‘As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.’
(John 15:4-5a)
Jesus uses the final hours before his arrest leading to the sham trial and crucifixion, to prepare his disciples for their task. It will fall to them to cultivate the Gospel, so it may be fruitful. The word translated ‘fruit’ is καρπὸς karpos is the produce of the mature plant and the means by which it is propagated.
Read more
without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
The verb that is translates ‘to please’ is εὐαρεστέω euaresteó and means ‘to be well-pleasing’, which be extension could be ‘to render good service’. This verse reads literally:
and apart from faith it is impossible to please well, for it behoveth him who is coming to God to believe that He is, and to those seeking Him He becometh a rewarder. (YLT)
The writer of Hebrews clarifies an eternal truth, that the unregenerate, that is anyone that is not granted salvatory faith, can never do anything to gain to God’s favour.
Read more
… any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)
The word translated ‘disciple’ is μαθητής mathétés and it means one who subjects themselves to mental effort or rigour; mathematics, clearly a subject that demands much intellectual application, derives from the same root, mathema, which is literally ‘that which is learnt’.
A disciple, then, is different to a ‘follower’. During his ministry, large numbers of people followed Jesus from town to town and mountainside to lakeside, but only a handful transitioned into discipleship, why was this? Because few were willing to make the necessary effort or to pay the extreme cost of worldly renunciation. Jesus outlines by this first employing plain language:
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple …’ (ibid 14:25-26)
Read more
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrew 12:4)
The Greek word translated ‘struggle’ is ἀνταγωνίζομαι antagónizomai, from anti ‘against’ and agónizomai ‘contend with’, whence English derives the verb ‘to agonise’. The common usage of agónizomai was in the context of warfare or an athletic contest, and it refers to the physical, mental and emotional exertion in contending with an enemy.
The writer of Hebrews references Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, who –
knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:42-46)
Read more
God Breathed Words 