Opus 2013-145: Studies: Blessed

Paul begins his letters with a formula that is consistent with letters of his culture.  In Romans culture you started with your name and a greeting, gave a prayer and some kind of thanksgiving.  In the third verse of II Corinthians Paul gets to the thanksgiving.

(2 Corinthians 1:3 KJV)  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

I have always wondered how we, as mere humans, can “bless” God.  After all, isn’t He the one who blesses us? 

But we can bless Him if we understand what the word means.  “Blessed” in the Greek is the root word for our English “eulogy”.  The eulogy is the part of a funeral where we say all the nice things about the departed.  It is a compound word.  The first part means “good.”  The second means “speak” or “words.” 

The ultimate eulogy is “He is Risen!  He is risen, indeed.”  By such simple acts of praise and worship we call to mind the essential truth of the gospel, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

So speak well of God.  You can do that by praising who He is.  You can do that by proclaiming what He has done.

I guess you can do it by living in such a way that you bring honor to His name.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-141: Studies: The Called Out Ones

As I begin a study in II Corinthians we come across some of the standard terms used by Paul in his letters.  One of them is the word “church.” 

The word in Greek is ekleisia, spelled many different ways, which is the root for our English term ecclesiastical.  It is a compound word, a combination of “out” and “call.”  Thus the church is literally “the called out ones.” 

If you are not a follower of Jesus Christ you might wonder why Christians sometimes seem different and weird.  It is because we are, or at least we are if we are genuine.  We are called out of the pagan world to serve a new Master.  We are called out of a way of living and told to be salt and light.

That does not mean we do not care.  It means that we are to care more than before.  Salt brings savor.  Salt preserves.  In some people salt brings high blood pressure.

Light illuminates.  It lets people see the warts.  It shows people the things they might trip over.

So if you are part of the called out ones, don’t be arrogant.  Be salt and light.

homo unius libri