Personal Evangelism – Colossians 4:2-6

September 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

the first of the Epistles to the Colossians

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Colossians 4:2-6 2  Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4  that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.  5  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Here in Colossians we find instructions and advise on how to approach friends, family, acquaintances and anyone else we may come across living in  the “World” yet not as the “World”.  Prior to this passage we find instructions on how we are to treat those under our authority and how we respond to those in authority.  Our response to and use of authority precedes our evangelism.  Ravi Zacharias has said, “intent precedes content”.  How we treat others, our intent, will speak louder than what we say, our content.

Bring it to The Almighty

OK, now we start talking to people… Well not quite.  It is appropriate that Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 verse 1 deal with how we approach authority.  Before we approach the world we need to approach The Throne.  We must take each day, each relationship, each interaction we expect and those we don’t expect during the day before God.  Continue resolute with conviction and confidence in prayer.  If we are confident in prayer then we will expect God to respond and we will be watchful looking for the fulfillment of prayer.  We will not just watch for it to be filled in the way we want God to work or hope He will work.  We need to look for God’s response and be thankful for what God provides because He always provides what we need.

Acts 16:14 - A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

While we are praying the words “also for” tells us that we need to pray for our own opportunities and for the opportunities of other Christians.  This is a team effort.  We are asking God to open the hearts of people we talk to so that there will be an entrance point for the word of God.  As we speak that “Word” we trust in God’s word to declare or make known the mysteries of God.  Mysteries which are of greater value then freedom from prison or persecution.  Then the passage calls us to pray for a clear presentation.  Yet the passage says we are declaring a mystery.  How can something be both mysterious and clear?  There is a sense within which the words of the gospel cannot be understood rationally but must be felt. The Bible says that to the World the gospel seems foolishness and even offensive. The temptation might be to use methods of the World to convince people.  Paul would have been well aware of the Sophists of his day who trained politicians and wealthy business men how to use words to manipulate and motivate people to get what they wanted.  One example that most of us are aware of today is the prosperity gospel which tells people they will get worldly possessions, recognition, and power if they come to Jesus.  While it is true that a life lived in accordance with God’s intended order will result in benefits those are the fringe benefits of Christ, the treasure itself is Christ.  God help me to avoid the temptation to manipulate by selling benefits instead of bringing them Jesus.

Heading Out with God’s Word and Wisdom

We are then to go into the world and walk wisely particularly in the manner in which we engage with people in the world.  But how do we walk wisely in the world?  The passage doesn’t just make this statement and assume that we know specifically what it entails.  Paul follows up this statement with specific statements about what it means to walk wisely.  We are to given four instructions on how to approach people in the world.

  1. Be prudent with time and place
  2. Converse with grace
  3. Sprinkle in some salt
  4. Know how to answer

The first concern of wisdom is prudence with our time; we must be aware of where we are and the seasons and times we are in considering the time, place and limits we must deal with.  Know what you will have time for and place for.  Be aware of the situation in which you find yourself.  The word “use” here means to buy, ransom or rescue from loss.  We live in a fallen world and in our age as theirs much time is spent on leisure or  busyness but little on what is significant.  We are called to buy that time back and spend that time on that which is of real eternal value.  It’s alright to shoot the breeze but if that’s all you ever do in the end you are left grasping the wind.

Converse with Grace

Active Listening

Next, speak with grace.  We are to approach people with pleasant, winsome, empathetic words. While we say “speak” grace is not grace if it is not considerate, we do not give grace to inanimate objects, we give grace to people and though we “speak” here in this context it is part of a conversation.  We must know and acknowledge the other person.  The first thing to realize is that every person has been created by God in His image, created with the Imago Dei.  Even though we are all fallen and sinful the image of God gives us redeemable qualities, values and conscience which we must look for in others and acknowledge.  We see this when Paul was in Athens and he acknowledged that the people were religious and desired not to miss any deity in their worship to the point of having an altar to an unknown god.  Paul further acknowledged that their poets rightly saw that God truly is larger than any temple that could be built and the source of existence.  These were gracious compliments even though they had not seen clearly they knew something was beyond them because of God’s created image within them.  Secondly, you need to listen; this is a conversation after all.  Ask questions and listen to what the person has to say.  An effective method is called Active Listening.  Active listening requires time to dive into what the person is saying.  The basic steps are to

  1. listen and seek to understand what the person is saying.
  2. Then remember what they said and respond.
  3. The response should acknowledge difficulties and feelings and either restate what was said using similar words or reflect on what they said by rephrasing it possibly with some speculation on how they might be feeling.

The result will be that the person you are talking to feels appreciated and you will have a better understanding of their concerns and how they approach the world.

Sprinkle Some Salt

Thirdly, what we say needs to have some salt in it.  As I thought about that statement and what it means to be salty I realized that the statement itself stands out.  Up to this point the bible verses have used words with meanings relative to the topic being addressed.  Here, Paul switches to a metaphor.  It stands out as must salty words.  They aren’t same old, same old words.  These aren’t bland, unremembered words with little emotion or conviction behind them.  But then neither are these compliments that feel good for the moment and then slowly fade away.  In our gracious speech of course we should have some compliments as said previously but this call to season with salt isn’t a restatement of saying words with grace.  As disciples of Christ we are to stand out, apart from the world in what we value and how we approach life.  So what does salt mean.  To borrow from John Piper’s message on this same passage our saltiness is our radicalness for Jesus as seen in Luke 14:33-34.  The stuff of this world that in leisure and busyness the world spends its time on is what we renounce and hold so loosely as if it weren’t ours because we belong to Jesus.  It is also our irrational hope in the promises of the gospel and confidence in its warnings.  To be salt, to season what is said with salt as John Piper’s son put it, “your own mouth has to water for the gospel”.

Luke 14:33-34  33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.  34 “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

We are a people who believe in the resurrection of the dead.  We believe that once we have passed away and our body has been decomposed back into the dust of the earth that God will pull it all back together and in our flesh we will see God.  We believe that in Christ this is already beginning as our fallen nature is regenerated into the likeness of Christ.  We are an irrational people by the world’s estimation even so we are confident and bold in our hope.  Possessions no longer possess us but we hold them so loosely that if someone is in need we release what we have.  But not like the world which calls on people to release so that a better society might be built.  We release it because nothing of this earth has a hold on us but we are held by a longing to be with Jesus in eternity, regenerated and risen from the dust in fellowship with The King and desire to see others have the same opportunity.

Further salt as a spice is challenging because we bring God’s perspective to the situations of life.  But the world desires to make its own way and have its own view of things.  At times we may need to be upfront but if that is our only approach then we may be antagonistic and quench their thirst. Another way to approach the person you are talking to is to try and understand how they approach the world; how do they think the world works, who is in control, where does purpose come from and then see where their line of thinking may lead.  Francis Schaeffer called this finding the point of tension.  Schaeffer said that a perspective on actions or circumstances has underlying presuppositions that this or that is true, valuable or ethical.  To find the point of tension look for the potentially untenable perspectives that these presuppositions justify and bring them into the light.  Throw some salt on these presuppositions.  For example if someone doesn’t believe in God then seek to find their source of purpose and ethics.  Has a naturalist ever received a flower from another soul expressing anything of transcendent value  or is each flower merely an expression of the right chemical composition and each gift the right combination of hormones?  The Word of God and the Gospel are real and the only perspectives that align with reality.  Any other perspective has points of tension which are more convenient to ignore.

Finally, know how to answer each person.  As you express your hope in Christ and resurrection from the dead and loose hold on the stuff of the world expect that people will ask you; why?  If this truly is your hope then you will know why and be able to talk about the circumstances that overwhelmed you and lead to such a faith and break with the world.  Some other questions may be more difficult but have faith and prayer for the Spirit’s guidance.  You must look at the world and know that God is and see in the Bible that God is not silent and that he has spoken.  If they ask for other proofs for God’s existence or explanations of the Cross and how Jesus could be a substitution you can research and have a bunch of answers in your back pocket but it may be more effective to say “hey why don’t we look into it together”  that shows a concern and a willingness to spend time and further talk with them and may in the end bring them to Jesus.

1 Peter 3:5 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;

Luke 12:11-12 11″When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

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Bible Study Advanced – Key Word Study

August 8, 2011 Leave a Comment

Interlinear Bible

As you read through the bible you will want to start looking more deeply at passages to get all the meaning out of them. This is called studying as opposed to just reading through the bible. There are several methods and we had previously discussed a cross-reference study. Another type of study is a Key Word study. The purpose is to get a broader sense of what the words meant to the culture and people in the bible and to check if the word chosen by the translator is the closest definition to what the verse is trying to say, to the context of the words in the verse. When we use a word we are aware of the connotations and possible meanings a word may have from our language but these may not be the same as the word in the Bible in its original language. A key word study is necessary to get the best picture of the thoughts that came to mind when the original author wrote the passage.

As you study a passage look for repeated words, lists or words that are critical to what the text is saying. Then look these words up in a lexicon such as the Strong’s concordance, or those available in bible software such as Logos or BibleWorks or free programs such as The Word (www.theword.net) or online at sights such as new.studylight.org. Another tool is the Interlinear Scripture Analyzer from www.scripture4all.org.   If you have an Interlinear or key word study bible it will list Strong’s numbers above each word that can be used to look up the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the word translated into English. The next step in a key word study is to note the definitions which are the possible denotations the word might have when used in a sentence. It should also be understood that the etymology and consideration of all denotations forms a picture of the sense of connotation which use of the word would also entail.  (An example of connotation would be when I say something is superior instead of saying it is best there is a sense of arrogance with the term superior.)  Record the generic sense that you get from the word whether it has a positive or negative sense or a superior sense. As you look at the references and note the uses of the word this will also build a sense of what connotations the word carried.

Further consideration of the uses of the word in the Bible should establish its most common use or common definition or denotation. Then examples of use should be explored by looking for categories in which the immediate context might be placed that describe types of qualifications that determine the most likely definition or the most correct denotation. From a site like new.studylight.org you can look up a key word and then list its uses either by translation or book of the bible. You may then drill down by translation and get a set of example verses. Looking at how the word is used in these verses. For nouns consider the verbs or actions they take and for verbs consider the subjects and objects.  The Interlinear Scripture Analyzer groups references down to word form and morphology and translation allowing for even greater consideration of the context and translation relative to the meaning of the word.  This may also be accomplished using bible study software and either the search interface or through concordance modules.  Determine if you can categorize these surrounding words into more generic descriptive concepts and record these generic concepts next to the lexicon definition in a table similar to the one inserted below. These generic concepts and categories form the qualifications that can help to determine the most appropriate denotation for a word within the verse you are looking at or considering.  Compare the context of the verses you are exploring and then determine which categories the context most closely aligns to; from this the appropriate translation might be verified.  The assumption is that most of the other translations of the word will likely be accurate.  If a translation may be off it will likely stick out like the proverbial sore thumb as its context (the types of other words around it) will differ from most other examples.

For example re’shiyth can mean first or beginning. In the cases where it generally means first it is part of the object and modifies what is produced so the category would be it qualifies something produced. Whereas when it generally means beginning it modifies an action or role. Then looking for these qualifications the chosen translation of the word in a sentence may be validated considering both its common use and categorization of the immediate context.   The goal shouldn’t necessarily be to the level of textual criticism necessary for translation but to clarify the intended meaning and gain understanding of the broader connotation of a few key words. There are many great online tools as well as bible software programs that may be used to look up key words. For this article the strong’s entries and passage lists can be found at Blue Letter Bible (www.blb.org[1]) and the lexicon at new.studylight.org.

Strong’s H8414

Transliteration

תֹּהוּ

tohuw

Pronunciation

Root Word

tō‘·hü

from an unused root meaning to lie waste

N,M

Definition

Uses

Contextual Category

1. formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness

a.formlessness (of primeval earth)

2

1.nothingness, empty space

3

State of being relative to the earth and/or sky

b.that which is empty or unreal (of idols)

3

State of being relative to idols

c.wasteland, wilderness (of solitary places), desolation

6

As an object relative to a location or direction of travel

d.place of chaos

2

e.vanity, futile, meaningless

6

As the state or end result of earthly authority

Connotation: either body or soul cannot survive here. A place that is or brings about non-existence.

Passages

Gen 1:2

The earth was formless8414and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Deu 32:10

“He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste8414of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.

1Sa 12:21

“You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile8414things8414which cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile.8414

Job 6:18

“The paths of their course wind along, They goup into nothing8414and perish.

Then read through the passage again with the fuller understanding of the depth of meaning behind the key words you have studied. Another way to explain it is to compare the New American Standard translation to the Amplified Bible. In the Amplified translation Mrs Francis Siewert with the Lockman foundation took the American Standard translation along with several key word study references and did to an extent what we have described in this article. Determining the breath of meaning and connotation certain key words might have Mrs Siewert added information on connotations in parenthesis and expanded the translations of other words. Examine the example passage bellow and note the two underlined words in the NASB and how they were expanded in the AMP.
1 Corinthians 2: 14-15 NASB 14But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
1 Corinthias 2:14-15 AMP 14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. 15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].

You may ask “If the AMP does this expansion then why would I want to do a key word study”? Well the AMP doesn’t expand upon every word and well, you should want to verify for yourself if the expansions of meaning done by the AMP makes sense. But reading the AMP can give you a sense of how much more you can see in a verse if you look more deeply at what a word meant and what other meanings it carried.

More advanced lexicons used by students of Greek and Hebrew aren’t based upon Strong’s numbers but function more like a dictionary.  This requires knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew alphabet and looking up words like one would in a common English dictionary.  However there are some tools for Greek that can allow us to take advantage of these resources.  The Study Light (new.studylight.org) or Blue Letter Bible (www.blb.org) provide interlinear bibles from which the Greek word may be copied into your clip board.  The word may then be pasted into the Perseus Digital Libraries (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/search) search engine using the Word Study Tool on the right side of the page.  This resource provides access to lexicons such as the LSJ, Liddell and others.  These resources provide more in-depth definitions and other examples of uses of the word through out history and in other literary works.  Additionally more advanced keyword studies would include consideration of word forms with in the verse you are reading. Word forms include noun plurality and gender and verb tense/aspect, voice and mood. Such considerations place further limits on the meaning and scope or depth of what is being talked about. But this is a topic for further discussion in another article.

[1] Blue Letter Bible. “Dictionary and Word Search for tohuw (Strong’s 8414)“. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011. 27 Jul 2011.

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Bible Study Advanced – Cross Reference Study

August 4, 2011 Leave a Comment

As you progress in your study of scripture you will want to take passages and drill down further into what else the bible has to say on the subject and relative to the statements made within each verse.  As indicated in the previous article if you are reading through the bible and memorizing scripture as you start to meditate on a particular set of verses, a passage, other statements from the Bible will come to mind setting limits and expanding the concept.  But since most of us don’t have the entire bible memorized we can use some help.  Some helpful tools are a good cross reference and a topical reference which may be used in a cross reference study.

The purpose of a cross reference study is to in a sense put a “face” to what has been written.  To better understand what an author is saying we need to establish the foundation from which the author writes; who they are and how they view the world.  Then as we look at what an author says we want to verify our understanding by looking for other statements made by the author that affirm the understanding we get from a particular statement they make.  Finally we look for clarification or further details that might fill in gaps in our understanding of what the author is trying to communicate.

  • Foundation – the nature of the author, the text and the characters or subject being written about
  • Affirmation – restatements in support of other statements
  • Clarification – Statements on the same topic or point that add more detail or clarity

A cross reference study endeavors to be fair to the author by avoiding the traps of taking statements out of context or jumping to conclusions about what the author is saying.  One statement does not address all aspects of an issue and it is not fair to an author, in our case God, to assume that it does.  One passage of scripture is generally not enough to form a consistent theology.

Any good study bible will have cross references either in the margin or the center column.  Cross references are also available in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, TSK, available in desk reference form or on such sites as www.blb.org and www.studylight.org.  Another option is the open bible website which has a topical and a cross reference database which brings together several different sources providing 340,000 cross references.  The cross references are color coded by the degree to which they are similar to the original reference.

http://www.openbible.info/labs/cross-references/

Foundation References

The first thing to show is the nature of the characters the first of which is God and the bible.  The table inserted below gives some key passages establishing the nature of God and the Bible.  Next determine who was the author being lead by the Spirit and use a topical reference to search for verses about the author and note them.  Identify the place and who is being written to and what is being written about and look these up in a topical reference and note them in a table similar to the one below.

Natures Reference
Nature of God 1 John 1:5 ESV – This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
James 1:17 ESV – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Psalm 90:2 ESV – Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
John 4:24 ESV – God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Colossians 1:17 ESV – And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Romans 1:19-20 ESV – 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Nature of Scripture John 17:17 ESV – Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Hebrews 4:12 ESV – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Affirmation and Clarification References

Next break the passage down into sets of verses if possible or address each verse on its own.  Determine if the cross reference is either supporting the understanding of the verse or if it is adding more detail to what the verse is talking about and note these separately.  A three column table having the reference, topic or key words and a cross reference column can be used to capture these verses.  An example is inserted below.

Reference Topic Cross Reference
Genesis 1:1-2 Situation – Heaven & Earth CreatedDark, Empty & Deep John 1:1-3 ESV – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
Psalm 33:6,9 ESV – 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. … 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
2 Peter 3:5 ESV – 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
Isaiah 40:22 ESV – It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
Jeremiah 4:23 NASB – I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.
Nehemiah 9:6 – “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

Finally, read through the cross references you have gathered. Then reread the passage and consider if what you believe a verse is saying is supported by the cross references gathered or if it is denied.  Also as you read passages the combination of specific meaning or denotations form the explicit meaning of the verse but words and phrases also have connotations which lead to possible implied or implicit meanings.  The implied meanings sometimes have significant implications and affects as connotations tend to hit us at a spiritual level but there is also the greatest danger for seeing a meaning which the Bible does not intend to convey.  It is the cross references which can help validate implicit thoughts from a bible passage and either establish them or exclude them from our mind as we read and try hard to understand God’s word.

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The Noise of Our Sin

July 21, 2011 Leave a Comment

Jesus Christ with children

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Matthew 18:10

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

The face that no one can see and live because of His holiness. The burning ones who serve God before the throne cover themselves with extra wings because even they would be consumed by the holiness of God almighty. The face of the all consuming fire. Before that face each child has angels (more than one) who get an audience. And moment by moment these angels come frustrated, weeping before the Father scores upon scores of angels for scores upon scores of children killed in abortion, abandoned or murdered by selfish parents, and a church barely raising a fuss over all of this. The noise of our sin must be such a din.

“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God”  Hebrews 10:31

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Bible Study Basics – ACTS of Study

July 21, 2011 Leave a Comment

Consider with me Daniel who was taken into exile in Babylon, away from his country and his family. Daily he prays to God and then we see this, the angel Gabriel comes to him and says:

Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.

God shows His love for Daniel by sending an angel, Gabrel, to explain his visions. God is saying “I’m letting you in on my plans” some of which he is allowed to write down and others are just for him to hear, words given to him in confidence from God. I sat there and it floored me. God is sharing his deepest plans with Daniel, why… Because you are greatly loved I have come to tell you… Just as Daniel got to hear God’s heart, his desires and feelings, and his plans 40 authors over 2000 years inspired by God were sent to tell you, to let you in on God’s heart and plans, why? For you are greatly loved… Every statement in the bible is packed with power and meaning. I don’t need courage I’ve got something greater when I have His word in my hand. Studying the Bible is every Christian’s privilege and duty.

Even before we get down to reading and study we must establish the most basic foundation. To study God’s word we need ACTS; Affections, Context, Text and Study.

  • Affections – John 7:17 tells us that our problem with knowing or figuring out what the Bible is saying is not that what the bible tells us is hard to comprehend, our problem with knowing is that we lack the will to do God’s will. Understanding the Bible starts with having the will to do God’s will. Then Proverbs calls us to treasure knowledge, the next step is to value knowing what God wants to reveal in His Word and will. You have to want it. You have to value it. Yielded; you have to be willing to accept what it says whether you like what it says or not. Pray to have the right spirit.

John 7:17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

  • Context – One of the most powerful statements I ever read which just opened up scripture to me was made by J I Packer in “Knowing God”. Packer Said “We feel that we are, so to speak, on the outside of the Bible world, looking in… The sense of remoteness is an illusion which springs from seeking the link between our situation and that of the various Bible characters in the wrong place… epoch, culture, etc… The link between them and us is not found at that level. The link is God Himself. For the God with whom they had to do is the same God with whom we have to do.” I believe knowledge of the cultures and original languages will add to that understanding but I do not believe it will ever turn the meaning around 180 degrees or even 90 degrees for that matter. It may skew it slightly but for all intents and purposes what God wants us to learn we can get from a good, honest translation. The context of the words in scripture will lead to an essential understanding of scripture. The Bible is written for all; it is more significant that it was written from God’s perspective than that it was textualized to ancient Israel. To understand what we are reading; in order of significance we need to consider literary genre, immediate context, surrounding context and historical-cultural context.
  • Text – The next thing needed is “a good honest translation”. I believe that where a translator cared about preserving God’s word God Himself protected His word and what we have in such translations captures the essential meaning God wishes to communicate. Where the translator sought to capture the fullest meaning versus convey understanding God participated to the preservation of His word. Translations that are dynamic or paraphrase to varying degrees are the take of the translator on what phrases meant to convey or communicate. These translations such as the NLT, NIrV, and even the NIV are a good place to start but a translation that endeavors to preserve connecting words, verb tense and fullest meaning is needed to get to the fullest understanding of what God is saying and ensure we are not just accepting a translator’s mistaken understanding. A good critique of translations may be found at http://www.bible-researcher.com/versions.html. Also the chart below is a comparison of reading level and literal accuracy which should help in selecting a text. The scale going down the left side represents the grade level, 3 being third grade, to which the particular version of the bible was translated and the scale across the top represents how closely it is translated word for word, 14 being the closest. (The chart of bible translation reading levels to literal accuracy was the result of analysis of charts and tables from Zondervan, Bible Gateway [1] and Not Just Another Book [2] as well as personal research and experience with these versions.)
    Bible Translation Comparison
  • Study – Finally you have to study the bible. This starts with reading and memorization to develop a picture of what scripture is saying at a high level and to acquire and retain Gods word. From this one should proceed to meditation in deeper study of what the Word is saying. This high level understanding coupled with the Words of God hidden in the heart is then brought to bear when you seek to understand scripture’s fullest meaning. As we look deeply at a particular passage other passages from Scripture should come to mind placing limits on what the passage may mean while removing other limits allowing the Spirit of God to bring to light further meaning. Once this is achieved methods of exegesis such as key word study, inductive observation and proposition analysis (arcing) can be employed for the deepest levels of study.

[1]Cook, David L. BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages http://www.gospelcom.net/ibs/bibles/translations/index.php.

[2]MacDonald, Brent. “NJAB – Comparison Chart of Bible Translations Showing Style or Type of Translation and Readability or Grade Level.” Not Just Another Book: How We Got and Why We Trust the Bible!  http://www.notjustanotherbook.com/biblecomparison.htm.

Filed under Bible Study, Interpretation Tagged with ,

In Danger of Being Non-Contenders

July 12, 2011 Leave a Comment

Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz with his students

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Have We Really Progressed So Much

We proudly look at our home libraries, computers, ebooks and internet and assume that we have progressed so much. But could there be another possibility? The ancient cultures of the bible had a strong oral tradition. What has amazed anthropologists when they analyze recorded oral records is the accuracy with which the accounts have been passed down over centuries. In many cases it is close to the level of transcription errors by scribes of written works.

By age 12 a Jewish boy would have at least the first five books of the bible memorized and in the next five years many would memorize the entire Old Testament. The problem is you don’t know what you don’t know and unless we can associate things with terms to search for we really can’t search these electronic tools necessarily for concepts or examples of such concepts. When Jude calls us to contend for the faith once handed down to us we are actually in greater danger now. We do not have such an oral tradition where the words of the Bible might come to mind when confronted with new ideas or perspectives. What comes to our mind is a limited set of scriptures that we have personally identified with and that match our view of the world. Most of us do not have the pallet of Biblical verses that a 12 year old Jewish boy would have.

When God created man and called His creation good, was Adam then less developed then we are? Did a primitive prehistoric cave man make a willful, sinful choice that condemned us all? Or did God create man with great capacity to understand? We know that necessity is the mother of invention. Could it be that we have digressed instead of progressed? Could it be that maybe we need more crutches like laptops and the internet because our capacities have diminished?

How Can We Progress

Through out John Jesus says I tell you the truth, over and over. The Bible calls us to seek knowledge and when the bible says I tell you the truth then it implies that we can know it and when the Bible says this is hidden until the end then it implies that we can’t know it. John 7:17 tells us that our problem with knowing is not that what the bible tells us is hard to comprehend, our problem with knowing is that we lack the will to do God’s will. Understanding the Bible starts with having the will to do God’s will. Then Proverbs calls us to treasure knowledge, the next step is to value knowing what God wants to reveal in His will.  Thirdly we have to read and memorize God’s word.

John 7:17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

We cannot know all of God almighty but we can know what He chooses to reveal to us and what the Spirit will make real to us if we are in His will in our current circumstance as we face the world being a Child of God under the Lordship of Christ.

Filed under Bible Study, Epistemology, Interpretation, Origins, Theology Tagged with , , , , ,

Is All Sin the Same?

July 6, 2011 Leave a Comment

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ...

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Does the Bible say that all sin is the same?  I can’t think of a specific verse which makes this statement so where does this idea come from?  I believe this idea is drawn from several passages.  The first being the Sermon on the mount where Jesus addresses the ideas of justifying one sin because of a similar yet more heinous sin.  The religious leaders had given them instructions but Jesus was contradicting their teaching.  Jesus would say “You have heard that it was said”.  Jesus was essentially saying that its not about finding a way which is convenient for you, the measure is holiness for God said “Be holy because I am holy”.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus compares murder to hating your brother and even being angry with your brother.  Jesus seeks to squash justifying sin but does not mean to infer that sins are equally bad or unacceptable. To do so ends up with the same problem; it minimizes sin and opens doors that shouldn’t be open. For example; If I am attracted then why not flirt and since it’s all the same and we are consenting adults then what’s wrong with the next step of adultery.  The second place is in 1 John.  In this epistle John calls the church to purity and holiness.  The focus here is on the doctrine of regeneration.  It is expected  that if a person is truly born again they will not make a practice of sin but abiding in Christ will be transformed into His likeness.

Matt 5:21-22 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. ESV
1John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. ESV

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Emerging Concerns Part 1 – Introduction

May 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

A segment of a social network

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When some friends of mine started reading some books by leaders in what is now termed the “Emergent Church” several years ago I was curious and started to read some of the books, listened to interviews and read some blogs. Over the past four years I have watched several conferences on the subject and considered what was being said. I have decided that it is time for me to throw my hat into the ring. In a few previous articles I touched on some talking points but I feel that now is the time to address the topic more formally and more thoroughly. The underlying principles of the Emergent movement find their roots in post-modern philosophy. Read more of this post

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The World is Coming to an End …

May 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

End of the World BillBoardOk, I admit its a sensational headline but if you are reading this then it must have caught your attention. I have heard many comment about the billboards announcing the end of the world on May 21st 2011. If you have been watching the news lately you are aware of this prediction as it has gotten much press. The prediction and billboards have been featured on CNN, FOX and the Washington Post just to name a few. There are many scoffers and some believers who are very worried and some who could care less. With all the recent earth quake activity, severe weather, economic trouble and wars and unrest around the world many are worried. Read more of this post

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How Should Christians Respond to Bin Laden’s Death

May 2, 2011 1 Comment

A New York City fireman calls for 10 more resc...

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I personally will not be going out into the street and celebrate but I am not going to judge those that do either. There are many imprecatory psalms that call for justice against the wicked and celebrate their judgement. The bible doesn’t call for us to be stoic but acknowledges our feelings and at times calls for us to express them while at other times calls for reservation. Read more of this post

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