Section 1:12–17
Paul thanked Christ Jesus for his mercy
Paul began this section by thanking Christ Jesus for forgiving him. He described himself as the worst sinner. He said that Christ would forgive everyone who believed in him, no matter how sinful they were, just as Christ had forgiven him.
Paragraph 1:12–14
1:12a
thank: That is, Paul was grateful to Christ Jesus for all that he had done for him. Some languages may not have a word that means thank. If your language is like that, you may have to say something like:
I tell Christ Jesus our Lord that he has done good to me.
Christ Jesus our Lord: This is the same expression that was used in 1:2c.
Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. (Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.)
In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.
However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.
Christ: The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.
our: This again refers to Paul, Timothy, and the Ephesian believers.
Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord is a general word that means “master.” It was used to address any respected person. It is a title used frequently in the New Testament to refer to either Christ or God. When it refers to them, you could translate it as “owner” or “chief.”
1:12b
strengthened me: In 1:12c, Paul thanked Christ for giving him the responsibility to preach the gospel. But first he acknowledged that Christ had strengthened him to preach the gospel. That means that Christ enabled him to do it.
1:12c
that He considered me faithful: When Paul said that Christ had considered him faithful, he meant that Christ considered him to be trustworthy, dependable, and reliable.
Before Paul became a believer he had not been faithful. See 1:13. He had even persecuted those who believed in Christ, and he had blasphemed God. But, here in 1:12c, he said that, despite his past, Christ treated him as if he were faithful.
1:12d
and appointed me to service: The words appointed me to service explain the way in which Christ showed Paul that he considered him faithful. Paul used the word service here to refer to the task that Christ assigned to him. Paul’s task was to preach the gospel as an apostle. Christ appointed Paul to be his representative at the time when Paul first came to believe in him (see Acts 22:14–15).
service: You may need to translate service with a verb like “serve.” In some languages it may also be necessary to supply an object that specifies whom Paul was to serve. If so, you should follow the model of the New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, and Good News Translation, and indicate that Christ had chosen Paul to serve him.
The word “serve” here refers to serving or working for God, doing what God asks a Christian to do. In some languages it might be better to use a word that means “worship.”
General Comment on 1:12a
If you need to translate “thank” with direct speech, you may say something like this:
I say to Christ Jesus our Lord, he who has given me strength, “Thank you for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve you.”
General Comment on 1:12a–d
In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder this verse. For example, first mention that Christ gave Paul the responsibility to preach the gospel (1:12c–d). Then say that Christ had given him the strength to do it. One way to do this would be:
12aI thank Christ Jesus our Lord 12cbecause he has counted me as faithful 12dand called me to serve him by preaching the gospel. 12bAnd he has made me strong enough to do what he called me to do.
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