Chapter # 12 Paragraph # 3 Study # 5
January 5, 2019
Humble, Texas
(032)
1769 Translation
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, [
let him do it] with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
1901 ASV Translation
8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, [
let him do it] with
liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
- I. Paul's List of "Grace-Gifts" And His Instructions Continued [see notes at (027) and (029)].
- A. The "prophecy" gift is the first listed and the "standard" for our grasp of the "way" the rest are also to be exercised.
- B. After "prophecy" comes a "list" of six more "gifts".
- 1. The "six".
- a. "Ministry"; the word is used by Paul in three texts in Romans (11:3; 12:7; and 15:31), and, in this text, it is to be "exercised" "in the realm of ministry". The phrase "in the realm of ministry" requires that we grasp the 'realm' wherein this "gift" is to be exercised [see notes at (027)].
- b. "Teaching"; Paul switches to the "definite article plus a participle" grammar to indicate this "gift". The phrase would mean "...or he that is teaching..." (as an outworking of his gifting) [see notes at (029)].
- c. "Summoning" (translated "exhorteth" by the Authorized Version); the word is larger than a single issue like "exhorting". It means "summoning another to come alongside the one issuing the summons" with several potential "needs" in view (lagging behind, running ahead, drifting away; any condition that has put distance between the summoner and the summoned).
- 1) Paul's use of this word in its verbal form in Romans is limited to four contexts: 12:1; 12:8; 15:30; and 16:17 and in its noun form in Romans is limited to three texts: 12:8; 15:4; and 15:5.
- a) The 12:1 text is a "summons" to "brethren" to take a step not yet taken, but a step powerfully rooted in "the mercies of The God" which should be "automatic" to those who "believe", but often is not because of the complexities involved in understanding.
- i. This "step" declares the need for those who believe God's promise of "Life" through Jesus, His Christ, to move into a kind of inner circle of "believers" who recognize and embrace the "logic" of deliberately moving toward God in terms of "relationship" so that He becomes more and more the Root and Counsellor for "Life" for those so moving into His light.
- ii. This "step" is logically the only option for the children of God, but it is highly complicated by the hindrances of deeply held, but deceptively submerged, "fears" and lusts, coupled to vast levels of ignorance of "Truth" as to its details. Human beings (and "believers" do not escape this category), being rooted in the depravity of Adamic heritage, have a plethora of "gaps" in Understanding, Love, and Faith so that they are not just "resistant" to releasing their delusion that they can "control" their experiences in Life, but "incapable" in the sense that "Understanding", "Love", and "Faith" are all highly complex and human beings can only make progress in them piece-meal in a kind of Isaiah 28:10 way (precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little).
- b) The 12:8 text has both verb and noun and is the particular text under our present consideration. It posits both a specific "grace-gift" and a specific sphere of function.
- c) The 15:4-5 text has only the noun form and it posits not only a concept called "the parakleseos of the Scriptures", but also presents "The God" as "of" this parakleseos. In this light, we have both a "need" for Scriptural "revelation", and a "God of the Solution to the need".
- d) The 15:30 text is a "loaded" appeal by Paul for "prayer to God for me". It is "loaded" in that it is "for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ" and "for the Love of the Spirit". This text is a bit unlike the others in that the "summons" in it does not imply some form of "fault" for not being "alongside".
- e) And the final text, 16:17, is a "request/demand" for separation from those who cause divisions and offences.
- 2) The issue in this "gift" is the reality of people not being "alongside" for a plethora, perhaps, of "reasons", not the least of which is the aforementioned plethora of "gaps" in Understanding, Love, and Faith.
- 3) And, again, it is to be exercised "in the realm of" the summoning by "he that summons" (definite article plus participle).
- a) As noted previously, there are three of these "gifts" that are identified in terms of "en te" plus the noun that is associated with the verb that identifies the "gift". The final three have only "en" plus a noun that is not the one typically derived from the associated verb. This switch in "grammatical form" is significant.
- i. "Ministry" is tied in function to "en te" plus the noun "ministry"; "he that is teaching (definite article plus a participle") is tied in the same way to the noun "teaching"; "he that is summoning" likewise is tied to the noun "summons". Paul's "point" is that each of these three "gifts" have a particular place in the ("en te") "settings of Life for the Church". In other words, "ministry", "teaching", and "summoning" are a kind of "Big Three" under the common umbrella of "prophecy".
- ii. Then, "giving" is identified as a "gift" that is to be exercised "with..." ("en" without a definite article or an accompanying noun that repeats the concept of the particular "gift"). Likewise, "ruling" and "showing mercy" are framed by the same grammatical structure ("ruling with..." and "showing mercy with..."). Paul's "point", made by his change in grammatical structure, is that there is another "Set of Three" that are not as prominent as the "Big Three", but that possess a particularly significant function in view of "believers" exercising their "gifts".
- iii. Paul is "high-lighting" the "three most necessary elements in respect to the over-all exercise of gifts" and, then, the "three most expressive elements of the Life of the Church (generosity, diligence, and delight).
- b) This "realm" is that of the "function" of issuing some kind of "summons" to those who are some distance away, relationally, and have a need for someone to address the problems that creates.
- 4) As the last of the "Big Three", "summoning" is the "final step", and, both logically and necessarily, "last".
- a) Once the Word has been made known (through prophecy), the "Big Three" become necessary: "Ministry" as "each making the contribution of his/her special gifting by the Spirit to recognize needs and come up with solutions"; "Teaching" as "each one gifted to teach, makes the meaning of the Word more 'understandable' by explanation"; and, then, "Summoning" as "each one, who has a special skill in applying the 'explanations' to those who are suffering from the inevitable problems 'distance' creates in relationships, summons people to make the adjustments necessary to close the 'distance'".
- b) With this "last step" in place, the Body is "fit" to serve according to the purpose for "bodies" (instruments of the demonstration of the inner, invisible, spirit).
- d. "Giving".
- e. "Ruling".
- f. "Showing Mercy".