A STUDY on EIGHT BIBLICAL WORDS - Part 1

~ by pastor Sonny Islas

Most words that we go over tonight are very basic but still serve as great reminders.

The first thing that we must realize and appreciate is that words and their meaning are a gift from God. Especially the words in the Bible.

I like to look at the B.I.B.L.E. (which means “book” by the way or: Biblical Instructions Before Leaving Earth). I like to look at the Bible as a huge treasure chest filled with diamonds (filled with words to reveal and describe the most important things on Earth and in Heaven – mainly God and His precious ways). For those of you who are more about flavor and taste, instead of beauty and value, the chest is filled with Skittles because you can’t eat diamonds.

You can watch this on Facebook video: DEFINING BIBLICAL WORDS Part One  https://www.facebook.com/ELWchurch/videos/413714839251059/

God seems to be fond of words too, because He has revealed Himself to us through His written Word(s) – it’s the main way in which He communicates to us (known as SpecialRevelation), i.e. without words like propitiation and redemption and their meaning, we wouldn’t be able to have a clear and deep understanding of what happened on the cross. This is why at times; I emphasize individual words when I preach. So, in my opinion – if we get a good grip on words, we’ll get a good grip on The Word.

So without any further delay, let’s dig in and learn about these biblical words!

SEAT. (And I’m not referring to the one that you’re is sitting on right now) ‘Seat’ is the Strong’s Greek word kathedra where Catholicism gets the word Cathedral from.  Thayer’s Definition of ‘seat’ is:

“Used of the exalted seat occupied by men of eminent rank or influence, such as teachers and judges. In short, seat means: the place of rule, authority and power (a kind of throne – this could be earthly or heavenly, physical or spiritual). In the Bible you will find Moses’ Seat, The Mercy Seat, Satan’s Seat, the twenty-four Elder’s seat, and above all The Judgement Seat of Christ where “heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool.”

So, if I asked you, Who sits on the seat (throne) of your heart or mind? what I’m asking is who or what rules over you? Who or what has the power over you? Who or what has authority over you? 

The answer should be Jesus! 

But for the majority of this fallen world this is not the case. For many in and out of the church, money takes the seat of their heart, material things take the seat of their heart. For others, they themselves take the seat of their heart; still for others, ministry takes the seat of their hearts. Relationships can take the seat of people’s hearts or lust. Or fame and influence.

PROPITIATION.  Propitiation is the Strong’s Greek word hilasmos. Thayer’s definition for propitiation is - appeasement. Webster’s definition of appeasement is - to make someone (in the Bible’s case – God the Father) pleased or less angry by giving something desired (in the Bible’s case, Jesus’ perfect life on the cross as a sacrifice for sin). In other words, Jesus propitiated (pleased) or satisfied The Holy Father’s wrath on sin and sinners (you and I) by taking that wrath upon Himself. The is the heart of the Gospel message.

“Propitiation – that by which God is rendered propitious, i.e., by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to exercise his love towards sinners.

In ROM 3:25 and HEB 9:5 (A.V., "mercy-seat") the Greek word hilasterion is used. It is the word employed by the LXX. translators in EXOD 25:17 and elsewhere as the equivalent for the Hebrew kapporeth , which means "covering," and is used of the lid of the ark of the covenant (EXOD 25:21;30:6). This Greek word (hilasterion) came to denote not only the mercy-seat or lid of the ark, but also propitation or reconciliation by blood. On the great day of atonement, the high priest carried the blood of the sacrifice he offered for all the people within the veil and sprinkled with it the "mercy-seat," and so made propitiation.

In 1 JOHN 2:2; 4:10, Christ is called the "propitiation for our sins." Here a different Greek word is used (hilasmos). Christ is "the propitiation," because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured. (Compare Hebrews 2:17, where the expression "make reconciliation" of the A.V. is more correctly in the RSV "make propitiation.")”

The above quote is from BibleStudyTools.com.

GOSPEL. Gospel is the Strong’s Greek word Euaggellion which means, a good message, good news, a good report. In short Jesus is the gospel, His person, His work and His message (all that He is, did and taught and is doing today). The good news is that Jesus came to save sinners from eternal hell (to save all who would truly turn to Him, His work and message by faith). The Good News is found from Genesis to Revelation. And it’s underscored, highlighted and emphasized in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

So, when the LORD commands us to “preach the gospel to every creature” Jesus is essentially saying “tell those around you ALL ABOUT ME – Who I am, What I do and What I’ve said.”

Remember this acronym:

G.O.S.P.E.L. = God’s Omnipotent (All-powerful) Salvation Proclaiming Eternal Love!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the very foundation of salvation, and the life of the believing saint and child of God. It’s vital that true, foundational Gospel truth is established, otherwise, anything that’s built on it will be prone to collapse, just as if a physical foundation was flawed, any building resting on it would be subject to ruin.

There are too, too many ‘gospels’ out there that draw people away into false doctrines. Here is an article that addresses a few of the false gospels that are out there. 

Paul speaks clearly what the Gospel entails in his epistle to the Corinthian church:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-4

 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

PRODIGAL. Referring to the prodigal son in the Book of Luke. Webster’ Dictionary defines prodigal as: carelessly and foolishly spending money, time etc. The KJV Bible uses the word “riotous”, or reckless. The Greek word used for prodigal is asṓtōs (akin to asōtos, "a prodigal") – extravagantly wasteful because of "loose living," i.e. a debauched, profligate lifestyle (used only in Luke 15:13).

So, biblically speaking, to live prodigally is to take the blessings that God has given us and just waste them or use them for evil. i.e. God has given us eyes, eyes to see and appreciate beautiful God honoring things, and some use those eyes to watch porn, and to watch other forms of filth – that’s prodigal living. God has given all of us a certain amount of precious time and yet we may not use it to be seeking Him – the ultimate treasure and building His Kingdom - that’s a form of prodigal living. Some waste money, some waste energy, some waste ministry, some waste talent, some waste relationships etc. John Piper is known for a preaching and book titled “Don’t Waste Your Life” which means “Don’t Be A Prodigal Person.”

For a two-part article that examines the story of the prodigal son, check this out From The Mind of Fire blog: Two Prodigal Sons Part 1 and Part 2.

DISCIPLE. Disciple is the Strong’s Greek word mathetes which means, a learner, a pupil (student/follower). Another Greek Word for Disciple is Manthono which means to learn and understand. This could easily be connected to when Jesus says, “He that has ears let him hear.” 

In other words, if we’re truly a disciple of Jesus, our spiritual ears are open and our minds are illuminated, hence, we’re able to learn and understand.

By the way, some try and separate what it means to be a Christian and a disciple as though being a disciple points to a greater commitment, but the truth is, if we’re a Christian we’re automatically a disciple. There is not a single born again believer that isn’t called to be a disciple, and if they refuse that calling, then their salvation can certainly (not definitively) be called into question.

To be a disciple of Christ is to be fully, yet not perfectly, committed to Jesus and His ways. It’s to be disciplined in biblical truth and lifestyle. It’s to not only be indwelt by the Spirit of God, but be led by the Spirit of God.

Thayer’s definition of disciple is: To increase in one’s knowledge, to hear, be informed, to learn by use and practice, to be in the habit of, accustomed to.

In other words, a disciple knows Jesus, loves Jesus and lives for Jesus (at various levels certainly). You will find the disciple baptized, reading the Word, praying, giving offering, giving thanks, growing in biblical knowledge, praising and worshiping, joyful and trusting, serving to one degree or another, taking part in the LORD’s Table (supper), sharing the Gospel, fighting against personal sin, standing for truth no matter the cost, defending the faith, attending church faithfully and regularly, and loving their families and others especially those in the Body of Christ.

Consider the Lord’s instructions to His disciples in the following verses: 

MATTHEW 10

¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? ²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. ²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. ³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

If you’d like to check out some discipleship material, look at these links to TTUF’s Discipleship 101 and 102. 

Also consider getting one of these two books by William MacDonald , The Disciple’s Manual or True Discipleship.

DOCTRINE. Doctrine is the Strong’s Greek word didaskalia which means, instruction or teaching. The bible is made up of much teaching. It teaches us about every subject that has eternal value such as who God is, who we are, how to get to heaven etc.

Doctor is the Strong’s Greek word didaskalos which means doctor, master, teacher. And you and I both know Jesus is the Didaskalos of didaskalos! He’s the Teacher of teachers! And to a much smaller degree, we too are called to be teachers of biblical doctrine to one degree or another. “Because like Jesus is, so are we in the world.”

Teachers as well as pastors and evangelists are gifts from the LORD, given to the church, His bride, that He loves to equip the church for the work of the ministry (EPH 4:8-12). These are also granted to safeguard the church from being “tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of [false] doctrine” (EPH 4:13-14). Compare EPH 4:12 with these verses from 2 Timothy:

2 TIMOTHY 3:15-17
¹⁵ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Doctrine is teaching, to show us ‘what is right’; reproof shows us what we’re doing ‘that isn’t right’; correction is for ‘how to get it right’ and instruction for ‘how to stay right’.

Doctrine is not something to teach or to learn, but to practice; consider what the first two letters of the word ‘doctrine’ are. 

Consider what Dr. Luke said regarding the LORD Jesus and His doctrine in the book of Acts:

ACTS 1:1
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to DO and teach, (notice the order that Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, listed the doing and the teaching of the LORD.

The Word of God gives us all the D.O.C.T.R.I.N.E.S. that we need to live godly in Christ Jesus our LORD:

D-eity of Christ; O-riginal sin; C-anon; T-rinity; R-esurrection; I-ncarnation; N-ew creation; E-schatology S-alvation by Grace alone, by Faith alone in Christ.

MINISTRY. Ministry is the Strong’s Greek word diakonia (where we get the word deacon from) which means service or servant work. So then, ministry is selfless work. It’s serving God and others at all costs. This is why ministry is hard, in fact it’s impossible without the faithful aid of the Holy Spirit. 

And many quit because they fail to understand this and to fully depend on God. 

Many join ministries for the wrong reasons (name, fame, popularity, self-gratification, ego boost, to try to earn God’s favor, etc.) and that’s another reason why they quit, because as soon as you throw them a servant’s towel like the one Jesus used, to start washing dirty feet and hearts they’re gone! You give them a toy or a trophy, and they’ll stay. You give them towel, and they’ll run away!

To minister, is to serve, and to serve as a servant: the one who considers themselves as less esteemed and esteems others more, as the lowly, the least, who seeks to please God and not people, one who claims no rights of their own, but surrenders their will wholly to God.

This is the function of a doulos, that is a bond-servant of Jesus Christ; Paul and Jude referred to themselves as such (ROM 1:1; JUDE 1:1).

From GOTQUESTIONS, we have the following answer: 

“A bondservant is a slave. In some Bibles the word bondservant is the translation of the Greek word doulos, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; a slave.” Other translations use the word slave or servant.
In Roman times, the term bondservant or slave could refer to someone who voluntarily served others. But it usually referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property. Slaves essentially had no rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners.
“The Hebrew word for “bondservant,” ‘ebed, had a similar connotation. However, the Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5-6).

“Many prominent men of the Old Testament were referred to as servants. God spoke of Abraham as His servant (Genesis 26:24; Numbers 12:7). Joshua is called the servant of the Lord (Joshua 24:29), as are David (2 Samuel 7:5) and Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3). Even the Messiah is called God’s Servant (Isaiah 53:11). In all of these instances, the term servant carries the idea of humble nobility. Being God’s servant is an honorable position.
“During the time of Jesus and the first-century church, as much as one third of the Roman population were slaves, and another third had been slaves earlier in life. It was common for freeborn men and women to work side-by-side with slaves as street sweepers, dockworkers, doctors, teachers, and business managers. Convicted criminals became bondservants of the state and usually died working in the mines or on galleys.
“Historical records reveal that it was not unusual for Jews to own slaves during the New Testament period. Because slavery was a familiar part of the culture, Jesus sometimes referred to slaves and owners in His parables (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 12:41-48). Also, Jesus taught that the greatest in God’s kingdom would have to become “the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Such a concept was unthinkable to a Roman citizen, who prided himself in his freedom and would never identify himself as a bondservant. But Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and the selfish values of earth are of no consequence in heaven.

“Throughout the New Testament, the word bondservant, slave, or servant is applied metaphorically to someone absolutely devoted to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bondservants of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1, NKJV).
“Believers today should still consider themselves bondservants or slaves of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6; 2 Timothy 2:24). He is our Lord, and our allegiance is due to Him alone. As bondservants, we renounce other masters (Matthew 6:24) and give ourselves totally to Him (Matthew 16:24).
“Being a bondservant of Christ is not drudgery. His “burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Also, we have this promise: “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Romans 6:22).”

THE FEAR OF THE LORD. Every bible verse that teaches on “the fear of the LORD” all point to turning away from evil (all sin, all sinful inclinations and motives, and all disobedience). “The Fear of the LORD” or to “Fear the LORD” is to be in awe and wonder of His holiness, of His sinlessness, of His matchless Character and ways, might and wisdom, love and mercy. It’s to revere and highly honor and respect Him. It’s to love and appreciate Him. It’s to tremble and fear (with dread and terror at times) at His ability to severely correct us when we sin.

Here are some verses:

PROVERBS 3:7
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”

PROVERBS 16:6

“In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.”

We see here that both mercy and fear are needed. Mercy to save and fear to sanctify us.

PROVERBS 14:27
“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.”

Here we find that the fear of the LORD is life, or should we say is living because it keeps us from the ways of death – which is sin and its consequences.

EXODUS 20:20
“And Moses said to the people, ‘do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.’

Moses basically said don’t fear yet you will fear, and this holy fear will serve you well. It will keep you from sinning. So then, “the fear of the LORD” has a sanctifying effect on us. It keeps us from sinning, or it stops us from continuing in sin.