Daily Bible Reading

I think I must have had, at least, a dozen high school and college students (some of whom I had not met previously) ask me in the past week how I read the Bible. Before I explain my philosophy, I first must say that there are as many ways to study the Bible as there are Christians. There is not one way to study the Bible and that if you don’t study that way, you’re doing it wrong. Instead, there are better ways to study and this is the best way that I study the Bible.

The best way to study your Bible is when you’re at your best. I can imagine everyone at this point is lost, so let me explain: if you’re a morning person, read your Bible in the morning. If your a night owl, read your Bible at night. If you’re neither, read it in the afternoon. But don’t just throw God a bone telling Him that you’re reading the Bible when you’re reading it to check it off a list.

Another thing is that we are in that stage where we want to study the Bible, we are tempted to say a prayer like, “God give me the desire to read your word.” This is an outstanding prayer because God is the only one who can put it in our hearts to actually desire His word, but this prayer is also a selfish prayer because what you’re really asking God is to give you the satisfaction of spending time in His word without actually spending time in His word.

I view this prayer like I view those who say that they really want to like chocolate cake without ever trying chocolate cake. They see a piece of chocolate cake and say “I really wish I liked chocolate cake. God give me the desire to like chocolate cake.” Asking in prayer to like to desire God’s word is much like asking God to like chocolate cake. The best way to like chocolate cake is to actually eat it. Eventually you will acquire a taste and will love chocolate cake. The best way to desire God’s word is to actually read it. The more you read it, the more you will love it. This, I think, is why the Psalmist said “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

So please, taste and see that the Lord is good. Figure out when you are at your best and just read. Choose a book in the Bible and just read it. Make observations. Interrogate the text. And apply it. Godly application leads to godly living and you can only make right application if you actually open God’s word and read it.

“Collected Writings on Scripture” by D.A. Carson

D.A. Carson is one of my favorite authors and speakers, so if this book review sound a bit biased it’s probably because it is.  Crossway isn’t paying me money to give a good book review, I’m just reviewing as I read.  I’m also going to say that D.A. Carson is one of the most brilliant theologians of our day and age and this book shows it. 

This book is a collection of essays and book reviews Carson has written during his career.  The book begins with essays on the Bible and answering the questions “What is the Bible?” and “How do we interpret it?”  It then moves to “Recent Developments in the Doctrines of Scripture” The next essay is “Unity and Diversity in the New Testament.”  This essay was one of my favorites because Carson really shows his love for the diverse church.  He shows there are some fundamental portions on the doctrine of scripture that all Christians need to affirm, but that we need not say one person is not a brother solely because they don’t agree with us completely. 

The fourth essay is “Redaction Criticism”: On the Legitimacy and Illegitimacy of a Literary Tool”  in which Carson critiques some of the more modern tools of interpreting scripture.  The final essay answers the questions whether or not the “Doctrine of Claritas Scripturae is still relevant today.”  In summary, the doctrine of Claritas Scripturae answers the question whether or not scripture is clear and understandable. 

The second section are book reviews that Carson has done throughout the years.  I would love to say more, but I have said too much already.  This book was challenging for me, but also freeing considering how much of the doctrine of scripture is being questioned.  This is a must read for any theologian studying the doctrine of the Bible.

You can have my KJV Part 2

This is a response to a previous post.  I am going to try to keep this post as short as I can as not to lose some of my readers.  My first problem with this article is the title and the picture.  A Bible should not be so treasured in our lives that we are not willing to give it up.  “When you can pry it from my cold dead hands” means the person will be dead when you will get the Bible.  I know he didn’t mean what it says he means, but anyone can have my ESV, NASB, NIV, NLT, NKJV, KJV, NET (insert translation here) Bible if they ask for it.  Yes, the Bible is precious, but we should not put so much emphasis on a Bible that we forsake the reason the Bible exists and that is the gospel.  I feel like most people that are this way are relying a lot on a translation that, in my opinion, is not the best translation.

A comment I received about the previous post was about the Textus Receptus (TR).  For those of you new to Bible translating the Textus Receptus was the original Greek New Testament (GNT) put together by Erasmus in 1516.  My problem with the original TR is that Erasmus used about 8 of the original manuscripts and they weren’t complete so he used the Latin Vugate and translated that back into Greek.  Another problem is that the TR had only one text type and it wasn’t a good type.  My final problem is that the type used for the TR was from one location.  The GNT we have now has some 5,600 manuscripts, has all five texts types and is from different locations.  These 5,600 manuscripts have been used for the newer translations and were not used for the KJV.  I have no problem with the KJV, but I do have a problem with the KJV only crowd because it’s like going to Cold Stone and getting a cup of vanilla ice cream.

You can have my KJV Part 1

I came across this on another Facebook page and thought I would share it.  I will comment on it in a different post, but I think for the most part all of my readers will know that I do not agree with this, so no worries.

Because of the information I have uncovered, I believe that the King James is the best English Bible. Because of my faith, I take it one step further, and say that I am King James only; I believe that the King James is the ONLY Bible I can–in good conscience– use.

Why use the Bible if it is not an infallible, inerrant, fully preserved document? Why use it if it is only a flawed, occasionally misinterpreted translation of man?

“Well because it is the best we have. . .”

Right, so what you’re saying is that the English Bible we have cannot be perfect, it’s merely the best God could do under the circumstances?

Since When Has God EVER Been Under the Circumstances? I have news for you, the best God can do IS perfect! If–through a human agency–all God could do is almost perfect, then the original manuscripts themselves wouldn’t have been perfect. If–through a human agency– all God could do was almost perfect, then every successive copy of the Scripture would have to have gotten worse throughout the human copying process, and by this time, (2,000 years later) we would have nothing akin to what was originally written.

If I did not believe that this is the inerrant, infallible, preserved Word of God in English, I would not use it– if I did, I would not only be guilty of supreme idiocy, but also of the most damnable hypocrisy.

I could not hold up the Bible in a pulpit or put it forth in writing while speaking the words, “Thus sayeth the Lord”, if I did not believe with all my heart that it is the Perfect, inspired, infallible Words of God. And, if it is truly the Word of God, it must be perfect.

Many cannot say today “Thus sayeth the Lord”, because they do not believe that they have the Word of the Lord in their hands. “This is not the word of God, it’s just another flawed translation of man.”

The absolute gall and ignorant heresy of the preacher who stands before his congregation and says, “This is not the inerrant, preserved word of God.” when what he might as well be saying is that they don’t have it!

“Well,” he might say. “You don’t have it, but I do, because I can read Greek.”

I WILL NOT!

I will hold up this Book and say “Thus sayeth the Lord.” because I have the faith and power in the fact that it is God’s Word Preserved! Here I will stand, for I can do no other, God Help Me– for my help is in God alone. Not the rabid wolfish scholars who say with forked tongues through serpent’s teeth, “Hath God Said?”!

I may “sound” angry. I can say truthfully that I am, and I believe rightly so.

But this is not about anger. This is not about pride or scholarly accomplishments.

This is about Faith.

Faith in the miraculous gift of God, that what He has promised, he is able also to perform. The beauty that, when you hold up this book and preach from it, you are preaching the very Words of God. That God loves us so much as to provide with His words, and preserve them for us, and provide them for us to read and meditate on in our own language– it fills my soul with a wonder and joy and awe like nothing else–An awe of God’s Words.

To question it, to tear it down, to correct it, is something I will not–nor can I in good conscience– do. I will not correct it, I will not question it, and I will not give it up.
With all due respect to the “scholars” and blind leaders of the blind who tear at the foundations of this Book, I say with the utmost conviction and fervor… You can have this Bible when you can pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Week in Review

Before I go in review everything that has happened for my fall plans, I want to express gratitude to those who have lifted me up in prayer.  It is because of those prayers I know that God is working in my life.  God has placed such God honoring people in my life that have been encouraging so before I begin I just wanted to thank those for praying for me in this times.

Now, for my past week and a half.  Actually, let me just catch everyone up to why the last week has been so big for me.  Back in February my family and I traveled up to Southern Seminary to see the campus and make final decisions for me to go to Seminary in the Fall.  While I was there I was able to talk to the people heading up my application for admissions to Southern.  The gentleman I talked to said that since Tennessee Temple University was not accredited and since my degree was in interdisciplinary studies that they couldn’t accept it or work with me on attending there because of my degree type, so he recommended I attend Boyce College.  He thought that about 2/3 of my credits would transfer, so I applied.

Boyce College is a Bible College that is on the campus of Southern Seminary.  I had no problem considering this option because it would make for an easy transition to seminary and I needed a credited degree.  I was told that it would take between two to three weeks before I heard anything.  So this brings us up to the present.

Last Friday I was able to talk to the Admissions Office at Boyce College and the girl I talk to congratulated me on being accepted to Boyce College.  She then referred me to an academic advisor to talk about my credit transferring.  He didn’t answer the phone so I left a message.  He called me back and I didn’t answer the phone and he left a message with his email, so I sent him an email asking about my credit transferring and he emailed me on Monday.  In his email he said that Boyce could accept 47 of my credits.  I know I have about 125-135 credits, so I would be transferring in to Boyce as a second semester sophomore.  I have been in college in five years I can’t be in school for another 2 ½ years.

I have prayer, sought out friends and companions for wisdom and at this time I have decided not to attend Boyce.  I know that for those who love God all things work together for good and I have to trust that all that has gone on has happened because of something that will happen later in my life.  So, for now I will continue to desire prayer for wisdom and discernment on this decision for the fall knowing that God will be exalted in all things including my decision for the fall.

What’s in the Bible

After watching these DVD’s the only comment I have is WOW.  Phil Vischer has really outdone himself with these DVD’s.  Not only do these DVD’s teach children about the Bible and what they teach, they also teach about church history, where we got the Bible, the story of the Bible, what the Bible is about, I mean it teaches the biblical foundations that many high school students don’t know.  I am completely and totally impressed.  As many of you know I work at a Christian Bookstore and this will be something I recommend to all of the customers looking for a good DVD for their children.  He even takes on some controversial subjects including deuterocanonical books of the Bible, or how long creation took.

My favorite thing about them are that they are always pointing to the redemption story and how the other stories in the Bible point to Christ and our redemption.  For those of you that have children definitely pick these DVD’s up it is well worth your time and money.  To help out a little more Tyndale sent me certificates for a free copy of the first two DVD’s.  Sign up and you could be a winner.  I will choose a winner on April 1, 2010.

For more information about “What’s in the Bible?” you can check here
You can also get more info from Tydale’s website here

I received these free from the publisher for reviewing.

The King James Version Debate

I just finished this book and it was phenomenal.  I picked it up a few months ago to see what Carson’s viewpoint was and I am thoroughly impressed with his argument.  I was expecting an intellectual argument about the KJV, but Carson does much more than just present a reasonable argument about the KJV.  It seems the only people that Carson has respect for that uses the KJV are the ones that just like it for sentimental reasons.  He shows in his argument how much more superior other translations are to the KJV.  When he says superior he does mean superior, but not in the sense that God speaks through one more than another.  What he does mean is that since the KJV has been penned we have more transcripts available to us, more secular sources to show us specific idioms in the Bible, more knowledge of the original Greek language to know how words should be translated.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that has a desire to learn about the original Bible.  I learned quite a bit about the KJV and some of the more modern Bibles such as the NIV and the NASB.  The only thing I didn’t like about the book was that it was published in 1979, so that limited Carson to the translations that were available to compare to the KJV.  I would love if Carson came out with a revised copy of this book which included newer translations.  If anything I would love if Carson came out with a criticism of all the translations.  Giving the pros and cons on each of the translations.  Overall I would give this book a 10/10.

Creationism

This was a reply to a friend when she asked me about creationism.  I used a bit of a previous post from here, so you can skip over that part when you get to it.  

To begin with, I will be the first to admit I am not a scientist not do I believe that I know everything about science when it comes to creationism.  I do know what I have read in the Bible and what I believe to be true.  This blog post comes out of my own knowledge and what research I have done on the subject of creationism.  

People use 2 Peter 3:8 which says “But do not let this one {fact} escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”  (New)  A problem by using this verse is the language of it.  To begin with this verse is, of course, written in Greek, the original is written in Hebrew.  One cannot use something written in one language to explain what another language says because terms can mean different things in different languages.

Another problem with using this verse as an argument for “Evolutionism Creationism” is that why would God say one thing meaning something entirely different.  On Stephen Archer’s blog he makes a fantastic argument against this and other arguments like this by saying, 

“Yes, it is possible, maybe even easier, to find the truth among blatant lies, but how can one possibly find truth among partial lies? How can a person, not ever hearing of the Bible, read the Bible and discern whether it is 100% true and 75% true? The answer is they cannot unless someone is there discerning for them. This is not how the word of God is.”  (Archer) 

He goes on to say,

“…God is all knowing, He cannot inspire something that is not 100% accurate. An old Yiddish Proverb says “A half-truth is a whole lie.” The same goes in this instance. Even if the Bible was 99.99999% accurate that would leave .00001% inaccurate and if it were even that inaccurate it cannot be inspired by God because God is perfect.”  (Archer) 

Another argument against this is the language in Genesis.  Genesis 1:5 says “God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” (New)  Why would God take the time to separate the light from the dark, say there was evening and morning, the first day when He was outside and “has no concept of time?”  The answer is He was not outside of time when he was creating the earth. 

Another point worth looking at I the fact that the Sun had not been created.  The sun won’t be created for another three days.  Where was this light coming from?  It was coming from God Himself.  Which means God was not outside of time.  In fact this means God was time.  God was the light that the first three days talks about.  In these verses we also see that the earth was rotating which means that God was on one side of the earth while it was rotating.  God is not light and dark.  God is light. 

John MacArthur makes a fantastic point on his footnote for Ephesians 1:11 which says, “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” (New)  His footnote for the phrase “who works all things” is, “The word ‘works’ is the same one from which ‘energy,’ ‘energetic’ and ‘energize’ are derived.  When God created the world, he gave it sufficient energy to begin immediately to operate as He had planned.  It was not simply read to function, but was created functioning.  As God works out His plan ‘according to the counsel of His will,’ He energizes every believer with the power necessary for his spiritual completion.

 

Works Cited

 

Archer, Stephen.  “A Literal Book?”  Online Posting.  18 Nov. 2008.  19 Nov. 2008.  <http://eliashib.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/a-literal-book/#comments>

New American Standard Bible:  The MacArthur Study Bible.  La Habra, Ca: The Lockman Foundation.  2006.

 

A Literal Book?

I was sitting in the language lab here at school, waiting to tutor someone, when a friend of mine walked in.  Her class was using the resources here in the language lab to do research on a project.  She and I talked a little bit, but she had to get work done, so she started on it.  Another guy from her class walked in and sat next to her.  He was working on his stuff then out of the blue goes on a tangent on how he doesn’t believe Christians know what they are talking about when it comes to their religion and the history of it.

While normally I would have stepped in immediately and shot down his answer and told him what for my friend told him that she agreed that “Christians”, for the most part, practice christianity on the weekends and that they don’t know the history of their religion.  He thanked her for the clarification and said what he meant about the history, but he said that a lot of Christians literally take stories that were meant as parables.

He said that the Old Testament stories shouldn’t be taken as literal and that it was easier for him to take some stories in the New Testament as real, but the Old Testament definitely shouldn’t be taken as literal.  he said that the stories he was talking about were the stories of “Jonah and the Big Fish” and “Noah and the Ark.”  He said that those stories, because they came out of an oral culture, were more of exaggerated stories if they were real.  This brings me to the question I will be hopefully answering, Is the Bible a Literal Book?  Can we read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, and know that what we’re are reading actually happened and it’s not a made up story?

To begin with while the culture was an oral culture when Moses penned the Pentateuch, Moses wrote those books as divine inspiration or direct dictation from God.  So to question the authority of those first five books would be to question God’s exact words.  Another point is that 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  What was Paul talking about here?  Before you answer you have to remember that the New Testament was being written as Paul wrote, so what was Paul talking about?  He was talking about the Old Testament because that is all they had at the time as “Scripture.” 

Am I saying that the New Testament isn’t inspired?  Absolutely not, it is just as inspired as the Old Testament.  I am merely clarifying what Paul would have been talking about.  So if Paul said that the Old Testament was inspired we must unanimously agree with him in saying all of the stories and geneologies in the Old Testament were inspired by God.  If we say one part of the Old Testament is a fairy tale we can discredit the entire Old Testament.  If we do not believe one part of the Bible how can we agree on the Bible as a whole.  Yes, there are parts that we will disagree on, but to say that the Old Testament is “Just stories” and “Shouldn’t be taken literally” goes to show that Christians aren’t the only ones that need to work on their history and theology.

Jeremiah

I was reading the book of Jeremiah in chapter 3 and something God tells Jeremiah struck me as absolutely fantastic…

…Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord.  I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever.  Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord.  Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.  (Jeremiah 3:12-15)

The reason this struck me as fantastic was because in the Old Testament with the prophets God seems to be angry all the time…  Even though the themes shift from judgement to restoration God begins the resoration part with this.  I just love how no matter how many times we turn away from God, He is there and says this… Are we, as Christians, sinning against God because we know he will say this, or are we doing everything we can to stay away from sin?