Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

EUSEBEIA* - Part 5 - εχηγεομαι (Strong's #1834)
Reverence, piety, godliness

Please note that all Biblical quotes, in this and all other lessons posted to Greek Thoughts, are from The Literal English Translation of the Bible produced by BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America.

We continue this week with our series on the noun εὐσὲβεια (Strong's #2150), which expresses reverence or respect toward someone. Εὐσὲβεια is used in the New Testament to depict the expression of reverence and respect toward God from believers, as well as for a form of human reverence expressed from false teachers and non-believers. The focus for this series of studies is the importance of the development of εὐσὲβεια — a genuine reverence and respect toward God — that is formed through the maturing process, which should be taking place within the life of every believer. Each part of this series to date has been taken from 2Peter, and we continue with the same text this week.

2 Peter 1:5-7

5) But also on account of this very thing, having brought in all diligence, completely supply in your faith the virtue, and in the virtue the knowledge,

6)

and in the knowledge the self-control, and in the self-control the endurance, and in the endurance the godliness (εὐσὲβεια),

7)

and in the godliness the brotherly love, and in the brotherly love the agape love.

In 2 Peter 1:2-11, Peter presents three essentials of the Christian faith. We have so far looked at two of them. The first, found in 2 Peter 1:2-4, is relationship. In these verses, Peter describes a believer as a partaker of the divine nature, one who is empowered by the divine nature that supplies him with all things pertaining to life and godliness. Peter uses the term "faith" as a designation for the one who has the divine nature of God living within.

In verses 5-7, Peter presents the second essential of the Christian faith — growth. He divides growth into seven phases. The first five phases have to do with the development of the believer's personal relationship with and response to the Lord; while the final two phases have to do with his/her relationship to others. So far we have studied the first five phases of growth and gained the understanding that each phase of the growth process lays the foundation of the next, as it also grows into the succeeding phase. After Peter establishes that "faith" is a designation of one who has the divine nature dwelling within, he says that the believer should let the process of faith develop the virtues of God's character in him. He then says that the believer should let the process of development in the virtues of God's character produce the understanding of the Lord and His ways in him. Peter continues in verse 6 to instruct the believer to let the process of development in the understanding of the Lord produce the control of one's passions, desires, and appetites by the Spirit of God from within. From out of the process of the control of one's self, the believer should let "godliness" be produced in him. The translation "godliness" is our study word εὐσὲβεια. Peter is saying that a healthy respect and reverence for the Lord is developed through the process of self coming under the control of God's Spirit. This text reveals that the Lord is developing and forming a correct attitude toward Himself within each believer through all of the experiences of life, including the difficult ones. The next two phases of growth, presented in verse 7, have to do with a believer's relationship to others.

The sixth phase of growth (the first dealing with a believer's relationship to others) is "brotherly love." The Greek word translated brotherly love is φιλαδελφὶα (Strong's #5360), which means a family love for brothers and sisters. In the New Testament, it refers to having a family love for the brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, because they are fellow members of the family of God. Our English word Philadelphia, brotherly love, is a transliteration of this Greek word.

The Christian growth process, in respect to dealing with others, is developed out of an established, mature relationship with the Lord. This means that a believer must be mature in his personal relationship with the Lord before he can have a right spiritual relationship with others. This is an important biblical teaching to understand, because many believers have not come from a healthy family background. Instead, many have come out of abusive, dysfunctional, or broken families making it difficult for them to relate properly to others as family in the Body of Christ.

The family relationship in the Body of Christ is important, and that is exactly why Satan attacks the family by inciting experiences that produce the loss of the sense of family. For this reason, a believer must go through the first steps of the growth process —developing a personal relationship with the Lord— and thereby experience the healing of broken relationships. From out of a healthy, mature relationship with the Lord, a believer gains the ability to relate properly to others as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Peter then presents the seventh and final phase of growth by saying that the believer should let love develop from out of family love. The word he uses here for love is ἀγὰπη (Strong's #26), which represents agape love. The development of agape love in the life of the believer is the mark of maturity. I have studied the use of this Greek word both in Scripture and in other Greek literature in order to come to this summary statement that best describes agape love as it applies to the believer in his/her relationship with the Lord as described in the New Testament: It is the concern for someone's spiritual welfare. When this is applied to God toward us as believers, it means to provide for our spiritual welfare. God exhibited this when He sent His Son to die for our sins, thereby supplying the only remedy for our corrupt spiritual condition. When applied to the believer toward God, it means to be concerned about what pleases the Lord. And when applied to the believer toward another believer, it means to do whatever is necessary for the spiritual welfare of another.

All of these attitudes and conditions of the heart require self-sacrifice: God sacrificed His Son so that we might have life; a believer is to present his life as a "living sacrifice" to God to do that which is pleasing to the Him (Romans 12:1-2); additionally, he/she must sacrifice his/her own life and desires in order to minister encouragement and be an example free from offense to others in the Body of Christ. (See Paul's teaching on this issue in .)

Being mature in the Lord means to reach a condition of emptiness of self and of being filled instead with the excellency of God's character. It is also represented by the living of a life that is reverential and respectful (εὐσὲβεια) toward the Lord in all the circumstances of life. It is marked by a healthy, caring relationship with the family of God, one that engenders the sacrifice of one's own life for the spiritual welfare of others.

Next week we begin a study of the third essential of the Christian faith, taken from 2 Peter 1:8-11.

* EUSEBEIA is the English font spelling of the Greek word εὐσὲβεια.

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