Monthly Archive for August, 2008

Greek for the Rest of Us - Part 1

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
31Aug08
. 7 Comments

Greek for the Rest of UsDo any of you diagram or phrase (as William Mounce puts it) Scripture? (This is not grammatical diagramming.) In his book Greek for the Rest of Us he describes this and shows us how to do it. I find it extremely helpful. If any of you do this and would like to help me, I will post examples of my work and you can critique it. I’ll post my first one which I have been working on this weekend on and off. Let me know what you think. The first one I’ve done completely on my own is
Phrasing of 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (PDF File), which is what we’re studying in our group Bible study. That may be a rather large one to start with.

He mentions that this is usually part of a commentator’s exegesis of a passage and this will help us to understand commentaries in addition to understanding Scripture itself.

I find this book fascinating. I’m taking the Greek part of it very seriously but the parts about Bible translation(s) and phrasing make it all the more worth it.

I’m pretty much through week two (of six) which means I know the Greek alphabet, pronunciation, basic translation philosophies and very basic phrasing.

I may or may not post more about this as time goes on.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t have time to really learn Greek but wants to know the basic grammar and be able to (hopefully) understand what those commentators are saying when they talk about Greek and its grammar.

I had no idea it includes more than just basic Greek. Thanks goes to Esteban for recommending this to me and helping me out.

Unfortunately the paperback doesn’t include the CD of his lectures. My library system has the hardcover which seems to be out of print right now.

Edit: As per Nathan’s review, as of now there are two hardcovers available at Eisenbrauns.

Jeff

Don’t forget the ISV

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
29Aug08
. 14 Comments

As an aside right at the beginning of this post—Guess which translation this is:
“charge them not to be haughty”

A comparison of the translations on the more literal (formal, formal median, median, whatever) end:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 KJV
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 HCSB
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 TNIV
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 ISV
Tell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good actions, to be generous, and to share. 19 By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future, so that they can keep their hold on the life that is real.

The ISV here is what speaks to me the best and portrays what is being said accurately (to the best of my knowledge) but in language that makes the most sense to me. I like the TNIV a lot too for this one.

>International Standard Version

Also see: 1 Timothy 6:17 and the “Rich”

And now a word from our sponsors

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
28Aug08
. 1 Comment

Please excuse this off-topic advertisement.

One way you can support these biblioblogs and support each other is by buying the books we buy from Amazon through another site’s gateway. The right sidebar of this blog has an Amazon.com search form. If you search for any book and go to Amazon’s site and order any book thereafter, the site/blog owner will get a tiny commission with no difference in price to the buyer.

I have to admit that I’ve completely overlooked doing this when I buy books from Amazon. (You can’t buy books through your own link and get a commission.) So whether it’s this blog or your (other) favorite blog, help them out by buying your books through someone who has a gateway. Or if you’re really well off and want to make someone’s day, buy a book from their wish list if they have one, especially for us lower middle class folks or those who are pastors, teachers etc.

Some people like Nick even have an Amazon store.

I don’t mean to try to take away from CBD, Westminster and others. They need the business too.

Thank you for your support.

I hope to put up more resources in addition to the Heidelberg Confession in the future.

2 Corinthians 4:8 “Crushed” and the REB Translation Rendering

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
27Aug08
. 4 Comments

I was looking up the Thayer’s definition of the Greek word στενοχωρέω (stenochōreō) commonly translated as crushed.

2 Corinthians 4:8a
We are pressured in every way but not crushed;

Thayer Definition:
1) to be in a narrow place
2) to straiten, compress, cramp, reduce to straits
2a) to be sorely straitened in spirit

From this definition I’m not getting why the word crushed is so commonly used. It’s reminiscent of Psalm 34:18 but that’s different. I don’t have TDNT or BDAG.

At the risk of being disrespectful to Scripture, my own very bad paraphrase would be:
“It feels like the world is caving in on us but we are not smushed;”

Any insight into why crushed it used?

The main reason for this post is I looked this up in the REB and think it’s magnificent and want to type it out for those of you who don’t have the translation. You’ll see they chose the word cornered.

2 Corinthians 4:7-11
But we have only earthenware jars to hold this treasure, and this proves that such transcendent power does not come from us; it is God’s alone. 8 We are hard pressed, but never cornered; bewildered, but never at our wits’ end; 9 hunted, but never abandoned to our fate; struck down, but never killed. 10 Wherever we go we carry with us in our body the death that Jesus died, so that in this body also the life that Jesus lives may be revealed. 11 For Jesus’s sake we are all our life being handed over to death, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in this mortal body of ours. 12 Thus death is at work in us, but life in you.

Heidelberg Catechism / Confession Here

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
24Aug08
. 11 Comments

I have a new page here of the Heidelberg Catechism. The Scripture plug-in used on this site is especially useful for a page like this as you’ll see.

Even if you don’t subscribe to each element of the catechism, which I don’t quite, there are many Scripture references on various topics which may be useful for some.

If only I was taught things of this nature instead of nothing Biblical in all my Catholic classes beyond preschool Sunday school when growing up!

This took some work to format the text in order for it to work with the Scripture plug-in. I put an ad at the top to try to recoup some of my efforts and I hope that doesn’t look too tacky.

If you have any suggestions or see any errors please let me know.

Philippians 4:13 TNIV

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
23Aug08
. 7 Comments

Philippians 4:13 NASB
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 NIV
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 TNIV
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I really like the TNIV rendering. Can you imagine if the TNIV was the standard rendering throughout the years how this wouldn’t be constantly taken out of context (shown below) and/or misinterpreted?

Philippians 4:11-13 TNIV
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I’m not only learning the importance of context but also that the word all or everything isn’t always “an amount or quantity from which nothing is left out or held back” even in English:

Everything
1.
a. All things or all of a group of things.
b. All relevant matters: told each other everything.
2. The most important fact or consideration: In business, timing is everything.
American Heritage Dictionary

Counter-Cultural Verse of the Day

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
22Aug08
. 13 Comments

1 Corinthians 16:22
If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him.

Saying or Praying “God Willing”

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
21Aug08
. 2 Comments

I would like to repost something I wrote a while ago. Then at the bottom is a link to a post called 7 Reasons to Say ‘God Willing…’ from another blog which complements this very well. Hat Tip to Challies.com.

———

Praying God’s Will

Someone was once saying that a preacher on the radio was saying that we shouldn’t be saying, “If it’s Your will” when we pray because we’re not having confidence in what we’re praying, or something to that effect.

I said that it’s Scriptural to say that because of a couple of passages/verses:

James 4:13-15
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” TNIV

1 John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. TNIV

However I’ve rethought my reasoning. The James passage isn’t talking about prayer, it’s talking about plans, predicting the future etc. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” So while I think it’s Scriptural to say, “I’ll be doing … God willing”, the James passage doesn’t support saying, “If it’s Your will” when praying.

The 1 John passage is talking about God answering according to His will, not necessarily how we should pray. Matthew 21:22 says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” But this needs to be balanced with 1 John 5:14 as mentioned above.

So when is it appropriate to say, “If it’s Your will?” I’m not trying to teach here. I’m just writing what my thinking is at the moment. Please feel free to comment.

If we are praying something that we know is Scriptural, it would almost be disrespectful to to add the if. For example–praying for growth in knowledge, wisdom (James 1:5-8) etc. If we are praying for miraculous healing, a certain material item etc. it may be respectful and reverent to say if it’s Your will. Some would say that shows a lack of confidence. I’m not sure if we could judge right or wrong either way.

As far as asking for something we know might or might not be in His will, it’s fine to ask and to be persistent as the parables of the woman in front of the judge and the man knocking on his neighbor’s door asking for food for a guest. If we should know the answer is no, then should we stop asking.

Paul pleaded with God three times for the thorn in his side to be taken away. God gave him a definitive answer, ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”‘ (2 Corinthians 12:9)

We don’t always know what to pray and the Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26-27). Thomas Schreiner in his commentary on Romans says that since the totality of God’s will is hidden from us, the Spirit fills this lack by interceding for us. The Spirit searches our hearts which long for God’s will, searches even the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10) and intercedes for us according to God’s will with groans that our words can’t express.

I think it’s very important when praying for someone to always pray for things that you know are in God’s will according to Scripture along with any requests they may have or things you think they should have that may or may not be a part of God’s plan. For example if you pray only for healing and that isn’t a part of God’s plan, you’re not really doing them any good. But if you pray for comfort, perseverance, hope, strength etc. along with healing, you know you will be participating in glorifying God in their situation whatever the outcome.

———

7 Reasons to Say ‘God Willing…’

Brief NLT Study Bible Observations

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
20Aug08
. 11 Comments

I won this from commenting on the NLT blog. I was very surprised to get mine this early. Thank you very much to Tyndale.

The dust cover has been removed for these photos. I think they could have done without it. Having the design on the hardcover looks very nice and is similar to what the BECNT and NIVAC commentaries do for example.

NLTSB

The pages are very thin and there is quite a bit of bleed through compared to what I’m used to. I wouldn’t mind if the Bible was 15% thicker with heavier paper but I’m sure even more people would then complain about how the Bible is too heavy and thick. Since it’s a study Bible I think this is just fine and it’s not bad enough to reduce readability. I would trust the publisher knows what people want and struck the right balance. The photo below shows the NIV Thompson Chain Reference Bible and a typical pew Bible so you can see that it’s relatively compact.

NLTSB

I have two other very minor gripes.

The red letter text isn’t quite consistent in color saturation level from page to page. When it’s darker and more saturated it’s easier to read. Maybe in subsequent printings this will be taken care of. Most people probably won’t even notice this. (Sorry I pointed it out.) Of course this could be easily fixed by not having red letters! But we won’t belabor that point.

In the Hebrew and Greek Word Studies, transliterations of the Hebrew and Greek are used without the actual Hebrew and Greek words being shown. I’ve learned the Greek alphabet and would like to see the actual Greek words in addition to the phonetic English transliteration of the underlying word. I look forward to using this feature in any case.

NLTSB

One of my favorite features at first perusal are the Theme Notes. I call them little surprises. They pop up here and there and they’re like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get. For example, in the middle of Ezekiel you’ll find God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility. These are usually a few paragraphs at the most and include Scripture references to the left of the text. This can be seen on page 5 of the NLT Study Bible Features Guide (PDF file) in the lower left.

For a list of reviews please see the NLT Study Bible Reviews Roundup page.

Some Bible Images for Suzanne McCarthy and TC Robinson

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
19Aug08
. 10 Comments

I thought Suzanne McCarthy and TC Robinson would appreciate these.

Learn more about the ESV Study Bible

Learn more about the ESV Study Bible

Learn more about the ESV Study Bible

Learn more about the ESV Study Bible

From Buttons for Your Blog or Website

I am a neutral party just giving them a hard time.

Hopefully somebody will find them useful. Please go to the above link to copy the code if you would like to use them.

Who Were the Puritans?

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
19Aug08
. 5 Comments

This post is a little off topic for this blog.

I see the term Puritan/Purintans/Puritanism misused all the time, even by Christians. The first chapter of the book Devoted Life: An Invitation to the Puritan Classics is available online at Westminster Bookstore titled Who Were the Puritans? (PDF file).

Someday I want to read a lot more of the Puritans and their successors like Jonathan Edwards. As time goes on more and more of their writings are becoming available.

Quote of the Day

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
18Aug08
. 2 Comments

The greater part of wisdom consists in understanding the relationships between complementary truths.

–Dick Gaffin

Matthew 21:22
And everything—whatever you ask in prayer, believing—you will receive.”

1 John 5:14
Now this is the confidence we have before Him: whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

I’m not certain if these verses are exactly the idea that Mr. Gaffin is referring to but they came to mind as I read the quote.

This quote was taken from an interview with David Powlison.

Differences in the NLT1 and NLTse

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
17Aug08
. 9 Comments

There are three verses I found in the older 1996 edition of the New Living Translation (NLT1) that I like better than the updated 2004/2007 version (NLTse). (”se” stands for second edition which was done in 2004. There was a minor update completed in 2007.)

I realize this is a very small sampling and please realize I’m not saying I like the old one better. It’s just three verses.

James 5:16 NLT1 (earlier)
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

James 5:16 NLTse (latest)
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

I miss the words powerful and effective(ness) that other translations have which seems to me to be the underlying meaning.

James 3:14 ESV
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

James 3:14 TNIV
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

James 3:14 NLTse (latest)
But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.

James 3:14a NLT1 (earlier)
But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie.

In this case the NLT1 seems to explain the meaning better. I was wondering if this was too interpretive so I looked at a number of old commentaries and they all seem to concur with what the NLT1 is saying.

Romans 3:25a HCSB
God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood,

Romans 3:25a NLTse (later)
For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.

Romans 3:25a NLT1 (earlier)
For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us.

I really like the term propitiation even though only about 1% of Bible readers may know what it means. I think everyone should look into it since this is the crux of what Jesus did on the cross for us.

Anyway, the NLT1 seems to explain it more fully and the NLTse obviously simplifies this.

Edit: As it turns out, Rick Mansfield mentions exactly the same thing in his review of the NLT.

A question I have for anyone who may know or more specifically for someone on the NLT team is—what was the goal of the revision? Was it to become more dynamic, more literal, more succinct, more understandable, more accurate, more or less interpretive etc.? I’m sure it’s a combination but I’m curious about how the committee went about making the updates. This is not asked in a critical way and again I’m not saying I like the old better than the new. I’m just curious and interested in how this all works.

Edit: As noted in the comments, some of these questions are answered here:
What are the major improvements in the second edition of the NLT?

Does anyone prefer the NLT1 as a whole?

Naked Lady

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
15Aug08
. 9 Comments

Here is a picture of a Lily nicknamed Naked Lady because it has no leaves. It’s also called Surprise Lily or Magic Lily. Its proper name is Belladonna Lily.

Lily - Naked Lady

I thought I would post this picture I took recently and use the name to get more hits from Google. (smiley would go here)

And more importantly it goes so well with Scripture.

Matthew 6:28-34 NLT
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Photo © Scripture Zealot

Mark Driscoll on Charles Spurgeon

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
15Aug08
. 5 Comments

I’ve read quite a few things that Charles Spurgeon wrote, like the Morning and Evening devotionals, some of his sermons, some of the Treasury of David etc. but not a lot about him other than little snippets here and there.

Mark Driscoll wrote four blog posts about Charles Spurgeon. This gives a good overview of Spurgeon’s life and person (in addition to learning about how Mark Driscoll wants to be like Spurgeon). See the fourth post here and you can follow the links to start with the first post.

Not that anyone would care, but here are my favorite parts. Many of his characteristics go against the grain of the stereotypical Calvinistic Baptist, even for his time, which is refreshing.

Dead guys often make the best mentors.

–Mark Driscoll

The rest are about Spurgeon:

In his day, it was widely agreed that Spurgeon had the finest collection of Puritan literature in the entire world. Also included in his personal library were volumes of literature, theology, religion, travel, biography, science, hymnody, history, and humor. Following Spurgeon’s death, his library was distributed among family members. Today, the 6,750 volumes that remained have been preserved in his memory.

Occasionally when Spurgeon prayed over the sick they were healed and many believed he had the gift of healing.

Spurgeon viewed pleasure as a gift from God and did not gravitate toward Gnosticism or asceticism in the practice of the spiritual disciplines. Rather, he enjoyed his freedom in Christ to its fullest. Though scandalous to many, he drank beer, wine, and brandy. Further, after a visiting pastor proclaimed the evils of smoking to Spurgeon’s church, he simply replied, ‘I shall go home and smoke the best cigar I have got to the glory of God.’

Among my favorite Spurgeon quips is his statement that he loved church committees and believed the ideal committee consisted of three people, two of whom stayed home.

The hyper-Calvinists in his day disdained Spurgeon for his passion for lost people to meet Jesus and his continual offering of the gospel of grace to the masses, which led to the baptism of 14,692 converts during his ministry. Despite much mean-spirited opposition, Spurgeon never shied away from calling all people to repentance and used unconventional means, such as meeting in a public theater (not a church) and preaching from a stage (not a raised pulpit), in an effort to be more culturally relevant with his ministry style.

What has come to be known as the Downgrade Controversy ultimately led to Spurgeon being kicked out of his own Baptist denomination for his unwillingness to stop teaching such things as eternal torment in a literal hell, the literal truthfulness of Scripture, a literal creation by God, and the perfection and divine inspiration of Scripture.

What is your favorite Spurgeon biography?

Other Blogs of Interest

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
14Aug08
. 2 Comments

I was recently browsing through Esteban’s blogroll and looked more carefully at these first two sites which I had seen from time to time in the past.

If you are interested in scholarly things, New Testament Perspectives is a great web site. Matthew D. Montonini has book reviews, interviews of scholars and news on what commentaries and scholarly books are coming out among other things. Two things of interest for me are A SHORTER COMMENTARY ON GALATIANS by Don Garlington (PDF File) and I’ve been looking for an opinion on this new commentary for a long time: David L. Turner’s Matthew Commentary: The Interview.

Biblia Hebraica has posts on translation, archeology, news and all sorts of other interesting stuff.

Best-Bible.org is a nice site pertaining to Bible related stuff. Two items of note are the Bible Reading Plans page and his mention of Best Commentaries. Text, Community & Mission, a blog recommended by Nick Norelli, beat me to that one.

1 Timothy 6:17 and the “Rich”

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
13Aug08
. 3 Comments

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.

I wonder how many times I’ve glossed over this passage. After all, I’m not rich, am I?

According to some statistics I’ve seen, people who earn the median income in the USA are in the top 6% of income earners in the world. If I’m lower middle class I could still be considered rich.

In the last few years there have been times when I have felt poor when income has gone down, health problems have come up and car and cat repairs multiplied along with inflation. At the same time, I have been realizing my spiritual poverty more and more (Matthew 5:3). Although I can’t say I’ve been truly poor materially, I’ve felt like it and I wish everyone in this country could have a taste of what that feels like because it helps to develop a humble perspective and dependence on God (with always much room for improvement).

That said, aside from any caveats we could try to build from the income statistics, and not knowing exactly what constituted a rich person in Ephesus at the time (comments?), many of us reading this blog in the Western world are rich materially. This really stuck out to me the other day while reading this passage. It is indeed easy “to be arrogant or to set [our] hope on the uncertainty of wealth”. My surroundings and narrow worldview can deceive me into thinking I’m not rich.

Those of us who are rich, even if we are lower middle class, need to realize it and heed the warnings given in this passage.

We can of course thank God “who richly provides us with all things to enjoy” with what he has blessed us with materially as long as we are following the instruction “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for [ourselves] a good foundation for the age to come, so that [we] may take hold of life that is real” realizing this is a gift from Him and that we are godly in acting similarly.

God, he [Paul] says, richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (cf. 1 Timothy 4:3-4; see also Ecclesiastes 5:19-20). Enjoyment, however, does not mean self-indulgent living (1 Timothy 5:6). The reason everything may be enjoyed lies in the recognition that everything, including one’s wealth, is a gift, the expression of God’s gracious generosity.

Gordon Fee, 1-2 Timothy, Titus

In the seemingly upside down world of the Kingdom of God, we are blessed when we are poor in spirit and we lay up treasure (true riches) for ourselves by giving away.

How great it is to be blessed when we are spiritually poor and to be strengthened to be content whatever our temporal circumstances.

Philippians 4:11-13
I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.

ESV Study Bible Blog Launches

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
11Aug08
. 3 Comments

ESV Study Bible Blog

Another Silly Meme

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
11Aug08
. 3 Comments

“Roger Mugs” started this particular meme that will make me post off-topic drivel on my blog.

I’ve been tagged by Bryon. He’s the one who for some reason insists on spelling his name wrong. Thou caluminous rough-hewn bugbear! Be sure to check out his blog.

There are three unimaginative questions I need to answer which follow.

Q1. If you were to be in ministry 10 years from now (whether you’re in ministry now or not) what would you like to be doing and where?

I’m a follower not a leader. If I were to do something cerebral I would like to do research, fact checking or the like for someone who is smarter than me, like some sort of scholar. I could learn from what I do and labor behind the scenes.

Although I hesitate to mention it, intercessory prayer is an ongoing ministry if it would fall into that category and will be more so in ten years, God willing.

Otherwise I’ve always had an affection for street people. When in college I used to spend quite a bit of time with them. I felt more comfortable with them than with “normal” people, most of whom aren’t as normal as they present themselves to be.

Q2. If you could wake up tomorrow with a degree and all the learning that would have gone with it from any seminary which one would you pick and why?

Westminster Theological Seminary or Southern Baptist Theological Seminary although I don’t know a whole lot about them book learnin’ places. I’m an autodidact.

Q3. What’s your poison: donuts, beer, wine, pizza, chocolate, Twinkies, key-lime pie?

I roast my own coffee and am able to buy some of the best beans in the world. It’s great to drink a beverage that has more flavor components than wine and it only costs a few cents a serving. I worship God when drinking coffee because of my amazement at the multitude of flavors He put in the various coffees that can be tasted if roasted well, is fresh and isn’t burnt like Starbucks. Ironically because of a low tolerance for caffeine I can’t drink very much.

I don’t consider that poison though.

1 Timothy 4:4
For everything created by God is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

Although you could argue that God didn’t create Twinkies.

I tag Michael, Shaun Tabatt and of course John MacArthur (again) who is my model curmudgeon who can denigrate three groups of people within the first quarter of a sermon in one fell swoop.

Other Blogs: Bible Translation Posts

Posted
by
Jeff
 on
9Aug08
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Demystifying Bible Translation and Where Our Culture Is with Inclusive Language — by Craig Blomberg

Bible Translation Matters — by Esteban Vázquez

Bible Translation by Committee — by Keith Williams on the NLT Blog

Neglect by design: the Hebrew Scriptures in modern Christian translations — Iyov

The last three mention the first.