Some words from Isaiah

Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down; even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation. But the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted by his justice. The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness.

What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! They even mock God and say, “Hurry up and do something! We want to see what you can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan, for we want to know what it is.”

What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. What sorrow for those who are heros at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold. They take bribes to let the innocent go free, and they punish the innocent.

Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither. For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies; they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. That is why the LORD’s anger burns against his people, and why he has raised his fist to crush them. The mountains tremble, and the corpses of his people litter the streets like garbage. But even the LORD’s anger is not satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike!

-Isaiah 5:15-16;18-25 New Living Translation 2004 edition

The Necessity of the Cross

        Furthermore, God would be endorsing evil by passively accepting it. Simple forgiveness seems merciful at first. However, what it really does is give God’s blessing to Satan and evil by approving such things as rape as murder. Because God is just, he must distinguish between good and evil by promoting the former and opposing the latter. Mere forgiveness would destroy God’s holiness, justice, and righteousness by not distinguishing between good and evil. Because God is good, he cannot approve of or ignore sin and its consequences.

        Basically, the debt of sin must be paid, or evil is vindicated. That debt is either paid by the sinner in the torments of eternal hell or by our eternal God Jesus Christ dying on the cross in our place for our sins.

-p. 129 Death by Love by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears (Crossway, 2008: Wheaton, IL)

Psalm 131

LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.

-Psalm 131, New American Standard Bible 1995 edition

Dynamic Translations

For the past few year to this week, I have read the ESV almost exclusively. I become hooked on the idea of a literal translation. My other Bibles have been the NASB and NKJV… all of them similar in philosophy. I had pretty much decided that the more dynamic translations were evil. Then Sunday night I read Romans in the New Living Translation. It really made the book that I had read so many times (almost to the point of memorization) come to life. I had to keep checking back with a literal translation (I was checking with the ASV) and had nothing to object to. It still seemed to closely mirror the original text. It just really made a lot more sense.

Since I do not have many obligations this week, I have been reading many different translations that are more dynamic than the ESV. I have just been reading through random books and passages like one would read a novel. That is, not for study or reflection as much as to just read what was said to see what was said.

There is one thing I have come across a few times which is bothering me though. Sometimes I feel like the liberties taken with the text are too great. For instance, I John 1:9 in the ISV reads:

If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

I am not saying that making it a habit to confess sins is not Biblical, but is that what is being referred to in this passage? I can say that interpreting the text like this would make it less apt to be used in the sinner’s prayer-type theology! However, it bothers me the idea is inserted to the text that was not already there. Maybe there is a reason for it, but no other translations do that I can find. It is simple “if we confess our sins” (NASB).

So I have to proceed with caution. I like the translations that are very readable but as accurate as possible. The ESV is accurate to the Greek and Hebrew, but I’m afraid to my Generation Y mind it doesn’t communicate the way it should without having to think through the English itself.

Here are my thoughts on some of the translations I have been reading:

• New English Bible: This translations reads really well most of the time. Even though it is more dated than the others I am looking at, it reads naturally but doesn’t really interpret the text much, but it is still great to read. My problem with it is that the translators seem to have a low view of the preservation of the Bible. Some weird renderings of text are taken.. some of which don’t even make logical sense as much as the commonly accepted one.
• New Living Translation: This is probably my favorite translation right now. It somehow manages to reflect the original text really well while not adding or removing very much. It’s very readable. Despite it’s history (the very paraphrased TLB followed by looser earlier versions), the 2007 NLT Bible has a possibility of becoming my main secondary Bible–second because I don’t know if I can trust it enough to be my main Bible.
• International Standard Version: This Bible reads very well as well. It claims to be a middle-of-the-road between dynamic and literal, but I find it to add to the text too much sometimes, as I noted earlier in the post. I’ll be reading it some more though.
• Today’s New International Version and New English Translation: I read both of these today. I found them pretty similar. I just couldn’t get into them.

It also hurts that I don’t have many of these translations in print. I would probably read the NLT more if I had it in print, but for now I will be reading the NEB because I do have it in print.

It is both a blessing and a curse to have so many translations of God’s word in my language. A blessing and a curse indeed.

Many will try to enter and will not be able to

“Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeths when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of Gods but you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God. But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” -Words of Jesus in Luke 13:22-30 (NET)

Intent of this blog

Hello there,

I am a Christian–someone that has been saved by grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. This year I wish to be a discovery as I read through the Bible in its entirety. This is something that I ashamed to say that I have never done before.

This year, I have the basic reading plan in mind:

• I am going to read the Bible through chronologically from a Bible plan at the ESV website. This is a plan that attempts to sort the Bible in the order that the events occur. I am going to probably primarily use the ESV translation, but I am also going to look at others frequently. Lately I have become interested in the latest revision of the New Living Translation Bible, but my preferences there are apt to change. Not knowing the original languages of the Bible myself, I wish to compare translations of the Bible into English to try to get the meaning of the original as best as I am able.
• I am going to read through my existent theological library that I have not yet read, as well as what other books I get at Christmas (I will post what I receive later). I have a tendency to start new books before I finish others and I thus end up with a large collection of partially read books. This year I will read them all. I will read at a bare minimum 25 pages per day.
• I will read at least one sermon per week from a pastor that is no longer alive.

Here, it is my intent to post my thoughts, what I am learning, what I am being taught, what I am thinking about in doctrine, and so forth. I hope that through this year I can learn much and conform my views and thoughts to that of Christ.

Although I am going to be looking at books and sermons that are based on Scripture as well, I want Scripture to my main source of instruction. I am not going to limit myself to reading what only matches the reading plan. That is simply a backbone to support other reading and study.

My current books that I have in the approximate order I want to read them are:

• The Problem of Pain — C. S. Lewis
• Communion with the Triune God — John Owen
• The Institutes of Christian Religion — John Calvin (abridged)
• Martin Luther: Selections from his writings
• Keep in Step with the Spirit — J. I. Packer
• Knowing Scripture — R. C. Sproul
• Future Grace — John Piper
• The Gospel According to Jesus — John MacArthur
• God at Work? — Jonathan Edwards (abridged)
• Grace & Power — Charles Spurgeon
• Essentials of the Christian Faith — R. C. Sproul
• If there’s a God, why are there atheists? — R. C. Sproul
• Now, That’s a Good Question! — R. C. Sproul
• Rediscovering Holiness — J. I. Packer
• The Bible: A Missionary Book — J. B. Lawrence
• God was in Christ — D. M. Bailee

I mostly have books written in the reformed tradition, but I have a few others outside this as well that I hope to glean from.

I currently have three books of sermons to look at as well:

• Sermons on Men of the Bible — Charles Spurgeon
• The New York Street Pulpit Volumes I & II — Charles Spurgeon (facsimile)
• Sermons of Jonathan Edwards

I hope that through all this I may glorify God. Although this blog will probably mostly be for my own musing and purposes to lack back on, I also would appreciate interaction as I explore different Biblical texts that may be harder to understand.

As for the name of this blog and my name, it is taken from the audience of Luke and Acts. These books were written to one called “most excellent Theophilus.” While some believe this is a person, “theophilus” means one who loves God or “a friend of God.” I chose this term because it describes those who have been made God’s children as I have, as well as to use a real name while keeping anonymity for personal reasons. Kratistos is the transliteration of the word translated to “most excellent.” Thus I call myself Kratistos Theophilus.

May God be glorified through this endeavor, and may I grow in wisdom and in knowledge! To God be the glory.