The word aladzon means boaster, which is how it is rendered in Romans 1:30, in the midst of another Pauline list of sins, including, but not limited to, “backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parent . . .” And in the perilous times, Paul says, “men shall be …
Sins Are Like Grapes
Related to akrasia, the word akrates is used once (2 Tim. 3:3), and it means incontinent. It is found in the middle of some other bad company — “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers …
Overflowing Excess
A word meaning excess or lack of control is akrasia. It is used two times in the New Testament, once for a husband and wife who are sexually fasting and who are therefore tempted because of their incontinency (1 Cor. 7:5). The second use is when Jesus lambasted the Pharisees because they cleaned the outside …
The Genesis of Tumult
Paul tells us that God is not the author of confusion, but rather of peace (1 Cor. 14:33). The word for confusion here is akatastasia, and it is interesting that Paul contrasts it with peace. The confusion can simply be the way it is out in the world in unsettled times (Luke 21:9), or it …
Kittens and Cobras
When something is unruly it is untamed, uncowed, undisciplined. The New Testament uses this word (akataschetos) for the tongue, which no one can tame — an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. In case we let down our guard, we have to remember that this creature, the tongue, is full of deadly poison. When we …
Unstable in Trial
James tells us that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (Jas. 1:8). The word for unstable is akatastatos, and in this context it refers to a man who cannot thank God for trials. A few verses before this, James has famously stated that if a man lacks wisdom, he should ask God …
Fruitful and Unfruitful
One of the images that Scripture gives of a life of sin is that of fruitlessness, as represented by the word akarpos. The seed that is planted among the thorns, those thorns being the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, is choked out and becomes unfruitful (Matt. 13:22). Jesus uses the same …
The Bride and the Whore
A word translated as filthiness is found one time in the New Testament, in Revelation 17:4. The word is akathartes, and is applied to the great whore of Babylon — she in her turn is an image of unbelieving Israel, the Jerusalem below. She had in her hand a golden cup that was full of …
Unclean in Different Ways
The word unclean is a translation from the word akathartos. The overwhelming number of times the word is used in the New Testament, it is to describe the unclean spirits that Jesus would cast out (Matt. 10:1; Mk. 1:23; Luke 4:33, and many others). It is used several times in Acts this way, and also …
Keeping the Central Room Clean
The word akatharsia means uncleanness, and the New Testament uses the word to refer to moral uncleanness. In Matt. 23:27, Jesus refers to the Pharisees who are whited sepulchres outside, but inside are full of all uncleanness. The pagan Gentiles had the same problem, and God gave them up to uncleanness (Rom. 1:24). The Roman …