Chapter # 3 Paragraph # 2 Study # 4
April 10, 2016
Humble, Texas
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1769 Translation:
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count [him] not as an enemy, but admonish [him] as a brother.
1901 ASV Translation:
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing.
14 And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.
15 And [yet] count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
- I. At Issue: Growing Weary of It All.
- A. The antithesis: 1 Corinthians 15:58. Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.
- B. The use of the this verb in the New Testament
- 1. Luke 18:1 -- "...men ought always to pray and not...faint".
- 2. 2 Corinthians 4:1 -- "...seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not...".
- 3. 2 Corinthians 4:16 -- "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward is renewed day by day".
- 4. Galatians 6:9 -- "...let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not".
- 5. Ephesians 3:13 -- "...I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory".
- 6. Our current text.
- C. The verb's etymology suggests something that comes "out of evil". Matthew 24:12 immediately comes to mind: "...because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold". In other words, one of the things that arises out of evil is the erosion of the love of the people of God. Because God allows the wickedness to increase, His own people turn against Him.
- 1. This etymology remains a major aspect of the use of the word: "fainting" is nothing, more or less, than allowing one's despair to triumph over his/her commitment to walk in God's power, love, and truth.
- 2. But, the permission of despair is, itself, evil. "Fainting" is something that arises "out of evil".
- D. The roots of "weariness".
- 1. In this present context.
- a. Enduring persecution as an inevitability [Note Hebrews 12:4].
- b. Enduring faithlessness on the part of some "believers", requiring "discipline".
- 1) "If any is not 'hearing under' our word through this epistle...".
- 2) The major problem: they do not "revere" God and that is a "shame" to them.
- 3) They are to be put at a distance from any/all "inter-mixing" ... no matter how much of a part of our soul-lives they have been in the past.
- c. Enduring "needs" that may well drive a person to heavy labor night and day.
- 2. Beyond this context.
- a. The gradual and irreversible decay of the physical body/health (2 Corinthians 4:16).
- b. The pain of having others have to suffer pain for oneself (Ephesians 3:13).
- 3. Most fundamental: attempting the impossible out of insufficient resources.
- a. Jesus actually meant it when He said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).
- b. John produced an echo of this with his statement, "His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). The word "grievous" is actually "heavy/weighty".
- c. However, neither of these declarations ignores Matthew 21:44/Luke 20:18. There is nothing easy or light about being driven to the end of ourselves and finding ourselves totally inadequate. However, once we get there, we are turned to the Love and Power of God for Whom nothing is "too hard".