The whole of the Bible is about its centre: Jesus Christ.
That’s the point. A question one can always ask, and seek the answer for is, “What does this have to do with Jesus Christ?” WDTHTDWJ?
The Bible was originally written in three languages over a time period of _____ years. These languages are, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It has by necessity, been translated into all the languages that exist, pretty much, and in the English language alone, there are over ____ translations. Each translation is brought about by Bible Scholars, each translation came about for particular reasons. “How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth” Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, explains that one must read the bible on a daily basis using ONE translation, and when one studies and meditates on the scripture one has read, it is best to have 2-3 translations to compare.
Being a man who lives and works in Korea, you may know better than I that direct translation does not always work. What a word means in English is not necessarily what is heard by the direct translation in Korean. Indeed, a fag in England is a cigarette, and in USA its a vulgar term for a gay man, and if someone says, “I’m really fagged” he’s saying that he is tired.
Growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we went to church camp, and each summer, at the end of a week of camp, we would have a faggot service. We threw faggots – neither cigarettes nor gay males – into the camp fire. These were wooden branches, aka sticks, and since the meaning of faggot is “burning stick”…
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
The message and purpose of the faggot service is that we take something from our lives, and let the stick symbolize our departure from it, such as smoking or . . . and we throw it into the flames to be burned, along with that pesky persistent thing we have come to regard as sin, and wish to be free of.
So, from that example alone, the choice of words, and translating them singly is one thing, but just think of the difficulty of translating whole idioms need to also be translated from that time to this time.
Fee and Stuart point out that there is the language difference, but also the difference in time. The original texts are in the distant past.
Then there are things like the ACROSTIC. Psalm 119 is one such passage in the Bible that has each verse beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This makes it an acrostic, which is a poetic structure that uses letters in this way. So that is LOST in translation, but something that is regained by hearing from those who know the original languages.
- S ome of the questions he has are ones he cannot find the words to yet utter.
- T o utter them, seems inadequate, so how will he begin?
- E ven though he senses complexity, he knows that though he is,
- V ery much at a loss, he must begin none the less.
- E ach question adds up and leads to another.
- N ow to come to some conclusion, that is the hope, and most definitely, the intention.
So, the purpose of studying with 2-3 good translations is that where they differ indicates a difficulty in rendering, and therefore deserves some attention.
When reading the Bible it is important to do some things, according to Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. First of all, read the entire book through before trying to dissect it. Get a good overview of the whole message of the book. The next thing is to first endeavor to understand what it meant to the original hearers of the text. The next thing we do is apply it to our current situation and era. All the while keeping in mind a couple of things. That the Bible always agrees with itself as a rule. Therefore what ever we figure it MEANS in one place, it cannot be contradicted in another place. Yet we find there are paradoxes, and mysteries, which must be unraveled over time. Be patient with these as they occur. Have faith in the one who caused the Bible to be written, that He will make these things clear to you. Where ever you wonder or doubt, there is most likely God with something in particular that he wants to teach you. Each passage that causes you to pause or wonder, is quite possibly the Holy Spirit saying, pay attention, remember this, I’ll be bringing it up later. And always always always WDTHTDWJ?
The Whole Bible
The Bible is divided into two major parts, the Old Testament, and the New Testament. So now, ask the question, “WDTHTDWJ?”
Answer: The Old Testament is before the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament is after the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Incarnation> In the fourth book of the New Testament we read, in the very first verse, that in the beginning was The Word. This catches the reader’s interest, and is deliberate in its use. The Word refers to Jesus Christ, and meaning is that He existed in the beginning with God, and He WAS God himself. This is one of those places where the doctrine (a Bible Jargon word meaning “teaching”) of the Trinity comes from. That God is ONE God, but in Three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is equal, and one in the same, yet three distinct persons. Its one of the mysterious things alluded to, and is an interesting thing to listen for as you read through the whole of the Bible. For example, in Genesis,
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26 NIV (New International Version)
The word “us” is used by God, yet he is talking to himself. Its the earliest mention reference or allusion to the trinity. Its inferred throughout the whole Bible.
Bible Books Split into Categories or Divisions
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Old Testament
The Pentateuch (also known as The Torah, or The Law) – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books – Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
The Poetic Books – Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
The Major Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
The Minor Prophets – Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
New Testament
The Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Historical Book – Acts
The Letters – Romans, 1 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter,
2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
The Vision – Revelation
Running Down Vimy 