Unfathomable (421) anexichniastos

Unfathomable (421) (anexichniastos from a = without + exichniázo = explore, to trace out) means that which cannot be traced out, which is past finding out and thus which is impossible to comprehend. It describes that which is impossible of understanding by human minds. Fathomless. Morey notes that... The word anexichniastoi is the nomative plural masculine of anexichniastos which is a combination of a plus exichniázo which is derived from ichnos (footprint). Only used once in the New Testament (Ed: Not true - see Eph 3:8 below), it is found in the Septuagint (LXX) in Job 5:9; 9:10; 13:24. It offers a striking figure of speech. When following someone in the desert, all you have to do is to trace their footprints in the sand. From their footprints, you can discover where they came from and where they are. But, when it comes to the ways of God, there are no footprints in the sand. You must throw up your hands in defeat and say, “God’s path is untraceable!” Dr. Randy Yeager comments God’s thoughts, His philosophy, the rationale behind His decrees defy human analysis. The hiss of the serpent can be discerned unmistakenable in the effort to find a theology that man can understand in all of its parts. Unregenerate philosophers and theologians would never write what Paul has written here, and they are contemptuous of what he has written. Their theology is clear to them because it is the product of their own intellectual creation. (Morey, R. A. The Trinity : Evidences and Issues. Iowa Falls, IA.: World Pub) The only other NT use of anexichniastos is also by Paul in Ephesians 3 where he writes that... To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ (See note Ephesians 3:8) (See related topic: Incomprehensible) (Play song Do You Not Know?) He has made everything appropriate (KJV = beautiful) in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart (Amplified = [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy]), yet so that man will not find out (NIV = fathom) the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) F L Godet comments that... These two orders (God's judgments and ways) of things are characterized by the most extraordinary epithets which the most pliant of languages can furnish: anexereunetos, what cannot be searched to the bottom; anexichniastos" , the traces of which cannot be followed to the end. The former of these epithets applies to the supreme principle which the mind seeks to approach, but which it does not reach; the latter to an abundance of ramifications and of details in execution which the understanding cannot follow to the end. These epithets are often quoted with the view of demonstrating the incomprehensibility to man of the divine decrees, and in particular of that of predestination (Aug.). But it must not be forgotten that St. Paul's exclamation is called forth, not by the obscurity of God's plans, but, on the contrary, by their dazzling clearness. If they are incomprehensible and unfathomable, it is to man's natural understanding, and until they have been revealed; but, says the apostle, 1 Cor. 2:10. “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth ( ereuna ) all things, even the deep things (ta bathe) of God.” It is therefore in view of the unveiled mystery that the exclamation is raised, as is done by Paul here: “O the depth of the riches!” A fact which does not prevent the mind which understands them in part from having always to discover in them new laws or applications. John Piper comments that... "Education about God precedes and serves exultation in God. Learning truth precedes loving truth. Right reflection on God precedes right affection for God. Seeing the glory of Christ precedes savoring the glory of Christ. Good theology is the foundation of great doxology. Knowledge is utterly crucial. But it is not an end in itself. It serves faith and love. And if it doesn't, it only puffs up, as Paul says in 1Co8:1.Where education does not produce heartfelt exultation in God, it degenerates into proud intellectualism. And where exultation is not sustained and shaped by solid Biblical education, it degenerates into proud emotionalism. God means to be known and loved. Seen and savored. Pondered and praised. " (Sermon) Ray Stedman addressing God's "unfathomable... ways" writes that... it is clear from Scripture that nothing God ever planned interferes with human responsibility. Nothing God has ever said will happen in any way infringes on our free will or choice. We are free to make choices. We know it. We feel ourselves free to decide to do this or that, to do good or bad. Nothing God ever plans interferes with that freedom of human choice. And yet the amazing thing is that nothing humans ever do can frustrate God's sovereign plan. Isn't that amazing? How can you explain that? No matter what we do, whether we choose this or that with the freedom of choice we have, ultimately it all works out to accomplish what God has determined shall be done. That is the kind of God we have. Paul is not only impressed with God's inscrutable wisdom and ways, but he contrasts it with the impotence of man. He asks three very searching questions. If you have trouble with this, try to answer his questions: His first one is, "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" What he is asking is, "Who has ever anticipated what God is going to do?" Have you? Have you ever been able to figure out how God is going to handle the situations you get into? Oh, we all try, but it never turns out quite the way we think it will, does it? There is a little twist to it that we never could have guessed. (Our Great and Glorious God) J. B. Phillips wrote a book a number of years ago entitled Your God Is Too Small exposing views of God that we all hold to that are woefully inadequate. The "Cosmic Policeman"- the view of God that he is standing around every corner just waiting for us to slip up with respect to the law. Or the "indulgent old man" - a little senile but very friendly, or the "frantic manager" - he’s got sweat on his brow because the world is such a mess and he is trying to hold it all together, or the "parental hangover" - all the warts and scars in your parent’s lives that you project unto God. Every single one of us here this morning has skewed views of God. Views of God that are skewed because of our background, and our experiences or perhaps just simply because of our ignorance. And we don’t realize that we are actually worshipping an idol. Much of our lives and much of our time is spent worshipping a figment of our own imaginations and what we fail to realize is that God exists independently of our views of him. The God who is there exists as he is regardless of our woefully, inadequate views of him. And our goal as Christians ought to be to bring our understanding of God in line with the truth of who he really is. Henry G Bosch writes the following devotional entitled "God's Ways" in Our Daily Bread... After Elijah (1 Kings 17:1-16) had experienced some especially trying times, the Lord told him to flee to Zarephath where he could find food and shelter. Imagine Elijah's surprise when he discovered that the widow who was to provide for him was extremely poor! In fact, she expected that she and her son would soon die of starvation. How often God delights to astonish us by the wonder of His ways! Our limited understanding of Him can be likened to a fly crawling on one of the great pillars of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. What does that tiny insect know about the architect's magnificent design? It sees only the little space of stone on which it moves. The beautiful carvings and ornamental work seem like towering mountains and deep valleys that only impede progress and obscure the view. We as Christians often see only our immediate circumstances and perceive but a glimmer of God's marvelous purpose. The obstacles that block our vision and get in the way of our plans are actually part of the beautiful designs of divine grace. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what He is doing. Although His ways are unsearchable, He assures us that all will work out for our good if we trust Him. (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) God's ways and judgments baffle those Who do not see His perfect plan; But those who trust His saving grace, With wonder all His actions scan!-- H G B God may conceal the purpose of His ways, but His ways are not without purpose. There was an article in Psychology Today several years ago that noted that in spite of the claims that our society has become Godless, ninety-five percent of the representative sample said that actually believed in God. What has changed are not people’s affirmations of God, but their belief about him. The study asked these people what they thought about God by asking them several questions concerning what God was like and giving an option of answers. The conclusion of the study was that people had images of God today that are totally different than how the Bible portrays him. The hymn, "Lord, My Weak Thought in Vain Would Climb", by Ray Palmer puts into verse the essence of Romans 11:33 (play hymn) Lord, my weak thought in vain would climb To search the starry vault profound; In vain would wing her flight sublime To find creation’s utmost bound. But weaker yet that thought must prove To search Thy great eternal plan, Thy sovereign counsels, born of love Long ages ere the world began. When my dim reason would demand Why that, or this, Thou dost ordain, By some vast deep I seem to stand, Whose secrets I must ask in vain. When doubts disturb my troubled breast, And all is dark as night to me, Here, as on solid rock, I rest— That so it seemeth good to Thee. Be this my joy, that evermore Thou rulest all things at Thy will; Thy sovereign wisdom I adore, And calmly, sweetly, trust Thee still. ><>><>><> Behind the Scenes - While learning to use a new computer, I was troubled by a faint clicking sound that indicated it was working even though nothing was happening on the screen. The manufacturer's representative on the help hotline said, "No problem. The computer is probably running an application you can't see and is working in the background." As I thought about the phrase "working in the background," I began to realize how visually oriented I am in my relationship with God. If I can't see something, I assume it's not happening. But that's not the way God operates. I see a striking example of God's "behind the scenes" work in the conversion of Saul. While Christians were suffering under his ruthless persecution (Acts 8:1-3), God was preparing to transform him into a dynamic representative of Christ (Acts 9:15). Is there a situation in your life today where you cannot see God working? It may be that your circumstances are resisting every attempt at change. Perhaps someone you love is obstinately refusing to respond to God. Even though it may appear that nothing is happening, God is at work--behind the scenes, in the background, accomplishing His purpose. — David C. McCasland Behind my life the Weaver stands And works His wondrous will; I leave it in His all-wise hands And trust His perfect skill. --Anon. In the drama of life, God is the director behind the scenes. Romans 11:34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR ? (NASB: Lockman) Greek: Tis gar egno (3SAAI) noun kuriou? e tis sumboulos autou egeneto? (3SAMI) Amplified: For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor? (Amplified Bible - Lockman) ESV: "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" (ESV) ICB: As the Scripture says, "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been able to give the Lord advice?" Isaiah 40: 13 (ICB: Nelson) NIV: "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" (NIV - IBS) NKJV: "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" NLT: For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? (NLT - Tyndale House) Phillips: For: 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his counsellor?' ' (Phillips: Touchstone) Wuest: for whoever knew the Lord’s mind? or who became His counsellor? (Eerdmans) Young's Literal: for who did know the mind of the Lord? or who did become His counsellor? FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR: tis gar egno (3SAAI) noun kuriou e tis sumboulos autou egeneto (3SAMI): (Job 15:8; 36:22; Isaiah 40:13; Jeremiah 23:18; 1Corinthians 2:16) For - Always pause and ponder this important term of explanation. Paul's first question contrasts the always limited knowledge of man with the infinite knowledge of God. No created being can know the mind of the Lord, except to the extent that He chooses to reveal it. No one is qualified to advise God. God is so wise that He does not need our counsel, and would not profit by it any way. In Jeremiah we hear the question... But who has stood in the council of the LORD, that he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened? (Jeremiah 23:18) The psalmist declares... Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count. (Psalm 40:5) Spurgeon has these words on Psalm 40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done. Creation, providence, and redemption, teem with wonders as the sea with life. Our special attention is called by this passage to the marvels which cluster around the cross and flash from it. The accomplished redemption achieves many ends, and compasses a variety of designs; the outgoings of the atonement are not to be reckoned up, the influences of the cross reach further than the beams of the sun. Wonders of grace beyond all enumeration take their rise from the cross; adoption, pardon, justification, and a long chain of godlike miracles of love proceed from it. Note that our Lord here speaks of the Lord as "my God." The man Christ Jesus claimed for himself and us a covenant relationship with Jehovah. Let our interest in our God be ever to us our peculiar treasure. And thy thoughts which are toward us. The divine thoughts march with the divine acts, for it is not according to God's wisdom to act without deliberation and counsel. All the divine thoughts are good and gracious towards His elect. God's thoughts of love are very many, very wonderful, very practical! Muse on them, dear reader; no sweeter subject ever occupied your mind. God's thoughts of you are many, let not yours be few in return. They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee. Their sum is so great as to forbid alike analysis and numeration. Human minds fail to measure, or to arrange in order, the Lord's ways and thoughts; and it must always be so, for He hath said, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." No maze to lose oneself in like the labyrinth of love. How sweet to be outdone, overcome and overwhelmed by the astonishing grace of the Lord our God! If I would declare and speak of them, and surely this should be the occupation of my tongue at all seasonable opportunities, they are more than can be numbered; far beyond all human arithmetic they are multiplied; thoughts from all eternity, thoughts of my fall, my restoration, my redemption, my conversion, my pardon, my upholding, my perfecting, my eternal reward; the list is too long for writing, and the value of the mercies too great for estimation. Yet, if we cannot show forth all the works of the Lord, let us not make this an excuse for silence; for our Lord, Who is in this our best example, often spake of the tender thoughts of the great Father. (Spurgeon's Notes) Isaiah asks... Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, and informed Him of the way of understanding (Isaiah 40:13-14) Paul quotes Isaiah in 1 Corinthians writing... For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. (1Corinthians 2:16) King Nebuchadnezzar the greatest earthly king of his day after being humbled and then returning to his senses, blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him Who lives forever and ever testifying that... All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done? (Amplified "What are you doing")" (Daniel 4:35-note) Who became His counselor - Answer? No one! But He is our great Counselor. Do you seek His counsel before making significant life decisions? Counselor (4825) (sumboulos from sún = together + boule = counsel) is an adviser. It is one who informs about a fact or situation and/or recommends a course of action. Godet says sumboulos "denotes one who deliberates with another, and can communicate to him something of his wisdom." Godet observes that this question... bears on the relation between human and divine wisdom. It is no longer merely the discovery of the secrets of God by the study of His works which is in question, but some good counsel which man might have been called to give to the Creator in the organizing of His plans. The word sumboulos denotes one who deliberates with another, and can communicate to him something of his wisdom. It is therefore a more exalted position than that supposed by the previous question. "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/romans_1133-36.htm#Unfathomable

Be the first to react on this!

Unfathomable (421) anexichniastos

Greek Word Studies

Greek Word Studies ( - )

Grupo de Marcas