His children and will never leave us or forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER

FORSAKE YOU.”

1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

When we face the greatest adversity in life, death, we understand that when we

die we will be absent from the body but face-to-face with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and

knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord

for we walk by faith, not by sight, we are of good courage, I say, and prefer

rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”


53

When we fall into sin, we don’t become involved in guilt, but instead we

confess our sins and then after confession, we consider ourselves dead to the sin

nature but alive to God through our union with Christ.

1 John 1:9, “If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God

the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and

purifies us from each and every wrongdoing.”

When we have problems with people we love people as the Lord loved us.

John 13:34, “A new commandment in character and quality I give to all of

you, that all of you divinely love one another, even as I have divinely loved all

of you, that all of you also divinely love one another.”

It is only when we are occupied with our position in Christ and God’s love for

us that we have the capacity to handle with joy and thanksgiving, the adversities of

life, problems with people, to overcome the attacks of the kingdom of darkness of

Satan and the lusts of our old sin nature.

Occupation with obnoxious people and adverse circumstances only produces

self-induced misery and we only compound our problems by becoming occupied

with self or others or our adversities, thus we are to be occupied with the Lord.

Hebrews 12:1-3, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses

surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so

easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before

us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy

set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at

the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such

hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose

heart.”

The believer who is occupied with Christ is appropriating by faith his union

with Christ, which is revealed by the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture. The

intimidation tactics launched by the kingdom of darkness through unregenerate

humanity and apostate believers are rendered inoperative when the believer goes

on the offensive by utilizing the Word of God and appropriating by faith his union

with Christ for defensive purposes. In the same way that light overcomes darkness

in the natural realm, the divine omnipotence of the Spirit and the Word overcomes

Satan and his invisible army.

All precedence for glorifying God the Father during the church age is derived

from the dispensation of the hypostatic union since the church age is the extension

of the dispensation of the hypostatic union. The voluntary substitutionary spiritual

and physical death of the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union at the cross 2000

years was a great strategic victory over Satan in the angelic conflict (John 12:31;

16:8-11; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14).


54

Our Lord’s strategic victory has paved the way for other tactical victories by

church age believers. The believer who is obedient to the Father’s will as the

humanity of Christ in hypostatic union was, will achieve tactical victory over Satan

and the kingdom of darkness in the angelic conflict. The believer who appropriates

by faith his union with Christ will experience victory in spiritual combat. The

believer is to fight “from” victory and not “for” victory since Christ has already

gained the victory.

The soldier of Christ Jesus who achieves the objective of executing the plan of

God appears as a luminary or a light in the cosmic system of Satan exposing his

deceitful schemes and defeating him in his own territory (Phil. 2:15).

In Romans 12:21, we will translate the prohibition me niko hupo tou kakou,

“Continue making it your habit to not be overcome by the evil one.”

The believer has three great enemies according to the Scriptures: (1) Satan, our

chief adversary, the devil: (1 Pet. 5:8-9; Eph. 6:12; John 16:11; Col. 2:15; but note

1 John 2:13-14). (2) The world, a system and arrangement of the affairs of men and

government under the control of the evil one and opposed to God and His purposes

for man: (John 16:33; 1 John 5:4; Eph. 2:2). (3) Indwelling Adamic sin nature or

the flesh and all its corrupting power and life-dominating patterns: (Rom. 7:15;

8:4-8, 13; Gal. 5:16-26).

The intelligence apparatus of a nation plays a vital part in modern warfare.

Unless, we know who our enemy is, where he is, and what he can do, we will have

a difficult time defeating him. The leader of the church’s great invisible enemy is

of course Satan whose name means, “adversary” because he is the enemy of God.

He is also called the “tempter” (Mt. 4:3), the murderer (Jn. 8:44). He is compared

to “lion” in 1 Peter 5:8, a serpent (Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9), an angel of light (2 Cor.

11:13-15), the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). The Christian is not to be ignorant of

his schemes and devices (2 Cor. 2:11).

Satan is a created being. The Lord Jesus Christ created angels who are moral

rational creatures like mankind and the greatest of these was angels was Satan.

Therefore, Satan is a creature (cf. John 1:1 with Ps. 148:1-5; Col. 1:16; Ezek.

28:13). He is also a spirit being. Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as spirits and

demons are called unclean spirits (Matt. 8:16; 12:45; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 11:26; Acts

19:12; Rev. 16:14).

Furthermore, the fact we are told that “we do not wrestle with flesh and

blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world

rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in

heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12) also suggest that Satan and his demons are spirit

beings.

Finally, the fact that Paul describes them as invisible also shows they are spirit

beings (Col. 1:16). Satan is not omniscient, omnipotent or omnipresent like God


55

but rather he has limitations. He simply cannot be everywhere at once. Nor, can he

read your mind.

Angels, though spirit beings and very powerful, are not omnipotent, omniscient,

or omnipresent. They cannot be everywhere at once and this is true of Satan.

However, as the chief of his demons forces or as the “prince of the power of the

air” (Eph 2:2), he is chief of a vast host of demons who are so numerous as to

make Satan’s power and presence seem to be practically ubiquitous or everywhere

at once (cf. Mark 5:9). Therefore, because of this limitation, many references to

Satan or the devil include his whole kingdom.

The person of Satan does not personally tempt each of us for he simply cannot

do that. He is only able to do so through his world system and demon hosts. In his

appearance when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord (Job

1:6), in the temptation of Christ (Matt. 4:10f), and the entrance into Judas (Luke

22:3) we surely have clear references to the person of Satan himself, but in many

other passages, Satan or the devil seems to stand for Satan’s kingdom (see Mark

3:23; 4:15; Luke 13:16; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; Jam. 4:7). It is also comforting to know that

Satan is limited.

The promise of Scripture is that “greater is He who is in us, than he who is in

the world” (1 John 4:4). For all his power and hatred against God and man, he

could do nothing against Job that God did not expressly allow. Therefore, he can

be resisted and made to flee (Jam. 4:7), but only by the strength of God made

available to believers in Christ (Eph. 6:10-18).

Satan is a person. The Scripture state that he possesses the traits of personality.

He shows intelligence (2 Cor. 11:3). He exhibits emotions (Rev. 12:17, anger;

Luke 22:31, desire). He demonstrates that he has a will (Isa. 14:12-14; 2 Tim.

2:26). Satan is referred to as a person in both Old and New Testaments (Job 1;

Matt. 4:1-12).

Notice that the information in this latter passage (the temptation of Christ) had

to come from the Lord. Thus He, by using personal pronouns, attributes personality

to Satan. If Satan were merely a personification that people have devised to

express their ideas of evil, then such a personification could scarcely be held

morally responsible for his actions, since, in reality, there is no being who can be

held accountable. But Satan is held accountable by the Lord (Matt. 25:41), and this

passage reminds us that to deny the reality of Satan requires denying the veracity

of Christ’s words.

We must learn from the devil’s failure. If angels like Satan who were so close

to God gave way to the pride of seeking to be independent of God and fell in sin,

we certainly should learn from this that we might be more careful “to take heed

lest we fall” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12 with 1 Tim. 3:6-7). We should know full well, as

with the temptation of Eve, Satan will seek to reduplicate his sin in us by seeking


56

to get us to attempt to live life independently of God as though we were gods

ourselves.

Let’s go back to the original angelic Eden, to a time before Satan had rebelled

from God and had fallen from his privileged status. What we know about Satan in

his perfect state comes mainly from the testimony of Isaiah (chapter fourteen) and

Ezekiel (chapter twenty-eight). It must be remembered that in eternity past, Satan

held a 3-fold office, which is now belongs to the incarnate Son of God, the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Satan was a prophet, priest and a king in eternity past prior to his rebellion

against his Creator. The devil was the preeminent creature in the universe before

his fall, and each of the various characteristics described below call attention to

specific aspects of this preeminence.

Ezekiel 28:11-12, “Again the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son

of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, "Thus

says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and

perfect in beauty.”

“Seal of Perfection” is the Hebrew chatham, “a seal of proportion, a sealer of

symmetry, one sealing perfection, “which are literal renderings from the Hebrew

and can be expanded to the meaning “the one who puts his seal on harmonious-

proportion” or, better, the “touchstone of symmetry” (that is, norms and standards

of all kinds as seen from the divine point of view).

Satan, in his un-fallen state, could be looked to as one who upheld, embodied

and represented perfect divine standards. It is a tragic irony that he is now the

prime example of all that is wicked, wrong and anti-God. In contrast to Satan, our

Lord Jesus Christ is the One who died to satisfy the Father's righteous standard

regarding our sin (2 Cor.5:21; 1 Pet.2:24).

“Full of wisdom” is composed of the Hebrew adjective male, “full,” and the

noun chokhmah, “wisdom.” The adjective male is used figuratively here in Ezekiel

28:12 indicating a high degree of wisdom by which Satan in eternity past, before

his fall was characterized. This word indicates that Satan did not reject God out of

ignorance. To the contrary, he was the wisest of God's creatures until he perverted

that wisdom (Ezek.28:17). It is a tragic irony that Satan corrupted this wisdom and

so became the “father of lies,” the adversary of God's wisdom and truth (Jn.8:44).

In contrast to Satan, our Lord Jesus Christ is the very wisdom of God (1Cor.1:24).

Ezekiel 28:12, “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre

and say to him, "Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”

“Perfect in beauty” is composed of the Hebrew adjective kalil, “perfect,” and

the noun yophi, “beauty.” Satan before his fall in eternity past was the epitome of

beauty.


57

Ezekiel 28:13, “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone

was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx

and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold,

the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that

you were created they were prepared.”

This “Eden” in Ezekiel 28:13 refers to the original garden of Eden on the

original planet earth before the earth’s renovation in Genesis 1:3 and following.

Though he was the premier creature in a utopian setting, Satan was not content. It

is a tragic irony that through his rebellion he has exchanged a perfect environment

for eternal place in the lake of fire, and is leading his followers to share his fate

(Matt.25:41). In contrast to Satan, our Lord Jesus Christ has prepared a place for us

(Jn.14:1-4), a place whose wonders will outstrip even those of that first Eden

(Rev.2:7).

The precious stones mentioned in this verse are indeed additional

manifestations of Satan's beauty, but it is likely that they also mark him out as the

one who represented the angels before God. The nine stones mentioned in this

context bear a striking similarity to those placed on the high priest's breastplate

(Ex.28:17-21; 39:10-14).

In the Exodus context, each of the stones represented one of the twelve tribes of

Israel and bore its name inscribed on the gem. Exodus 28:29 states that Aaron (i.e.,

the high priest) shall wear the breastplate with the stones inscribed with the twelve

tribes “over his heart” whenever he enters the Holy Place “as a continual

memorial before the Lord”; the verse also calls the breastplate so equipped “the

breastplate of judgment”.

Each of Israel's tribes is thus a precious jewel in God's sight, and was

represented before Him in this fashion whenever the high priest entered into the

presence of God. Furthermore, the breastplate also served the practical function of

acting as a means of communication from the Lord in designating specific tribes

for specific tasks. What we see in Ezekiel's representation of a very similar

apparatus on Satan, therefore, should be seen as fulfilling a similar function.

As the “anointed cherub who covers,” Satan would have been continually in

the presence of the Lord as the prime representative of angelic kind in the same

way that our Lord Jesus Christ (symbolically represented by Israel's high priest)

has been continually in His presence as the “last Adam” (1Cor.15:45) and “the

Son of Man” (e.g., Jn.9:35) since His ascension. It is a tragic irony that Satan, who

used to represent his angelic brethren before the Lord would go on to corrupt many

of them, thus leading them to eternal punishment (Matt.25:41). In contrast to

Satan, our Lord Jesus Christ is our guide to eternal life (Heb.2:10; 12:2).

These 9 jewels are comparable to the 12 jewels found on the breastplate of the

high priest of Israel, where each jewel represented 1 of the 12 tribes liable for


58

military service. Satan in eternity past before his rebellion was the high priest of

God ruling over these 9 divisions or tribes of angels just as the high priest in Israel

presided over the 12 tribes of Israel. Remember three tribes surrounded the

Tabernacle on all four sides in battle array. Revelation 12:4 says that 1/3 of the

angels fell, that means 3 angelic divisions in the Lord’s military rebelled.

Revelation 12:3-4, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a

great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were

seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and

threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was

about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.”

These 3 angelic divisions are arranged in rank, thus mimicking God.

Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but

against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this

darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ezekiel 28:14, “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed

you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of

the stones of fire.”

“Anointed” is the Hebrew adjective mimshach, whose cognate verb is

mashach, “to anoint,” and the noun mashiach, “Anointed One, Messiah.” The

Greek noun Christos, “Christ” translates the Hebrew noun for Messiah, which is

mashiach. The Hebrew verb mashach, “to rub means “to rub, anoint,” or “spread”

a liquid. This word was used of anointing of people for special service or office

such as priest (Ex. 29:7; Lev. 4:5, 16; 6:22; 21:10), prophet (1 Kings 19:16), and

king (1 Sam. 2:10; 12:3; 16:6; 24:6; 2 Sam. 12:7; 19:21). The person who

experienced such anointing was often called “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 26:9; 2

Sam. 23:1).

In the Old Testament, two office bearers are expressly described as mashiach

i.e. as anointed with oil: (a) High priest (b) King. The most reference in the Old

Testament is to the anointing of the King. The rite of anointing was performed on

the high priest in the post-exilic community in Judah. The anointing never became

a rite of initiation into the prophetic office. The prophet is discharged a specific

task assigned to him by Yahweh Himself. He is anointed for this. Thus the act of

anointing confers power.

So the mashach’s Hebrew cognate adjective mimshach in Ezekiel 28:13

describes Satan as one who God conferred divine power to in order to carry out his

duties. This anointing marked Satan out as God’s number 1 man!

“Cherub” is the Hebrew noun keruv. Cherubs take the lead in worshiping God

(Is.6; Rev.4:8b; 5:8,14; 7:11-12; 19:4), act as intermediaries for God in His royal

manifestations (Rev.6:1-7; 15:7), and, perhaps most significantly, control access

into His presence and fellowship (a duty most strikingly evident from their


59

guarding of the “way to the tree of life” after Man's expulsion from the garden:

Gen.3:24).

“Who covers” refers to the fact that Satan's original position can thus be

described as that of the ultimate “imperial guard,” charged with warding off all that

is profane from the perfect holiness of God. It is a tragic irony that Satan's position

as a bulwark against the profane has been altered by his own rebellion into that of a

promoter of all that is detestable to God's holiness. In contrast to Satan, Christ kept

Himself experientially pure from sin, so that in fulfillment of the Father's plan He

might "become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him"

(2Cor.5:21).

Ezekiel 28:15-19, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were

created until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your

trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; Therefore I

have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed

you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was

lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of

your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may

see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your

trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the

midst of you; It has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the

earth in the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples are

appalled at you; You have become terrified and you will cease to be forever.”

As we noted earlier, in the beginning the most exalted of all the angels was the

anointed cherub, whom the Bible calls Satan or the devil, the son of the morning

(Isa. 14:12). He was entrusted with responsibilities and was granted privileges

beyond those of any other angel, but he abused his freedom through arrogance and

rebellion against God (Ezek. 28:12-19). He was the anointed cherub who guarded

the throne of God, he was said to created perfect in wisdom and beauty and he was

blessed with the title of Hallel Ben Shechar, “morning star, son of the dawn” (Is.

14:12). But the Scriptures teach that he led the angels in rebellion against God (Is.

14:12-14). Instead of being 1 will in the universe, now there was 2…God’s and

Satan’s. Satan had the audacity to oppose God.

Now, according to Matthew 25:41 Satan was sentenced to the Lake of Fire for

his rebellion but he appealed the sentence.

Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from

Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil

and his angels.’”

This sentence has not been executed since the Scriptures states that Satan is the

“prince of the power of air” (Eph. 2:3), and the ruler of this world. We can

accurately infer that Satan’s argument for appealing his sentence was that how


60

could a loving God cast some of His creatures into the Lake of Fire forever and

ever, thus God granted Satan his appeal.

This appeal provides God an opportunity to demonstrate His incomparable love

for all His creatures, both men and angels and thus vindicate His perfect character

and integrity that was impugned by Satan. Therefore, God convened a trial to

consider the evidence and pronounce judgment.

In the prehistoric trial God was the judge and the prosecution. Satan was the

defense. God considered all the evidence and pronounced a guilty verdict and He

sentenced Satan and all the fallen angels to "eternal fire" (Matt. 25:41).

So “eternal fire has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt.

25:41), but because the sentence was not been immediately executed-and, in fact,

will not be carried out until the end of human history (Rev. 20:10)-we can

accurately infer that Satan appealed the sentence.

The elapse of time between the sentence and its execution indicates that human

history is part of this momentous trial, the appeal trial of Satan. Human history is

the appeal trial of Satan. Further biblical evidence for the prehistoric trial of the

fallen angels is found in Satan's titles.

Human history was designed to resolve this conflict between God and Satan.

The words “devil” and “Satan” are not names but titles, both of which mean

“accuser” or “adversary” as an attorney accuses someone in court.

The Greek New Testament terms Satanas, “Satan” and Diabolos, “devil” are

legal terms. The term Satanas means “adversary,” and diabolos means “slanderer,

false accuser.”

Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the

salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of

His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,

he who accuses them before our God day and night.’”

Zechariah 3:1-2, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing

before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse

him. The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the

LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked

from the fire?’”

He is called the devil and Satan because he was the defense attorney who

represented himself and the fallen angels at the prehistoric trial and because he

continues to act as an attorney now that the trial has entered its appeal phase during

human history (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-5; Zech. 3:1-2).

Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning,

son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have

weakened the nations!”


61

“Star of the morning, son of the dawn” (English transliteration from the

Hebrew: Helel Ben-Shachar). This title speaks of Satan's role in reflecting the

glory of God (cf. Job 38:7, where all the elect angels are described as “stars of the

morning”).

“Star of the morning” (helel) literally means, “shining one” is translated in the

LXX as “light bearer” and by the Latin Vulgate as “Lucifer.”

“Son of the dawn” (Ben-Shachar) is an apt rendering of this title, for it denotes

a heavenly body so brilliant that it can be seen even in daylight.

As the prime creature of the original Eden, a place without darkness (for

darkness did not exist before Satan's fall), Satan was the foremost representative of

God's splendor, reflecting, for all angelic kind to behold, the brilliant glory of their

Creator. It is a tragic irony that through his own choice he has now become the

ruler of the domain of darkness (Eph.6:12; Col.1:13).

Far from reflecting God's glory, he now opposes it in every way, but his

ultimate destiny is to have his light extinguished forever (Jude 6, 13). In contrast to

Satan, our Lord Jesus Christ, the new Morning Star (2 Pet.1:19; Rev.2:28; 22:16;

cf. Num.24:17; Is.9:1-2; 42:6; 49:6; Matt.2:2; 2:9; 4:16; Lk.2:30-32; Jn.1:4-5;

8:12; 9:5), is the perfect reflection of the Father's glory (Heb.1:3).

Isaiah 14:13-17, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will

raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of

assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the

clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be thrust

down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you,

They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth

tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness And

overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’”

So we can conclude from a study of Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 that Satan was the

most talented, attractive and personable creature to come from the hand of God

(Ezek. 28:12; 2 Cor. 11:14). His force of persuasion is as compelling today as

when he convinced one third of all the angels to join his prehistoric revolution

against God (Rev. 12:4a).

Satan's fall and his leadership of myriad angels in revolt started the prehistoric

warfare called the angelic conflict which continues today and will be concluded

only with the final judgment at the end of human history.

The base of operations and activities of the kingdom of darkness are located in

the earth’s atmosphere. The cosmos, composed of the stellar universe (second

heaven), the earth and its atmosphere (first heaven) serve as the theater of military

operations for the angelic conflict pitting the kingdom of God against the kingdom

of Satan which are described in Scripture as light and darkness respectively. The

fact that they reside in the earth’s atmosphere is implied by the Hebrew text of


62

Genesis 1:6-8 where the second day of restoration is not identified by the Lord as

tov, “perfect, good.”

A comparison of Scripture with this passage indicates that the reason why the

Lord did not call it tov, “perfect” was because the kingdom of darkness, the fallen

angels reside in the earth’s atmosphere.

Genesis 1:1-8, “In eternity past, God created out of nothing the heavens

and the earth. However the earth became an empty desolation, and darkness

was upon the surface of the raging ocean depths. Now, the Spirit of God was

hovering over the surface of the waters. And then, God commanded, ‘let there

be light,’ and so, there was light.’ And then, God observed that in essence the

light was perfect, God then caused a division between the light and the

darkness. And then, concerning the light, God designated the name day but

concerning the darkness, He designated the name night and so it was evening

and so it was morning, the first day. Next, God commanded, ‘let there be an

atmosphere in the middle of the waters, and let it be a cause of division

between waters from waters.’ Consequently, God having restored the

atmosphere and thus having caused a division between the waters, which were

below the atmosphere and the waters, which were above the atmosphere, thus

it came to pass as previously described. And then, concerning the atmosphere,

God designated the name ‘heavens,’ and so it was evening and so it was

morning, the second day.”

In Genesis 1:3-5, Moses under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit records for

us the first day of restoration where the Spirit under the direction of the pre-

incarnate Christ restored light to planet earth. Upon the restoration of light, the

Lord pronounced it tov, “good.” But He does not say this after the second day of

restoration, which is recorded in Genesis 1:6-8. The reason for this omission is that

Satan and the fallen angels inhabit the earth’s atmosphere.

Ephesians 2:1-2, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which

you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the

prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of

disobedience.”

So the base of operations of the fallen angels and their activities take place in

the earth’s atmosphere. The believer is living in enemy territory, which is the

cosmic system of Satan. Satan runs this world and deceives it.

1 John 5:19, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in

the power of the evil one.”

The principle stratagem of the devil is lies and deception. Satan deceives and is

the father of lies.

John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires

of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in


63

the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks

from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Satan employed the strategy of deception against the woman in the Garden of

Eden.

Genesis 3:1-19, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the

field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has

God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'? The woman said to

the serpent, ‘From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from

the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You

shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ The serpent said to the

woman, ‘You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from

it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight

to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its

fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the

eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and

they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They

heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the

day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD

God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man,

and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the

garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’ And He said,

‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I

commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be

with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’ Then the LORD God said to

the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent

deceived me, and I ate.’ The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you

have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every

beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days

of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between

your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise

him on the heel.’ To the woman He said, ‘I will greatly multiply Your pain in

childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for

your husband, And he will rule over you.’ Then to Adam He said, ‘Because

you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about

which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the

ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both

thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the

field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the


64

ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you

shall return.’”

1 Timothy 2:9-15, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with

proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or

pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for

women making a claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction

with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise

authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first

created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the

woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved

through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity

with self-restraint.”

2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by

his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of

devotion to Christ.”

The devil’s purpose for deceiving the human race is to divert worship from the

Lord Jesus Christ and to himself. Thus, he promotes independence from God. Evil

is independence from God and is the genius of Satan.

The system that Satan has designed to promote independence from God is

religion. Theologically, religion is the antithesis to Biblical Christianity in that it is

the ignorant, presumptuous, vain and arrogant attempt by man to gain the

approbation and approval of God by depending upon a legalistic, meritorious

system of human works rather than the impeccable Person and Finished Work of

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Biblical Christianity and religion are antithetical concepts since the latter is

man’s presumptuous, ignorant and vain attempt to gain the approbation of God

through a meritorious, legalistic system of man-made oral traditions.

Religion is seeking to worship God apart from the protocol set by the Lord in

John 4:23-24. Those who seek to worship the Father must do so by means of the

Spirit and Truth.

John 4:23-24, “But an hour is coming and now is when the true

worshippers, will worship the Father spiritually, yes, by means of truth. In

fact, the Father intensely desires such worshippers of Him. God, as to His

nature, is spirit and those worshipping Him must worship spiritually, yes, by

means of truth.’

Religion is the genius of Satan but on the other hand, Biblical Christianity is

total dependence upon God. It is God providing man everything He needs to

worship through the Person, Work and Life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Religion promotes creature credit whereas Biblical Christianity promotes

Creator credit. It is through religion that Satan feeds the arrogance of man so that


65

he remains alienated from God. Satan employs religion to appear as an angel of

light.

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, “I wish that you would bear with me in a little

foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. For I am jealous for you with

a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might

present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve

by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity

of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we

have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not

received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this

beautifully. For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent

apostles. But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in

fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. Or did I

commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I

preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I robbed other churches

by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and

was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from

Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from

being a burden to you, and will continue to do so. As the truth of Christ is in

me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. Why?

Because I do not love you? God knows I do! But what I am doing I will

continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an

opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are

boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising

themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself

as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise

themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their

deeds.”

Satan promotes religion through his false prophets. The Lord warned His

disciples of these false teachers.

Matthew 7:15-29, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in

sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by

their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles,

are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me,

‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of

My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day,

‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out


66

demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare

to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE

LAWLESSNESS.’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and

acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed

against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be

like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods

came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell -- and

great was its fall. When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were

amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority,

and not as their scribes.”

Paul warned the pastors in Ephesus in his farewell address to beware of these

false teachers that promote religion.

Acts 20:28-30, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among

which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God

which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure

savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among

your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the

disciples after them.”

Paul warned the Galatians of these false teachers that teach a counterfeit gospel.

Galatians 1:8-9, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to

you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a

gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Peter warned his readers of being deceived by false teachers.

2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there

will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive

heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift

destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of

them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit

you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their

destruction is not asleep.”

The Holy Spirit working through the Word of God is the Divine Provision that

God has given every believer without exception to protect them from the lies of

false teachers who are energized and promoted by the kingdom of darkness. The

sword that the Spirit employs in spiritual combat is the Word of God.

Ephesians 6:17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”


67

The Holy Spirit is the resident teacher or mentor whom the Father has sent

through the Son to indwell every New Testament believer as God’s special

anointing to teach and make the truths of the Word understood and real to the heart

or mind of believers (John. 14:16-20, 26; 15:26; 16:7-16; 1 Co. 2:10-16; 2 Co.

13:14; Ga. 5:5, 16-25; Eph. 3:16-19; 5:18; 1 Jo. 2:20-27).

In Ephesians 6:10-17, he addresses the issue of the Ephesian believer’s conduct

in relationship to their invisible enemy, namely, Satan and the fallen angels. In

Ephesians 6:10-17, the apostle Paul commands the Ephesian believers to put on the

full armor of God and he describes it for them.

Ephesians 6:14-17 lists 5 items that compose “the full armor of God”: (1)

Ephesians 6:14a: “Belt of truth.” (2) Ephesians 6:14b: “Breastplate, which is

(Christ’s) righteousness.” (3) Ephesians 6:15: “Combat boots, namely, the

Gospel.” (4) Ephesians 6:16: “Shield, which is your faith.” (5) Ephesians 6:17a:

“Your helmet, which is your salvation.”

Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His

might.” (NASU)

“Be strong” is the verb endunamoo, which means, “to be empowered” and

refers to the dynamic spiritual power that is available to every believer who is

obedient to the Word of God, which is alive and powerful.

“In the Lord” contains a figure of speech called the metonymy of the cause

where the cause is put for the effect meaning that we have the Person of the Lord

put here for His doctrine or word.

The prepositional phrase “in the Lord” should be translated “by means of the

(Word of) Lord” since the context is not emphasizing the “sphere” in which the

believer is to be empowered but rather the “means by which” the Ephesian

believers were to empower themselves against the enemy.

The application of the Word of the Lord is “the means” by which the believer is

to empower himself in order to achieve victory in spiritual combat with his

invisible enemy.

Hebrews 4:12, “The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any

two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the

spirit, and of the joints and the marrow, and is a critic of thoughts and intents

of the heart.”

God’s power to overcome Satan and his angels is available to all of us as

believers in the form of the Word of God. The specific doctrine in the Word of

God that we as Christian soldiers need to take possession of by faith is our union

and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and

session.

“Strength” is the noun kratos, which means, “manifested power” and refers to

the inherent omnipotence of God that has been “manifested” through the


68

resurrection and session of the unique theanthropic Person of the cosmos, the Lord

Jesus Christ who achieved at the Cross of Calvary the decisive victory in the

angelic conflict.

“Might” is the noun ischus refers to “the possession of power to overcome” and

is used in the context of a military analogy and denotes “the possession of Christ’s

power to overcome” in spiritual combat Satan and the kingdom of darkness.

In Ephesians 6:10 the noun ischus refers to the 100% availability of divine

omnipotence that has been made available to every church age believer because of

their union with the Lord Jesus Christ that provides them “the power to overcome”

their invisible enemy, namely Satan and the kingdom of darkness.

Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to

stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

Putting on the full armor of God refers to appropriating by faith your union with

Christ, which is equivalent to putting on the nature of Christ. This is accomplished

when we appropriate (meaning take possession of) by faith meaning we agree with

what the Word of God says about us, namely, that we have been crucified, died,

buried, raised and seated with Christ at the Father’s right hand, far above all

angelic power and authority.

We are to appropriate for ourselves by faith in the Word of God, the victory that

is ours through our identification and union with Christ in His death, burial,

resurrection and session. We fight “from” victory and not “for” victory!

Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to

stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

“Schemes” is the noun methodeia refers Satan’s “strategies, schemes and

tactics” that he employs to make war against believers and destroy them.

The principle stratagem of the devil is lies and deception (Gen. 3). Satan

deceives and is the father of lies (Jn. 8:44).

Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but

against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this

darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

(NASU)

“Rulers” is the noun arche and refers to the highest rank of angels in the

Satanic order of battle and hold positions of authority (“thrones”) in the Satanic

kingdom and are subordinate to only Satan himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ created these “rulers” (Col. 1:16) and He has defeated

them through His death (Col. 2:15).

“Powers” is the Greek noun exousia, which refers to the rank of fallen angels

who have been given by Satan “dominions” and are subordinate only to the arche,

“rulers” and Satan himself.


69

“World-forces” is the noun kosmokrator, “world-ruler” and expresses the

power or authority, which the fallen angels exercise over the cosmic system.

These angels are subordinate directly to the exousia, “authorities” and carry out

their orders and are more than likely they are behind the miracles and other satanic

demonstrations of power (cf. Rev. 13:13).

“Spiritual forces” refers to the rank and file angels in Satan’s military.

These rank and file angels are also known in Scripture by a variety of names

such as: (1) “Demons” (Lev. 17:7; Mt. 9:34). (2) “Evil spirits” (Lk. 7:21; Acts

19:13). (3) “Unclean spirits” (Mt. 10:1; Mk. 1:27). (4) “Devils” (Jn. 6:70).

“In the heavenly places” designates the “location” of the base of operations

and activities of these rank and file angels.

Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will

be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

The evil day is not a particular point in history or judgment in history, nor is it

referring to the Tribulation period. But rather from the divine perspective it is an

extended period of time in human history, which began with the Fall of Adam in

the Garden of Eden and extends to the Second Advent of Christ when Satan will be

imprisoned for a thousand years.

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men

but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

Ephesians 6:14, “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS

WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF

RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (NASU)

“Having girded” is the verb perizonnumi, which means, “to fasten a belt

around yourself and buckle it.”

“Truth” is the noun aletheia, which is used in the objective sense for the

Scriptures. Obeying the Word of truth is analogous to the Roman soldier fastening

his belt around himself and which belt held the Roman’s soldiers armor together.

“Having put on the breastplate of righteousness” refers to appropriating by

faith the imputed, positional righteousness you received at the moment of

salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ is the believer’s righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30).

Ephesians 6:15, “and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE

PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.” (NASU)

“Having shod” is the verb hupodesamenoi, which is used in the middle voice

and in the figurative sense meaning, “to strap on your combat boots.”

“Preparation” is the noun hetoimasia, which refers to the fact that the Gospel

of peace provides a “firm foundation” for the soul of the Christian soldier.

The noun eirene, “peace” is a genitive of product meaning peace for the

believer is “produced” by the acceptance of the Gospel message to believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ for eternal salvation.


70

In Ephesians 6:15, the foundation in the soul that the Gospel of peace provides

the Christian soldier is analogous to the combat boots worn by the Roman military

in combat.

Ephesians 6:16, “in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which

you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (NASU)

“The shield of faith” refers to a heavy shield approximately 30 inches wide and

48 inches high, large enough for a soldier to crouch behind it.

It is this large, protective door-shield that the apostle Paul had in mind when he

told the Ephesian believers to take up for themselves the shield of faith, which

would enable them to extinguish the fiery missiles of the kingdom of darkness.

When the apostle Paul used this door-shield as a figure of the shield provided

by God for the soldier of Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing the fact that the

believer has full and complete protection from the enemy.

“Faith” is the noun pistis, which is used in the active sense meaning “to trust, to

have total and absolute confidence in God.” The shield of faith therefore, is “not”

the objective body of truth, the content of the Christian faith meaning Christian

doctrine, although that is the object of the believer’s faith after salvation, but rather

it refers to the Christian soldier’s faith or total and absolute confidence in God’s

faithfulness to His promises.

Ephesians 6:17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (NASU)

When Paul speaks of salvation here in Ephesians 6:17, he is speaking of

salvation in the sense of a 3-fold deliverance from the believer’s 3 great enemies,

namely, sin nature, cosmic system of Satan and Satan himself (cf. Eph. 2:1-3).

Salvation, like sanctification is accomplished in 3 stages: (1) Positional: The

moment you believed in Christ you were delivered “positionally” (meaning God’s

work and viewpoint of you as a believer) from real spiritual death and eternal

condemnation, the devil, his cosmic system and the sin nature through the death,

resurrection and session of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2) Experiential: After salvation,

you are delivered from the devil, his cosmic system and the sin nature

“experientially” by appropriating by faith your union and identification with Christ

in His death, burial, resurrection and session. (3) Ultimate: At the resurrection you

will be delivered “ultimately” and permanently from the devil, his cosmic system

and the sin nature when you receive your resurrection body at the rapture of the

church, which is imminent.

If you notice, the armor is for the protection of the front of the individual and

not the back and the reason for that is that God makes no provision for the believer

in case of retreat!

As J. Vernon McGee used to say, “A retreating Christian is certainly open

season for the enemy; the enemy can get through to him.”


71

God the Father has awarded the humanity of Christ in hypostatic the highest

rank in the entire cosmos for His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross with

power and authority over all creation and every creature.

Philippians 2:5-11, “Everyone continue thinking this (according to

humility) within yourselves, which was also in (the mind of) Christ Jesus, Who

although existing from eternity past in the essence of God, He never regarded

existing equally in essence with God an exploitable asset. On the contrary, He

denied Himself of the independent function of His deity by having assumed

the essence of a slave when He was born in the likeness of men. In fact,

although He was discovered in outward appearance as a man, He humbled

Himself by having entered into obedience to the point of spiritual death even

death on a Cross. For this very reason in fact God the Father has promoted

Him to the highest-ranking position and has awarded to Him the rank, which

is superior to every rank. In order that in the sphere of this rank possessed by

Jesus every person must bow, celestials and terrestrials and sub-terrestrials.

Also, every person must publicly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord for

the glory of God the Father.”

Because the Lord Jesus Christ controls history as sovereign ruler of history, He

has the authority to conduct the following judgments and evaluations in the future.

The humanity of Christ in hypostatic union has been awarded the sovereign

rulership over the entire cosmos for His voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on

the cross and as a result has been awarded by God the Father the power and

authority to preside over and conduct the following judgments: (1) Bema Seat

Evaluation: Takes place at the Rapture of the Church and is the evaluation of the

Church Age believer’s life after salvation (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor.

5:10; 1 John 2:24). (2) Israel: Takes place at the Second Advent and is the

removing unregenerate Israel from the earth leaving only regenerate Israel to enter

into the Millennial reign of Christ (Ezek. 20:37-38; Zech. 13:8-9; Mal. 3:2-3, 5;

Matt. 25:1-30). (3) Gentiles: Takes place at the Second Advent and is for the

purpose of removing unregenerate, anti-Semitic Gentiles from the earth (Matt.

25:31-46). (4) Fallen Angels: Takes place at the end of the appeal trial of Satan

which runs co-terminus with human history and is execution of Satan and the

fallen angels sentence for the pre-historic rebellion against God (1 Cor. 6:3; 2 Pet.

2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 20:10). (5) Great White Throne: Takes place at the end of

human history and is the judgment of all unregenerate humanity in human history

for the rejection of Christ as Savior (Rev. 20:11-15).

The following groups of regenerate human beings throughout human history

will be subjected to a eschatological compulsory evaluation that the victorious,

resurrected incarnate Son of God as Sovereign Ruler of the entire cosmos will

conduct: (1) OT saints in heaven who lived during the dispensation of the Gentiles


72

(Adam to the Exodus). (2) OT saints in heaven that lived during the dispensation of

Israel (Exodus to First Advent). (3) All Church Age believers (Day of Pentecost to

the Rapture). (4) Regenerate Jews who will live during the Tribulation (Post-

Rapture to the Second Advent). (5) Regenerate Gentiles who will live during the

Tribulation (Post-Rapture to the Second Advent). (6) Regenerate Jews and Gentiles

who will live during the Millennial reign of Christ (Second Advent to Gog and

Magog Rebellion).

The following groups of unregenerate human beings throughout human history

will be subjected to a eschatological compulsory judgment that the resurrected

incarnate Son of God as Sovereign Ruler of the entire cosmos will conduct: (1)

Unbelievers who lived during the dispensation of the Gentiles (Adam to the

Exodus). (2) Unbelievers who lived during the dispensation of the Jews (Exodus to

the First Advent). (3) Unbelievers who lived during the Church Age (Day of

Pentecost to Rapture). (4) Unbelievers who lived during the Tribulation (Post-

Rapture to Second Advent). (5) Unbelievers who lived during the Millennium

(Second Advent to Gog Rebellion).

All fallen angels including Satan himself have already been subjected to a

judgment before human history but the execution of that sentence has been delayed

because the Supreme Court of Heaven granted Satan and the fallen angels an

appeal trial, which runs co-terminus with human history. The elect angels do not

come under judgment for the very same reason that regenerate human beings don’t

come under judgment because they have exercised personal faith in the Lord Jesus

Christ for salvation.

Every regenerate human being in every dispensation of human history must at

some point in the future submit to an evaluation of their lives after salvation which

will be conducted by the resurrected and sovereign humanity of Christ in

hypostatic union. Regenerate Israel who lived during the Age of Israel and

Tribulation period will evaluated at the 2nd Advent (Ezek. 20:37-38; Zech. 13:8-9;

Mal. 3:2-3, 5; Matt. 25:1-30). Regenerate Gentiles who lived during the Age of the

Gentiles and Tribulation period will be evaluated at the 2nd Advent (Matt. 25:31-

46). Church Age believers will be evaluated at the Bema Seat Evaluation of Christ

(Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 John 2:24). Regenerate Jews and

Gentiles who lived during the Millennium will be subjected to a judgment at the

conclusion of human history (Rev. 20:15).

Every unregenerate human being in every dispensation of human history must

submit to a judgment, which will also be conducted by the resurrected and

sovereign incarnate Son of God at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-

15). Every fallen angel has already been judged and sentenced to the Lake of Fire

by the Supreme Court of Heaven before human history.


73

The execution of that sentence will not be carried out until the conclusion of the

appeal trial of Satan and the fallen angels (Rev. 20:10). The Scriptures teach that

the execution of Satan’s sentence to the Lake of Fire will not be executed until the

end of human history. He will though be imprisoned for a thousand years. Satan

must be thrown into prison at the Second Advent of Christ according to Revelation

20:1-3 before the millennial reign begins (Rev. 20:1-3).

All unbelievers will be removed from planet earth at the Second Advent of

Christ and will be throne into the Lake of Fire with the beast and the false prophet

(Jews: Ezek. 20-33-38; Gentiles: Matt. 25:31-46).

These judgments are designed to produce perfect government and environment

on planet earth. During the millennial reign of Christ religion will be abolished

from the earth because Satan, who is the author of religion will be imprisoned. The

fallen angels have all been removed from the earth and a new civilization will

begin with believers only. Satan will be released from prison after the millennium

and will immediately start a rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ. Theologians

call this rebellion, the “Gog, Magog rebellion.” God puts down this rebellion

decisively.

The appeal trial of Satan terminates after the Gog and Magog revolution (Rev.

20:7-9). The eternal state will take place after the execution of the sentence against

Satan and the fallen angels when they are cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10). It

will take place after the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-14).

Corrected translation thus far of Romans 12:21: “Continue making it your

habit to not be overcome by the evil one…”


“But” is the adversative use of the conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which is

used to set up a strong contrast between the previous prohibition and the command

that follows it. Therefore, it is emphasizing a strong contrast between overcome by

Satan with that of overcoming him by means of divine good. We will translate

alla, “on the contrary.”


habit to not be overcome by the evil one. On the contrary…”

“Overcome evil” is the second person singular present active imperative form

of the verb nikao (nikavw) (nik-ah-o), “overcome” and the articular accusative

neuter singular form of the adjective kakos (kakov$) (kak-os), “evil.”

The verb nikao once again means “to overcome” and the adjective kakos once

again means “the evil one” and is referring to Satan. Therefore, these two words

are used in a command for the Roman believers to overcome Satan by means of

divine good.

The second person singular form of the verb refers to Paul’s readers in Rome as

a corporate unit.


74

This is a “customary present imperative,” which is a command for action to be

continued, action that may or may not have already been going on and is often a

character building command to the effect of “make this your habit.” The present

imperative of the verb is used of a general precept for habits that should

characterize one’s attitude and behavior. Therefore, it denotes that the Roman

believers must continue to make it their habit of overcoming Satan by means of

divine good.

Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 imply that they were doing just

that. Therefore, the “customary present imperative” form of the verb nikao in this

command indicates that Paul is commanding the Roman believers to continue

making it their habit to overcome Satan by means of divine good.



The articular construction of kakos is anaphoric indicating that the word was

used in the previous prohibition and retains the same meaning in the command. Of

course, in the previous prohibition, for reasons we noted in detail, kakos is

referring to Satan. Therefore, in the command that follows this prohibition, kakos

is again referring to the devil. The word in this command functions as an

accusative direct object meaning that it is receiving the action of the verb nikao.

We will translate nikao, “Continue to make it your habit to overcome” and

the articular form of the adjective kakos, “the evil one.”


habit to not be overcome by the evil one. On the contrary, continue to make it

your habit to overcome the evil one…”


“With good” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “with” and the articular

dative neuter singular form of the adjective agathos (a)gaqov$) (ag-ath-os), “good.”

The adjective agathos is describing an action performed by the believer after

his conversion that is in accordance with the Father’s will. It describes this action

as being “intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but

with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others,

benevolent.” This action is described as agathos because it is in accordance with

the will of the Father. It is good in that it fulfills the purpose of Christ’s

crucifixion, spiritual and physical deaths, His resurrection and session as well as

the purpose of the various ministries performed by the Holy Spirit on the believer’s

behalf. It is good in that it fulfills the Father’s eternal purpose for the believer

electing and predestinating them. It is good in that it fulfills the purpose for which

the Father delivered the justified sinner from the sin nature, personal sins, Satan

and his cosmic system, i.e. salvation. It is good in that it fulfills the purpose for

which the Father set apart him to do His will exclusively, sanctification.


75

Therefore, agathos in Romans 12:21 is referring to “divine good” or that which

is divine in quality and character because it is produced by the believer by means

of the power of the Holy Spirit.

A believer can only please God when they are filled with the Spirit or more

accurately totally and completely influenced by the Holy Spirit. God only accepts

divine good or good done in His power. God will reward the believer for producing

divine good and He will not reward the believer who produces human good (1 Cor.

3:11-14). Those who produce human good will suffer loss at the Bema Seat

Evaluation of the Church.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the

one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the

foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's

work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed

with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any

man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any

man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet

so as through fire.”

2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of

Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,

according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

All human good is evil and is despised by God (Isa. 64:6). The production of

divine good is called the “fruit of righteousness,” which is the result of living in the

new Christ nature by being obedience to the Word of God.

Ephesians 5:9, “(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and

righteousness and truth).”

In the Greek New Testament, the noun karpos, “fruit” is often used in

agricultural analogies to the spiritual life of the believer and is often used with

reference to the production of divine good, which is equivalent to the production of

Christ-like character.

The Vine and the Branches metaphor in John 15 teaches the believer the

importance of staying in fellowship with Christ in order that the Holy Spirit might

bear fruit through them, which is analogous to Christ-like character.

John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every

branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that

bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

The noun karpos is employed in the metaphorical sense for the “production” of

Christ-like character, which is result of being obedient to the Word of God and in

particular being obedient to the Lord’s command to self-sacrificially love one’s

fellow believer as He has loved all men.


76

John 13:34, “A new commandment in character and quality I give to all of

you, that all of you divinely love one another, even as I have divinely loved all

of you, that all of you also divinely love one another.”

John 15:3-4, “You are already clean because of the word which I have

spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of

itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

“Abide” is the second person plural aorist active imperative form of the verb

meno (mevnw), which means, “to remain” on the vine.

The verb meno in John 15:4 is used metaphorically and expresses the analogy

that just as a branch must “remain” on a vine in order for it to produce fruit so the

believer must “remain” in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ in order that the

Holy Spirit might reproduce the character of Christ in the believer’s life.

Fellowship with the Lord or abiding in Him demands that the believer after

committing sin acknowledge any known sin to the Father when necessary in order

to be restored to fellowship.

1 John 1:9, “If any of us does acknowledge our (personal) sins, He is, as an

eternal spiritual truth, faithful and righteous to forgive us our (personal) sins

with the result that He purifies us from all unrighteousness.”

Maintaining and sustaining that fellowship is accomplished by bringing every

thought into obedience to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing

raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought

captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Maintaining and sustaining fellowship demands obedience to the Lord’s

commands as found in the Word of God.

1 John 2:3, “Now, by means of this, we can confirm that we know Him (the

Lord Jesus Christ) experientially: if any of us at any time does observe

conscientiously His (the Lord Jesus Christ’s) commands.”

The believer who is obedient to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Holy

Spirit to the believer through the communication of the Word of God, will

experience fellowship whereas the disobedient believer will not.

John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I

in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:6-11, “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a

branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and

they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask

whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this,

that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father

has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My

commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's


77

commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so

that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

In John 15:1-11, the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples that there are four

categories of believers mentioned in John 15: (1) “Does not bear fruit” refers to

believer’s who are disobedient to the Lord’s teaching to love and serve one another

self-sacrificially and who die the sin unto death (1 Jn. 5:16; 1 Co. 11:30). (2)

“Bears fruit” refers to the minimum production of Christ-like character in the

believer by the Holy Spirit. (3) “More fruit” refers to moderate production of

Christ-like character in the believer by the Holy Spirit. (4) “Much fruit” refers to

the maximum production of Christ-like character in the believer by the Holy Spirit.

The greater the obedience by the believer to the Lord Jesus Christ’s command

to love and serve his fellow believer self-sacrificially, the greater the production of

Christ-like character in the believer by the Holy Spirit. The production of Christ-

like character in the believer by the Holy Spirit is in direct proportion to the degree

that the believer is obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love and serve

his fellow believer self-sacrificially.

Just as a branch in the natural realm bears fruit that is a benefit to others so the

believer becomes a blessing to others when he acquires more of the character of

Christ in his life. He does this by loving his fellow believer and the more the

believer loves his fellow believer and thus manifests more of the character of

Christ in his life, the more of a blessing he is to others.

In Philippians 1:11, the apostle Paul employs the fruit bearing metaphor.

Philippians 1:9-11, “Now, this I make it a habit to pray that your divine-

love might continue to flourish yet more and more by means of a total

discerning experiential knowledge so that all of you might continue to choose

the essentials in order that all of you might be sincere and without offense for

the day of Christ by all of you being filled with the fruit produced by

righteousness, which is by means of the nature of Jesus who is the Christ for

the ultimate purpose of glorifying and praising God.”

Failure to remain in fellowship after salvation does not hinder God from

completed this “good work” since the resurrection does not involve the believer’s

volition but it does hinder the Spirit’s work in time after salvation prior to the

resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 5:19, “Do not make it a habit of hindering the Spirit.”

Ephesians 4:30, “Do not make it a habit to grieve the Holy Spirit by means

of whom all of you have been sealed for the day of redemption.”

The failure to remain in fellowship after salvation will result in loss of rewards

at the Bema Seat (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 John 2:28). The number one objective

of the Holy Spirit after salvation is to reproduce the character of Christ in the

believer.


78

Galatians 4:19, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until the

character of Christ is formed in all of you.”

Character involves one’s thoughts, words and actions, thus the Father desires

that the believer’s “thoughts, words and action” be in conformity to His Son’s.

The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is simply the characteristics of Christ

that are reproduced by the Holy Spirit in the believer who is obedient to the

Father’s will, which is revealed by the Holy Spirit to the believer through the

communication of the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things

there is no law.”

In Romans 12:21, the adjective agathos functions as a substantive as indicated

by its articular construction. The word is an abstract noun and expresses that which

is good in character. The articular construction of the word defines this good more

closely and emphasizes the divine quality and character of this good. Actions in

obedience to the Father’s will is divine in quality and character in that it is

accomplished by means of the omnipotence of the Spirit.

The word is an abstract noun and expresses that which is good in character. The

articular construction of the word defines this good more closely and emphasizes

the divine quality and character of this good.

The preposition en functions as a marker of means and the noun agathos as a

dative instrumental of means indicating the means by which the action of the verb

nikao is accomplished. This indicates that Paul is commanding the Roman

believers to overcome Satan “by means of” divine good. Therefore, we will

translate the prepositional phrase en to agathos, “by means of good, which is

divine in quality and character.”

Completed corrected translation of Romans 12:21: “Continue making it your

habit to not be overcome by the evil one. On the contrary, continue to make it

your habit to overcome the evil one by means of good, which is divine in

quality and character.”

So Paul completes Romans chapter twelve in Romans 12:21 by issuing a

prohibition and command. In the prohibition, he wants them to continue making it

their habit to not be overcome by Satan and on the heels of this he commands them

to continue to make it their habit to overcome Satan by means of divine good. This

passage makes clear that the ultimate agency behind the evil committed by human

beings against one another is Satan since he deceives the entire world and is the

god of this world and the author of evil, which is independence from God.

romans 12:20-21 romans 12:20-feed your enemy when · pdf filepossibly lead to a change of mind...

Documents