… because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
Summary: Words matter, and the Bible’s words matter the most. Helping people understand the gospel is often a matter of making sure we are using words correctly.
What does it mean to have a partnership in the gospel?
The word “partnership” seems straightforward. Paul acknowledges the support he has received from the Philippians. The word “gospel” is a little different.
One of the challenges the church struggles with is language shortcuts.
It is not unlike someone using an acronym instead of plain language. If you are a computer geek, you know that “CPU” means Central Processing Unit, RAM is Random Access Memory, and GPU means Graphics Processing Unit.
“Texting” is a word that means sending messages by short segments of text. Keeping things short has led to the use of acronyms like LOL (Laugh Out Loud), TBH (To Be Honest), and IMO (In My Opinion).
In Christian lingo, we use shortcuts, too. The word “gospel” is commonly understood to mean the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus is quoted as saying, “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” (Mark 13:10)
I understand this to mean that the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ must be preached to all nations. But that is not how Paul uses the word.
When Paul says, “… because of your partnership in the gospel,” he means “… because of your partnership in helping share the gospel …”
It is a small thing, but it can be confusing to people.
Am I suggesting that the Bible is wrong?
No. I am not.
I am, however, suggesting that we need to be aware of how we use words like “gospel,” “grace,” “faith,” and “salvation.”
The English translation is not always a direct equivalent of the Greek. The word “partnership” is used in place of the Greek word “koinōnia,” which means “partnership,” but can also refer to communication.* If we use this secondary meaning, Paul’s words become, “… because of your [implied help] in communicating the gospel …”
When we talk about our faith as Christians, there is a good chance we will understand our linguistic shortcuts. However, in the interests of clarity, we should be careful. After all, we don’t want to obstruct the gospel; we want to “koinōnia” it.
Application: Strive to understand key biblical concepts so that the gospel can be shared more clearly with those who haven’t heard it.
Food for Thought: How do you communicate (koinōnia) the gospel?
*”G2842 – koinōnia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (niv).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 8 May, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2842/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.
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