Chapter # 12 Paragraph # 3 Study # 6
January 12, 2019
Humble, Texas

⁽⁰³⁴⁾

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. It is also listed first because it is the primary, foundational "gift" as it makes the "words of God" available to men as revelation of the "Truth for Life".
  • B. After "prophecy" comes a "list" of six more "gifts".
    • 1. There are "six", divided into two groups of "three".
      • a. The first set of "three" are focused upon their "purpose for being".
        • 1) "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⁾].
        • 2) "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 for ⁽⁰²⁹⁾].
        • 3) "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) [see notes at ⁽⁰³¹⁾].
      • b. The second set of "three" are focused upon their "primary attending attitude".
        • 1) "Giving"; Paul's choice of words here is relatively rare in that it is only found in the verb form in five texts of the New Testament and all but Luke 3:11 are Paul's (Romans 1:11; 12:8; Ephesians 4:28; and 1 Thessalonians. 2:8).
          • a) The word is a composite made of a preposition that is found in 455 texts of the New Testament and a primary verb found in 377 texts.
          • b) The primary verb is found in 9 places in this letter to the Romans, three of which are in chapter twelve and two of these three are tightly linked to our current paragraph (12:3 and 12:6).
            • i. In 12:3 the issue is "the giving of grace" so that both grace and the "imparting of it" to someone from Someone are involved in the "how" of a person's "coming into possession of" something. In Paul's case, it was "how" he became an apostle of God so that he could write "words from God" in the form of this letter, and in the Romans' case it is the "how" of their becoming possessors of the special ability to "give".
            • ii. In 12:6 the issue is exactly the same: "the grace that is given to us". In this verse, the "thing given" is "grace" in the particular form of "an ability to function in the body of Christ".
          • c) There is an extensive set of instructions regarding "this grace" in 2 Corinthians 8-9 that is applicable to every believer, but Paul's use of this concept in our text indicates that, like other "grace-gifts", there is a special "gift" of "giving". In other words, all are to "give" but those "gifted to give" will excel in it and may actually be given special abilities by God to accumulate much in order that the "giver" may have much to "give". Thus, "giving" as a special ability is much like "ministry" in that everyone is to "minister"/"give", but some are significantly Spiritually adept to "minister"/"give".
          • d) Given the fact that the 2 Corinthians text exists, it is notable that Paul singled out a particular characteristic that is to be attached to "giving".
            • i. With this "grace gift", Paul alters his grammar from his prior focus upon "gift and sphere of focus" ("ministry" in the realm of "ministry", "teaching" in the realm of "teaching", "summoning" in the realm of "summoning") to "gift and chief characteristic" ("giving" with "singleness"; "ruling" with "diligence"; "showing mercy" with "delight"). This signals the incorporation of another "set of three" within Paul's presentation of "seven" "grace gifts".
            • ii. In respect to "giving" the focus is upon "haplotes".
              • (a) This term is only found in eight texts of the New Testament, and all are Paul's. Five of the eight are in 2 Corinthians. (1:12; 8:2; 9:11, 13; and 11:3). We can see that three of the five are in the extended set of instructions mentioned above.
                • (i) In 8:2, this term is directly connected, on one hand, to "an abundance of joy" and, on another, "deep poverty". The two created "an abounding unto the riches of their liberality (our word)" so that they "gave" "beyond their ability".
                • (ii) In 9:11 Paul returns to this word in the context of "being enriched in every thing unto all bountifulness (our word)" so that they "gave" more because God had multiplied their seed for sowing and they wanted to increase their "fruits of righteousness".
                • (iii) Then, in 9:13 he once again returns to this word to describe their "liberal (our word) distribution", i.e., the largeness of their "gift" to meet the need.
              • (b) These eight texts are very similar in that they all indicate a kind of "top priority" fixation. In other words, "giving" for the "gifted to give" is in a unique place in the "Love" to be exercised toward others: at the top of the list of "ways to love". This is not remarkable if we remember that Peter declared that our "gifts" were to be exercised as "stewardships" (1 Peter 4:10). "Stewardships" are responsibilities that are to receive our most dedicated efforts (1 Corinthians 4:2).
                • (i) However, stewardship or not, all "giving" is to be characterized (in addition to "haplotes") by the total absence of "necessity" or "a grudging attitude" (2 Corinthians 9:7), which is made possible by faith in the principle that "sowing sparingly leads to a sparing harvest" and "sowing largely leads to harvesting largely".
                • (ii) This is not out of harmony with Paul's explanation of the exercise of his own "stewardship" in 1 Corinthians 9:16-17 wherein "necessity" is brought into the picture because there is "necessity" in functioning "without necessity". In other words, it is "necessary" that we do not "give" out of necessity, but it is also "necessary" that we "give".
              • (c) This "top of the list" issue translates, in regard to "giving", into "large generosity" in actual practice.
              • (d) One of the most likely realities associated with "the gift of giving" is the ability to accumulate a significant level of income (God supplying "seed to the sower": 2 Corinthians 9 :10). When one considers Ephesians 4:28, it becomes implicit that God's granting of ability from one's "work" to achieve significant "profit" is an indication that He has also given the "gift" of "giving" because that text declares that a primary reason for diligent "work with one's hands" is to be able to "give" to those who have a need.
        • 2) "Ruling".
        • 3) "Showing Mercy".
    • 2. The "six" divided into two groups of "three" present the entire picture of "gift/stewardships" in brief.

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This is article #033.
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