The Bible in contemporary English

The Lord's Prayer in the Message, a modern-day Bible version

If you are looking for a good translation of the Bible, here is some thing that you should consider.
Do you want a Bible that helps you understand what you are reading?
or
Do you want a Bible that helps you understand God’s word correctly?

Recently, I went to a church in Auckland and was impressed that they had copies of the Bible in the pews, for everyone. But I was sad to find that the Bible was a paraphrase that was not accurate.

Fox News has an article today entitled Best-Selling Bible for Conservative Evangelicals to Undergo Revision

“We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand,” said Keith Danby, global president and CEO of Biblica, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian ministry that holds the NIV copyright.

This sounds so noble. And the intentions may be good. But there is a serious danger here that most Christians seem to be blissfully unaware of.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating a King-James-only approach. I like the Bible I use to be in contemporary English. I would rather not use ‘thee’s, ‘thou’s, ‘thine’s, and ‘wherefore’s. So what is the fuss about?

I believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. Do you believe in it? Does your church? Virtually all conservative churches believe it. One definition of verbal plenary inspiration goes like this:

“God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human writers of Scripture that, without waiving their intelligence, their individuality, their personal feelings, their literary style, or any other human factor of expression, His Complete and Coherent Message to mankind was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture: the very words bearing the Authority of Divine Authorship.”

It becomes crucial to all those who believe this, to ensure that they hold a Bible that is as close to the original as is possible. The modern-ness of the language is not as important as the integrity of the text.  The text must attempt to mirror the original grammar and sense. This is a tall order.
Great attempts were made by men of God over the ages to translate and bring the text to us in its purity. Many have lost their lives to accomplish what they did.

So the criterion when looking for a Bible should be faithfulness to the original first and only then should you look for modern language. Please read my post about the English Standard Version translation where the advantages of literal translations over paraphrases has been discussed.

Satan is so crafty that he is placing a piece of fine literature in the hands of church goers who will imagine that they hold the word of God, and in so doing he is taking people further away from the life-giving words of his Arch Enemy.

The Religious Affections: Part III(Point 2)

My thoughts (and quotes) from the second point of Part III

II] The primary ground of gracious affections is the transcendently excellent and amiable nature of divine things as they are in themselves, and not any conceived relation they bear to self, or self-interest. (In other words: The elect of God are thrilled with the excellence of divine things, such as God’s glory and perfection, even before they note that this excellent God has done something for them personally)

The Religious Affections: Part II (2)

My thoughts (and quotes) from Part II

Of a total of 12 points in Part II, we covered seven points last week. This week we covered points 8 to 12.

1. The fact that one’s religious affections are intense does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
2. The fact that one’s religious affections have great effects on the body does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
   
3. The fact that one’s religious affections cause one to talk incessantly of spiritual matters does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
   
4. The fact that one’s religious affections have not been caused by one’s own effort or strength does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
5. The fact that one’s religious affections are accompanied by scripture texts that come to mind in an amazing way does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
6. The fact that one’s religious affections are accompanied with love does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
7. The fact that one’s religious affections are manifold does not tell us whether the affections are from God.

This week’s reading comprises the remaining 5 points:

The Religious Affections: Part II (1)

My thoughts (and quotes) from Part II

Having religious affections, even a lot of them, does not prove that one is walking in the narrow way that leads to heaven.

Edwards wants to do the following:

• Show some examples of religious affections that are not signs one way or other
• Show some things about religious affections that differentiate between true and counterfeit religious affections

Of a total of 12 points in Part II, we covered seven points.

1. The fact that one’s religious affections are intense does not tell us whether the affections are from God.
   True religious affections are intense as can be seen from these scriptures: rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; Rejoice and be exceeding glad; shout for joy; leap for joy; O how I love Thy law; Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee?; Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because they keep not Thy law; I will lift up my hands in Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee; good tidings of great joy, that should be to all people
   On the other hand intense affections are no evidence that they are of a spiritual nature as can be seen from these examples. The Galatians who had been prepared to even pluck out their eyes; The Israelites who sang God’s praises after the Red Sea episode; The Israelites at Mt Sinai who said, “All that the Lord hath spoken will we do and be obedient.” only to exult in the golden calf a while later; The Jews who were thrilled at the raising of Lazarus, who cried “Hosanna Hosanna,” only to cry “Crucify Him crucify Him” a short while later.
   

The Religious Affections: Introduction

My thoughts (and quotes) from the Author’s Preface

So much good and bad is mixed up in:

• The saints heart
• The church
• Revivals

“There is something very mysterious in it, that so much good, and so much bad should be mixed together in the church of God”

Chaff picture: When writing about revivals and the seemingly large number of conversions, Edwards writes:

“Of the whole heap that was gathered, great part was chaff that the wind afterwards drove away: and the heap of wheat that was left was comparatively small”

Spring Blossoms picture:

“. . . as it is with the fruit trees in the spring; there are a multitude of blossoms, all of which appear fair and beautiful, and there is a promising appearance of young fruits; but many of them are of short continuance; they soon fall off, and never come to maturity.”

Prophecy about Uttar Pradesh that fell to the ground

Here is another email sent to our Tamil friends in Auckland, this time by my husband.

Dear Ones,

Apologies to my SriLankan brothers and sisters who may not be aware of the Indian political scenario.

As I write this mail I am not sure whether the present government will survive the vote of confidence. I wanted to send this mail much earlier, but for various reasons I didn’t do so. Now since UP and especially its Chief Minister, Miss Mayawati is in the limelight I thought I might send you this mail.

I have pasted below what a well known Indian Evangelist prophesied during the UP elections, which took place last year. I have erased the name of the evangelist since my intention is not character assassination. But I am aware that many of you may subscribe to his magazine and you might have come across this article.

A wall-hanging over 2000 years old

Dead Sea Scroll in stone

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Some years ago, David Jeselsohn, a Swiss-Israeli collector bought an ancient stone tablet, actually a wall-hanging, from an antiquities dealer. This tablet has suddenly become the talk of the archaeological world.

In a recent video report by CNN’s Ben Wedeman, David Jeselsohn says that the writing on the stone tablet is not easy to understand because it speaks of the future, of visions, and of mystical experiences.

In the same report, Israel Knohl of Shalom Hartman Institute says that the stone, which predates Jesus, speaks of death and resurrection. According to him, the stone also suggests that

“only the shed blood of the Messianic leader will move God to come and redeem His people.”

Knowing God’s will in our lives

Imagine that a three-year old was negotiating her way through the crowds in a busy railway station like Old Delhi Railway Station to reach a particular spot on the platform. As she walked, along the way, she found trolleys and baggage and even people sitting on the ground. Whenever she came across an obstacle, she needed to choose whether to go to the left or to the right. We make our way through life towards heaven, bewildered by the choices we need to make along the way. How can we know what God would want us to choose?

Father GB’s song: Sabaiyum Peruganum

Song composed by Gnana Bhaktamitran.

[My father, feeling that Tamil hymns and lyrics, generally, do not have the depth that English hymns have, has for his church hymnal, identified some good hymns, translated many hymns and choruses from English, and composed some lyrics. He has recorded the accompaniment for all the songs in the hymnal, and these are available in MP3 format. I will try to showcase some of them in this blog from time to time. All recordings have been done at home using very simple equipment. These songs may not be copied without permission.]

Here is a recording of the song Sabaiyum Peruganum sung by Prathiba Surendar and Amala George (members of EBA in Madurai) and accompanied by GB himself.

Can it be the still small Voice of the Spirit?

God speaks to us through the word of God, the Bible. This word is immutable and true. All our experiences and knowledge cannot stand up against its authority. Under its light, God speaks to us through our experiences and situations. Under its light, God speaks to us very clearly through the words of an anointed preacher. Under its light, God speaks through the spiritual songs we sing. Under its light, God speaks to us through good examples and even through bad examples and models. Under its light, God speaks to us through our conscience.

It is this last method that I want to focus on today.