LOST IN THE TRANSLATIONS?

A preacher I admire recently said something that disturbed me.  He spoke about the connection between the renewing of the mind and the development of dendrites, or neural connections, in the human brain.  He added that research has shown that reading the King James Version of the Bible is the best way to develop dendrites.
   I didn’t have a problem with those comments.  In fact, I found them to be quite interesting.  What he said next did disturb me.
   He turned to a particular passage in the New Testament where the KJV uses the word “of” in a key phrase, but some translations use the word “in.”  He then stated that the “in” translations were abominations!  That disturbed me, because I use one of the “in” translations, and I regard it as more reliable than the KJV.
   I know some will see my last statement as controversial.  But don’t dismiss or condemn me until you have read all I have to say.

The first point I need to make is that no English translation is perfect.  That includes my favorite as well as yours.  They all have flaws.
   How can I say that?  Just consider all the English translations ever made, from those produced before the KJV and after the KJV up to today.  You will find dozens.  If someone had made a perfect English translation, why would they see the need to produce another?
   I know that my favorite, the New American Standard, is not perfect.  Let me show you where they made a mistake.
   In the passage where Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh, he says a messenger from Satan was sent to torment him, to stop his exaltation.  Now the traditional religious view is that Paul was becoming “puffed up” with pride over all the revelation knowledge he received, and the demon came to humiliate him.  The NASV seems to uphold this because it says, “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me -- to keep me from exalting myself!” (2Cor. 12:7 NASV)  Other translations say, “… lest I should be exalted above measure.”
   I believe the NASV translators were influenced by tradition.  But is the traditional view correct?  As Al Borland used to say, “I don’t think so, Tim!”
   If Paul was exalting himself in pride, wouldn’t that be just what the devil wanted?  He knows that pride leads to a fall and destruction (Prov. 16:18, John 10:10).  If Paul was getting proud over his revelations, the devil would have left him alone, or he would have sent the demon to help speed up the process!
  Also, consider this passage, not only in the context of the letter where it occurs, but also context of Paul’s writings and life.
   The passage about Paul’s thorn in the flesh is in 2 Corinthians.  Paul wrote this letter to answer charges that he was not a true apostle.  He first wrote 1 Corinthians to deal with several problems in the Corinthian church.  I’m sure some didn’t like Paul’s correction, so they began to question his authority.  This opened the door for the false apostles to either come into the church, or to rise up from within their ranks to proclaim themselves as apostles and to take away Paul’s influence over the church.
   Even though he didn’t want to, Paul had to compare himself to the false apostles.  Instead of trying to impress the Corinthians with tales of mighty accomplishments, he enumerated his struggles on their behalf and for the Gospel’s sake.  He preferred to boast about his weaknesses, because God’s power accomplishes more through human weakness than through human strength.  That doesn’t sound like pride to me.
   Now, consider what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians.  As I said earlier, Paul dealt with several issues in the Corinthian church.  But all the issues had a common root:  spiritual immaturity.
   When dealing with the misuse of spiritual gifts, he said he would show them a better way, right before he begins talking about love in the 13th chapter, more popularly known as the Love Chapter.
  Towards the end of the Love Chapter, Paul makes a statement about putting away childish things.  In other words, he was talking about growing up.  What does that have to do with love?  Plenty!  Love is the mark of spiritual maturity.
   Humility is one of the characteristics of love (1 Cor. 13:8).
   Long before Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he had learned his lesson about humility.
   We often fail to realize that the Paul received his first revelation on the road to Damascus.  Before then, he had knowledge of the Scriptures, but not knowledge of the Truth.
   Right after his conversion, we see Paul at Damascus and at Jerusalem, debating with the Jews and presenting proof that Jesus was the Messiah promised to them long ago.  But what we don’t see is any record of salvations, healings, deliverances, or other miracles through Paul’s ministry.  Why don’t we see that?  Because Paul was operating in pride over the revelation knowledge he received.
   The only thing Paul accomplished through that approach was being run out of both Damascus and Jerusalem (Acts 9:20 - 30).
   After Paul left Jerusalem, he spent time in his hometown, Tarsus, praying, fasting, meditating, studying, worshiping, etc.  We don’t see him engaged in ministry again until Barnabas comes to fetch him to Antioch to help out with the Gentile church, not as an apostle, but as a teacher (Acts 11:19 - 26).
   I’m sure Paul gained many revelations at Tarsus, but he had already learned his lesson about pride.  If he was still operating in pride, he would have insisted the church at Antioch recognize him as an apostle.  After all, wasn’t he called to be an apostle during his Damascus road experience?  But Paul was not an apostle from the beginning.  He had to grow into his calling.  When he came to Antioch, he submitted to Barnabas and served the church as a teacher first.
  So, the passage about Paul’s thorn in the flesh wasn’t about Paul exalting himself because of his revelations, but it’s about Satan’s trying to stop God from exalting Paul in the Kingdom!
   So, no English translation is perfect.  That includes the King James version.  Now, if you have a problem with that statement, consider this:  Prayer Center preachers are some of the biggest critics of the KJV that I have seen!
   You probably know what I’m talking about.  First, they have the whole big ‘S’ - little ‘s’ thing about when the NT is speaking about the Holy Spirit or the believer’s born-again human spirit.
   Also, how many times have you heard a Prayer Center preacher read from the KJV and then say, “Well, that’s a little King Jamesy”?
   “King Jamesy”?  What’s wrong with “King Jamesy”?  Aren’t they as much as saying the KJV needs to be translated from Elizabethan English into Modern English?
    Besides that, when they do the “King Jamesy” thing, they usually go on to explain what the Bible is saying, and when they do, they often say the very same thing the NASV says.

So, which translation should you use?  That is ultimately up to you and the Holy Spirit.  Until He speaks to you, all I can do is to give you some information and advice to help you make the best decision you can.
  We’ll look at the original language texts used for translation, and the two approaches to the translation process.

Before someone can translate a document from one language into another, they must have the original text, or if the original is not available, a standardized text in the original language.
   The original texts of the Bible books no longer exist, but plenty of handwritten copies (manuscripts) do.  Some of the manuscripts are nothing more than fragments that might contain a few words, phrases, or sentences.  Some contain a nearly complete or complete book.  Some contain more than one book.  Some contain a complete Old Testament or New Testament.  Very few contain a complete Bible.
   Scholars have examined and compared these manuscripts to create the standardized original language texts used for translation.
   As they compared these manuscripts, they had to resolve variations in wording in some phrases.  The primary factor they would consider is how many manuscripts contained each variation, with the most weight given to the most common variation.  Other factors would include the visual quality (legibility) and the age of the manuscripts.
   The age of the manuscripts is also a factor in why scholars began to produce new translations.
   In the 1700’s and early 1800’s, explorers and archaeologists discovered additional manuscripts that were not known about, and therefore unavailable at the time of the King James translation process.  Also, many of these manuscripts were older than the manuscripts available in the early 1600's.  So, the scholars had to produce new original language texts.  More modern translations use these new standardized texts.
   If you don’t think this is important, consider this analogy:  What if we had no original manuscripts of Shakespeare’s writings, or copies dating back to his lifetime?  How could Shakespearean scholars and fans reliably know what he wrote?  Wouldn’t they go through the same process that Bible scholars went through to produce the original language texts for the Bible?  Wouldn’t they give the most weight to the oldest copies available?

Once scholars have produced a reliable standardized text, translators have to choose one of two approaches to translation: word-for-word, or thought-for-thought.
   Word-for-word is just what it sounds like it is.  The translator works word by word, taking one word at a time.  He first looks for a direct equivalent for each word, and if one is not available, then he will use his knowledge of the original language to pick a word or words that best represents or expresses the meaning of the original word.
   In the thought-for-thought approach, the translator looks at more than just one word at a time.  He looks at an entire phrase, clause, or sentence.  If that phrase occurs in other literature in the original language, then the translator is likely to use the rendering used in the translation of that other literature that contains that phrase.  The translator would do the same if the phrase was a common expression used by native speakers of that language.  The translator could also use a common English expression if one already exists that comes close to the phrase in the original language text.  Otherwise, the translator would have to the best he or she could, using his or her best understanding of the original language.
   The word-for-word approach is generally more literal than the thought-for-thought process.  Some consider the thought-for-thought approach to be not much more than a paraphrase.
   The thought-for-thought translations are generally easier to read, but the word-for-word translations are more reliable for establishing doctrine.

Most modern translations will explain in a Preface or Introduction which process was used, as well as which texts were used into the translation.  I’m sure you can find the same information online.

Beyond this information, I offer the following advice:
   Don’t’ accept any translation wholesale.  As I said earlier, all English translations are flawed.  Pick one you consider the most reliable to use most of the time for reading, study and meditation, but leave yourself open to consider what other translations say.
   One the other side of the same coin, don’t exclude any translation unless it is biased towards the doctrines of a particular group.  I can think of a few like this, but I won’t say which ones right now.
   I do see a two-sided danger in restricting yourself to only one translation.  On the one side, you leave yourself open to any errors in that translation.  On the other side, you cut yourself off to the truth presented in other translations.
   Even though I prefer the New American Standard, I don’t totally reject the King James version either.  In some cases, I see the KJV expresses truth in a better fashion than the NASV.  I have been using the NASV for quite a while now, and I see it generally does a better job with verb tenses, and in some places, the wording in the NASV is stronger than in the KJV.

Considering all this, why do some hang on to the KJV?  I believe I know the answer.
    Years ago, I studied computer programming at a junior college.  The head of the computer department had years of experience programming computers in the business world.
   During one class, he began to discuss the capabilities of different computer languages.  Someone asked why so many companies continued to use COBOL, one of the older high-level languages, while more capable languages had become available in recent times.  His answer: Inertia.
   Inertia is resistance to change.  He went on to explain that many companies had invested large amounts of money in hardware, compilers, and programmers’ salaries and they were reluctant to dump all that to invest in new hardware, compilers, and programmers.
   In a similar manner, people have invested time, money, and probably emotion the KJV.
   A related issue is why some preachers condemn modern English translations.  I’m sure some only want to control their followers, and they have no true concern for the truth or for their followers’ well-being.  However, I am sure that the preacher who sparked this article is concerned about the spiritual growth of believers.

Controversy over translations is probably not a new thing.  In the First Century, the Jews had 3 versions of the OT (Hebrew, the Greek Septuagint, and Aramaic)… and the Samaritans had their own version as well.  I wouldn’t be surprised if controversy over these versions had crept into the Church.

If you have already settled on a translation to use, please be open to considering other translations in your study of the Word.  If you haven’t settled yet, please do some research, consider the information I have presented here, pray and listen to the Holy Spirit.

Fasting Study Available For Download

Back in 2008, I wanted to do a comprehensive study of what the Word says about fasting.  The result was a document with as many fasting scriptures as I could find, plus my comments.  I believe I offered it to anyone who wanted it, but only through e-mail.  Now, I have uploaded it to Mediafire to make it more accessible.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?jn367e3ywwm9ekf

Known Confessions - Why?

The purpose of confession is to "call those things that be not as though they were." (Rom. 4:17 KJV) This is what Abraham did when God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. He went from a lifetime of calling himself "exalted father" to "father of a multitude." Any man can be exalted to fatherhood by adoption, and sometimes we refer to early pioneers in various fields as "fathers" of their fields. But only one who has produced offspring from his own loins can become a father of a multitude.

Many have trouble 'calling those things that be not as though they were' because they are used to stating things as they currently are. Calling things into existence seems to be occultic, a denial of reality, or an obsession with fantasy, and therefore futile.

The operation of faith eventually calls for confession. Faith can grow only so much before it needs to be expressed through words and actions.

With Known Confessions, if you have problems with confessing the Word, you start by confessing basic truths that you already "know," but you have trouble remembering or applying. Known Confessions can also include positional truths that you have yet to walk in, but you accept as truth because they are in the Word. For example, here is the opening paragraph of my Known Confessions:

God loves me unconditionally. He cannot love me any more than what He already does, neither can He love me any less than what he already does. He is Love, and He does not change, so His love for me will never change. I cannot do anything to make Him love me any more than what He already does, neither can I do anything to make Him love me any less than what He already does. His love for me is based on what He is, not on what I do or don't do.

The eventual result of confession is to build hope in you heart, then turn hope into faith, and then the truth becomes manifest in your life.

Known Confessions - Getting Started Confessing The Word

Last summer, I posted an entry at IktusNETwork about getting started in confessing God's Word. In it, I put forth the idea of composing a confession based on basic things you know from the Word.  

[That post is no longer available, so I have removed the broken link to it.]

What I came up with is a document I call "Known Confessions."

If anyone wants a copy of it, contact me at dougdlee@cox.net. However, I encourage you to compose your own known confessions. I offer mine only as a guide for those that want or need a hint of how to put one together.

Meditations on Ephesians

After reading the letters of John, I went on to Ephesians, because my church is focusing on spiritual warfare and the authority of the believer.

03 Feb 09
Ch. 1, verse 4 gives us insight into holiness and exposes why some who label themselves as "holy" have such rotten attitudes.

This verse says we were chosen in Him (Jesus) to be "holy and blameless before Him (the Father) in love." This tells us that holiness should be motivated by love.

When holiness is not motivated by love, then those seeking holiness will base their holiness on external things - clothes, hair, jewelry, etc. Even if someone is aware that holiness is not based on what you wear or don't wear, they can still base their holiness on external expressions and activities - such as making a show of how much one prays, fasts, reads the Bible, etc.

True holiness will show itself, but it starts within. It is motivated by love for the Lord and a desire to be closer to Him. You want to be more holy? Then love God more.

04 FEB 09
Ch.1, verses 5 and 8 have similar phrases. First we see "the kind intention of His will." Then we see "His kind intention."

The Father intends to be kind towards us. Religion paints a picture of an angry god who intends to use his power to inflict punishment on a sinful, wayward world. The truth is that the Father would rather use His power to bless people with forgiveness, salvation, healing, health, and prosperity. When we reject His blessings, we are left to reap destruction because we have sown to the flesh.

23 FEB 09
Ch. 1, verses 6, 12, and 14 have variations of an awkward sounding phrase: praise of glory. This sounds awkward because of a possible redundancy in the words "praise" and "glory."

Glory is often defined as fame, and praise is the giving of of fame to someone or something. But glory can also refer to the reason or cause of fame, especially when referring to an intrinsic characteristic that makes someone or something worthy of fame. In the Bible, the word "glory" then applies to the manifest presence of God in this sense of the word.

04 MAR 09
Unity is the major theme of Ephesians. Passages concerning unity stretch from Chapter 2 to Chapter 4, and the theme is implied on Chapters 5 and 6 as well.

First, in Chapter 2, we see that Christ's death opened the door for people of all nations to have access to God, and not just Jews. Gentiles are now no longer separated by the Law. Jew and Gentile are united in His Church, His Body. Next, in Chapter 3, we see Paul explaining how his ministry serves to spread this message of unity.

Then in Chapter 4, Paul points out the importance of unity, and how the goal of the fivefold ministry (all ministry, actually) is the unity of the faith.

The general instructions in Chapters 4 and 5 are meant to preserve unity in the Body of Christ.

The specific instructions in Chapters 5 and 6 are meant to preserve unity in families.

The goal of taking up the whole armor of God in Chapter 6 is to preserve unity in the Body of Christ.

Meditations on 1 & 2 John

After Philemon, I read the letters of John

1 John 12 NOV 08
The key verse in this letter is 4:11, for it ties together the two major themes of God's love for us and our love for each other. If God the Father did love us enough to send Jesus to die for us, then it naturally follows that we have experienced this love would have that same love for others.

1John 02 DEC 08
Ch. 3: 11 - 12 John tells us again to love one another and to not be like Cain. Cain slew Abel because Abel's deeds were good, and his own deeds were evil.

This tells us that Cain did evil before he murdered Abel. What evil did Cain do? He despised his brother. Why did Cain despise Abel? Pride. God accepted Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's. Cain also wanted to be accepted by God, but on his own terms. He wanted to be able to brag about his relationship to God. That is self-righteousness. So, the evil that Cain did included pride, envy, spite and self-righteousness before he added murder.

God accepted Abel's sacrifice because it was based on God's plan. When God dealt with Adam and Eve after the fall, He made clothes for them out of animal skins. That means that some animal had to give up its life. Its blood was shed to provide a covering for man. Abel recognized that any relationship between God and man must be based on blood. The only type of continuing relationship man can have with God must be a blood covenant.

1 John 12 DEC 08
Follow up on comments on 1 John 3: 11 - 12: The larger context is that those who are born again are marked by love for one another. To not love your brother is evil. Cain did not love Abel before he even killed his brother. That lack of love manifested as pride, self-righteousness, envy, and spite before it culminated in murder.

2 John 01 JAN 09
Notice verse 8: "Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have accomplished..." This is obviously an appeal to protect yourself against regression, or going backwards spiritually. What might not stand out is that this appeal is made to individuals for the benefit of all.

"Watch yourselves" is an appeal to individuals because "self" refers to an individual, and "selves" means more than one individual. The "you" in this verse could refer to an individual or a group, but in this case it refers to both, because the admonition is to preserve "what we have accomplished."

John wrote this letter to "the chosen lady and her children." Scholars believe this was a way of addressing a church, or the Church in general. Either way, this gives us a picture of the Church as a group of individuals, but we are all interconnected by sharing of the same Spirit.

2 John 22 JAN 09
Notice verse 9: "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God..." This verse confirms the pre-eminence of Christ, or the "Jesus Plus Nothing" teaching. Notice it does not say "teachings," but the "teaching of Christ." This refers not only to what Christ taught, but to teachings that focus on Him or are based on Him. I have often said that any teaching that cannot be related back to Jesus, or that you cannot use Him as an example of, is to be suspected as false.

Meditations on Philemon - Part 3

30 OCT 08
We can see from some of the things that Paul says that he must have met Philemon at some time in the past. This is interesting, because Paul had never been to Colossae before he wrote the letters to Colossae and Philemon. Philemon might have been part of the ministry team that started the church at Colossae. Paul did travel to through Laodicea, near Colossae, and Paul probably met Philemon there and converted him.

However their relationship came to be, Paul's letter is an example of how close friends can be even when separated by great distances. This letter is about Paul's relationship with Philemon as much as it is about Philemon's relationship with Onesimus.

01 NOV 08
In verse 19, when Paul puts into his own handwriting his pledge to cover an damages or loss caused by Onesimus, he does not say that he will pay, but that he will repay. Paul assumed the debt of of Onesimus as his own. This shows the depth of love and friendship Paul felt towards both men.

Meditations on Philemon - Part 2

27 OCT 08
Paul never refers to himself as a prisoner for Christ, but as a prisoner of Christ. He does this to show that he is always conscious of his "obligation" to Christ.

On the road to Damascus, Christ "captured" Saul and began to transform him into Paul. Saul was acting in rebellion to the Good News, so he was an outlaw, spiritually speaking, who needed to be arrested. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states that he was apprehended (KJV) by Christ.

27 OCT 08
Paul's letter is not just addressed to Philemon. His greeting includes Apphia, Archippus, and the church that meets at Philemon's house. Paul probably included them in this letter because they too were harmed when Onesimus ran away.

Because Archippus is mentioned in Paul's letter to the Colossians, and is mentioned as being a minister, we know that these people lived in or near Colossae. Philemon must have owned an estate near Colossae, Apphia or Archippus lived with him, and he hosted or pastored a church that met at his house. Apphia and Archippus were probably relatives of Philemon. Apphia was most likely his wife, but could have been his mother or sister acting as the lady of the estate. Archippus was most likely Philemon's brother or son.

Onesimus could have been assigned to serve Apphia and Archippus, and so they would have been harmed when he ran away. If he was assigned domestic duties in the house,he could have been used to prepare the house for church meetings,and his loss would have harmed the church.

The lesson here is that the situation was not just about Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus. Apphia, Archippus, and the house church also needed to forgive Onesimus and accept him as a brother in Christ.

28 OCT 08
In verse 18, where Paul pledges to cover any loss to Philemon caused by Onesimus, commentators often state the possibility the slave might have stolen some money or other property from his master when he ran away. What we might not see is that Onesimus could have cause loss in other ways.

For one thing, his labor was not available to Philemon, and Philemon had to have someone else do that work: either someone hired, or a new slave, or the work given to other slaves and their workload increased as their productivity decreased. So Philemon had to pay the wages of a new hire, or the price of a new slave, or he lost money due to less output from his estate.

This pledge by Paul shows how much he loved both men!

This also shows us a picture of propitiation. As Paul pledged to satisfy the debt caused by Onesimus, so Jesus pledged His life to satisfy our debt of sin.

30 OCT 08
In verse 6, Paul prays " that the fellowship of your faith may become effective..." Notice that Paul did not say "fellowship of the faith..." Paul is talking about a fellowship based on a personal faith. Fellowship is also a sharing of resources and responsibilities as in a partnership.

Paul goes on to say that this fellowship becomes effective "through knowledge of every good thing" that is in Philemon "for Christ's sake." Paul is calling Philemon to remember the positive thing that Christ has placed in Philemon because of his faith, and these things were placed their for Christ's benefit. Of course, the most important thing Christ placed in Philemon is love, which he demonstrates by his treatment of the saints.

In short, Paul is telling Philemon to remember his faith in Christ, how that faith changed him, and how he treats other believers.

Meditations on Philemon - Part 1

After reading Jude, I moved on to Philemon.

14 OCT 08
One of the shortest books of the Bible, but a fairly well-known story:

Onesimus was a runaway slave who belonged to one of Paul's friends. He met or found Paul, who was in prison at the time. Paul led Onesimus to the Lord, then sent him back to his master. Paul's letter is a plea for Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a brother in the Lord, even as if he were Paul himself (v. 17), and not as a slave. Runaway slaves who were returned to their masters were often punished severely.

Paul as an apostle could have ordered Philemon to either grant Onesimus his freedom, give him as a gift to Paul (v.13), or to not punish him. But Paul knew that to do so would infringe on Philemon's free will given by God. If God would not override Philemon's free will, neither will Paul (v.14).

The key phrase in this book is in verse 9: "for love's sake." For love's sake, Paul appeals to his friend instead of using his authority to order him to do the right thing. Paul also knew of Philemon's love for the saints (v. 5), and he was sure that would not only do what he asked, but more than that!

15 OCT 08
An interesting thread in this book is the obligations that people have towards each other.

First, Paul reminds or informs Philemon that he (Paul) is in prison for his faith, and is a prisoner of Christ (v. 9). By stating this, I'm sure he reminded Philemon of his own obligation to Christ.

Paul also indicates that he could have kept Onesimus with him, but he felt an obligation to respect Philemon's choice (v.14).

Paul also recognizes that Onesimus has an obligation to Philemon, but offers to cover any loss that Philemon might have incurred by Onesimus' actions. He also reminds Philemon of the spiritual debt that he owes Paul (vs. 18 - 19).

The key lesson from this thread is: Which obligation is the most important? The obligation to love.

23 OCT 08
Most people might not know it, but Paul makes a pun in verses 10 and 11. In verse 10, he first mentions Onesimus, whose name means "useful." This was a common name for males born into slavery.

The pun comes in verse 11. Paul says that Onesimus, "Useful," was not useful when he ran away, but now he is Onesimus again because Paul led him to the Lord, and is sending him back to Philemon.

All too often, American Christians miss the humor in the Bible due to our not being acquainted with the languages and culture of the times and places of when and where it was written, and also due to the influence of religion that sees laughter as unholy or sinful.

24 OCT 08
To tie together previous entries, what we see in this letter is a balance between love, free will, and obligation.

God will never override man's free will, and neither must His servants. Despite having the authority to order Philemon to release Onesimus, Paul appeals to his friend on the basis of love.

People do have the ability to obligate themselves. Because Philemon was a believer, he chose to submit to the authorities in the Church.

What if Philemon had not been a believer? Once Paul found out his new convert was a runaway slave, he would have sent Onesimus back with a different message. Paul's letter then would have presented the Good News first, and might have appealed to Philemon to release Onesimus, or at least not punish him severely, on the basis of general morality.

Paul made his appeal because of the love of God he experienced. He appealed to the love of God that Philemon experienced as the reason for him to release Onesimus.

The obligations of love are stronger than the obligations of the law.

26 OCT 08
The depth of Paul's appeal to Philemon is seen in verses 7 and 20. In verse 7, Paul notes that Philemon, acting in love, refreshed the hearts of the saints. In verse 20, Paul asks Philemon to refresh his heart. In other words, show me the same love you show to other Christians in your area.

Meditations on Jude - Part 2

Continuing the observations/lessons from Jude:

01 OCT 08
The phrase in verse 12, "clouds without water" requires closer examination. As a student of weather, I know that clouds are water.
A "cloud without water" could mean several things.
First, it could be a cloud that has dissipated through evaporation. This then could point us towards the parable of the sower where some seed was eaten by birds, and some failed to take root due to shallow soil. A person who is a "cloud without water" then is someone in whom the Word is unfulfilled, either because the enemy has stolen it, or the person has no depth that allows the Word to take root.
Second, the phrase "cloud without water" might also refer to a cloud that does not produce rain or other life-giving precipitation. In that case, a "cloud without water" is an unfruitful person. Jesus said that false prophets would be known by their fruits - their results. A false prophet produces fake results. In other words, these clouds without water are phony and fake.
Also, this phrase might refer to clouds that are not in the sky, but clouds of dust. A cloud of dust is dry and windy. So, this phrase might be referring to something like a dust devil: a lot of activity and excitement, but no life-producing results. If the dust devil is big enough, it will even produce damage.
Maybe this verse refers to all three. The unfruitful soil of the parable of the sower has a thin layer of loose, dusty soil on top of layer of hard crusty dirt. Wind blowing over this soil will create a dust devil that produces nothing more than a commotion, and if it does produce anything, it produces damage.

02 OCT 08
Outline
1 - 2 Greeting
3 - 4 Exhortation to contend for original message of faith because of infiltration of those who corrupt the grace of God into licentiousness.
5 - 7 Punishment upon the unbelieving, rebellous, and immoral.
8 - 13 Description of the infiltrators.
14 - 15 More judgment.
16 - 19 More description of the infiltrators.
20 - 23 Exhortation to edification of faith, preservation of love, wait for eternal life, and to walk in mercy.
24 - 25 Closing benediction.

02 OCT 08
Verses 8 - 13 and 16 - 19 describe the infiltrators. Here is a quick listing of their characteristics. Some items need an in-depth examination later.
v. 4: Pervert grace into licentiousness.
v. 8: By dreaming they defile the flesh, reject authority, and revile God's messengers.
v. 9: Act out of order, beyond their authority and place.
v. 10: Do not understand what they revile.
Destroyed by animal instinct.
v. 11: Gone the way of Cain.
For financial gain, followed the error of Balaam.
Rebelled and perished like Korah.
v. 12: Hidden stains or reefs in communion and fellowship.
Feast without fear of punishment.
Care only for themselves.
Clouds without water.
Easily influenced by winds of doctrine.
Not fruitful in harvest time.
Shallow or uprooted: Twice dead.
v. 13: Displaying shame.
Aimless.
Facing dark future.
v. 15: Ungodly in deed and attitude.
Speak harshly against Christ.
v. 16: Grumblers.
Lustful.
Speak arrogantly.
Flatterers.
Manipulative, seeking advantage.
v. 18: Mockers.
Followers of ungodly lust.
v. 19: Divisive.
Worldly-minded.
Empty, instead of filled with the Holy Spirit.

03 OCT 08
I have noticed a symmetry to Jude's letter. He begins with and exhortation to contend for the faith, and ends with an exhortation to to build ourselves up on our faith by praying in the Spirit. Doing the latter enables us to do the former.

06 OCT 08
Verse 11 mentions the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, and the rebellion of Korah. In short, this is what they are:

The way of Cain is to let sin master you, instead of you mastering it.

The error of Balaam is to think you can get by with something when God is not in it.

The rebellion of Korah is rejection of those who Gad has established in authority.

Meditations on Jude - Part 1

The pastor of my church, Dave Roberson, teaches people to meditate on the Word by reading one book at a time, over and over, either out loud, or while praying in tongues. He recommends starting with one of the shorter books in the New Testament, such as 1 John.

I started with Jude. I also began writing down my observations and things I have learned. Here are some of the first entries:

22 SEP 08

At first, you might think that the theme of Jude's letter is to contrast ungodliness with godliness. But his primary message is the purity of the Church.
In verse 3, he says he was going to write concerning salvation, but he felt the need to encourage them to contend for the faith. You might think he's talking about evangelism, contending for the faith with non-believers. But in verse 4, he mentions the ungodly who have snuck into the Church, and they, by perverting the Good News into licentiousness, are subverting the Church (vs. 4, 12, 19). if such people had ever believed in the Good News, they no longer believed it, and by perverting it, they have denied Christ. These are the ones Jude tells us to contend with.

23 SEP 08
The reason for Jude's exhortation to contend for the faith is seen in vs. 5 - 6. He reminds the people of those who perished in the wilderness due to their unbelief despite seeing God deliver them from Egypt by the miracles He performed. Jude also points out that the angels are also subject to God's judgment.
Jude's message wasn't intended to terrorize the people, but to illustrate the seriousness of the faith.

25 SEP 08
Verse 8 points to an important influence on behavior. In speaking about the ungodly men who had crept into the Church to corrupt it, Jude says they defile the flesh, reject authority, and revile angelic majesties, and they do this by dreaming!
What is a dream? A dream is an image that at the time it is seen, it is not real.
A dream can become real, or it can remain just a dream. Dreams become real either through self-effort or answered prayer.
A dream can symbolize something inside you: some issue you are dealing with, or some desire you have.
Dreams, especially the ones Jude is talking about, are not necessarily the images you see when you sleep. These dreams are images that respent desires, goals, and purposes. They are images that people create as a guide for their behavior.
The good news about this is, even as evil men guide their behavior by their dreams, godly men can guide their behavior by their dreams.
For Christians, the fulfillment of a dream will involve both action and faith. The action is not self-effort based on the flesh or one's own capabities. The action begins with faith, and is done in faith.

27 SEP 08
We hear much about praying in the Holy Spirit and building ourselves up on our most holy faith. And we also hear about keeping ourselves in the love of God. (vs. 20 and 21)
What we might not see is that the two are connected. You pray in the Spirit (in tongues) to build yourself up on your faith, so that you can remain in God's love.
As we remain in God's love, we wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And as we wait for mercy in God's love, we show mercy to those in need - doubters and those headed for eternal fire (vs. 23 - 24) (v. 7)