Encourage who

DEVOTION

ROMANS

ENCOURAGE WHO

Rom 1:11-12

11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith

NIV

Is there some secret to this spiritual gift? We think not, it is surely so clear to see the gift which Paul speaks about, he wishes to impart to those faithful believers in Rome is encouragement and to be encouraged. A mutual encouragement spawned by the faith of another. Words of encouragement might do well to boast a fellow believer’s ego. This might or could make him think more highly of himself then he should or spur him onto more deeds. But those deeds could be done through the humanist as well. Does it actually bring true encouragement? These words spoken to endeavor to bring encouragement might actually have a negative impact. True encouragement as we see in this passage comes from one believer being in the presence of another believer whose faith in Jesus Christ is so strong and so outwardly expressed it builds the other’s faith. Are we not so encouraged when we stand in the presence of someone who has that unwavering trust in our Lord? When for no apparent humanistic reason, this person is so happy and content, believing beyond the physical evidence in the incomparable love and provision of our Lord that our faith is build. To be encouraged by another’s faith. Here, in this passage, this faith, the Greek word is Pistis[1] which is defined as one’s persuasion such as moral conviction and when used in the Christian or religious sense, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. It is also used abstractly in the sense of one’s consistency is such a profession. So in both senses Paul and those in Rome will be encouraged by each other. Will we?

Lord, help us to demonstrate our faith, our complete total trust in you first of all our salvation, and also for every aspect of our life, in order that others may be encouraged.

This encouragement does seem to be for the community of believers. It is good to encourage each other’s faith. We all go through ups and down in life and at times our faith may get sidetracked so to speak. So encouragement is good, but it is also interesting the Greek word translated encouragement is sumparakaleo [2]which means to console jointly. We notice the word used by Jesus when he would send the comforter, the parakletos.[3] Some translations use counselor, others, comforter. So this mutual encouragement looks more like comforting or counseling one another by or with our faith. To be called to each other’s side, especially to one’s aid. Encouragement.

---

[1] NT:4102

NT:4102 pistis (pis'-tis); from NT:3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

[2] NT:4837

NT:4837 sumparakaleo (soom-par-ak-al-eh'-o); from NT:4862 and NT:3870; to console jointly:

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

[3] NT:3875

NT:3875 parakleetos, parakleetou, ho

summoned, called to one's side, especially called to one's aid;

1.             one who pleads another's case before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant; an advocate:

2.             universally, one who pleads another's case with one, an intercessor: 1 John 2:1

3.             in the widest sense, a helper, succorer, aider, assistant; so of the Holy Spirit John 14:16,26

(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)