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B. Verbs.
1.
(
&
, 467), akin to A, No. 1 and No. 2, “to give back as
an equivalent, to requite, recompense” (the
expressing the idea of a complete return),
is translated “render” in 1 Thess. 3:9, here only in the NT of thanksgiving to God (cf. the
Sept. of Ps. 116:12); elsewhere it is used of “recompense,” “whether between men (but in
that case only of good, not of evil, see No. 2 in 1 Thess. 5:15), Luke 14:14 , cf. the
corresponding noun in v. 12; or between God and evil-doers, Rom. 12:19,
RV
(
KJV
,
“repay”); Heb. 10:30, cf. the noun in Rom. 11:9; or between God and those who do well,
Luke 14:14 ; Rom. 11:35, cf. the noun in Col. 3:24; in 2 Thess. 1:6 both reward and
retribution are in view.”*¶
2.
(
&
, 591), “to give up or back, restore, return,” is translated
“shall recompense” in the
RV
of Matt. 6:4, 6, 18 (
KJV
, “shall reward”); in Rom. 12:17,
KJV
, “recompense” (
RV
, “render”); in 1 Thess. 5:15, “render,” See
DELIVER
,
GIVE
,
PAY
,
PERFORM
,
RENDER
,
REPAY
,
REQUITE
,
RESTORE
,
REWARD
,
SELL
,
YIELD
.
RECONCILE, RECONCILIATION
A. Verbs.
1.
(
1
, 2644) properly denotes “to change, exchange”
(especially of money); hence, of persons, “to change from enmity to friendship, to
reconcile.” With regard to the relationship between God and man, the use of this and
connected words shows that primarily “reconciliation” is what God accomplishes,
exercising His grace towards sinful man on the ground of the death of Christ in
propitiatory sacrifice under the judgment due to sin, 2 Cor. 5:19, where both the verb and
the noun are used (cf. No. 2, in Col. 1:21). By reason of this men in their sinful condition
and alienation from God are invited to be “reconciled” to Him; that is to say, to change
their attitude, and accept the provision God has made, whereby their sins can be remitted
and they themselves be justified in His sight in Christ.
Rom. 5:10 expresses this in another way: “For if, while we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son …”; that we were “enemies” not only
expresses man’s hostile attitude to God but signifies that until this change of attitude
takes place men are under condemnation, exposed to God’s wrath. The death of His Son
is the means of the removal of this, and thus we “receive the reconciliation,” v. 11,
RV
.
This stresses the attitude of God’s favor toward us. The
KJV
rendering “atonement” is
incorrect. Atonement is the offering itself of Christ under divine judgment upon sin. We
do not receive atonement. What we do receive is the result, namely, “reconciliation.”
The removal of God’s wrath does not contravene His immutability. He always acts
according to His unchanging righteousness and lovingkindness, and it is because He
changes not that His relative attitude does change towards those who change. All His acts
show that He is Light and Love. Anger, where there is no personal element, is a sign of
moral health if, and if only, it is accompanied by grief. There can be truest love along
with righteous indignation, Mark 3:5, but love and enmity cannot exist together. It is
important to distinguish “wrath” and “hostility.” The change in God’s relative attitude
toward those who receive the “reconciliation” only proves His real unchangeableness.
* From
Notes on Thessalonians,
by Hogg and Vine, p. 225.