"TAKE COURAGE!"

 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” (Mark 6:49–50) 

This English phrase take courage is derived from a single Greek word (tharséō). It appears 7 times in the New Testament—6 times it is a command from the mouth of Our Lord. It is rendered by the idiom take heart in the more recent translations (ESV/NIV). And those familiar with the old King James Bible will note that the translators interpreted this phrase in every instance: be of good cheer. However, cheer tends to imply merriment, happiness or encouragement. There are two Greek words for this type of emotion: hilaros (Romans 12:8; 2 Corinthians 9:7) and euthumos (Acts 24:10; 27:36). Conversely, the Greek word for take courage doesn’t denote cheerfulness. According to the Greek Lexicons take courage “has the basic sense of ‘to dare,’ ’to be bold’”;1 and “to have confidence and firmness of purpose in the face of danger or testing.”2

Let us examine the challenging tests from nature, sickness, sin and evil that Our Lord commands us to take courage.

Contrary Winds

The scene is the Sea of Galilee, and a boat with the 12 disciples onboard. This narrative is recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Mark with a rare parallel account submitted by John. Our Lord has just finished miraculously feeding the multitude of five thousand and now He intends to go to a mountain retreat to pray alone (Matthew 14:23). But first, He compels the disciples to get aboard a boat and go ahead of Him to Bethsaida on the other side of the sea (Mark 6:45).

John states it was evening in his narration (John 6:17-21) and “it had already become dark” (v. 17) and that the disciples had rowed three to four miles from where they had left Our Lord (v. 19). Matthew 14:24 adds that they were rowing against a contrary wind while being “battered by the waves.”

Not to be missed is the remarkable aspect Mark points out in his account. From Our Lord’s place of prayer on the mountain, He was “seeing them straining at the oars”! The Greek verb tenses demonstrate that His seeing them occurred prior to when “He came to them” (Mark 6:48).3 This is a perfect example of Our Lords’ attribute of deity—His omniscience.

Next, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water and were terrified, crying out in fear that they saw a ghost. Note that Our Lord didn’t ridicule their fears but instead said: “take courage; it is I, do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50). For Our Lord to have said “be of good cheer” in the midst of their fear would seem out of place. Instead take courage is a command for the disciples to have confidence that He is there to alleviate their fears, just as He is for believers today. Therefore, we should recognize that comfort and encouragement arise from overcoming fear and is based on confident hope in God’s help and promises.4

Sickness and Sin

There are two accounts in the synoptic gospels of Our Lord commanding those He healed to take courage. The first is presented in Matthew 9:2-7 of a paralytic man. The extraordinary feature is that when these unidentified men brought this man to Our Lord, He saw their faith that they believed in Him. Turning His attention to the paralytic man Jesus said: “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven” (v. 2); for according to the erroneous theology of that day, the shaking paralysis was regarded as divine punishment for sin.5

Again Our Lord’s omniscience is on full display. Knowing the evil thoughts of the scribes accusing Him of blaspheme, He responds:

“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”” (Matthew 9:5–6)

This power of Our Lord’s to forgive and heal was precisely stated by David:

Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases. (Psalm 103:3)

The second instance concerns a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years and physicians were unable to help her (Mark 5:26). Having heard of Jesus’ healing powers, she came up behind Him, thinking “If I only touch His garment, I will get well” (Matthew 9:20-21). Luke relates that Jesus instantly knew that someone touched Him saying: “Who is the one who touched Me?”...“Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” (Luke 8:45-46). Once again, another example of His divine omniscience! 

Matthew records Our Lord’s response to the expression of this woman’s faith:

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:22)

Our Ultimate Example

The scene is the Upper Room where Our Lord shared the Passover meal with His disciples. After the meal He spoke intending to prepare them for His departure; for He knew that His death by crucifixion was near. At the conclusion of His lengthy discourse (John 14-16) and immediately preceding His High Priestly prayer (John 17), Our Lord stated this:

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

 The previously defined meaning of take courage fittingly coincides with Our Lord’s statement: “In the world you have tribulation.” His claim to have “overcome the world” was made prior to His horrific suffering and death “by the hands of godless men” (Acts 2:23). And now He is asserting that we can overcome any adversity or misfortune that the world challenges us with. But the victory can only be ours if we take courage and have confidence that the Lord will see us through relying on His strength (Psalm 28:7) and His eternal promise: “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5; cf. Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5).

Therefore, since Our Lord was able to overcome the world by the courage He displayed in the midst of His sufferings, He exists as our perfect example forever.

Conclusion

For all believers in Jesus Christ, this phrase take courage should be our rallying cry, making it a vital necessity that we understand its full implication in order to wield it effectively. For in the midst of the distressful ordeals of life, whether personal, spiritual, societal or political, we need to have complete confidence to take courage in Him, convinced that He is able to see us through as we face the conflicts head-on.

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[1] Grundmann, W. (1964–). θαρρέω (θαρσέω). In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 3.25.

[2] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1.305.

[3] Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, p. 614.

[4] Mundle, W. (1986). θαρσέω. In The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Brown, Colin, Ed.), Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1.328.

[5] Waugh, R.M.L. (1953). The Preacher and His Greek Testament, London: The Epworth Press, p. 76.

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi

OPPOSING DECEPTIVE TEACHING - 1 JOHN 2:26-27

Verses 26-27: These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

 

Concerning the Deceivers

John is summarizing in verse 26 the reason for his writing ‘these things’, which “would seem to point to what is contained in verses 18-25.”1  He is doing his apostolic duty, as Paul did in Acts 20:29, of warning his readers of the savage wolves that are attempting to deceive them by their denial of the deity of Jesus Christ (vv.22-23). Just as John affirmed that we are in the ‘last hour’ (2:18), the Apostle Paul also warned Timothy that this deception will occur in the ‘later times’:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron. (1 Timothy 4:1–2)

Paul states that the intention of the deceivers is for some to “fall away from the faith.” It is important to understand what Paul means by ‘faith.’ He is not saying that some will no longer go to church or put their money in the offering. The Greek word for faith means “that which is believed, body of faith or belief, doctrine.” 2 In other words, they will begin to believe the false teachings of the liars and deniers. Paul characterizes their teachings as the ‘doctrines of demons,’ which renders it impossible that it is derived from the truth contained in God’s Word.

The method for counteracting false teachings is consistent instruction of ‘sound doctrine’ by qualified pastor-teachers.

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. (1 Timothy 4:6)

This recommendation of Paul’s to Timothy is still sound advice for the 21^st Century church today.

 Our Anointing

In verse 20, John has already stated that we have an anointing from the Lord Jesus. Now in verse 27 he advances this truth by asserting that this anointing “abides in you”—that is, we received the anointing of the Holy Spirit at the moment of faith in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:21–22) and now the Spirit continually remains with us. Our Lord anticipated this:

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16, 26)

As mentioned in verse 20, this is known theologically as the doctrine of the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Chafer summarizes the essential points of this doctrine.

In this passage, the important truth disclosed is that the anointing abides. The Spirit actually may be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), but He is never grieved away. He may be quenched, or resisted (1 Thessalonians 5:19), but He never departs (John 14:16). By all this it is demonstrated that there is no Scripture which contradicts the clear witness of the New Testament to the truth that all believers are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit once they believe.3

No Need of Teachers

With the truth of the permanency of the Holy Spirit firmly established, John makes a statement that has been misunderstood and misused: “you have no need for anyone to teach you.” Some have mistakenly advocated that believers can fully understand God’s Word without any human instructors by equating this verse with what Paul stated:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:12)

However, if we really don’t need someone to teach us, then this would present an apparent contradiction in God’s Word. The noted theologian Charles Hodge explains simply why this cannot be possible:

God cannot teach in one place anything which is inconsistent with what He teaches in another. Hence Scripture must explain Scripture.4

If by anyone John means every teacher, then it would be unnecessary for many who do teach or have taught: Jesus, Mark 1:21; the disciples, who were commanded to teach, Matthew 28:20; Acts 4:18; 5:42; 13:1; 18:11. It might also be said that God must have made a mistake by “appointing in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers...” (1 Corinthians 12:28a; cf. Ephesians 4:11-12). The fact is, the Holy Spirit does indeed employ human teachers as His instruments for teaching believers. Therefore, within the context of this verse, anyone denotes the false teachers—liars and deniers, antichrists. And it is these individuals that we have no need of to be our teachers.

Our Teachers

In contrast, John maintains that the anointing we received from Our Lord continually teaches us all things. And that His instruction is absolute truth and is not a lie, meaning that it is an impossibility of being false teachings. This is confirmation that we indeed have the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is this work of the Holy Spirit that enables the believer to understand the truths of God’s Word as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 2:10-16.

The last phrase “just as it has taught you,” many believe it refers to the Holy Spirit. However, it makes sense that it refers to Jesus Christ. For at the outset of this verse it is stated that we received the anointing from Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. So therefore, John is reminding us that Jesus Christ is also our teacher: “just as He [Jesus Christ] has taught you, you abide in Him.” For the final phrase ‘you abide in Him’ is a command, the same command Our Lord taught His disciples during His Upper Room Discourse (John 14-17):

“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.” (John 15:4ff)

Conclusion

Do we realize how essential the teaching of God’s Word is to our moment-by-moment walk of faith? The Apostle Paul explained its necessity: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). What Paul means here by ‘faith’ is the content of our beliefs as Christians. God has provided the means for us to obtain this by hearing the teaching of Scripture from qualified pastor-teachers, by the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit’s enabling power to understand truth.

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[1] Vine, W. E. (1996). Collected Writings of W.E. Vine. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

[2] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4^th Ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 664, §3.

[3] Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 6.134.

[4] Hodge, Charles (2001). Systematic Theology. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1.187.

 © 2024 David M. Rossi

THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE - 1 JOHN 2:24-25

Verses 24-25: As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

As John continues his discussion of the previous verse, the phrase as for you is emphatic and intended to portray the distinct contrast in the characteristics of his readers (and us) with that of the previously mentioned liars. These liars were deniers of the Father and the Son. Their objective is to separate us from the Father and the Son with their delusion that believers could have union with God while denying that Jesus is the Christ.1

The defense of our faith is provided next by the urgent demand that we continuously abide (remain) in what we heard from the beginning—“from the beginning of your Christian life.”2 What exactly have we heard from the beginning? We heard and responded to the true apostolic declaration regarding the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ and His gospel of salvation. In John’s day, this was a warning that they remain in the truth and “not be carried away by the new-fangled Gnostic teaching”3 (cf. Ephesians 4:14). But in our day, we are being confronted with the deception of false teachers influenced by cultural dictates, denying and repudiating God, Jesus Christ and Christianity in general. While most Christian churches today continue to uphold the true doctrines of God and Jesus Christ, many have succumbed to societal standards that violate Scriptural teachings. The Apostle Paul warned of these false teachers:

For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. (Romans 16:18; cf. Colossians 2:4)

But we are to remain in the solid foundation of the faith, just as Jude appealed that we “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). Kenneth Wuest explains precisely what John is emphasizing by the idea of remaining in the truth:

The exhortation includes more than that the saint should allow the basic teaching concerning the Person of our Lord to remain in him. He should have that attitude towards it that it will also feel at home in him, have ready access to every part of his life. In other words, it is the responsibility of the believer to nurture the stability and growth of those doctrines by a holy life and a determination to cling to them and remain true to them. All this is included in the content of meaning of the word.4

John next presents a hypothetical statement: that if what abides in you—that which you heard from the beginning, then it is more likely that you will also abide in the Son and in the Father. The fulfillment of this “if, then” statement is conditioned upon our personal decision. Only when the believer decides that the doctrinal truth learned from the beginning of their salvation is remaining—abiding and ingrained in their lives—then there will be evidence that they are living a Christ centered life. And it is only by completely embracing His teachings and directives, will they achieve spiritual maturity and comprehend the true significance of their existence.

Eternal Life

John explains in the next verse that abiding in the Son and the Father is the essence of the promise of eternal life. It is a promise made by “He Himself”—Jesus Christ. John is recalling the times when Our Lord had affirmed this to His disciples:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15)

 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40)

“And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28)

The Greek word order places great emphasis on eternal life,5 it is literally “the life, the eternal one.” It should be remembered that the eternal life which the believer has acquired by faith in Jesus Christ, does not infer merely to life after death—instead it denotes the character of life to be lived now and will continue on into the afterlife and for all eternity. In this passage John suggests that the believers’ objective should be to abide in the Son and the Father, this is the point which Our Lord specified, that knowing the Father is the essential “sum and substance”6 of eternal life:

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

John’s mentioning of this promise is to remind us that we are the recipients of this magnificent promise of eternal life, and to assure us that He never breaks a promise nor can He lie (Hebrews 10:23; Titus 1:2).

The Challenge

What is our response to John’s reminder that God has promised us eternal life? Do we consider what the Apostle Paul proclaims concerning this life we now possess?

For if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. (Romans 14:8)

Therefore, let us contemplate the manner in which we should now live:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. (Titus 2:11–13)

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[1] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.440.

[2] Smith, David (1990). In The Expositor’s Greek Testament (Nicoll, W. Robertson, Ed.), Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 5.175.

[3] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1 John 2:24.

[4] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 13.137.

[5] Robertson, A.T. (1934). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, Nashville, TN: Broadman Press,  p. 776.

[6] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.440.

 

© 2024 David M. Rossi