Being a father is a great adventure. After years of hearing stories from my mother about the things I did as a toddler, it is fun to call her and let her know about the latest escapades of her grandson. Our oldest is about a year and a half old and his antics are prone to cause us to laugh- or cry- or both. Instead of just saying dog, he barks out the word. If he sees bare feet, he is inclined to run his fingers over them while exclaiming, “ticky, ticky, ticky!” He also likes to explore. His latest exploration involved finding out exactly what was in his dresser drawers and that involved emptying all the clothes and scattering them throughout the nursery.
-
He loves to go outside and help Daddy in the garden. He also loves to eat. We are pleased that he likes fresh vegetables and considers it a treat to nibble the fruits of our labor as Daddy works. It did not take long for those bright red tomatoes to catch his eye. Some of the earliest ones we had were also the smallest. Just perfect for a little guy to have his own personal treat. After letting him have one, he decided to pick his own. This one was orange and not quite ready.
-
He has been trained to put things back when we tell him to, so when Daddy said, “Oh no, Jared, that one isn’t ready yet,” he simply took it back to a vine, and held it up. He was trying to put it back. I had to try to keep from laughing as I explained that once it was picked it was too late to put it back.
-
What Jared did was really not all that serious. A few days on the window sill and that tomato would be just fine to eat, but I recall that there were many times that I wished I could just go back and undo something but now it is too late. For example, I said something thoughtless to my wife last week. I immediately knew that it hurt her feelings and I apologized. My wife is a wonderful lady and she forgave me, but I wish I could have just undone it like Jared wished he could put a tomato back on the vine.
-
Some of our regrets are heavier to bear. I heard of a couple of instances recently of a driver who ran a stop sign and another person was killed. I do not envy the burden of wanting to be able to put that tomato back on the vine.
-
When facing such a burden we must realize the importance of repentance and forgiveness. First let us realize that things we regret are sometimes simply accidents, and other times they are caused by sinful actions. A drunk or someone who is in a hurry and selfishly runs a stop sign has sinned. A person who is unfamiliar with a road and does not see the stop sign during a snow storm was simply involved in an accident.
-
Even if there was no sin involved, we still feel better after expressing our regret and making restitution if possible. What if our irreversible action was caused by sin? Lets face it, we have all done irreversible actions of sin. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Whether you consider your sins big or little, they are all serious in God’s eyes. We must be reminded that none of us measures up to His standards. Consider even man‘s inability to keep the 10 commandments. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)
-
We have a sin problem and we cannot undo it. That is serious. How serious is it? Deathly serious. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). We cannot undo our own sin any more than Jared could put that tomato back on the vine. Do you think that Jesus Christ could put that tomato back on the vine though? Of course He could. He is God! You cannot reverse your sins and neither can I but Jesus Christ can. In fact, He is the only one who can. Acts 4:12 tells us, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
-
Remember how serious sin is. Jesus died to pay for that sin. He is able to do it all by Himself because He is God. He testified in John 14:9, “he that hath seen me hath seen the father.” Then we clearly read in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
-
So what do you do when you cannot put a tomato back on the vine? You trust Jesus Christ and His payment for sin, realizing that no matter how small your sin is, you cannot undo it or even make up for it no matter how much restitution you pay, because the wages is death. But if you realize that Christ paid it all and trust Him, your receive His gift. Romans 5:20 also gives us further encouragement, “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Version Question
Q: What kind of versions would you feel comfortable using?
A: When we consider the kinds of versions available today, beyond the manuscript debates, the issue typically comes down to a translation philosophy. The simplified way of stating the issue would be to say that there are literal kinds of translations and dynamic equivalent types.
-
A literal approach would be to translate each Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic word with it’s language equivalent (English). The dynamic equivalency approach would be to translate the idea, rather than the actual words. We must understand that among the translations available, there is a wide range into which they fall upon this spectrum of literal to loose dynamic equivalence.
-
For example, I have on my shelf The Interlinear Greek- English New Testament. It is essentially a reference tool that has the Greek words of the New Testament written out with the English equivalent for each of those words directly below it, and the KJV written in the margin to the side for comparison. To understand how literal this version really is, consider how John 3:16 is translated. “For so loved God the world that his Son the only begotten he gave, that everyone who believes on him may not perish, but may have life eternal.” This version is so literal, that the word order is unnatural to our way of speaking.
-
On the other end of the spectrum we have paraphrases which try to capture the idea of the passage, but have little concern for the actual words. This provides a problem because each word of scripture has meaning, and the change of a single word can change the meaning of a whole passage. When an overview of an idea is given, it could be argued that they are just relating a concept rather than actually translating a passage. The Message, and the Living Bible would fall into this extreme category.
-
The danger of using such these paraphrases should not be overlooked. In their attempt to relay an easy to understand concept, the actual meaning has been changed. I find no comfort in these versions and fear they are leading many astray.
-
Although I am much more comfortable on the literal end of the spectrum, I must express a note of caution there as well. Because our language is so different than the original languages, the challenge of translating goes far beyond just restating the words to their equivalents. The challenge comes in both preserving the very words as well as not losing the concepts- the very ideas that the original languages were teaching. A good translation must take all of these things into consideration.
-
I believe the translation that has done the best job at this great challenge for the English language is the King James Version. I appreciate how when the translators added certain words that were not found in the original languages, they put them in italics. This was one way in which they went beyond being rigidly literal in order to preserve the meaning, while still letting the reader understand that these words had been added for clarification. Further, they arranged the word order in a way that was natural for the language that they were translating into (Note the difference between John 3:16 in the KJV and the Interlinear translation).
-
As I study, I will consult with Young’s Literal Translation, one that is even more literal than the KJV. I consult it basically to look at how a particular word in a verse happened to be translated. It often helps in coming up with descriptive synonyms for words as I preach. At the same time, I would not be comfortable in using that version for my reading or for my primary study.
-
I would as well like to address the NIV because it is quite popular today. I believe that this version has gone too far in the dynamic equivalent direction, and that much of the original intent of the words has been lost in the translation process. I am therefore not comfortable consulting that version. Though I am not totally comfortable with the NASB, I would consider it to be a much higher quality translation than the NIV, based on its more literal equivalency approach.
-
As we consider this issue, it is easy for us in the United States to become preoccupied with our English translations. May we not forget that there are many people in this world who do not yet have a translation in their own language. Baptist Mid Missions is one organization that has taken up that burden through Bibles International. As they translate, they attempt to balance the literal words with the intended meaning in a similar way that the KJV translators did. Not all Bible translation societies have this same philosophy. Many just throw together versions quickly and haphazardly. When supporting translation work, these issues must be taken into consideration as well.
A: When we consider the kinds of versions available today, beyond the manuscript debates, the issue typically comes down to a translation philosophy. The simplified way of stating the issue would be to say that there are literal kinds of translations and dynamic equivalent types.
-
A literal approach would be to translate each Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic word with it’s language equivalent (English). The dynamic equivalency approach would be to translate the idea, rather than the actual words. We must understand that among the translations available, there is a wide range into which they fall upon this spectrum of literal to loose dynamic equivalence.
-
For example, I have on my shelf The Interlinear Greek- English New Testament. It is essentially a reference tool that has the Greek words of the New Testament written out with the English equivalent for each of those words directly below it, and the KJV written in the margin to the side for comparison. To understand how literal this version really is, consider how John 3:16 is translated. “For so loved God the world that his Son the only begotten he gave, that everyone who believes on him may not perish, but may have life eternal.” This version is so literal, that the word order is unnatural to our way of speaking.
-
On the other end of the spectrum we have paraphrases which try to capture the idea of the passage, but have little concern for the actual words. This provides a problem because each word of scripture has meaning, and the change of a single word can change the meaning of a whole passage. When an overview of an idea is given, it could be argued that they are just relating a concept rather than actually translating a passage. The Message, and the Living Bible would fall into this extreme category.
-
The danger of using such these paraphrases should not be overlooked. In their attempt to relay an easy to understand concept, the actual meaning has been changed. I find no comfort in these versions and fear they are leading many astray.
-
Although I am much more comfortable on the literal end of the spectrum, I must express a note of caution there as well. Because our language is so different than the original languages, the challenge of translating goes far beyond just restating the words to their equivalents. The challenge comes in both preserving the very words as well as not losing the concepts- the very ideas that the original languages were teaching. A good translation must take all of these things into consideration.
-
I believe the translation that has done the best job at this great challenge for the English language is the King James Version. I appreciate how when the translators added certain words that were not found in the original languages, they put them in italics. This was one way in which they went beyond being rigidly literal in order to preserve the meaning, while still letting the reader understand that these words had been added for clarification. Further, they arranged the word order in a way that was natural for the language that they were translating into (Note the difference between John 3:16 in the KJV and the Interlinear translation).
-
As I study, I will consult with Young’s Literal Translation, one that is even more literal than the KJV. I consult it basically to look at how a particular word in a verse happened to be translated. It often helps in coming up with descriptive synonyms for words as I preach. At the same time, I would not be comfortable in using that version for my reading or for my primary study.
-
I would as well like to address the NIV because it is quite popular today. I believe that this version has gone too far in the dynamic equivalent direction, and that much of the original intent of the words has been lost in the translation process. I am therefore not comfortable consulting that version. Though I am not totally comfortable with the NASB, I would consider it to be a much higher quality translation than the NIV, based on its more literal equivalency approach.
-
As we consider this issue, it is easy for us in the United States to become preoccupied with our English translations. May we not forget that there are many people in this world who do not yet have a translation in their own language. Baptist Mid Missions is one organization that has taken up that burden through Bibles International. As they translate, they attempt to balance the literal words with the intended meaning in a similar way that the KJV translators did. Not all Bible translation societies have this same philosophy. Many just throw together versions quickly and haphazardly. When supporting translation work, these issues must be taken into consideration as well.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Who Is Jesus?
Who is Jesus Christ? It is not hard to imagine that question being asked of the Apostle Paul as he went forth on his missionary journeys not long after Christ had died and risen from the dead. Without CBS, CNN, and FOX news, it is likely that many of the folks he ran into had not yet heard about Jesus.
-
Today we assume that everyone knows who Jesus is- at least in a Christian country like the United States of America. But I must ask, “Do we all know the same Jesus?” Perhaps you have been talking to someone about a friend with a common name like John. As the conversation progresses you realize that you could not possibly be talking about the same person, because the one they are describing has totally different characteristics than the person you know. Finally you understand that they are talking about John Johnson, and you were talking about John Smith.
-
I often feel the same way as I hear people talking about Jesus. Are they talking about the Jesus of the Bible, or some imaginary religious figure of their own making? For example, some speak of Him as if He were some effeminate weakling, yet my Jesus had the courage to stand up to the leaders of His day, and to turn over the money tables in the temple and drive the crooks from the scene. He had the courage to face the death of the cross even as He knew exactly what would come.
-
My Jesus is no weakling. He is the all powerful God. In fact, He will return in power as well. Revelation 19:11-16 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
-
Why would man come up with a religious figure of his own making, when the real Jesus is so magnificent? I believe it is because of man’s sinful resistance to the true God. Let us not forget that Jesus is God in the flesh. If man can convince himself that Jesus is weak, then he thinks God is not such a threat to him. Telling ourselves lies does not change our accountability to God.
-
I believe that there is another factor at play as well. If Jesus Christ is presented as weak, that would mean that He may not be powerful enough to save man all on His own. That would mean that God needs help to save us because He is not powerful enough. Let me state emphatically, that is not the God that I serve. My Jesus was powerful enough to create the whole world (see John 1:1-3 & 14). He was also powerful enough to pay for my sins all by Himself. Peter tells us how powerful Christ is to save when he says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
-
Peter was so adamant about how powerful my Jesus is, that he made it clear that Jesus only had to make a sacrifice once in order to pay for our sins. Read carefully what he said in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
-
My Jesus is so powerful that He only had to offer his body once to pay for the sins of mankind. This is made clear in the book of Hebrews as well. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10.
-
I do not worship a weak Jesus. I worship a powerful Jesus who is my Lord and Savior. He is able to save me all by Himself without the help of priest or saint. I love Him and want to serve Him because He is my God. I pray that you would believe in Him as well. Instead of believing in a manmade idea of who Jesus might be, believe in the Jesus of the Bible. Read it and learn who He is.
-
Today we assume that everyone knows who Jesus is- at least in a Christian country like the United States of America. But I must ask, “Do we all know the same Jesus?” Perhaps you have been talking to someone about a friend with a common name like John. As the conversation progresses you realize that you could not possibly be talking about the same person, because the one they are describing has totally different characteristics than the person you know. Finally you understand that they are talking about John Johnson, and you were talking about John Smith.
-
I often feel the same way as I hear people talking about Jesus. Are they talking about the Jesus of the Bible, or some imaginary religious figure of their own making? For example, some speak of Him as if He were some effeminate weakling, yet my Jesus had the courage to stand up to the leaders of His day, and to turn over the money tables in the temple and drive the crooks from the scene. He had the courage to face the death of the cross even as He knew exactly what would come.
-
My Jesus is no weakling. He is the all powerful God. In fact, He will return in power as well. Revelation 19:11-16 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
-
Why would man come up with a religious figure of his own making, when the real Jesus is so magnificent? I believe it is because of man’s sinful resistance to the true God. Let us not forget that Jesus is God in the flesh. If man can convince himself that Jesus is weak, then he thinks God is not such a threat to him. Telling ourselves lies does not change our accountability to God.
-
I believe that there is another factor at play as well. If Jesus Christ is presented as weak, that would mean that He may not be powerful enough to save man all on His own. That would mean that God needs help to save us because He is not powerful enough. Let me state emphatically, that is not the God that I serve. My Jesus was powerful enough to create the whole world (see John 1:1-3 & 14). He was also powerful enough to pay for my sins all by Himself. Peter tells us how powerful Christ is to save when he says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
-
Peter was so adamant about how powerful my Jesus is, that he made it clear that Jesus only had to make a sacrifice once in order to pay for our sins. Read carefully what he said in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
-
My Jesus is so powerful that He only had to offer his body once to pay for the sins of mankind. This is made clear in the book of Hebrews as well. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10.
-
I do not worship a weak Jesus. I worship a powerful Jesus who is my Lord and Savior. He is able to save me all by Himself without the help of priest or saint. I love Him and want to serve Him because He is my God. I pray that you would believe in Him as well. Instead of believing in a manmade idea of who Jesus might be, believe in the Jesus of the Bible. Read it and learn who He is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
