H. Personalized Meditation
The following outline was used effectively and memorably at a young people’s weekend retreat at the church where I taught the high school Sunday school class. It was furnished by Mrs. Dorothy Shaw, the Pastor’s wife. I have been very thankful for the ministry of our pastor’s wife, now gone home to be with the Lord. As a then single young man teaching the high school Sunday school class, I was very concerned that the girls in my class would have access to Christian women to whom they could relate. In a small church, with no previous high school classes of young people who stayed at the church through college and career age, the high schoolers lacked Christian role models from a group just above their own age, potentially a serious setback to spiritual motivation and growth.
It may be well to use this exercise very privately. I would not feel comfortable publically sharing answers for point 2, for example, and would myself never ask my young people to do so either.
1. I come to You, Jesus, just as I am this minute.
a) Write how you are now.
2. I ask that You, Jesus, forgive me for my sins.
b). Name your sins
(1)
(2)
3. I thank You, Jesus, for forgiving me.
c). Name the things Jesus has forgiven you for doing
(1)
(2)
4. I ask that You teach me something new that I should know from Your Word.
d) Read one chapter from your Bible
(What chapter did you read?)
e) What did God teach you from it? Read it again if necessary.
5. I pray that You, Jesus, will help me today.
f) Name the things you want Jesus to help you do today.
(1)
(2)
6. I want to pray for my friends.
g) Name the friends that you prayed for.
h) What did you pray for them?
(1)
(2)
7. I am happy this minute, Jesus.
i) Write why
8. I want to sing a song for You, Jesus!
j) Sing one. What song did you sing?
This completes this series about Methods of Bible Study. But I must share the song I picked, though I surely am no singer. This song is one that needs to be both read and sung and meditated upon, shared widely and followed!
TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY
Author: William D. Longstaff
Composer: George C. Stebbins
Tune: HOLINESSTake time to be holy, Speak oft with the Lord;
Abide in Him always And feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.Take time to be holy, The world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret With Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, Like Him you will be–
Your friends in your conduct His likeness will see.Take time to be holy, Let Him be your guide,
And run not before Him, Whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow Still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, Still trust in His Word.Take time to be holy, Be calm in your soul–
Each thought and each motive Beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit To fountains of love,
You soon will be fitted For service above.
It would be a good thing to have our young people memorize these words, then live by them.
jerry this has been a great series of studies! the end result of bible study is that we might grow in grace and knowledge of jesus christ! ii pe 3/18. apostle paul chief desire above else” ph 3/10 that i may know him, and the power of his resurreciton,and the fellowship of his sufferings,being made conformable unto his death.” ph 3/14 i press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of god in christ jesus”.
I know I am opening a hornets nest here. On the subjest of forgiveness I want to know what Christians see as the instruction from God’s word on continually confessing your sins to Get God’s forgivness? Please use Real Bible Study to soripturely prove your stance. I present two requests :
1) Only use NT Scriptures relating to after the resurrection.
2) You can only use Scripture applying to a believer.
I do have a reason for seeking your views.
Jerry and Ken I applaud your comments. This is a great site.
Remember context, context, and context.
God Bless your Study.
hello forgiveness in the bible is based on the blood of christ.” heb 9/22 without shedding of blood there is no remission”. eph 1/7 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. when i as a believer sin i believe i am to claim i jn 1/9 if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thank you Ken for responding. As I said I had a purpose in asking the questions I did. Your understanding of Hebrew 9:22 is absolutely correct as is the Ephesians scripture. Her are more:
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 10:42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
Acts 13:38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Ken please notice the verbs for most of these scriptures appearing AFTER the Resurrection – they are PAST TENSE Brother. They are not present or future. You know the scripture says Jesus died for the sins of the whole word, EVERYBODY’S sins.
This DOES NOT MEAN everyone will saved but Jesus has paid for the wages of eveyone’s sin. God throug Jesus while we were still enemies reconcilled all of man to Himself (Romans 5:10) Please understand reconcilliation is an accouting term and this was the act of the Father clearing all the wages of death we owed for sin. This act cleared the deck, so to speak, allowing us to approach God by grace through faith as in relation to the finished work of His Son, not in judgment or fear of punishment because of our sin. You can see what God has don with our sin in Hebrews 10:18. He remembers them (sins) NO MORE. The conclusion to these scriptures is WE ARE FORGIVEN of ALL of our sins!
Now I was also taught 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Before we look at the above verse lets look at the context of 1 John 1:9. You can see there is a mixed multitude – believers and believers. These unbelievers were the gnostics who did not believe Jesus had come in the flesh. They also said they have no sin. Verse 7 says His shed blood cleanses us from all sin. This is not future tense. It is refering to ‘It is Finished” the words Jesus proclaimed om the Cross before He died. Jesus’ work (recincilliation and redemption, and propitiation (taking away) all our sins.
Notice the reference in 1 John 1:8 – ‘If we say we have no sin’ … sin is singular not plural. This is significant Brother. Verse 8 is talking about one sin. What is this one sin? Rember we are after the resurrection. Look at John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
John 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
John 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
John 16:10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;John 16:11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Please notice Jesus is speaking of His resurrection and Him sending the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit going to do about sin in verse 9? Sin not our sins, our sins were taken care of at the cross. This sin, as with the ome in 1 John 1:8, is what! Last part of verse 9 says ‘because they (unbeleivers) DID NOT BELIEVE IN ME’ Can you see it? The sin of UNBELIEF is not taken care by the blood. Why? What takes away the sin of unbelief is REPENTANCE (TURNING AWAY FROM UNBELIEF TO BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST) At his point one by grace through faith has the forgiveness of all sins ever committed and all future sins as well!
Let’s go back to 1 John 1:8 the unbeliever who says they have no sin (unbelief) 1 John applies to the unbeliever not the believer! Verse 9 says to the unbeliever; if we confessour sins (agree with God we are sinners) God is faithful and righteous to HAAVE forgiven us our sins (at the cross) and to HAVE cleased us from all unrighteousness (at the cross). This verse is how unbelievers are saved; Just as you and I were.
There are other references to repentance in the epistles and confessing of sin – not to God but in dealing with one another! There is one repentance toward God in terms of our unbelief , just one time! When we do sin (and we will!) the blood of Jesus has been shed ONCE and FOR ALL. Hebrews 10 says there is NO MORE sacrafice for sins, it is finished. Otherwise Jesus would have to come back and die all over again – everytime. Hebrews 9:22 you referenced verifies this. In order to have forgiveness there MUST be a shedding of blood – His blood – and that IS NOT going to happen ever again.
The believer THANKS God for HIs finished work, the forgiveness He has provided and trust Him to grow in grace whereby Jesus increase and your flesh decreases.
Study it out for your self and trust God to give you His understanding through the eyes of your new creation Hes has made you (2 Corinthians 5:17). Brother come to grips with Galatians 2:20-21. DO NOT TRUST MAN EVEN IF HE HAS UNDERSTANDING (As I believe I do and many pastors/teachers might). 1 John 2:27 say only the Holy Spirit cand teach(give you under standing) you. Brother until God gives you understanding it is all just words on a page! God wants it real to you from Him not me or another man.
God Bless
God Bless
.
thank you my friend. it is very helpful the see the bibles teaching on “standing and state” the book evans bible doctrine, moody press says standing refers to the believers postion in christ. he is a child of god,jn 1/12;justified by faith, rom 5/1; has access to god, rom 5/2; is an heir of god and a joint heir with christ, rom 8/17,is a temple of the holy spirit, 1 cor 6/19; is baptized into the body of christ, 1co 12/13. he is blessed with all spiritual blessings in christ,eph. 1/3. all of these things and many more are acts of god which accompany salvation, and are not changed by human frailty or sin. state is theological term which desribes a believers actual spiritual condition, which may fall short of what is enjoined in scripture. believers in corinth were saints, i cor 1/1-9. neverthelss, the state was charaterized by divisions, carnality, and sin i cor.1/11, 3/1, 5/1-2. the believers standing in christ is perfect and unchanging. his state may change for the better or for the worse. the purpose of christian growth is to bring the christians state into conformity with his standing 11 pe 3/18. this has been a blessing to me.
There are two Greek words in the NT that are translated “forgive”.
1) aphiēmi – Strong number G863. and
2) charizomai – Strong number G5483.
The latter term is what we usually think of in English as “forgive”. I won’t hold something against you, stop blaming another, to absolve from payment.
The former, is something that happens in us, not in God. “remission of sin” is not something happening in God, but in us. If you have cancer, do you want that cancer to be “forgiven”, or to go into “remission”? 1 John 1:9 is example: if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to “forgive” our sins. That is, cause them to go into remission. But the verse continues, and is speaking about the same thing, he will cause our sins to go into remission, and will cleanse US from ALL unrighteousness. The thought of the first part of the verse, is continued in the second.
Here are some thoughts on forgiveness. I will quote both the OT and NT, as I see them as a unity.
Thought #1:
There is confusion among Christians today concerning the chronology of confession, repentance, faith and the forgiveness of God.
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thought #2:
Sin creates a psychological and emotional state within us called guilt or condemnation.
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
1 Samuel 24:5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.
Thought #3:
God longs to liberate us from the psychological and emotional effects of our sin. Forgiveness, when discussed in this context, is defined as a change in us—a removal of and thus a liberation from the guilt we carry as a result of our shortcomings.
Psalms 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
NKJ Nehemiah 9:17—They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon (root: salach), gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.
1 John 1:9—If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive (apheimi, removal of guilt from one’s own psyche) us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thought #4:
The Bible also speaks of another dimension of forgiveness that does not occur in the experience of the violator, but rather in the heart of those against whom the wrong has been committed, i.e., the violated.
2 Corinthians 2:7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive (charizomai) him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
2 Corinthians 2:10 To whom ye forgive (charizomai) any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive (charizomai) me this wrong.
Thought #5:
In the context of our transgressions against God, the dimension of forgiveness that occurs in God’s heart (the violated one), the Bible states, precedes our repentance and confession toward Him.
Ephesians 4:32 KJV And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving (charizomai) one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Colossians 3:13 KJV Forbearing one another, and forgiving (charizomai) one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Colossians 2:13 KJV And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven (charizomai) you all trespasses;
Thought #6:
A belief in the prevenient grace of our God finds its source at the Cross.
Luke 22:60-62 KJV And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:21 KJV But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
Matthew 26:28 KJV For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Matthew 26:27 KJV And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Luke 23:33-34 KJV And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive (apheimi) them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Thought #7:
Thus we see that Repentance, Confession, and Faith are not the means by which we convince God to let go of any condemnation He has for us; but rather, they are the God-given agencies whereby God seeks to liberate us from our sense of guilt and shame.
Genesis 3:8-10 KJV And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Proverbs 28:1 KJV The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
1 Peter 3:21 KJV [In Noah’s day eight persons were brought safely through the water.]The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 9:22 KJV And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Hebrews 9:14 KJV How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
OR – in The Message, 2 Corinthians 13:14–The amazing grace of the Master Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
mr way i am glad your back and have missed your comments. again i am going to share from evans bible doctrine, moody press. he says “forgiveness” christ shed his blood for remission of sins,matt 26/28. all who trust in him as the lamb of god are forgiven all trespasses,past,present,future,col 2/13,1 jn 2/12. they are forever delivered from all condemnation, jn 3/18,5/24. forgiveness is sometimes thought of as the negative aspect of salvation, which also includes justification,rom 5/1, an inheritance, acts 26/18, and much more! when christians fall into sin,fellowship with the father is broken. the remedy is confession of the sin to god, i jn 1/9. he freely forgives and restores. failure to judge and forsake sin brings chastisement to a believer, i co 11/31/32. this family relationship is also in view in mk 11/25-26, where a forgiving spirit is required before the father will forgive his children. a concise statement of this principle appears in eph 4/32. believers are to forgive one another, even as god for christs sake has forgiven them.
Ken – instead of taking Evans thoughts, why don’t you figure out what the Word says?
Note – God never changes.
Matthew 26:28 – remission – aphesis
Colossians 2:13 – forgiven – charizomai
1 John 2:12 – forgiven – aphiēmi
John 3:18 – condemned – krinō – to separate, pick out, determine
Romans 5:1 – justified – dikaioō – freed, vindicated, declare righteous. NOTE – God can not lie. If He says you are justified, then He is speaking truth, which means that your state is not just legally changed, but your are changed, set right, justified, freed…
Acts 26:18 – forgiveness – aphesis
No – I don’t believe in once saved, always saved. Hm! Did not you and Jerry have a little disagreement about this before? What you claim by this once saved, always saved, is a very legal view of the Atonement. You make Hebrews 6:6 says that you can not fall away, so the verse is meaningless. Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, Wherein have we wearied him? When you say, Every one that does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? Sinners can not go on doing what they always have done, and call it good. It does not work. Malachi 3:6 I am the LORD, I change not. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no ficklenss, neither shadow of turning. Thus the whole of forgiveness is not a change that occurs in God, but in the sinner, aphesis, aphiēmi.
mr way my friend, dr evans note i shared is just an outline. if you will carefully read the scripture references you will see i am sharing from the scriptures. i very important point i have learned from jerry. isa 8/20 . eph 2/8-9 is 2 verses i would encourage you to study. i will share them in full. v8 for by grace are ye saved through faith, what does that mean to you?, and that not of yourselves, what does that mean? it is the gift of god-you see where we are heading?v9 not of works,lest any man should boast. there are 2 gospels preached today 1 by faith and 2 by works and you believe by works! right? i believe vs 8-9 are at the heart of the gospel by grace through faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9. Amen! – we are saved by Grace.
What is your definition of Grace? My definition from the Bible is this: Titus 3:5-7; Isaiah 53:11
Titus 3:5-7 KJV Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Isaiah 53:11 KJV He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
This has been a wonderful discussion. I did not even know it was taking place. My son Dan changed something on the server so I do not get notified of new posts appearing. That makes it very hard for me to keep track. Like my son Tim said today, there are lots of comments appearing on this site and there are many new posters, which is all to the good. Dan said he will correct the server some time this coming week so I will once again be notified of new posts.
I cannot comment easily on the subjects lately discussed on this thread regarding forgiveness, particularly regarding 1 John 1:9 and surrounding context. I am acutely aware that my scholar friend Dr. Malcolm Lavender has discovered that there is much mistranslation in that context. It also ties in with the doctrine of the Atonement because there are atonement words used in that context. These words are largely mistranslated in all our English versions, and that makes it very difficult to arrive at a correct understanding of the finer details expressed in the original Greek text.
Part of what is at issue is that Calvinists and many others have adopted the Penal Satisfaction Theory of the Atonement. It goes by other more familiar names in theology, I’m sure. But it turns out that theory is utterly mistaken. A better label for a correct atonement theory would be the Priestly-Sacrificial Atonement.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was not punished on the cross. If he was being punished for our sin, who was punishing Him? Clearly we cannot properly assert that God the Father was punishing God the Son, for that would be to divide or set against each other the Persons of the Trinity who are One God.
In the past I did a search for the terms commonly used to express the doctrine of the atonement in our hymns (“Jesus Paid It All,” one of my favorites), theologies, and general doctrinal discussion. I was shocked to discover that some of the terms we commonly use to express what Christ has done for us on the cross are never used even in our English translations in an atonement context.
There is no Scripture that says Christ has “paid for our sins,” or has “paid the penalty for us,” or that He has been punished for our sin or sins or that He is our substitute. If I am recalling correctly, the boldfaced words are not found in the Bible in connection with what the death of Christ on the cross accomplished for us. The atonement terminology we generally use today comes from the Roman Catholic church father, Anselm, among other ancient writers. Anselm’s discussion of the Atonement is very devout, logical, and inspiring, but it is not in accordance with Scripture properly translated.
In the KJV the word “propitiation” occurs. Yet “propitiation” is a heathen concept. God is not propitiated in terms of what the original languages of Scripture teach. So again, the mistaken notions of a faulty theory of the Atonement have influenced the translators’ word choices in our Bibles in a manner that does not reflect the actual teaching of Scripture.
The thought that Christ died as our substitute is likewise very problematical, and is based upon more mistranslations.
The idea that Christ’s righteousness is “imputed” to us is also very mistaken.
Dr. Lavender’s forthcoming New Testament translation will likely be available next year in 2013. The purpose of his translation is to correct the mistranslations found in all other English versions. His translation also follows the Greek grammar accurately. He has completed the actual translation itself. I have most of it here on my computer. I think I lack only the book of Revelation. I happen to have his translation because I serve as his editor, and I proofread and otherwise check out the work he has done for accuracy.
Jerry – are we to assume that since the time of Christ, the scriptures have been corrupted and now with the publication of a new translation, all will be perfect? Your translator may very well have a good translation. But to say it will correct all the mistakes, is just a claim. It will have to be judged by others. No doubt, the translators own experience will influence that translation. Then there is the question of what Greek text is your translator using? The Received Text of that of Westcott and Hort, Nessle and Aland, or ??? Which one is correct? And who decides? Proverbs 27:2 KJV Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. Perhaps the KJV is wrong on this verse? 2 Corinthians 10:18 For not he that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. So your friends translation will need to be seen and reviewed. Then a judgment can be made. You can make all the claims you’d like and wish to be true. That does not make it true. I hope his translation is a good one!
Change subject: Yes, the atonement has been shrouded in darkness. I have shown above my thoughts. The death of Christ did not change God in any way. God did not need to be appeased. The idea that God needed a propitiated is heathen. Yet, the word translated propitiation in the KJV in an interesting word. In Romans 3:25, that word is “hilasterion”. What is a “hilasterion”? It is the covering lid of the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 John, propitiation is “hilasmos”, same basic root word. So propitiation is not some that is to appease God, but as in 1 John 2:2; 4:10, is a ” propitiation for our sins”, a “covering” of our sins. In Hebrews 9:5, “hilaterion” is translated “mercy seat”. To understand the atonement (at one ment), we need to understand that it is not God that needs to be appeased, but our sin is what will kill us. Jesus came to “saves his people from their sins” Matthew 1:21. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. God is not the executioner of sentence against sin. Sin pays its own wage. Just I said above, forgiveness is not something that happens in God, but that happens in us. Salvation, is heaing. Healing in us. Salvation, see the Greek word, Soteria. It means, rescue or safety: – deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.
The following is from a teacher of mine from old. A man well versed in the New Testament Greek, and wholes Ph.D. was on the book of Romans. Here are my notes from him on the word, “hilasterion” as using in Romans.
Dear A. Way,
What your scholarly source has written about the Greek term underlying “propitiation,” an English word which never should have been chosen, is correct.
Dr. Lavender has written of all these related Greek terms in-depth in several of his books.
I enjoy working with Dr. Lavender. We do not see eye-to-eye on every point of doctrine. I have discussed with him my belief that it is not necessary that we all agree on every point in doctrine. Each of us has been, under grace, given the opportunity to read the Bible and believe it. Each of us has been led to study with differing degrees of emphasis different subjects in the Bible. We both acknowledge that there are undoubtedly subjects in the Bible he has studied more than I have. And the reverse is likewise true.
Dr. Lavender is not depending upon the commendation of men to enhance the credibiity of his translation of the New Testament. It will stand nicely on its own merits I’m sure. It does and it will clarify the meaning in modern English of the underlying Greek text. His translation is faithful to the grammar of the Greek text, something no other translation available in English has achieved to the degree and the consistency which his translation does.
Of great importance is the feature that Dr. Lavender’s translation presents for the first time ever in an English translation the salvation vocabulary as used in the Greek text. All other English translations have unwittingly borrowed from the Roman Catholic salvation vocabulary based upon Augustine and Anselm and the Latin Vulgate. I have found in my own study of the issues involved that what Dr. Lavender has done is in keeping with the most accurate and modern lexicons, particularly the lexicon done by Loew and Nida, a lexicon solidly grounded in a thorough knowledge of linguistics, a subject I studied extensively in graduate school.
Dr. Lavender is following the Pierpont-Morgan Majority Text as the basis for his translation. On occasion he deviates from their text, and alerts the reader of his translation by an appropriate footnote when he does so.
I believe you will greaty appreciate the work Dr. Lavender has done when his translation becomes available to the public, hopefully sometime next year, in 2013.
Do not get me wrong! I applaud those that try to make the word true and clear. But first, you can’t put into English the words of Greek without translation. Your scholar I’m sure likes his chosen translation. But there is interpretation that transpires.
hi i have a bible that has dorothy shaw printed on the front.can anyone tell me about this book
Dear Dan,
There may be many Dorothy Shaw’s in the world. As a teacher I may have had at least one student by that name. But the Dorothy Shaw I most remember was the wife of Pastor Rondel Shaw, pastor of the Military Avenue United Presbyterian Church in southwest Detroit until about 1975. Pastor Shaw and his family moved to a suburb of Chicago, and I saw them there in 1977. Dorothy Shaw passed away shortly after that. I continue to hear from Pastor Shaw who now lives in California each Christmas, though I have not heard from him the past two years or so.