Words Unique in the Pauline Epistles

Words can mean different things to different people so it’s important to understand individual words in Scripture. Before we move on from Romans to Corinthians, I’d like to point out 10 prominent words in the Pauline epistles with a view to define the meaning of the original Greek words translated variously to English. I’m not a student of Greek but have studied various Greek/English references and compared Scripture with Scripture in this endeavor. The King James Version (KJV) is used here so if the reader uses another version, he/she may find a different English word used to translate the Greek.

• Greek word “pis’tis” (G4002) normally translated “faith,” occurs 174 times in Paul’s epistles compared to a total of 70 in rest of the Testament (NT); there are 40 in Romans, the most in any NT book.

Bullinger’s Lexicon & Concordance to the English & Greek NT defines “pis’tis” as “faith, i.e., firm persuasion, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight, or knowledge; a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God in His Word.”

By inspiration of The Holy Spirit, the author of Hebrews defines faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.

• Greek word “hupakoe’” translated “obedience, obedient, to make obedient, to obey and obeying” found 12 times in the Pauline epistles and three in 1^st

Bullinger defines “Hupakoe” as “a hearing attentively, or listening; hence, obedience, as the result of attentive hearing;” Strong as “attentive harkening,” and Thayer “obedience, compliance, submission.”

“Hupakoe” first occurs in Romans 1:5: “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name. “Hupakoe” is a form of the Greek “akoe,” which means “hearing” or “the sense of hearing” as in Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing (akoe), and hearing by the word of God.”

See also my article in the March 30, 2020 that examines “The Obedience of Faith among all Gentile Nations.”

• Greek “char’is” (G5385) translated “grace;” 110 in the Pauline epistles; 46 in the rest of the NT.

Bullinger defines “char’is” as “God’s grace and favor manifested towards mankind or to any individual, which as a free act is no more hindered by sin than it is conditional upon works. It is the grace of God, because it denotes the relation assumed and maintained by God towards sinful man. It is joined with Christ because it is manifested in and through Him.”

• Greek word “euanggel’ion” (G2098) translated “gospel,” found 61 times in the Pauline epistles out of the 77 total in the NT.

Bullinger and Strong define “euanggel’ion” as “a good message, etc.;” Thayer as “good tidings or a reward for good tidings.”

The Lord Jesus Christ entrusted Paul with the “Gospel (euanggel’ion) of Grace (char’is),” Acts 20:24, which had been God’s secret prior to when the Lord Jesus Christ revealed it to Paul for us to believe, Romans 16:25 – 26; 1 Corinthians 15:1 – 4.

• Greek “char’isma” (G5386) translated “gift;” 16 in Paul’s epistles and only once elsewhere in the NT. It is another form of the Greek word “char’is,” i.e., “grace.”

Bullinger defines “char’isma” as “a favor, kindness; that which is freely given, a gift of grace, gen. the effect of God’s gracious working, the positive blessing bestowed upon sinners; and also, in a special sense, a gift of grace imparted to an individual, etc.”

Believers rejoice that eternal life is by God’s favor, kindness, freely given through Jesus Christ our Lord, Romans 6:23.

(There are other Greek words translated “gift” in the NT, for instance, “doron” (G1435) found 19 times in the NT, only 6 of which occur in Paul’s epistles. Bullinger defines “doron” as “a free gift, a present, an honorary gift.” This is the word used by Paul when he teaches that believers are saved by Grace, through faith and not of themselves, it is the gift (doron) of God, Ephesians 2:8. Then there is “dorea” (G1531) found 11 times in the NT, 6 by Paul. Bullinger defines it as “a free gift, a present.” It is obviously a form of “doron,” and is found in Ephesians 3:7 & Ephesians 4:7.)

• Greek word “epouran’ios” (G2032) translated “heavenly, celestial, in heaven and high,” used by Paul 18 out of 20 total in the NT.

According to Bullinger, “epouran’ios” means “upon, in, heavenly, what pertains to, or is in heaven;” Strong indicates it means “above the sky, celestial, (in) heaven (-ly), high;” Thayer indicates it means “existing in heaven, etc.” (There are other Greek words translated “heavenly” in the NT.)

“Epouran’ios” is most frequently found in 1 Corinthians at 5 times, and in Ephesians, also 5 times, five being the Biblical number for Grace. It appears in 1 Corinthians 15:40 twice where it is translated “celestial” and 3 times in 1 Corinthians 5:48 – 49 where it is translated “heavenly,” all of which describe the type of body believers during this age of Grace will have after being caught up (raptured) to heaven for eternity.

In Ephesians “epouran’ios” refers to the fact believers are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, Ephesians 1:3; that Christ is now seated at the right hand of God in the heavenlies, Ephesians 1:20; that all believers are raised up and seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6; that it was by God’s Grace that Paul was given the mystery or secret by God to make known by the church (believers of this age) to the principalities and powers in heavenly places His manifold wisdom, Ephesians 3:6 – 10 and that believers today don’t wrestle with flesh and blood but against the rulers of darkness of this world, the spiritual wickedness in “high places” (“heavenlies” elsewhere) Ephesians 6:12.

• Greek word “kle’sis” (G2821) translated “calling” 10 times & “vocation” once; 10 in Paul’s epistles and once in 2 Peter.

Bullinger defines it as “a call, a summons, invitation, a calling;” Strong as “an invitation (figuratively): – calling” and Thayer as “a calling, calling to, invitation, a call, invitation.”

Paul uses it once of his “high calling” of God in Christ Jesus, Philippians 3:14 and 9 times concerning God’s “calling to and of believers;” Romans 11:29; 1 Corinthians 1:26; 1 Corinthians 7:20; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 4:1 “vocation;” Ephesians 4:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:9 and Hebrews 3:1.

• Greek word “kletos” (G2822) translated “called;” 7 times in Paul’s epistles and 4 in the rest of the NT.

Bullinger defines “kletos” as “called, invited, welcome, chosen;” Strong as “invited, that is, appointed, or (specifically) a saint; – called,” Thayer as “called, invited (to a banquet), divinely selected and appointed, etc.” (Note, there are more than 1 Greek words translated “called” in the NT.)

Paul states: he was “called” an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God, Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; the Romans (and believers today) are “the called” of Jesus Christ, Romans 1:6 and are “called saints,” Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; that all things work together for good to them that love God, the “called” according to His purpose, Romans 8:28; and to “the called,” both Jews and Gentiles, Christ the Power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24.

• Greek word “proorid’zo” (G4209) translated “predestinate, determine before & ordain,” which occurs 5 times in Paul’s epistles out of the 6 total in the NT.

Strong defines “proorid’zo” “to limit in advance, that is (figuratively) predestinate; – determine before;” Thayer defines it “to predestinate, determine beforehand; God decreeing from eternity; to foreordain, appoint beforehand.” Bullinger “to set bounds before, determine, decree or ordain beforehand.”

Many times, the first occasion a word appears in the NT provides a clear definition thereof. The first and only occasion where “proorid’zo” occurs outside the Pauline epistles, it is translated “determined before” in the passage: “For of a truth against thy holy child (should be translated “servant”) Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.” Acts 4:27 – 28. This is part of a prayer to God that begins in Acts 4:24 offered by a large group of believing Jews assembled with Peter and John. Verses 27 & 28 point out that Herod, Pontius Pilate, along with both Gentiles and Jews had crucified Jesus Christ but God had “determined before” (predestinated) they would do this. Acts 4:25 – 26, which quotes Psalms 2:1 – 2, which is the passage that proves God determined this before: “Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, (in Psalms 2:1 – 2) Why did the heathen (Gentiles) rage, and the people (Israel) imagine vain things? The kings (Herod & Pontius Pilate) of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.” Acts 4:25 – 26. (Note that these 2 verses in Acts prove that King David, as a prophet, wrote Psalms 2.)

• Greek word “muste’rion” (G3366) translated “mystery” found 20 times in the Pauline epistles out of 27 total in the NT.

Bullinger defines “muste’rion” as “a secret;” Strong indicates it is a derivative from another Greek word meaning “to shut the mouth; a secret or mystery;” Thayer defines it as “a hidden thing, secret, mystery.”

Again, the first occasion of “muste’rion” in the NT is a clue to its meaning: “And the disciples came, and said unto him (Jesus), Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries (secrets) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” Matthew 13:10 – 11; repeated in Mark 4:10 – 11 & Luke 8:9 – 10. Jesus did not fully open the understanding of His disciples until after He accomplished His work on the cross and just before He ascended into heaven, Luke 24:44 – 45.