A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.
Parallel translations
- WEB No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.
- KJV No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
- NKJV No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
- NASB No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.
- NLT Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A soldier on duty avoids entanglement in civilian affairs so as to please his commanding officer. Singleminded devotion to Christ frees the minister from competing distractions.
Overview
Continuing the soldier image, Paul stresses focused loyalty to the one who enlisted him. The minister, like a soldier, must not let the ordinary concerns of life crowd out his primary allegiance to Christ. The aim is to please the Lord who called him, keeping ministry undivided in its devotion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Th 2:4Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.
- Luke 8:14The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
- 2 Pet 2:20If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
- 1 Cor 9:25–26Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
- 1 Cor 7:22–23For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
- Luke 9:59–62Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
- 2 Cor 5:9So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it.
- 2 Tim 4:10because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
- 1 Tim 6:9–12Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
- Deut 20:5–7Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.
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Christ at the center
Christ Jesus 'abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' — the risen Lord whose word and kingdom endure to the end.
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Original language
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