The Word is all about the Word…

Over the years God has taught me that accurate Bible interpretation requires attention to these truths. One is that Jesus is the living Word — and this book is the written Word; it is all about Jesus.

The written Word, like Jesus, is from God and inerrant. What God says is more important than “what does this mean to me?” I need to seek what is intended by what they say. This means a careful study of the words, even the original languages, the genre, the grammar, and the historical context. I cannot read present day ideas and customs or my life into it. Context is vital. Pointing to one verse to build a theology is dangerous.

The intended meaning is usually literal yet figurative language is often used by God to explain concepts and even events in ways that our minds can grasp. When God says He covers us with His wings, that does not mean He is a bird, but all figurative language is not that obvious!

Also, any part of the Bible needs to be considered by the thoughts in the entire Bible. All will be in harmony. That is, even what seems contradictory will fall into harmony if properly understood. This and all interpretation means dropping my preconceptions and relying on the Holy Spirit to inform me.

Revelation is progressive. The OT writers did not have the benefit of NT revelation, yet the NT writers had the benefit of the OT. Also, some OT writers were given glimpses into the future, but they did not have all of the particulars, yet all had the benefit of the Holy Spirit.

The intended meaning is God/Christ centered and has significance for everyone, in all places and at all times. Some Christians toss out the OT without realize how it points to NT truths and events and certainly to Jesus.

All that said, I realize that many contemporary Christians use “this means to me” and even current word meanings and events to interpret what was written, ignoring the author’s intent and use of languages with varying word meanings that are not the same as ours.

This week’s devotional author seems to fiddle with current word meanings rather than using Scripture to explain his message. Also, some of what is said is unclear as to the intended audience. Is this speaking to believers or to those who do not know the Lord? If to believers, the message should affirm our relationship to God through faith in Christ rather than telling me to give my life to Him. I have already done that. My battle now is not against the wrath of God that sinners deserve, but against the old nature and the lies of the world and Satan to cause doubt and lead me into sin.

Today’s devotional says: “To yield to God means to belong to God, and to belong to God means to have all His infinite power and infinite love on our side” What does this say? I already belong to God; He saved me and made me His child. I’m not always yielded to God’s will, either in ignorance of it, or because I’ve been side-tracked by some selfish idea or Satan’s lies, but that does not negate that God is caring for me or that I miss out on His power and love. He always rescues me from sin because He is my Savior.

All this to say that one more rule of Bible study is figuring out who the verse is talking to. If it is to those without Christ, I still need to pay attention, but am affected differently because God has already revealed that truth to me now as a believer. For many passages, they remind me of what I already know and have in Christ, and are not about becoming a believer but instructions in how to live as a member of His forever family.

PRAY: Lord, grant discernment and careful interpretation when I read what You have inspired godly authors to write. Most of all, may I see You clearly before trying to see what it is You want from me. Seeing You shows me what needs to be changed in my life. You tell me that I too often search the Scriptures because I think I need advice for my life, yet those Scriptures bear witness about You, (John 5:39) just as You described after You rose from the dead: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) Seeing you changes me, but a focus on me does not have the same result.

My problem goes deeper than my method

The theology course I’m currently studying is Hermeneutics, the science and art of interpreting Scripture. I like the topic, but in some ways find it frustrating.

Those who ‘specialize’ in this field seem to look for a cut and dried method, a list of principles that always works for all passages of the Bible. They want objectivity; we must distance ourselves and not bring presuppositions, human ideas and desires, and so on into interpretation. Yet despite all best efforts, those trying to formulate the rules continually find parts that don’t fit.

One issue is that those who reject the Bible as the Word of God call those parts ‘inconsistencies’ and use them to dismiss the rest of the Bible. This adds fuel to the search for a ‘cut and dried’ way of trying to explain every part, as if that will change the minds of all skeptics. In other words, some theologians seem bent on proving what we believe by making everything logical and tied up in a neat package.

However, God and faith never ask for perfect hermeneutical how-to lists. Faith is about God, not about how good my brain is at figuring out God. Actually, the deeper my relationship with God, the more I realize how puny I am at figuring Him out.

Instead, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen . . . By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:1–3) By this definition and example, faith is trusting God concerning what I cannot see or understand. It means trusting Him in the fog of my finite mind.

Of course that mind does need a proper hermeneutic in the sense that I am apt to go off the rails because of bringing my own ideas, wants, worldview, baggage and so on into my study. If I am reading any book, I need to know what the words mean. I must consider the author, the culture, the historical data, the context and genre, and so on. However, after being as objective as possible, to get at what God is saying eventually boils down to relying on God to make sense of it.

After all, faith is assurance about what I cannot figure out. What God says and is doing usually does not make sense (at least at first), but I don’t need to human rationale to trust Him. Rather, I need grace to know Him, to trust Him, and to hear what He says.

Aside from that, it has been said that the parts of the Bible we don’t understand should not bother us, but the parts that we do understand. For me, it goes like this: the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand become less of a problem in light of the parts that I do understand. That is, what I know about God and what He says is enough to trust Him concerning the parts that don’t make sense.

Lots of it does make sense. For instance, the Apostle John wrote this: “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:4–8)

I get it. Jesus died for me and is building His kingdom. He is coming back and the world will mourn over what was done to Him. Using a ‘proper hermeneutic’ theologians try to figure out what that second coming will look like, but I don’t need to know how and when, only that He says He will return. It will happen. I trust Him for that because He has already doing the first part where He loves me and sets me free from sin by His blood. Faith isn’t about how things happen, but about who makes them happen!

While a sound hermeneutic is needed, the danger is putting too much trust in how I do it. God has shown me that my problem isn’t with my interpretation rules, but with my foggy and finite brain. Sin ruined it. Jesus sets me free from that ruin by cleansing the crap and in that process, I gain ability to make sense of His Word. I am more concerned that my focus stays on getting rid of my junk, rather than on ‘properly’ understanding what I’m not yet ready to understand. 

Willing heart first, clarity next

Before we rose to greet the first day of this New Year, my hubby and I talked about a lesson we learned last year; God wants us willing to obey Him before He gives us a clear idea of what He wants us to do.

This principle applies also to our ability to understand the Bible. As Jesus said, “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.” (John 7:17) How much more we need that willingness so we can discern the voice of the Holy Spirit amid the plethora of voices in the world and in our own hearts.

Besides that, there are a plethora of ‘interpretation’ methods when it comes to reading the Bible. I am about to embark on a course in New Testament theology and am already reading books that explain some of these methods. I’ve noticed that the subjective side of faith in a Christian’s relationship with God is mostly disregarded in these modern methods. They say subjectivity cannot be trusted and there is an element of truth in that conclusion. Yet without being willing to do what God says, God usually does not bestow much clarity on me.

Then I read this morning’s devotional from a book called, Take Heart —Daily Devotions with the World’s Great Preachers. The Scripture is from Joshua and involves instruction to the people as they are about to cross the Jordan River into the new land that God had promised them. They were told to follow the ark of the covenant…

Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:4–5)

In the first day of a New Year, I look back a bit, but mostly look forward. We had a stressful year of change. What will the next year bring? As the devotional writer says, before us lies an untrodden way. We have not done 2013 before. How would God have me approach this way?

I notice that Joshua told the people to consecrate or sanctify themselves. Jesus also said the same thing as He prepared to go to the cross, for Him also an untrodden way. His words were, “For them I sanctify myself” (John 17:19).

This means dedicating myself again to God, giving my life to Him in fresh and unreserved surrender. I have already learned that the “wonders of tomorrow depend on the sanctification of today” and that the will of God will unfold before me as I am willing to do whatever He asks of me.

I breathed a sigh as I read, “enthusiasm of youth may have departed, the strength once enjoyed may have been weakened, the freshness may have been rubbed off things through the ceaseless handling of the years” yet smiled also in agreement where the devotional reading said that for those who face the unknown in sanctification, “tomorrow will be more wonderful than yesterday.”

This is about being willing to obey before I find out my marching orders. Israel sent on ahead the ark of God to show that they believed God was with them. My willingness to obey also shows that I believe the Lord is with me. If He asks me to plunge into a swollen river, I can do it because I trust Him.

The devotional writer also reminds me that too often I send my imagination ahead instead of faith. I toss myself into a fit with fear over some untrodden way. For example, fear of going back to school, of participating in online discussions, of taking exams, of trying to remember the words in a 700-page textbook. But as he says, fear is poor at finding a place to wade across a river and is also a lousy bridge-builder. Fear hears nothing but the raging water, missing the music of the Spirit, missing the still small voice of God.

Israel sent that ark of God on ahead and the waters stopped, even stood in a heap. Because the people surrendered themselves, they were able to go forward with banners flying into a new adventure. Their willingness to obey conquered their fear of the unknown and silenced all objections toward having never come this way before.

Refiner’s fire produces eternal results

According to sources, gold must undergo testing before it is approved. Several methods are used either to determine the quantity of gold in a sample, or its purity, or both. These methods involve fire and chemical solutions to remove all other base metals. Then the gold is compared to a preset standard that determines its value. This last step requires the opinion of a certified and unbiased third party. 
 

Actually, this classic procedure is being replaced by non-destructive hand held x-ray technology. A booth in a Florida shopping mall offered such a process to anyone who wanted to know the metal content of their jewelry. I had my ring scanned to see if it actually had the gold quantity etched on the inside. The technician held it under a small machine and a gauge approved the gold to be 18 carets as claimed.

The Bible uses a term from this process to describe how I also must be tested. Like precious metal, God wants to separate the pure life of Christ that He put in me from the base products that are part of my sin nature. He uses various ways to remove the dross. Sometimes it is a refiner’s fire, and sometimes the piercing ability of His written Word that x-rays and exposes my sinfulness. 

In this verse, the reference to being “one approved” uses a word that came from this process of testing and approving assayed minerals.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

God has at least two positive results in mind for His testing processes. Besides wanting to purify my life and make it shine for Him, He wants me to have no need of being ashamed. That word implies blameless innocence. Instead of deserving reproof or rebuke, God wants me to be blameworthy, without any feelings of shame or embarrassment about my life. 

Shame usually focuses on the sense of being responsibility for my foolish, improper, or immoral actions, but this sense of disgrace can happen without guilt too. That is, I can be humiliated by how someone treats me, or ashamed of the actions of someone else. God wants me to be without any of that.

As I researched the meanings of “ashamed,” I was surprised that the antonym is pride. This morning, this discovery is a small assay. That is, God reveals that anytime I experience feelings of shame or embarrassment, I might need to deal with a prideful attitude. 

This process of being tested and approved by God is needed. He uses it to remove the stuff from my life that makes me feel shame or guilt before Him. I know from this and other passages that He does not want me to feel humiliated by others either. If there is no reason for shame, then I can have confidence. This is not because I am perfect, but because Christ lives in me and makes Himself known to others through me. My purity is about His purity — it becomes visible when my dross is refined and skimmed from me.

The second result of this assay process is to give me the ability to rightly handle His Word. There is a connection. If my heart is not right, I cannot perceive properly and God will seem different to me than He actually is. David wrote…

With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. (Psalm 18:25–26)

Paul echoed something similar: To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. (Titus 1:15)

This means that if my life is not cleansed from its base elements, then I cannot see or experience purity. I will not see the mercy and purity of God either, and no one will see the mercy and purity of Jesus Christ who lives in me. Beyond that, I will not be able to “rightly handle” the Word of God for I cannot see it rightly. This is about correct interpretation for my own life and correct interpretation as I share it with others. Going through the assay process is vital if I want to live the new life God gave me.

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Lord, I’m not interesting in finding gold, but I am deeply interested in being like pure gold, in having You shine in my life without any interference from sin and other dross elements. I’m also deeply concerned that I rightly handle Your Word. My own walk with You depends on this, as how what I say and write affects others. I am not thrilled about the assay process even if having You look right through me as an x-ray is more appealing than fire or refining chemicals. Yet, I do know that whatever method You choose to expose and cleanse my sin is vital. For that, I submit to Your will.

To Live is Christ — meekly, quietly, gently

The news this week involves a pastor in Florida who has interpreted Scripture loosely. His idea about burning books comes from a passage where people who had been involved in witchcraft came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. After they were given new life in Him, they realized the errors of their past. 

And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Acts 19:18–19)

These early Christians burned their own sinful books. They were not burning the books of other people. If this was the case, then I should be lighting a match to all books that do not line up with the Word of God, which could mean most books in print.

Aside from getting far more media coverage that it deserves, this news story points to the importance of correctly reading and interpreting Scripture, something sadly lacking in many churches. It also raises the question often asked by non-Christians: “How do you know who has the right translation or interpretation?”

That is a valid question. The Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek, and some parts in Aramaic. To translate it into English is the first challenge. A translator needs to know those languages, but also those cultures. They had figures of speech just as we do. We might say or hear, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles” and know what it means, but what about someone from another culture? And did the ancient Israelites say things that sounds about as odd? And how can anyone know the difference between a colloquialism and a literal statement?

I looked again at the verses in Isaiah that I’ve been reading and decided to read them in a “literal” translation, which is word for word. This is what the Young’s Literal Bible says:

And made hath Jehovah of Hosts, for all the peoples in this mount, a banquet of fat things, a banquet of preserved things, fat things full of marrow, preserved things refined. (Isaiah 25:6, YLT)

Huh? Without knowing the way people talked back then, this is almost gibberish. However, many scholars put decades of research and prayer into understanding this passage and others like it. They study the original languages and all things necessary to get the gist of what it means. Then they translate it into the English of the day. When King James was ruling, the English of that day became the still-popular King James Bible.

These days, many scholars have translated several Bible versions using contemporary terms. This helps modern readers understand words written centuries before. For the above passage, the Contemporary English Version says it like this:

On this mountain the Lord All-Powerful will prepare for all nations a feast of the finest foods. Choice wines and the best meats will be served. (Isaiah 25:6)

Probably all Bibles have some translation quirks and foibles, but most of them convey the general meaning. (A few, such as those translated by cults, should be burned.) However, interpretation of what has been translated is another challenge. Volumes are written on how to properly understand the Bible, yet hearing God speak does not necessarily require a degree in Hermeneutics or years of scholarly study. Even children can understand the Word of God — if their hearts are right!

This is on my mind because of the news story. I realize it might have been lack of scholarly interpretation that caused this book burning brouhaha, but maybe not. God is amazingly able to get around our “dull minds” if we are willing to hear Him. He can speak through the old KJV and use even the loosest modern paraphrase — if I have a meek and quiet spirit.

I know that If I have my mind already made up, my ears lose their sensitivity to the truth, no matter how clearly it is written. Understanding the Word of God is vital to doing the will of God, but so also is having a soft and humble heart. Instead of dictating what others should do (with their books or their lives), I always need to pay attention to the state of my own heart.

To Live is Christ — letting God speak

Communication is seldom simple. I read of a pastor who said he was, “tickled to death” about something. A man from another culture heard his words and was deeply sorry for the pastor because he didn’t understand the idiom.

Americans use language like “hot chicks” and “cool dudes” that make little sense to others, but that isn’t the only problem. Words are said but not heard (mothers know all about that), or full sentences are uttered but only partly heard, often with unpleasant ramifications.

Sometimes public figures say things and their words are taken out of context. The media easily puts them in a bad light by misrepresenting them — using their own words.

Lately I’ve noticed how often the words of the Bible are misrepresented too, simply by doing the same thing. Verses are taken out of context and then used to support a theory or make an assumption.

I’ve been reading a passage in Daniel where this Old Testament prophet must know and interpret the king’s dream or he will die along with the other “wise” men of the court. Daniel prays. Daniel 2:19 says, “Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”

His prayer follows, but only part of it is used in the devotional guide that I’m using. That part says, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” (2:20-21)

The devotional asks several questions. Two of them are, “Who is Daniel talking to?” and, “Would you tell your king that he was only a servant to the only true King?”

When I read these questions I wondered how could it be assumed that Daniel was speaking to the king? Did the person who wrote them open the Bible, put a finger on these verses, and not read anything else in Daniel before writing the devotional entry?

Verse 19 says that Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Verses 20-23 record that blessing. They start in third person but Daniel’s words soon switch to second person. He says, “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

Then verse 24 says, “Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: ‘Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.’”

In the prior verses, Daniel was talking to God, and maybe his friends, but certainly not the king. He was verbally worshiping the One who had revealed the dream to him, declaring praise and expressing his faith. He was not challenging the king. He was not even in the presence of the king.

Does it matter? In the bigger picture, yes. Do this with the rest of Scripture and interpretation will be faulty throughout. In these verses it also matters. Be seeing Daniel’s words as praise and prayer, God has blessed my heart with applications recorded here over the past few days. For instance, his praise to God came before he went to the king with his interpretation. Daniel knew who was in charge and he didn’t run to the palace in a panic.

Not only that, Daniel’s words show his humility, but also his respect. By reading the rest of Daniel, I see that this godly man never once taunted any of the kings that held him captive. He knew who was the ultimate authority and didn’t put the spotlight on himself by mocking or belittling the men who thought they were in charge. That is also an example to me.

Lately God has been showing me much about interpreting His words. He uses figures of speech that are unfamiliar to our culture; I need to know that. He uses language that means more to the original readers than it does to me; I need to know that. I also cannot pull partial sentences or even parts of paragraphs out of context to support my own ideas. This is called proof-texting. Instead, I need to intently hear and understand all of what He has said about any given topic.

The Word of God is often twisted and misinterpreted, mostly for some sort of human gain or to support a personal theory or idea. I must not do that. I need to always interpret any passage or verse by considering all of what the Bible says, even if those truths convict and rebuke me, or challenge me to change. The important thing is that the Bible will always honor the One who inspired it — and I can honor Him by letting it speak to me.

To Live is Christ — means knowing which burdens to carry

Politicians are plunged into hot water when the press takes something they said out of context that makes them look like idiots. Observers must back up and see the entire block of what was said before the person who said it is off the hook. If someone did that to my speech or writing, I would be enraged.

I wish it worked like that with Bible interpretation. Far too many false doctrines have been formed and perpetuated because someone lifted a line from the Bible and disregarded the words before and after it.

This morning’s devotional again is from Galatians 6, but this time I am thinking of the context to understand what it means to bear someone’s burdens. We tend to think this means burdens like grief, loss, financial reverses, and other trials, but is that all that Paul meant?

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. (Galatians 6:1–5)

As I read it, it seemed that verses 2-5 are an explanation of verse one. Paul is telling the church that individuals need to look out for others, but in doing so they must not forget that they themselves are vulnerable. Broadly speaking, obeying these words would put a stop to both individualism and meddling in the affairs of others.

Suppose a Christian tips over and falls into a habit of gambling and is in a casino every other night. When another Christian (who is walking with Christ) hears about it, he is upset and even angry. He knows the power of such temptation for he is a reformed gambler. Can that man help the one in the casino? Yes, if he goes in the spirit of gentleness (this word could also be translated meekness), realizing the danger not only to the first man but to himself. He could be in the same mess, so cannot act “holier than thou” with the first man. He needs to consider his own vulnerability and be meek on the inside and gentle on the outside.

He also needs to bear the burdens of the first man. This is anything the first man considers a heavy weight. It could be whatever pushed him into this in the first place, or a fear of financial loss, or strained relationships at home, or the loss of respect from other Christians. The burden-bearer must feel those concerns and pray for this man in ways that the man cannot or will not pray for himself, including confessing his sins and asking God for forgiveness. This is what Christ is doing, so “to live is Christ” means doing the same thing. (See yesterday’s post.)

At the same time, this second man must avoid spiritual pride. Yes, he is helping someone who is in trouble, but that does not make him anything special. It is as Jesus says . . .  

So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ (Luke 17:10)

Instead, the second man is to examine whether or not he is being obedient to God. Is he doing this because he is angry with the man? Or because God says so? From my own experience, I know that by doing what Jesus commands, I “have rejoicing in myself alone” and don’t need anything else (like retaliation or “I told you so”) to give me a sense of satisfaction. Nor do I have to compare myself to any other person to be glad about what I am doing.

That being said, the load or burden of obedience is my own load. Regardless of what others do, this is my burden. No one can bear it for me or obey for me.

The first man, the one stuck in the casino, is also responsible for his own obedience. However, because he is “overtaken” or caught in sin, he needs help to untangle himself. This is part of Body life for Christians. We bear one another’s burdens, knowing we cannot bear them ourselves, but also reminding ourselves that Jesus bore them in a greater sense when He died on the cross to remove our burden of sin for all eternity.

Be wary of assumptions

The sinfulness and rebellion in the human heart should not surprise me, but sometimes I am surprised. I’m surprised when I resist God, and seems to forget what He has declared true about me. I am surprised when others who declare themselves followers of Christ on one hand, on the other will say “No” to His Word and do whatever they can do to get around the commands and instructions of Scripture.

I’ve two books on my desk, thick and heavy books, that respond to a type of Scripture interpretation that makes an assumption going in that skews everything that comes out. This error is evidence of rebellion against the teaching God gives about Himself, never mind rebellion against the distressing news His Word gives us about ourselves. This type of interpretation goes as far back as Eden where Satan disguised himself and said to Eve, “Did God really say that?”

I cannot decide what made Eve fall for it and doubt God. At that time, sin had not entered the world; she was innocent yet could be deceived, something like a little child is innocent and can be led astray. Now, after that happened sin is in the human heart. We can more easily be led from what God says about Himself into the error of following what we would like God to say, not only about Himself but about ourselves. This is a tragedy. Nonetheless, it happens to Christians. We can make assumptions about God and the Bible, and some of them are false.

For instance, if I assume God to be totally loving and accepting and never angry about sin, this will not only affect how I read the Bible (with blinders on), but how I behave. If I assume that God is angry with sinners all the time, I will read the Bible wearing the same blinders only with a different view of God and a corresponding different response to Him and His Word.

What is it about assumptions that makes them so dangerous? Aside from blinders, an assumption can be just one more expression of my sin nature that is determined to go its own way (Isaiah 53:6). I want something to be so; therefore, regardless of what God or anyone else says this is how I will see it. My assumption is stronger and more real, at least in my mind.

While daily devotions based on a verse or two can fuel a poor understanding because these verses are dropped on the page out of their context, sometimes focusing on one section at a time gives great clarity. I find that today with these verses:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

The Gospel as expressed here is a great leveler of those using different interpretations. Using words like “us” and “we” Paul never excludes anyone. All of us were dead in sin and even though not everyone has been made alive in Christ, all of those who are given new life are raised up in that life, spiritually seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, and will eventually experience the full riches of what our salvation gives us.

This is grace. We come in with our assumptions, prejudices, false ideas, and a heart full of “I will do this my way” yet in the end, He will bring us to a “together” experience that transcends our deadness. He will overcome every selfish notion and assumption Satan uses to pull and tug us from the truth that is in Christ.

Satan used assumptions and doubt to dupe Eve into taking that which was forbidden. That was thousands of years ago, but his methods haven’t changed a bit. However, because of His rich mercy and great love with which He loved us, Christ has defeated Satan. The enemy’s manipulation may work for a time, but his time is short, and the end of our struggles to understand is not in our struggling but in Jesus. The end of all assuming, Scripture twisting and manipulating is also in Jesus. It is as He said in John 8:31-32, 36, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. . . . Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

The key is abiding in His Word and letting Him break down our barricades of resistance and human reasoning. Eventually the power of the truth will free all of God’s people from Satan’s lies and our own susceptibility to fall for them.

Comparing translations

As a word person who shudders when I see your used when it should be you’re and it’s when it should be its, I also notice differences in Bible translations and wonder why they are there. I do not know Greek and Hebrew, but often open lexicons and dictionaries to answer my questions.

This morning I’m reading Psalm 57. Verses 2 and 3 in the NKJV and the NIV use different words. The NKJV says, “I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth” (Psalm 57:2-3).

The NIV says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me. God sends his love and his faithfulness” (Psalm 57:2-3).

Is there a difference between “who performs all things for me” and “who fulfills his purpose for me”? The first one could be interpreted by those who do not know better that God is like a genie in a bottle and will “perform” at our command. The second version is truer to the rest of the Bible; God is at work to fulfill His purposes for me.

Is there a difference between “His mercy and His truth” and “his love and his faithfulness” besides the upper and lowercase in the pronouns? (I prefer using uppercase in reference to God. It gives readers no doubt to whom I am referring.)

Mercy is showing undeserved kindness, not giving people what they deserve. The love of God is similar. It is unconditional and rooted in the character of God, not in any qualities of the recipient. Love is more positive than mercy though, because mercy implies that I deserve something else.

However, I looked up the word and was surprised to find that it comes from a root word that means “to bow the neck.” The idea is one of submission to an equal. That raises so many questions that it is no wonder that translators have different views to how this word should be stated in English. This one seems to need far more research than I have time for today!

Truth or faithfulness? Truth is the facts, what is real and fits with the revelation of God. Verses like “let God be true and every man a liar” and “Satan is a liar and the father of lies” indicate that what God says is true. So if the NKJV translation is correct, it means that God will send forth His expression of truth, which of course is His Word (written and Living!).

On the other hand, faithfulness speaks of God doing what He has committed Himself to do. He says it; He will do it. The NIV is saying that God will send that quality to me.

Again, I looked up this word and found that it is about certainty and stability. These describe the Word of God and the truth of God in that it is certain and never changes. They also describe the character of God. He also is faithful and unchanging.

What is the practical side of all this sleuthing and word study? The first thing that comes to mind is that I need more than a verse or two to help me grasp the wonder of who God is and what He does. Sometimes it helps to read more than one translation. The differences show me that human minds, even those enlightened by the Holy Spirit, cannot fully put words to what we understand. God is so incredible, so much more than our language, that even if we heap up words, we just cannot fully describe Him.

The second thing is that I’m thinking about what these verses say. I will cry out to God because He is dependable. He not only rescues me when others (human or from the spiritual realm) are trying to destroy me, but He sends from heaven whatever I need to survive the trials of life and the spiritual assaults on my soul.

Furthermore, He has a plan for my life, not so much charting all my day-to-day tasks, but using all things to transform me into the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). He will fulfill that plan, and even on those days when I look at myself and think my life is useless or has fallen so far short, He is not thwarted. No matter what I think of all these words or how Bible scholars translate them, God will finish what He started.