Welcome to Day 8 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize today is II Timothy 2:8:
~
“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David
was raised from the dead according to my gospel.”
~
There are many different ways to memorize something. I have found that for me the best way to memorize a verse is to repeat it over and over again, emphasizing and pondering over each successive word with each repetition. It takes some time, but when I have completed the cycle, I am able to quote the verse fairly accurately. I might have to go back a few times to remind myself of the exact wording, but usually I have the main thrust of the verse down well. So, let’s do that with this verse.
The first word is “Remember“—This word denotes continuous action; a command to be heeded at all times, not a one time act. The first word is easy to remember because we do not ever want to forget this verse.
“that Jesus Christ“—Jesus is the main subject of the verse; the reason why it even exists.
“of the seed of David“—This beautifully emphasizes Christ’s humanity; proof that He was God and flesh at the same time.
“was raised from the dead“—There is nothing more wonderful than the fact that we serve a risen Lord; this is what Paul wants us to continually remember; it is the foundation of the gospel which Paul suffered so much for.
“according to“—This word means down. Why would Paul use this word? Right now I don’t know; that is what meditation will answer.
“my gospel“—Paul is not claiming that he has any part in the good news of Christ’s mission to earth, he is just declaring the same “gospel which I [Paul] preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (I Corinthians 15:1-2).
Paul is exhorting us to continually keep in mind the details of the gospel, especially the fact that Christ is risen from the dead. This was the motivation behind Paul’s evangelistic work and must be for us also, for it is the power of God unto salvation!
~ James Staddon
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January 8th, 2009 at 5:10 am
Taking a stab at “according to” meaning “down” is that it is a preposition talking about “coming down from” or the “source” of it (in this case Paul). Latin has a similar preposition in its word “de.” It literally means “down” but used as a preposition has the connotation “about” or “according to.”
Sorry if that was confusing. Maybe it isn’t a good idea to explain grammatical concepts about Greek relating to Latin using the English language.:-P
In Christ,
Tim E.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Thank you, James, for this exhortation to continually keep in mind the truth of Christ’s resurrection. This is the heart of the Gospel!
What you said is good, Tim. “Getting down to the source” makes a lot of sense. And actually I found the Latin analogy to be quite helpful. Thanks!
January 8th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
It is good to remember that Jesus rose from the dead. Without that, we couldn’t have freedom over sin. I am so grateful for His victory over death!
January 8th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Thanks, Tim, for your comment about the preposition “according to.” It it important that we go to the original language and figure out it’s meaning no matter how complicated it may seem! May the Lord reveal to us even deeper understanding of this verse as we meditate upon it this evening. Every word of God is pure, it is a shield to them that put their trust in Him (from Prov. 30).
January 8th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Could it be safely said that idioms like “according to” are an evidence of the method of divine inspiration? That is, the words must have passed through the writer’s mind, filtered by historical-cultural-social-literary context which gave the words meaning.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I like to learn scripture that way too James.
Jesus defeating death, is what gives us everlasting life.
It helps you to think about each word more then you would usually when just reading or saying it. Isn’t it true that Christ’s resurrection is such an important part of the gospel. For some reason, in sharing the wordless book with children, that is the part I tend to leave out on accident, I am sure Satan enjoys that.
Rom 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
January 9th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Thanks James…that is a lot like the way I memorize. When you ponder the passage and break it part, it seems to come alive with new meaning which helps in memorizing.
January 9th, 2009 at 9:41 am
This is the way I memorize! and it has been a blessing cause it help me to understand more each verse!!..thanks for the insights James!
January 9th, 2009 at 10:44 am
That is how I memorize verses, too. And I have found that it is very helpful to picture what the words mean. It greatly helps me to retain the memory of the verse. Also it gives it more meaning, vs. just words.
Thank you for your expanded explanations and insights on the words and phrases. They were a great help in memorizing today. (That was a really neat and creative way to remember the word “remember”!) We serve a risen Savior. Hallelujah!
I have appreciated the related photos that have been put on for each day’s verse as they have been a great help in memory, too. Thank you!
January 9th, 2009 at 11:37 am
There truly is nothing more wonderful than the fact that we serve a risen Lord! What an all-powerful God we serve! And because He has empowered us, we can endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ and do great exploits for Him! This is an important truth to remember, especially when discouragement creeps in. When I forget about the power of my Commander in Chief, I begin to do things in my own strength. (That, of course, doesn’t work too well!) Thus, Paul says to remember!
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” (Rom. 1:16)
January 9th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
It’s amazing how many people memorize that way; but I’ve met many who do not.
For a long time, it was a struggle for me to memorize because I never nailed down a way of doing it. Once I found this method, I’ve been able to do much better. Whatever your way of memorizing is, find it, and pursue it!