Well, it has been awhile since I posted something. My excuse of being too busy at work transitioned into other excuses. So here is my feeble attempt to resurrect this blog from the duldrums.
Let me ask you a few questions to start with:
1. What are the most important topics in world events currently?
2. What is your favourite version of the Bible, and why?
3. Do you think there are any versions that should be considered heretical or blatantly inaccurate?
4. What does the word fellowship mean to you? How would you describe and define it Biblically?
16 comments:
1. The freedom of market forces from government interference.
2. The King James Bible.
Visit Watch Unto Prayer
3. The Message. It inserts a magic formula into the Lord's Prayer.
About the Message: New Age/ Occult Terminology
4. Fellowship is the manifesting of the unity that is created by believers being united in the Body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Every Blessing in Christ
Matthew
Hi Matthew, it seems I still have one faithful reader.
Thanks for the link to on the message bible. I didn't realize it was that corrupted.
I think our evangelical leaders need to wake up and make sure they know who and what they're endorsing.
God bless,
Jim
Glad to se you back, Jim...
1. too many to name even one that stands out...
2. KJV - always used it, memorized much of the NT, over 40...
3. message paraphrase - Matthew hit it on the head...TNIV bothers me...
4. Things in common - we are the temple of the Spirit, he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit - one with Christ, one with each other...
JD,
Thanks for the comments, are you familiar with the ESV at all?
You don't think "coffee fellowship" counts? :)
Hi Jim,
1. Islamofascism and how to eradicate it.
2. New American Standard. I feel its "authors" really took a literal approach to the translation of the manuscripts. I like it. Some say it is very wooden to read, but things seem very clear to me when I read them from that translation, although I don't mind the NKJV or the NIV too much either.
3. New World Translation - John 1, case in point.
NRSV - I don't know if I would call it heretical, but I think the gender-nuetral language thing is very fussy.
4. Fellowship - Being one with the family of God.
Thanks Rose, the NASB was the first Bible I read much in. I found it fairly clear but was a bit confused as to why they kept some of the old pronouns and language for the psalms.
I am really beginning to wonder why we have so many translations. I am failing to see all the positives any more?
God bless,
Jim
Yeah, Jim, I just ordered 500 ESV's for our church, it is to become our corporate study bible...the KJV is just what I grew up on...
I don't drink coffee...
The more recent editions of the NASB remove the word 'thou'.
I believe the NASB is not as literal as the KJV or NKJV.
Does the NRSV follow the RSV in using 'young woman' instead of 'virgin' in Isaiah 7:14?
JD, can you or somebody else tell me where the ESV came from and what angle (motivation) it approaches translation from?
The ESV is essentially a cleaned up version of the RSV.
Lots of intellectually inclined conservative Evangelicals have always read the RSV in secret, but were embarassed by its liberal theological bias, most notably its use of 'young woman' in Isaiah 7:14.
These Evangelical RSV readers were an excellent potential niche market for a new Bible translation. Hence the ESV.
Every Blessing in Christ
Matthew
Thanks Matthew, that is interesting.
God bless,
Jim
1. Rose nailed this one.
2. I like the NASB for literal accuracy, the ESV for a good blend of literal and idiomatic accuracy, the KJV for the poetic prose, the NET for it's translation notes. Really, I have different favorites for different applications.
3. The message for sure - and the various cult flavored translations - the JW's translation for instance. I don't think the apochypa are inspired texts, so any translation that includes the apocrypha is blatantly inaccurate with regards to that inclusion.
4. I don't like answering questions about biblical things when the question ends with "for you..." - as though the definition of fellowship were subjective. Fellowship is only possible if one is in the Spirit and not in the flesh - and frankly most real Christians are entirely carnal, and have no idea what real fellowship is - and so assume that the nice feeling they get when they are with other Christians talking about God is "fellowship."
Fellowship happens when I am on the cross with Christ, and nothing of me is left to live my life - then and only then is Christ living in me - and then and only then am I living in Christ - and the moment I am in fellowship with Christ - I am in fellowship with anyone else who is in fellowship with Christ - we are one mind and one heart. It isn't something that happens unless both people are in genuine fellowship with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Amen Daniel to #4.
I would say that you have expressed rather well the emphasis of John when he talks about the kind of fellowship he is longing to see in other believers.
I think however that fellowship is entirely subjective, the only thing is that it's usually subjected to our feelings rather than to the Holy Spirit and the cross.
You are quite right that many christians do not understand the true purpose and meaning of fellowship. I think this is why the feel good teachers are so popular. This would also explain why our "christian music" sounds just like the world's music.
Thanks again for your input and encouragement.
God bless,
Jim
Hi,
may I ask what is Coffee Fellowship?
jel, thanks for stopping by.
I would define "coffee fellowship" as the activity whereby christians meet in a church environment and either have coffee or food while making small talk. This has many times passed for "fellowship".
But as John the apostle points out, true fellowship must involve Christ Jesus and be a communion with the Godhead. Only as we are in Christ can we have this kind of real fellowship with other believers.
This doesn't mean we can't sit down for a coffee and fellowship, but we must realize that church socials, teas, etc are not fellowship in the Biblical sense simply because the saints got together.
Thanks !
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