So our conversations this week about righteousness, sanctification, propitiation etc humbled me immensely as I realized my understanding of the definitions of these words is so very limited. But what a great opportunity to explore together how we can find out what the original language was and what those words actually mean in the original Greek. This was inspired by the desire to understand what OUR role is in God’s big picture and how this impacts as intercessors, those who are praying for others.
Let’s dig in. I used 3 tools mostly. Blueletter Bible for the Strong’s Concordance and Thayer’s Lexicon, Websters 1828 online dictionary and Biblehub for crossreferencing.
Laying the foundation (defining some terms and ideas on which to build up from):
Definitions:
Righteousness:
In the Websters 1828
Righteousness
RIGHTEOUSNESS, noun ri’chusness.
1. Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. righteousness as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion.
2. Applied to God, the perfection or holiness of his nature; exact rectitude; faithfulness.
3. The active and passive obedience of Christ, by which the law of God is fulfilled. Daniel 9:7.
4. Justice; equity between man and man. Luke 1:75.
5. The cause of our justification.
The Lord our righteousness Jeremiah 23:6.
From the Blueletter Bible
δικαιοσύνη dikaiosýnē, dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay; from G1342; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification:—righteousness.
This righteousness here was taken from the verse below.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
which has the same root as the righteous man mentioned in James.
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Strong’s
δίκαιος díkaios, dik’-ah-yos; from G1349; equitable (in character or act); by implication, innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively):—just, meet, right(-eous).
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
“δίκαιος, -αία, -αιον, (from δίκη right), [from Homer down], properly, the Hebrew צַדִּיק, observant of ἡ δίκη, righteous, observing divine and human laws; one who is such as he ought to be; (German rechtbeschaffen; in the earlier language, whence appropriated by Luther, gerecht in a broad sense; in Greek writings used even of physical things, as ἵππος, Xenophon, mem. 4, 4, 5; γήδιον δικαιότατον, most fertile, Xenophon, Cyril 8, 3, 38; [ἅρμα δίκαιον, ibid. 2, 2, 26]); 1. in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God;….”
See https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1342&t=KJV for whole entry as it is long for the Thayers
Next word from the verse:
Heb 2:17 KJV “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
Strong’s definition of the word reconciliation:
ἱλάσκομαι hiláskomai, hil-as’-kom-ahee; middle voice from the same as G2436; to conciliate, i.e. (transitively) to atone for (sin), or (intransitively) be propitious:—be merciful, make reconciliation for.
Propitious
PROPI’TIOUS, adjective [Latin propitius.] Favorable; kind; applied to men.
1. Disposed to be gracious or merciful; ready to forgive sins and bestow blessings; applied to God.
2. Favorable; as a propitious season.
Reconciliation
RECONCILIA’TION, noun [Latin reconciliatio.]
1. The act of reconciling parties at variance; renewal of friendship after disagreement or enmity.
Reconciliation and friendship with God, really form the basis of all rational and true enjoyment.
2. In Scripture, the means by which sinners are reconciled and brought into a state of favor with God, after natural estrangement or enmity; the atonement; expiation.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sin, and to make reconciliation for iniquity. Daniel 9:24. Hebrews 2:17.
3. Agreement of things seemingly opposite, different or inconsistent.
This is significant as we have been given the ministry of reconciliation and therefore have a role to play and must understand what that role is.
2Corinthians 5:18 KJV “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”
Strong’s Definition of the word reconciliation in this verse:
καταλλαγή katallagḗ, kat-al-lag-ay’; from G2644; exchange (figuratively, adjustment), i.e. restoration to (the divine) favor:—atonement, reconciliation(-ing).
Websters 1828 of atonement:
Atonement
ATO’NEMENT, noun
1. Agreement; concord; reconciliation, after enmity or controversy. Romans 5:11.
Between the Duke of Glo’ster and your brothers.
2. Expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury; with for.
And Moses said to Aaron, go to the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself and for the people. Leviticus 9:7.
When a man has been guilty of any vice, the best atonement he can make for it is, to warn others not to fall into the like.
The Phocians behaved with so much gallantry, that they were thought to have made a sufficient atonement for their former offense.
3. In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ.
Strong’s of ministry:
διακονία diakonía, dee-ak-on-ee’-ah; from G1249; attendance (as a servant, etc.); figuratively (eleemosynary) aid, (official) service (especially of the Christian teacher, or technically of the diaconate):—(ad-)minister(-ing, -tration, -try), office, relief, service(-ing).
This ministry of reconliation is not new at all. We see it all through the Old Testament. Moses stood in the gap for the Israelites multiple times and in various ways (the bronze snack on the pole, the incense through the crowd, the show down against the mutinous tribes, via prayer etc). We see this in Jonah, who was sent to confront Nineveh with their sins and they did repent as a result. We see this in Abraham who interceded on behalf of His nephew Lot. This theme runs through many of the books of the prophets who oftern stood in the gap for the people and their sins. As we have been called to this same ministry, it would serve us very well to learn by their examples and at the right time in our lives, dig deeply into the verses on this subject. For me, this is the right time, but I have been walking with the Lord for 13 years and up until now, I was pre-occupied with the study of other parts of the Word. We are all unique and He is faithfully equipping us in the perfect order for what He has called us to do. What I share here will only be a brief exploration in comparison to what the Lord will be doing with me in my own walk time with Him.
Exploring the applications, what does this mean on a practical level?:
God has delegated certain parts of His ministry to us. We see in James 5 as well as throughout the New Testament and Old Testament, that the ministry of reconciliation and healing was specifically delegated to the individuals. We see some common elements among those He called: they were committed to walking with Him (had a genuine relationship and strong sense of reverence), they listened to Him attentively and obeying what He told them to do (sometimes immediately, sometimes eventually like Jonah).
New Testament shifts: The ministry of reconciliation and healing is available to all who believe, and not only for a handful of those handpicked and designated by God BUT even in the New Testament, the work is specifically delegated to the elders and those who are spiritually mature in a number of places. Let’s have a look.
So if our desire is to be effective ministers of reconciliation, it starts with our being in the Word consistently and meditating on it day and night. This one thing will springboard us into everything else He has for us. This requires humility to admit to ourselves that we are not yet “there” and cannot get there without Him doing it all for us, AND sincerity /commitment of our time and energies to genuinely and consistently pursue His face and His Kingdom. As we do this, He is faithful to do the rest.
Galatians 6:1 KJV ““Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
What exactly does it mean to be spiritual?
Strong’s Concordance:
πνευματικός pneumatikós, pnyoo-mat-ik-os’; from G4151; non-carnal, i.e. (humanly) ethereal (as opposed to gross), or (dæmoniacally) a spirit (concretely), or (divinely) supernatural, regenerate, religious:—spiritual. Compare G5591.
Which ties us back to our earlier discussion about the need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Jesus. And from Galatians 5, that scripture presumes that those who are spiritual have already crucified the flesh and the appetites of the flesh. So being spiritual really means to be someone who is governed by the Holy Spirit and not their fleshly appetites, fleshly perceptions and their own understanding. Those who are spiritual are called to this kind of work.
Galatians 5:19-24 KJV ” 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
Does our own walk and faithfulness to letting God convict us, repenting to that conviction, our own faithfulness in obeying the Word, crucifying our flesh, denying ourselves etc impact our ability to pray for others? This verse says that if we are regularly participating in these sins, we do not inherit the kingdom in these areas at very least… So yes, our walk and whether we are flesh led or spirit led do impact our present ability to fulfill our calling as ministers of reconciliation.
Jas 5:14-15 KJV “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
We see several verses that warn us that our own walks do impact our ability to intercede and pray for others effectively. We see this in the conditions mentioned in James 5. ” The effective fervent (tells us what type of prayers are necessary) of the righteous man (tells us what type of man is necessary to pray this kind of prayer) avails much” . We can also plainly see from James 5 that the sick are told to call for the “elders” (note the plural here). This naturally springboards us into a word study of what are the biblical criteria of being an elder. This study reveals much about the lifestyle and spiritual positioning of such a person.
Some other verses to consider carefully that pertain to praying for others:
Luk 6:42 KJV “Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.”
Effective intercession / intervention requires the ability to perceive, discern what the problem actually is. Our own unrepented for sin issues can cause us to be spiritually blind to seeing some things clearly. So we are told in this verse, deal with the log in our eye, the sin issue in our life before trying to help another out with theirs.
We see this echoed in James 5
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Here we see we are told that confessing faults one to another is an essential part of the equation to being healed. I personally believe this verse is directed to the elders as they are the ones ministering to the sick and it is their prayers and ministry that are creditted with the healing of the sick.
2Corinthians 4:4 KJV “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Strong’s for believe not :
ἄπιστος ápistos, ap’-is-tos; from G1 (as a negative particle) and G4103; (actively) disbelieving, i.e. without Christian faith (specially, a heathen); (passively) untrustworthy (person), or incredible (thing):—that believeth not, faithless, incredible thing, infidel, unbeliever(-ing).
John 12:40 ESV “40 He has blinded their eyes and shardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
2 Peter 1 Amplified “To those who have [b]received and possess [by God’s will] a precious faith of the [c]same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be multiplied to you in the [true, intimate] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through [d]true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, [e]develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit]. 8 For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by [f]doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin];”
So those who have not allowed God to wash them and change them via consistenly (day and night) reading and meditating on His Word (which as you remember from this week is what empowers us to obey Him and not sin against Him) will have blind spots and this will lead to us stumbling, being less fruitful and sometimes, not being healed ourselves and/or seeing others healed through our intercession. We are told in the verse above that this can keep us from turning to God as we need to for healing to come.
Joshua 1:8 Amplified Bible (AMP) “8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be [a]successful.”
Psalm 119:11 King James Version (KJV) “11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Romans 2:12-16 King James Version (KJV) “12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
James 1:22 King James Version (KJV) “22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
This naturally stirred up the question “But scripture says I am right now the righteousness of Jesus Christ, I do believe right now and scripture says that all believers can do certain things, so how does this fit?” These are an excellent questions and springboard me to another post. The short answer is that we are perhaps more complicated then we realize and that parts of us are fully saved and parts of us are still being renewed and healed. Spirit, Soul and Body, What is the significance of this scriptural reality? I will post about that very soon.
Healing and Discipleship 