Ek: The Greek Word For "of"

EK

(Greek Word Meaning “Of”)

Scripture: First John 4:4; 5:4; John 3:3-7; Romans 5:12, 19

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (First John 4:4)

The title of my message this morning is “Ek.” Ek is the Greek word meaning “of” or “out.” It speaks to origin as in “from out of.”

We have all seen commercials for products where part of the advertisements mentions that the product was “made in America or the USA.” According to the Federal Trade Commission, “Made in America or the USA” means that “all or virtually all” the product has been made in America. That is, all significant parts, processing and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. Think about that. That one word “in” gives the location of where a product was predominately made, including the parts, processing and the labor required to produce it. The word “in” in this instance provides location and in some cases origin. Now let’s take a moment and think about the word “origin.” The Encarta dictionary defines this word as “the thing from which something develops, or the place where it comes from.” So the word “origin” can also define the location from which something comes from, but it also has another meaning. The other meaning of “origin” means “the thing from which something develops.” That definition is not speaking of location as in a place, but the “cause, beginning or foundation” of something coming into being. So let’s look at what happens when a child is conceived.

When I was conceived by my parents, their combined DNA structure created me. I was born a Johnson and I will die a Johnson. Now that part of me (my last name) is just the name only, but the name is not what makes me a Johnson. What makes me a Johnson is the fact that I look like a Johnson. If you look at my physical characteristics, you will be able to see both my father’s and my mother’s physical features in me. In other words, I look like both my father and my mother. The reason for this, as you well know, is because each parent gives the child some of themselves during the conception process. A child is made from the information found in the cells of the parents. These characteristics are called genes. Genes are present on the chromosomes which we receive from our parents in the egg and sperm. The characteristics of an individual human being are passed from one generation to the next in their chromosomes. We look like our parents because the way we grow and develop is determined by the genes we received from them when we were conceived. I want you to listen closely to what I am about to tell you because if you understand this statement you will understand everything else that will follow in this message. The only possible way that I could change my gene pool – my DNA – would be to be born again. If I am born again with a different gene pool resulting in a different DNA structure, then I would literally be a different person. I would no longer “look” like my parents because my genes would be different. I would no longer “act” like my parents, i.e. share their mannerisms, because I would be raised by another set of parents. Do you see where this is going? This understanding, New Light, brings us to the word “Ek” and in order to understand this word fully you must be born again. Remember when Nicodemus asked Jesus about being born again in John chapter three?

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews who visited Jesus one night to gain a better understanding of His teachings. During their conversation, Jesus tells him he must be born again. John 3:3-7 records the following, “(3) Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (4) Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ (5) Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Being born again of the Spirit changes our spiritual gene pool – from a sin nature to a Godly nature. It is important to understand this because when we get saved, our spirits are regenerated (re-born) but we still have the same mind and the same fleshly body. It is at this point that the battle starts – the spirit fighting against the flesh and the mind (thoughts). The stronger we grow in the Lord the more victories we will have when our flesh and minds (thoughts) rise up against our spirits. But let’s get back to the subject at hand.