the Bible isn’t boring

John Piper on the Bible

God’s gift to you this year

Jeff Mangum taught out of Psalm 19 last Sunday to complete the two part series on the value of God’s word.

how would it change our daily routine if we really believed what David said in this Psalm about the word of God, (especially the part that I bolded below)?

^7(G) The law of the LORD is perfect,^[c]
(H) reviving the soul;
^(I) the testimony of the LORD is^(J) sure,
^(K) making wise^(L) the simple;
^8(M) the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is^(N) pure,
^(O) enlightening the eyes;
⁹the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules^[d] of the LORD are^(P) true,
and righteous altogether.
¹⁰More to be desired are they than^(Q) gold,
even much^(R) fine gold;
^(S) sweeter also than honey
and drippings of^(T) the honeycomb.
¹¹Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
^(U) in keeping them there is great reward.

John Piper has some New Year’s advice for us too.

Give Yourself to the Word

God has a gift for you in 2010. An infinitely valuable gift—his word. Receive it. Hold it fast. Give yourself to it. Amen.

But most of us won’t. why is that?

biblical literacy

Austin Stone Community Church has just had the first week of a short series on the importance of reading the Bible.

I saw somewhere the other day that a slight majority of professing believers doesn’t even have biblical literacy as a goal. Obviously, those folks do not really believe that all scripture has been breathed out by God and is useful … so that we can be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

yesterday I ran across this fantastic article from David Nienhuis on the problem of evangelical Biblical illiteracy.

here is how he defines Biblical Literacy:

What is biblical literacy? Coming to an agreed-upon definition is itself part of the problem. I think all would agree that, at base, it involves a more detailed understanding of the Bible’s actual content. This requires: (1) schooling in the substance of the entire biblical story in all its literary diversity (not just an assortment of those verses deemed doctrinally relevant); (2) training in the particular “orienteering” skills required to plot that narrative through the actual texts and canonical units of the Bible; and (3) instruction in the complex theological task of interpreting Scripture in light of the tradition of the church and the experience of the saints.

here is his set up of the problem. Go read the rest for more details.

These numbers serve to underscore the now widespread recognition that the Bible continues to hold pride of place as “America’s favorite unopened text” (to borrow David Gibson’s wonderful phrase), even among many Christians. As a professor of New Testament studies at Seattle Pacific University, I know this reality only too well. I often begin my survey of the Christian Scriptures course by asking students to take a short biblical literacy quiz, including questions of the sort mentioned above. The vast majority of my students–around 95 percent of them–are Christians, and half of them typically report that they currently attend nondenominational evangelical churches. Yet the class as a whole consistently averages a score of just over 50 percent, a failing grade. In the most recent survey, only half were able to identify which biblical book begins with the line, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Barely more than half knew where to turn in the Bible to read about the first Passover. Most revealing in my mind is the fact that my students are generally unable to sequence major stories and events from the biblical metanarrative. Only 23 percent were able to order four key events from Israel’s history (Israelites enter the promised land; David is made king; Israel is divided in two; and the people of Judah go into exile), and only 32 percent were able to sequence four similarly important events from the New Testament (Jesus was baptized; Peter denies Jesus; the Spirit descends at Pentecost; and John has a vision on the island of Patmos). These students may know isolated Bible trivia (84 percent knew, for instance, that Jesus was born in Bethlehem), but their struggle to locate key stories, and their general inability to place those stories in the Bible’s larger plotline, betrays a serious lack of intimacy with the text–even though a full 86 percent of them identified the Bible as their primary source for knowledge about God and faith.

uniqueness of the Bible

Paul T. McCain posted this from Ernest Koenker about why reading the Bible is a worthy goal for the new year.

The Bible is not simply an historical account or a literary masterpiece; it is the witness to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and it presents the Deus loquens, the God who uses the Bible to speak to us today. God Himself works through the means of His grace today just as He worked through the prophetic and apostolic preaching. Today again the good news is proclaimed by a preacher standing in obedience to the Word, and it is heard by a congregation that is also dependent on this Word.— Ernest Koenker, Worship in Word and Sacrament,p. 25.

One thing that becomes crashingly clear when reading the Bible through like a novel is that its unifying theme is God’s passionate pursuit of people. His Word is the window into His nature and character.

PocketBible for iPhone

I have been using Laridian’s PocketBible software on my PDA then phones for a long long time. I used it on my old Handspring Visors, my Treo300 phone, my Treo600, my samsung PPC6500 (windows Mobile), and even on my Windows computer. For powerful Bible software on the go, it has been a dream. Lots of good selections on Bibles and other books to purchase. Very well integrated. just a dream. Love it.

The only drawback to getting an iPhone was losing my PocketBible software. For almost 2 years, I haven’t had it. Other solutions that became available when the Apple App Store became a reality were not nearly as good. The web based subscription that Laridian devised was ok, but not nearly good enough.

(by the way, Logos is the way to go for desktop bible software. I have also been using it for years on Windows and Mac computers. Again user friendly, intuitive, lots of books. Tom Ascol’s review of Logos for Mac is here.)

finally Laridian has released (been approved by the Apple Store) PocketBible for iPhone. I cannot adequately express how happy this makes me. I messed with it for a good long while last night and I can report to you that it is very nicely done. functionality is fairly intuitive. All of the Bibles and books that I had previously purchased were easy to access and download. (I did have some trouble because the Laridian servers were getting hit pretty hard yesterday, but I succeeded in downloading everything to the phone).

I feel like my old friends are back in my shirt pocket where they belong.

anyway, the price is free for the software and some free (noncopyrighted) books. Give it a go. See if you don’t like it.

Laridian press release with link:

PocketBible has been approved for sale on the App Store. Depending on where you live, it might be available already. Search the App Store for PocketBible or try this link.

Of course, PocketBible for the iPhone will work with all of your PocketBible books and Bibles. And here’s the best news — it’s FREE!

Yes, you can download and install PocketBible for no cost on the App Store!

Naturally, you can add additional books and Bibles to your PocketBible library and use them with PocketBible for iPhone. Simply select the Order Form link above. Once you’ve made your purchase, launch PocketBible on your iPhone or iPod touch and select the Menu button, then “Add / Remove Books”. Enter your customer ID (or email address) and password to download books directly into PocketBible!

PocketBible for iPhone requires OS 3, so if you’ve not yet updated your iPhone or iPod Touch to this latest version of the operating system, you may want to do that soon.

another reminder

Here from Justin Taylor is another reminder of the importance of an essentially literal approach to Bible translation. Quoting Robert Alter:

My notion of effective translation of the Bible involves a high degree of literalism–within the limits of reasonably acceptable literary English–both in regard to representing the word choice and the word order of the Hebrew. . . . [T]he precedent of the King James Version has played a decisive and constructive role in directing readers of English to a rather literal experience of the Bible, and . . . this precedence can be ignored only at considerable cost, as nearly all the English versions of the Bible done in recent decades show.

Bible translation tribes

iMonk quotes Scot McKnight’s breakdown of which evangelical tribes prefer which translation of the Bible. Interesting stuff. I don’t know if he meant for it to be amusing, but it kind of is that too.

Scott Mcknight recently came right out and said it: We do translations by tribes:

“NRSV for liberals and Shane Claiborne lovers;
ESV for Reformed complementarian Baptists;
HCSB for LifeWay store buying Southern Baptists;
NIV for complementarian evangelicals;
TNIV for egalitarians;
NASB for those who want straight Bible, forget the English;
NLT for generic brand evangelicals;
Amplified for folks who have no idea what translation is but know that if you try enough words one of them will hit pay dirt;
NKJV and KJV for Byzantine manuscript-tree huggers;
The Message for evangelicals looking for a breath of fresh air and seeker sensitive, never-read-a-commentary evangelists who find Peterson’s prose so catchy.”

I like and use the ESV mainly, but very much like and use the NIV and the HCSB as well.

Never have liked or used the NASB very much. I tried to, but it only gets looked at on hard verses where I want another perspective on the text.

neutral on KJV and NKJV. grew up with them, have verses memorized in KJV and enjoy quoting it, but really don’t use it much.

I actively dislike the NLT, the TNIV and the Message.

It is not our heart that determines our course

continuing to read Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you get to page 55.

this is some really great stuff on the importance of Biblical literacy:

How, for example, shall we ever attain certainty and confidence in our personal and church activity if we do not stand on solid Biblical ground? It is not our heart that determines our course, but God’s word. But who in this day has any proper understanding of the need for scriptural proof? How often we hear innumerable arguments “from life” and “from experience” put forward as the basis for most crucial decisions, but the argument of Scripture is missing. And this authority would perhaps point in exactly the opposite direction. It is not surprising, of course, that the person attempts to cast discredit upon their wisdom should be the one who himself does not seriously read, know, and study the Scriptures. But one who will not learn how to handle the Bible for himself is not an evangelical Christian.

…..he who can speak out of the abundance of God’s Word, the wealth of directions, admonitions, and consolations of the Scriptures, will be able through God’s Word to drive out demons and help his brother.

emphasis added.

Like I have said before and I will very likely continue to say many times in the future, what would it look like if Christians who profess to believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word to us actually believed that II Timothy 3:16-17 means what it says and lived like it?

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Do we really believe this? Do we really believe that the Bible is useful and will lead to full competence and equipping? really? Do we act like it? If we were to act in accordance with this professed belief what would we do?

God’s will for our lives

Julie Neidlinger nails it again in talking about people searching for God’s will for their lives.

A marked memory I had of my one year in Bible college was that of people frantically trying to find the will of God. It came out in all sorts of heartfelt and religious prayers and confessions, and ended in two ways:

1. Misery.
2. God telling all the guys to date and then marry the gorgeous girls. (”God told me I was to marry you.”)

…..
Or, if this is not the answer you want, try this: The will of God is that you stop freaking out about you and live and love and sacrifice in your own life as you were told to. It is less about external circumstances as it is about him changing you.

emphasis added.

go read the whole thing.

The point she makes in the second bit clipped above is the key. The key to God’s will is to do what what we have been told to do. We have this wonderful book that He inspired men to write. Most of us have several copies in several sizes and versions.

Let’s pick one of those up and read it. In it we see all kinds of unambiguous commands from God regarding the manner in which we ought to live right now.

In whatever job we work, whoever our spouse is or isn’t, in whatever city we live, we are to live as children of light and have nothing to do with deeds of darkness that we once walked in.

Let’s just start here in Ephesians 5. once we get this list completed, we should read some more of chapter 5 and do what it says about loving and submitting to our wives and husbands. then we can try out chapter 6, its a doozy. that bit about putting on the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness and other stuff so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil is awesome, but how do we do that? what does it mean to have feet that are shoed in the preparation of the Gospel? then we can read and do the stuff in Philippians, Colossians, I and II Thessalonians, etc. etc. I promise you, that is God’s will for our lives.

Walk in Love

^1(A) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And^(B) walk in love,^(C) as Christ loved us and^(D) gave himself up for us, a^(E)fragrant^(F) offering and sacrifice to God.

³But^(G) sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness^(H) must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Let there be^(I) no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking,^(J) which are out of place, but instead^(K) let there be thanksgiving. ⁵For you may be sure of this, that^(L) everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (^(M) that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ^6(N) Let no one^(O) deceive you with empty words, for because of these things^(P) the wrath of God comes upon^(Q) the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore^(R) do not become partners with them; ⁸for^(S) at one time you were^(T) darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.^(U) Walk as children of light ⁹(for^(V) the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰and^(W) try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ^11(X) Take no part in the^(Y) unfruitful^(Z) works of darkness, but instead^(AA) expose them. ¹²For^(AB) it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³But when^(AC) anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

^(AD) “Awake, O sleeper,
and^(AE) arise from the dead,
and^(AF) Christ will shine on you.”

^15(AG) Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ^16(AH) making the best use of the time, because^(AI) the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what^(AJ) the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And^(AK) do not get drunk with wine, for that is^(AL) debauchery, but^(AM) be filled with the Spirit,¹⁹addressing one another in^(AN) psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ^20(AO) giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father^(AP) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^21(AQ) submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

emphasis added.

Really, when you think about it, the hard part of God’s will isn’t finding it out. The hard part is doing it. Thank God, that in His grace, He gives us the power to do just that.

³His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him^(A) who called us to^[a]his own glory and excellence,^{[b] 4}by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become^(B) partakers of the divine nature,^(C) having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith^(D) with virtue,^[c] and virtue^(E) with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control^(F) with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness^(G) with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection^(H) with love. ⁸For if these qualities^[d] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or^(I)unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he^(J) is blind, having forgotten that he was^(K) cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers,^[e] be all the more diligent to make your calling and^(L)election sure, for if you practice these qualities^(M) you will never fall. ¹¹For in this way there will be richly provided for you^(N) an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

faith comes from hearing

At one of my less regular stops on the blogosphere this morning, I found an excellent example of how to interpret the Bible.

Romans 10:17 says:

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

what does that mean and what doesn’t it mean? how do you know? Go read John Samson’s article at the link for a full explanation, but here is the nub:

How can someone be sure of the correct interpretation of Romans 10:17? One of the keys – and as I understand it, the most important key to correct interpretation is to know the context. Context tells us what the subject is, what the background was, who was writing, who were the recipients, and so on and so forth. As I hear something being taught, or hear a verse being quoted in support of an argument, my mind naturally thinks of the immediate context of the verse. I train myself to mentally go through this process. This really helps me determine if what I am hearing is true. It helps me to ask questions such as “what was the original purpose of the passage? What was the author seeking to achieve in the passage being quoted?” Often times this process alone has saved me from many a misguided idea. The problem with this is that we all have our blind spots. It takes vigilance to be on guard for error. The most dangerous thing is to never ask questions concerning context, for this is the sure way to error. This is exactly what the cults do – lifting verses out of their setting to seek to deny the Deity of Christ, for example.

biblical illiteracy

Randy Alcorn is concerned about the level of Biblical illiteracy in the church today, even among its leaders. It is a very real concern.

Biblical illiteracy among Christians is arguably at an all time high, with chilling implications that can hardly be overstated. I know that various things in the church will inevitably change, such as songs and hymns taking on new forms, and that’s fine. What isn’t fine is for God’s people to neglect His Word.

….

Most importantly, the Bible itself is a book, sixty six books in one. If our young people are not readers, then they will not be readers of God’s Word. If they aren’t readers of God’s Word, their spiritual lives will dead end. The church’s future leaders will not know what God has said, and when that happens how can the church function as the body of Christ when it is disconnected from the mind of Christ?

We’re already seeing the first wave of biblical illiteracy among many current church leaders. When Scripture says an elder must be “able to teach” this implies much more than communicative skill. It requires an active working knowledge of God’s Word. In my opinion, no one should be a church leader—whether an elder or overseer or pastor who anyone who gives direction to the church—unless he is a daily student of God’s Word and knows it far better than he knows the contestants on Survivor and American Idol. And he should be far more passionate about Scripture than about television programs, movies, golf, football, NASCAR, politics, blogging, or other interests.

……

…if pressed to name the twelve tribes of Israel (in many cases, even the apostles), they wouldn’t get more than a couple. Ask “give two passages that indicate Christ is the only way to God,” and you won’t have to wonder why people are not sharing their faith in Christ. They don’t know what to share. How can you share what you don’t know? How can you know if you do not know God’s Word?

God promises His Word will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing the purpose for which he sent it. God’s Word, in the hands of His Holy Spirit, has the power to transform lives, to shape them for eternity. But our sanctification, as individuals and families and churches, can only go so far if we are not steadily gazing into God’s Word. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is truth.”

ESV Study Bible

As I expected when I bought my ESV Study Bible, the most important part of the purchase was access to the online version.

Crossway is offering free access to the online version of its study bible through the month of March.

Check it out here.

Francis Chan on the Church

I am reading Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love. I am more than halfway finished with it and I will be posting more about it once I have finished it. I can already see that it is going to have to be on my read every year list.

This morning I ran across an article he wrote for Catalyst on the church. This is how it begins:

Is there any logic in believing that God started His Church as a Spirit-filled, loving body with the intention that it would evolve into entertaining, hour-long services? Was he hoping that one day people would be attracted to the Church not because they care for one another, not because they are devoted to Him, not because the supernatural occurs in their midst, but because of good music and entertainment?

Try to imagine what conclusions you would come to if you had no prior church experience. The things in church services might make sense to the American church-attendee, but they don’t make sense biblically.

Picture yourself on an island with only a Bible. You’ve never been to a church-you’ve never even heard of one. The only ideas you have about church are what you’ve read in your Bible. Then you enter a building labeled “church” for the first time. What would you expect to experience as you entered that building? Now compare that to what you actually experience when you attend church.

Go read the rest. Interesting stuff.

I really like the way that Francis approaches these kinds of questions in his book and in this article. “Let’s just see what the Bible says for itself.”

Not a half bad approach.

the Bible

another one of Challies’ Wednesday links was to this article.

Ray Ortlund discusses some statistics detailing the shockingly high levels of biblical illiteracy in the general population and among christians. he then gives six excellent suggestions for dealing with this huge problem.

an example of the statistics:

According to 82 percent of Americans, ‘God helps those who help themselves,’ is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better–by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one’s family. . . .

one of Ray’s suggestions for fixing this problem:

4. Preach from the Bible, and from the Bible only. Again, does this need to be said? One thing’s for sure. The Bible is fascinating, disturbing, offensive, sweet, alarming, comforting, stretching, shocking, controversial, caressing, strengthening. No way are you and I that interesting. Let’s put the Bible front and center and let it be itself and do its thing, whatever the impact. Submerging the Bible for the sake of our cool personas isn’t really cool at all. It’s a way of avoiding risk, chickening out.

Go read the rest of Ray Ortlund’s post.

As you know if you have spent any time at all reading my blog, this particular topic is a passion of mine.

the second post and the very first substantive post on this blog was about the importance of actually reading the Bible. (this was the first post)

God breathed out a book for us. A book that is promised to make us complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. Do we really believe that? or is just something we say?

read your bible

this is the time of year when people make resolutions. like Todd Bumgarner says, Resolve to Read Your Bible.

Todd links to and describes a number of reading plans. here is a direct link to the ESV plans which are all on the web to use every day.

here is the one that I plan to use this year.

D.A. Carson

Here is a quote from D.A. Carson via Vitamin Z about why Christians are surprised by suffering.

Here is his first reason:

We may get the balance of Scripture wrong. We remember the wonderful triumphs of Joseph, Gideon, and David; we meditate continuously on the miraculous healing of the man born blind, or on the resurrection of Lazarus. We are less inclined to think through the sufferings of Jeremiah, the constant ailments of Timothy, the illness of Trophimus, or the thorn in Paul’s flesh. A righteous man like Naboth perishes under trumped up charges (1 Kings 21). The “good guys” do not always win. We shall have occasion to return to such topics. For now it is enough to note that we may be infected by a pious version of the raw triumphalism that prevails in much of the surrounding culture because we have not taken care to follow the balance of Scripture.
– D.A. Carson, How Long O Lord?, p. 25

I would agree with Mr. Carson on this point, but I think the problem is even a bit more basic still. Almost all of the people who go to church for an hour on Sunday morning would have absolutely no idea who Naboth is if you went up to them on the street and asked them. I would bet that a pretty large majority wouldn’t even know who Jeremiah was and they sure wouldn’t know that his nickname was the “weeping prophet” or why in the world he might have such a nickname. They wouldn’t know about Timothy’s stomach problems. Anyway, you get the point.

Most people who go to church and call themselves christians have absolutely no idea what is in that mysterious book they carry for a short while one day of the week.

How could they then help but be surprised when they suffer? They hear flashy smiling smooth talking preachers talking about christianity as a way to have our best life now and they think that if they aren’t having (in their subjective opinion, of course) a good life, much less their best life, then something must be wrong with them.

The level of ignorance of what the Bible actually teaches is absolutely astounding and inexcusable in this age with such ready access to God’s word.

Just pick one up and read it. God breathed it for you to have and read. He wants you to get to know him as he really is and not as the cartoon character that his opponents and “friends” have made him out to be.

Take a chance. Read a Bible. It might just shift your perspective a wee bit.

Update to Why the ESV.

Bryon has posted on his blog about alleged misinformation that I have in my “why the ESV” post.

I certainly want to be accurate and to communicate clearly. It sounds like Bryon’s fuss is more with Crossway and/or Good News Bible Publishers. All I can go on is what they say since I was not involved in making the ESV.

I will direct anyone interested to ESV’s side of the story on these issues and let that be that. This will be cross posted as an update to the original “why the ESV” post as well. Each one of the links below goes to a Crossway page with more information. Here is the text of the entire preface to the ESV Bible for anybody that wants to read it.

here is more on the translation philosophy.

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

here is more on the original manuscripts used.

Each word and phrase in the ESV has been carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text.
….
Throughout, the Translation Team has benefited greatly from the massive textual resources that have become readily available recently, from new insights into biblical laws and culture, and from current advances in Hebrew and Greek lexicography and grammatical understanding.

here is more on the previous English versions used and relied on.

The words and phrases of the ESV grow out of the Tyndale-King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for the ESV text. Archaic language was brought to current usage and significant corrections were made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, the translators’ goal was to retain the depth of meaning and enduring language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of the church over the last four centuries.

and here is more on the translation notes.

The footnotes that accompany the ESV text inform the reader of textual variations and difficulties and show how these have been resolved by the ESV Translation Team. In addition to this, the footnotes indicate significant alternative readings and occasionally provide an explanation for technical terms or for a difficult reading in the text.

also, as I mentioned, I love the ESV and primarily use it for my reading and study. However, any serious Bible student will use several versions in any preparation for a lesson and I do. I really enjoy having a variety of translations to compare and I feel like we are blessed to live in a time when the Bible is so readily available to us in so many forms and translations.

The Bible Gateway is just an invaluable resource as is Blue Letter Bible.

If you aren’t reading the NET bible and its notes, (or here for another interface) then you are missing a very important and useful resource that is freely available to anybody with an internet connection.

Like I said before, the best Bible for you is the one that you will actually read rather than one you will leave in the car from one Sunday to the next.

Get one and then read it. Please.

New Bible?

Ligonier Ministries is celebrating Reformation Week by giving away a Reformation Study Bible with a donation of any amount. Hurry, offer ends on October 31.

I have one of these Bibles and it is an excellent resource.

hat tip to the Foolish Galatian.

package arrived

I had a package waiting for me after work today. an innocuous brown box.

As anyone would do, I opened it only to find another box. this one white and much less innocuous.

I opened the white box to discover a bit of shrink wrapped brown papery goodness.

removed the wrap.

opened it up.

Hmmm. this is going to be fun. The TruTone is soft and flexible. The Bible is HUGE. I haven’t read much of the study material yet, but what I have read is good. The timelines are very helpful.

The Bible opens completely flat with no effort, so you can read it easily on a table or desk. Plus, it included a code to access the online version of the ESV Study Bible which, depending on your laptop is less bulky than the physical version.

All in all a great package to have waiting.

Now, one more arrival next year sometime if the funds permit.

Why the ESV?

this is a topic that has been well covered by many others.

I don’t have much to add, except that as I explained below, it is very important to study scripture in a literal translation as close as possible to the original languages.

There are several literal versions. The one I grew up with is the King James. A more recent model is the New American Standard. Both are very good Bibles and I have used them both. I also like the Holman Christian Standard for being literal most of the time. The text helps that it uses such as bolding Old Testament quotes in the New Testament are invaluable.

However, I primarily use the ESV and have done so for a little more than two years. There are two primary reasons for this.

One is the fact that the ESV translators had available to them more ancient manuscripts that were discovered after but written before the manuscripts relied on by Erasmus when he wrote the greek new testament that later became known as the Textus Receptus. The Erasmus greek new testament was the basis for the KJV.

The ESV translators had more manuscripts available to them and thus were able to make a more complete translation with the best information. In addition, the ESV translators use generous footnotes when there is a slight variation between the two main bodies of ancient manuscripts so that the student of scripture is aware of what choices were made. The result is a trustworthy english text based on all of the information instead of part of the information.

Two is the effort made by the ESV translators to use english poetry and prose to match the beauty and style of what was written first in Hebrew and Greek. In other words, the english itself is beautiful. The one knock I had on the New American Standard was that it was clunky to read out loud to a Sunday School Class. The ESV mostly flows when read aloud.

As I have read and studied the ESV as my primary translation over the last two years or so, I have fallen more deeply in love with it all the time. I have learned that it is a trustworthy window into the original languages of scripture. I love it. I love reading it, studying it, and teaching from it.

UPDATE to address Bryon’s concerns linked below.

Bryon has posted on his blog about alleged misinformation that I have in my “why the ESV” post.

I certainly want to be accurate and to communicate clearly. It sounds like Bryon’s fuss is more with Crossway and/or Good News Bible Publishers. All I can go on is what they say since I was not involved in making the ESV.

I will direct anyone interested to ESV’s side of the story on these issues and let that be that. This will be cross posted as an update to the original “why the ESV” post as well. Each one of the links below goes to a Crossway page with more information. Here is the text of the entire preface to the ESV Bible for anybody that wants to read it.

here is more on the translation philosophy.

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

here is more on the original manuscripts used.

Each word and phrase in the ESV has been carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text.
….
Throughout, the Translation Team has benefited greatly from the massive textual resources that have become readily available recently, from new insights into biblical laws and culture, and from current advances in Hebrew and Greek lexicography and grammatical understanding.

here is more on the previous English versions used and relied on.

The words and phrases of the ESV grow out of the Tyndale-King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for the ESV text. Archaic language was brought to current usage and significant corrections were made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, the translators’ goal was to retain the depth of meaning and enduring language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of the church over the last four centuries.

and here is more on the translation notes.

The footnotes that accompany the ESV text inform the reader of textual variations and difficulties and show how these have been resolved by the ESV Translation Team. In addition to this, the footnotes indicate significant alternative readings and occasionally provide an explanation for technical terms or for a difficult reading in the text.

also, as I mentioned, I love the ESV and primarily use it for my reading and study. However, any serious Bible student will use several versions in any preparation for a lesson and I do. I really enjoy having a variety of translations to compare and I feel like we are blessed to live in a time when the Bible is so readily available to us in so many forms and translations.

The Bible Gateway is just an invaluable resource as is Blue Letter Bible.

If you aren’t reading the NET bible and its notes, (or here for another interface) then you are missing a very important and useful resource that is freely available to anybody with an internet connection.

Like I said before, the best Bible for you is the one that you will actually read rather than one you will leave in the car from one Sunday to the next.

Get one and then read it. Please.

Bible translations and study

as I said before, I am kind of a nut about Bibles. The bottom line is that I think everyone should get one that they will read and then read it for all its worth.

Having said that, at Bible study yesterday morning the importance of using a literal translation in your study became apparent. (in my next post above, I will explain why I use the ESV as my primary translation) We were looking at Colossians 1:24 as a case study for how to approach a difficult verse.

Here it is in a literal translation, the ESV:

“24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,”

Paul is telling the Colossian church that Christ’s afflictions lacked something and he is filling up that lack with his own suffering. Wow. That is a presumptuous thing to say. It sounds arrogant and borderline blasphemous. Time to wrestle with the text and figure out what he is saying.

Now look at the same verse in a paraphrase, the NLT:

“24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.”

Do you see the difference? In the NLT, the interpreters have already done the wrestling with the text for you. They decided that what Paul meant was that he was participating in Christ’s continuing sufferings through His body the church. Then that is how they wrote the verse.

I think it is a very important part of Bible study for each individual christian to see the text in as close to the original languages as possible. The Berean Jews examined the scripture for themselves to see if what Paul said was true. They couldn’t do that if somebody else had already interpreted away portions of the text and put into the text what they thought it meant.

If this verse is studied as it is rather than how it is interpreted to be, then a student might go to Philippians 2:27-30 and find a similar locution by Paul. They might see that what Paul believes was lacking in the service by the Philippian church and in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice is delivery of the message. Then the student could see the beautiful thing that Paul is saying. That he is willing to put his own body on the line in much physical suffering in order to make sure that the colossian church and other churches like them all over Asia minor and Greece get to hear about Christ’s sufferings. The student might then reflect on the verse in Romans 10 where Paul, quoting Isaiah, called the feet of gospel messengers, “beautiful” and think about what those feet actually looked like after walking hundreds of miles to share the gospel. Dirty, blistered, gnarled, calloused, feet with bone spurs are beautiful because they are part of the suffering that completes Christ’s incomparable affllictions on the cross.

As part of the priesthood of the believers one of the spiritual sacrifices that we offer is sincere, disciplined, serious, regular study of the book that God breathed out for us.

In order to perform this task most effectively, we must study the text that we have that is as close to the one God breathed out as possible. I love the Bible.

The Bible you will actually read is the best one for you. Too many christ followers never pick up a Bible at all except to take it to church for an hour on Sunday morning (or Saturday night or whenever their group assembles in a big box with the chairs all facing same way). So first and foremost, get one that you can read and one that you will read.

But in order to do what Paul told Timothy to do, to engage in a disciplined effort to study scripture and get to know God better, you need to find and study a literal translation rather than a paraphrase where somebody else has already made decisions about the meaning of a difficult verse.

ESV Study Bible

here is a detailed video introduction to this new study Bible. I have ordered mine (brown Tru-Tone) from the Westminster Bookstore linked here.

Online ESV Study Bible and pitt-minion

Here is Matthew 5 in the ESV online Study Bible. pretty cool. Be sure to hit the “listen” button to have it read to you.

Also, the pitt-minion edition of the ESV is out from Cambridge Bibles. Take a look at Mark Bertrand’s review and pictures. That brown goatskin looks sweet. My next Bible is going to be the wide margin version of this when it comes out later this year or early next year.

ESV Study Bible is out

the ESV Study Bible is out. Westminster Bookstore has them at a good discount. Calfskin appears to have already sold out. that brown trutone is looking pretty good.

the canon

From where did the Bible come? why does it contain the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament that it does?

anytime you have a question like this, the place to start is with the invaluable Christian Research Institute. www.equip.org They have a search box and you can type in any doctrinal query and usually get more than one free pdf article with citations on your point. I highly recommend this resource.

Regarding canonicity, here are some representative articles:

from equip.org:

….Constantine did not establish the New Testament canon. Instead, over a period of time the Christian community identified which books were divinely inspired while coming to grips with its own identity and mission. Robert Grant, a scholar specializing in the composition of the canon, writes that the canon was “not the product of official assemblies or even of the studies of a few theologians, but rather it reflects and expresses the ideal self-understanding of a whole religious movement which, in spite of temporal, geographical, and even ideological differences, could finally be united in accepting these 27 diverse documents as expressing the meaning of Gods revelation in Jesus Christ and to his church.”21No single person decided the canon, and the canonical process was functioning well before the time of Constantine.22

here is one regarding the authorship of the old Testament that concludes:

An objective and truly scientific handling of the evidence can only lead to the conclusion that Jesus Christ and the New Testament apostles were absolutely correct in assuming the genuineness of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (cf. Matt, 19:8: Mark 12:26; John 5:46-47: 7:19: Acts 3:22).

and here is one contesting the idea that Mormonism is truly a latter day revelation with its conclusion that:

Surely, at the very least, latter-day revelation would have to be in complete accord with apostolic doctrine. As Paul declares in Galatians 1:8, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” It is precisely those doctrines unique to Mormonism, such as the plurality of Gods, eternal progression, and secret temple ordinances, which lack a biblical basis and in fact contradict biblical teaching. And the Mormon gospel of salvation by works stands condemned as another gospel from that of the inspired Scriptures.

Hebrews 2:3 asks a sobering question which highlights the foundation of the Christian message on the testimony of Christ and the apostles, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (emphases added). There is no biblical basis for expecting further revelation. The church’s task is rather to preach and teach and defend the faith once-for-all delivered unto the saints (Jude 3), until Christ returns.

and here is a whole list of other free and paid materials on the topic. Go get ’em.