Efficacy As a Greek Term in the New Testament - But Somewhat Hidden in Its Translation - "Because the Holy Spirit always works with the Word and never apart from the Word, the Scriptures are effective and powerful."

 

The Byzantine Empire lasted 1100 years, using the Greek language and preserving the Apostolic Text (Traditional Text). The modern Bad Bible Boosters  - like the Beck Bad Bible - favor the frauds like Vaticanus and Sinaiticus.

Because the Holy Spirit always works with the Word and never apart from the Word, the Scriptures are effective and powerful. Below is the list for starters. The theme of efficacy goes beyond the word group itself.

Bible
Effectual, powerful: energes

1 Corinthians 16:9 (KJV) For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and many adversaries.

Philemon 1:6 (KJV) That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) For the word of God quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Operations, working: energema

1 Corinthians 12:6 (KJV) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

To show forth, work: energew

Matthew 14:2 (KJV) And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.

Mark 6:14 (KJV) And king Herod heard ; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.

Romans 7:5 (KJV) For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

1 Corinthians 12:6 (KJV) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

1 Corinthians 12:11 (KJV) But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

2 Corinthians 1:6 (KJV) And whether we be afflicted, for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, for your consolation and salvation.

2 Corinthians 4:12 (KJV) So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Galatians 2:8 (KJV) (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

Galatians 3:5 (KJV) He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Galatians 5:6 (KJV) For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Ephesians 1:11 (KJV) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Ephesians 1:20 (KJV) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set at his own right hand in the heavenly ,

Ephesians 2:2 (KJV) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 3:20‑21 (KJV) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, {21} Unto him glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Philippians 2:13 (KJV) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of good pleasure.

Colossians 1:29 (KJV) Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (KJV) For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received not the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 (KJV) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth , until he be taken out of the way.

James 5:16 (KJV) Confess faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Effectual, working: energeia

Ephesians 1:19 (KJV) And what the exceeding greatness of his power to us‑ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Ephesians 3:7 (KJV) Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Ephesians 4:16 (KJV) From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Philippians 3:21 (KJV) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Colossians 1:29 (KJV) Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Colossians 2:12 (KJV) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

2 Thessalonians 2:9‑12 (KJV) , whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, {10} And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of
the truth, that they might be saved. {11} And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: {12} That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. [Note 2
Thessalonians 2:7, the mystery of iniquity already at work.]

 Here is the concept expressed vividly.

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity, 2023. The Parable of the Unjust Steward

 

Link to Vimeo 

Trinity 9 Service, 2023

Bethany Lutheran Church

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

The Hymn #613           Jerusalem the Golden       

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Behold, God is mine Helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.

He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in Thy truth, O Lord.

Psalm. Save me, O God, by Thy name: and judge me by Thy strength.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Let Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please Thee; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

Gradual

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth: 

who hast set Thy glory above the heavens. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: 

that delighteth greatly in His commandments. Hallelujah!

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn #426         The Lord My Shepherd Is - Watts

        

Unjust Steward - Unrighteous Mammon

The Communion Hymn #339        All Hail the Power

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #46              On What Has Now Been Sown

Prayers and Announcements

• Sarah Buck; Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader; Kermit and Maria Way.
• Ranger Bob is in the hospital after a very serious operation on his leg.
• Pastor Jackson has been kicked off the free Christian News list for criticizing Objective Faithless Justification and the horrible Beck Bible, which is no better than the Evil Four - RSV, NRSV, ESV, NIV.

            

 

KJV 1 Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

KJV Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

Ninth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast bountifully given us Thy blessing and our daily bread: We beseech Thee, preserve us from covetousness, and so quicken our hearts that we willingly share Thy blessed gifts with our needy brethren; that we may be found faithful stewards of Thy gifts, and abide in Thy grace when we shall be removed from our stewardship, and shall come before Thy judgment, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

        

Unjust Steward - Unrighteous Mammon

KJV Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

Luther - First Sermon for Trinity 9

I. OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAMMON.

1. This is truly a Gospel for priests and monks, and will bring them money, unless we prevent it. Before entering upon the consideration of it, we must accustom ourselves to the language used, especially the word mammon.

Luther's humorous introduction to this sermon should be noted and remembered, because this parable is a trap for those who do not understand it and difficult for those who try. Like all of the "hard sayings" of Jesus, this one opens up the meaning of the story, in an unconventional way. Two terms must be understood - the Unjust Steward and the Mammon of Unrighteousness.

1. Unjust Steward - Key Person

The steward - or manager - in this story is unjust, and not a believer. He is dishonest in his dealings and in his fake repentance. Nothing he does is commendable, and that is why the rich man appreciates the steward's dishonesty. We have to remember that the Rich Man only cares about cash flow, not honesty.

2. Mammon of Unrighteousness - Key Meaning

Mammon is not money but extra money, more than we have to have, beyond our normal expenses. That means it is neither bad nor good. 

Luther was very much against the righteousness of works, which is so easy for the bishops to use against the people. "Build this chapel to St. Matthew the Rotund and God will reward you with grace." 

In this parable the steward (manager) is seen by the others as being wasteful. They report him to the Rich Man, who threatens the steward with expulsion and its consequences, poverty.

3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

Unstated is the fact that the Rich Man did not become wealthy by being a choir boy, as they say. An estate owner would always be eager to capitalize on bargains, droughts, weather calamities, and changes in currency. A written bill has a lesser value as a debt than cash. A dishonest eye practice tried to make money from a bill when they had already admitted malpractice. The bill collector thought he had a pile of money to use, just for making a phone call - $800! I said, "They admitted their errors and canceled the $200 bill. You paid something for the piece of worthless paper, so you get to eat it." The bill collector was not happy since he wanted to cash in on the dishonesty.

8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

The founder of the University of Phoenix wrote in his book that he and other higher education businessmen routinely gave money to the right people to make their schools legitimate. The right people hold the power in granting certifications with its complicated rules and demands, varying state by state, a lot of hungry mouths to feed. The founder gave one lobbyist $500,000 to get one of those certifications done. Everyone in the education business knows. One LCMS college thought the sure way to success was something called HotChalk, an integrated system of online education in one package. Now they want their $300 million from the college.

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

Here we have to say, with Luther (see the linked sermon) that the conclusion is not parallel to the Rich Man and the Unrighteous Steward. This is a very condensed way of saying, In spreading the Gospel, share what you have with the poor.

Luther:

12. Luke has described the fruit of faith thus: Give to the poor and make to yourself friends. As though he would say: I will not now speak of faith, but how you should prove your faith. Wherefore do good to your neighbor, and if you can give from the heart you may be assured that you believe.

Thus the Scriptures speak at one time of fruits, at another time of faith.

Again, they also speak of fruits, when they teach, Matthew 25:42, how the Lord will speak to the lost on the last day: “I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was athirst, and ye gave me no drink,” and the like.

This means, you have not believed, as I will prove to you by your own works.

13. The Scriptures in some passages speak of the outward conduct, and in others of the inner. Now if you will apply that which is said of the outward to the heart and confuse matters, you pervert it and do wrong. Hence you must let the distinction remain, and observe it. These expressions: I have been hungry, thirsty, shelterless, naked, sick and in prison, and you have shown me no work of mercy, refer to the external conduct, and signify as much as: you have never exhibited any outward conduct by which you have shown your faith; and to prove this, I appeal to the poor as witnesses.

Therefore, faith alone must be present first to make us good, after that good works must follow to prove our piety. This now is one point, namely, concerning works.

14. The second point is far more difficult, when the Lord says: “Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.” You say, our adversaries cry: you say a person shall not do good works to obtain eternal life; behold, here it reads differently. Now, what shall we answer?

This is Jesus chiding the disciples to spread the Gospel by caring for the poor. The scribes and Pharisees stayed back because they wanted to treat Jesus as unclean. The poor crowded around Him and asked for healing and understood through His miracles that their sins were forgiven through faith, something far more powerful than the righteousness of works.

 CFW Walther's nephew read a lot of Luther - and it shows.