Gold Tried in the Fire - Robert J. Wieland

Paul appears to make two exceptions, but they
are not exceptions. We shall examine them.
Neither, if properly translated, expresses man's
trust in God, but God's trust in man! It is
interesting to study these uses of pisteuo, which
appear on the surface to require the translation of
"trust'' or "entrusted." In each instance the subject
is the gospel being entrusted to the care and
ministry of Paul himself. No English word can
properly convey the sublime thought contained in
what Paul is saying. His use of pisteuo here must
borrow its luster from its usage elsewhere in the
New Testament—that of a heart-appreciation of the
love of God revealed at the cross. Two passages
from Paul, and one from Luke, must be considered:
1 Thessalonians 2:4: "We speak as men
approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel."
NIV. Translators obsessed with the natural
immortality idea have failed to see the depth of
meaning in this passage. It is not by accident that
Paul uses this word pisteuo, which is so freighted
with the content of human appreciation for the
cross of Christ. What he says is this: "We speak as
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