Acts (Written)

Painting at Utah capitol building.

Wednesday, 5 October 2022

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— Acts 10:36

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Peter is responding to the reason why Cornelius had summoned him. He just noted that those who fear God and work righteousness are acceptable to Him. He continues now, beginning with, “The word.”

Peter is now going to convey the divine utterance of God, the word, that came to those of Israel. He understands more fully now that this divine declaration was not to be limited to Israel at all, but that it is a word that is to extend beyond its borders to all people. With that, Peter continues by sharing what the word is. It is that “which God sent to the children of Israel.”

This is exactly what the law and the prophets indicated. There was the law, but it was spoken in a manner that indicated there must be One who would come and fulfill it. From there, the prophets spoke of this coming One, hinting at His ministry and how He would accomplish the things set before Him. Within the prophets was also the promise of a New Covenant. That New Covenant was promised to the people of Israel –

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—” Jeremiah 31:31

In reading this, one might assume that the covenant was limited to Israel and Judah, but that would be a myopic view of the matter. Rather, though it is made with the house of Israel and Judah it was never intended to be limited to them. Rather –

“And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
⁶ Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5, 6

This is the word that Peter is now conveying to Cornelius, explaining that God was “preaching peace through Jesus Christ.” The translation is correct, cleaning up the faulty rendering of the KJV which says, “by Jesus Christ.” It is God in Christ who preached through Jesus. Jesus is the means of God transmitting the message. One can see the human united with the divine in this. It is a necessary point of doctrine that Jesus Christ is God rather than just a created being. God has accomplished all things through Jesus directly. And thus, Peter says, “He is Lord of all.”

The words are their own independent part of the divine declaration. Jesus Christ is not just the Lord over Israel but over all people. The message that God in Christ preached through Jesus is a single, unified message that issues to all people. One must remember that Peter had just said in verse 10:34, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” What is being expressed by him concerning the word, the divine utterance of God, is as much of a surprise to him as it might be to Cornelius.

It may be true that Peter knew there is only one God, but he assumed that the message of peace was one limited to Jews alone. He now perceives that this is not the case. The Mosaic Covenant was with Israel alone. The New Covenant, though being made with Israel and Judah, extends out to all who will accept God’s offer of peace through Jesus.

Life application: The substance of the gospel is to be found in Peter’s words of this and the coming verses. It teaches that Jesus is God incarnate. It teaches that Jesus died for sins. It implicitly teaches that Jesus was buried, and it teaches that God raised Him on the third day. This is the exact same message that Paul will express in 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. It is the reason that Paul then says, while speaking of Peter and the other apostles –

“Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.” 1 Corinthians 15:11

This is the one and only gospel given by which men must be saved. Luke is providing a description of what Peter said for us to understand that what God has determined sets the boundaries for salvation, whether it is for that of a Jew, for that of a Gentile, or for that of national Israel. The message is the divine declaration of God that tells us of His incarnation in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Lord God, thank You for the wonderful thing You have done. You have spoken forth Your message concerning the coming of Christ, and He spoke forth the good news to the world. We have a full and complete explanation of this through the words of the apostles, telling us of this wonderful thing. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Painting at capitol building, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Tuesday, 4 October 2022

But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Acts 10:35

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous verse said, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.’” That is immediately followed up by Peter, saying, “But in every nation.”

Of these words, Bengel rightly states, “It is not an indifferentism of religions, but an indifferency (impartiality) as to the acceptance of nations, that is here asserted.” What is to be said does not include people simply because they faithfully pursue their personal religion, but it is inclusive of those of any nation who faithfully pursue God as he is revealed to people.

Hence, Job can be included in this. Rahab and Naaman likewise are noted in this category in the Bible. However, it cannot be said of someone in Islam or Buddhism today. They are excluded from the thought until a change is made in their mind (a repenting) to turn to the truth of God that has been revealed.

It doesn’t matter if it is a person in Pakistan, Tanzania, Russia, Japan, or any other nation – which is the thought that was expressed to Peter in the descent of the great object filled with the various beasts, birds, and so on. With this understood, Peter next says, “whoever fears Him.” To be more precise, it says, “the one fearing Him.”

This is an upward acknowledgment of God, and it is an action directed toward Him. God is looking at those who are fearing Him in the knowledge of Him that has been made available to the person. Of Cornelius, it said that he was “one who feared God” (Acts 10:2). Paul speaks of this in Romans 2 –

“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law ¹³ (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; ¹⁴ for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ¹⁶ in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Romans 2:12-16

Job did not possess the Law of Moses, and yet he had a law written upon his heart that led him to seek out the true God as He had been thus far revealed. He anticipated restoration with Him through the promised Messiah, and he was noted as a son of God (Job 1:6) through this. Peter continues with “and works righteousness.”

Again, it is a present participle, saying, “and is working righteousness.” This is a horizontal acknowledgment of God, and it is seen in actions directed toward others according to a standard that is pure and faithful. God is looking at those who are fearing Him and who are then expressing that fear of Him in a manner that is appropriate. Of Cornelius, it said that he “gave alms to the people and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). Someone may give alms to the people, but he may not be doing it because of an acknowledgment of God. Instead, he may be doing it to to simply get ahead in life. That is self-serving and unacceptable.

Likewise, of Job, it says that he was “one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Job confessed that –

“I was eyes to the blind,
And I was feet to the lame.
¹⁶ I was a father to the poor,
And I searched out the case that I did not know.
¹⁷ I broke the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.” Job 29:15-17

Like Cornelius, these things were done because he feared God. And this is the heart of the Law of Moses, as spoken by Jesus –

“So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27

This is the thought now being expressed. With that noted, Peter finishes with, “is accepted by Him.” In the Greek, it is an adjective connected to a present tense verb – “is acceptable.” The incorrect translation would cause a rather significant theological problem. Rather, the full clause rightly says, “is acceptable to Him.”

John Gill rightly says, “though God accepts of such who fear him, and work righteousness from a right principle, and to a right end, without any regard to their being circumcised, or not circumcised, or to their being of this or the other nation, yet their fear of him, and working righteousness, are not the ground of their acceptance; but are to be considered as descriptive of the persons, who are accepted by him in Christ; for there is no acceptance of persons or services, but in Christ Jesus.”

Such a person is “acceptable” to God, but only in Christ can he be “accepted” by Him. One cannot do an end around God in Christ. Job anticipated the coming Messiah through his limited knowledge of what God was doing. Cornelius is now on the “after” side of the coming of Jesus. God has heard his prayers and seen his deeds and has sent Peter to take him the necessary further step to Christ Jesus.

The entire account bears this out. It is not that Cornelius was accepted by God, but that he is acceptable to God because of his rightly directed heart and his actions which displayed that heart. Now, Peter has been summoned to take that heart that acknowledges God and direct it to the Messiah, who alone can remove his sin and make him accepted by God.

Life application: A wrongly translated word can make a world of difference. The NKJV, following after the KJV, has introduced an error that makes it appear that Cornelius has been accepted by (or with) God apart from Jesus. From there, an explanation of what the true meaning is must be constructed, as John Gill did above.

The error of translation can be overcome by a continued reading of the passage which reveals Cornelius was saved after hearing and accepting the gospel. But it is far too often the case that people will take a verse, such as this one now being analyzed, and make up an entire commentary or sermon about how people are saved by their right heart towards God and their good works towards others if they have never met Jesus. And it would all be based on a mistranslation that has been copied again and again from eons ago –

Tyndale Bible of 1526
is accepted with him.

Coverdale Bible of 1535
is accepted vnto him.

Bishops’ Bible of 1568
is accepted with hym.

Geneva Bible of 1587
is accepted with him.

King James Bible
is accepted with him.

New King James Version
is accepted by Him.

As a side note, the word “accepted” can also be an adjective, such as “he is handsome in the accepted sense.” However, the meaning when combined with “is” changes it to a verb. As such the meaning is changed as well. Be studious and be ready to question both people’s commentaries and their translations. In the end, no person will be saved apart from what God is doing in Christ. There are no loopholes, no end-arounds, and no acceptable “Plan B’s.” It is Jesus who saves. Thank God for Jesus!

Heavenly Father, thank You for our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we never waffle in our convictions or in our proclamations concerning Him. May we take His words of John 14:6 as true, literal, and unchangeable – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Thank You, O God, that You have made this way possible! Amen.

Fancy painting, Utah capitol.

Monday, 3 October 2022

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. Acts 10:34

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Cornelius just completed his explanation for calling Peter. With his words stated, it now says, “Then Peter opened his mouth.”

As has been seen already in Acts, this is a way of saying that Peter prepared to speak and then engaged in speech. The thoughts in his head are now to be expressed verbally through his mouth. With that, Luke next notes, “and said: ‘In truth I perceive.’”

Peter has made a logical deduction based on the events that have occurred over the past few days. The object like a great sheet has descended from heaven in a trance; he had seen the creatures of the earth on display: he had been told to rise up, kill, and eat. And so on.

Along with that, he now knows that God had sent a messenger to Cornelius telling him to fetch Peter and have him explain all that he was to do. When the messengers from Cornelius arrived, the Spirit had told Peter to go with them without hesitation. Everything was synchronized and purposefully presented to inform Peter of a truth that he now fully perceives, which is, “that God shows no partiality.”

Here is a word found only once in Scripture, prosópolémptés. It comes from prosopon, the face, and lambanó, to receive. Thus, it means “an accepter of a face (individual), i.e. (specially), one exhibiting partiality — respecter of persons” (HELPS Word Studies). This is something that Jesus was known to the leaders of Israel for –

“Then they asked Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’” Luke 20:21, 22

In that account, the leaders used the same two words, lambanó and prosopon, separately. Peter now simply unites them into one word to make the same point. However, Peter cannot necessarily be considered dull for not having grasped something that he should have. These leaders were a part of the Jewish society, and they were referring to Jesus’ actions as they saw them within the Jewish society. Jesus had even spoken to a Gentile woman, saying, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).

Because of this, Peter and the others may have (and the indication we can receive from the words of his vision is that this is certainly the case) thought that what Jesus meant was limited to those of Israel. But Peter now sees something fuller has sprung out of the New Covenant. This was not an easy lesson to learn because time and again Israel had been warned about intermingling with Gentiles to some degree or another. Eventually, their leaders took that even further than the law and their writings intimated.

In Deuteronomy 23:1-8, certain prohibitions on accepting people into the assembly are noted. Other incidents like this are noted in the law. During the time of the historical writings, intermingling with Gentiles caused troubles to arise among the people. A perfect example of this is Solomon’s intermarriages with Gentiles as noted in 1 Kings 11 –

“But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— ² from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.’ Solomon clung to these in love. ³ And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴ For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.” 1 Kings 11:1-6

After Israel’s first exile, a heavy stress is laid upon this notion as is recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah, where these men implored the people to maintain the purity of the race and culture, even forbidding such marriages and forcing the ending of what they perceived as illegitimate marriages. Ezra 10 is dedicated to this idea of defilement and purity. Take time to read that today.

Because of this, and because of later more strenuous prohibitions laid upon the people to not even enter the houses of Gentiles, this was something that Peter had to be fully trained out of by the messenger from God to Cornelius and the trance from God on Simon the tanner’s housetop.

With the coming of Paul’s ministry, and as is recorded in Acts and his epistles, this idea of Gentile inclusion is most perfectly fleshed out. But it is being first expressed in this account of Peter and Cornelius. There is a reason for this that will be dealt with as Acts 10 continues.

Life application: James addresses the idea of showing favoritism in James 2:1-7. It could be argued that he is only referring to this within the Jewish community because he is addressing “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). Further, he uses a term, synagogue, used only among Jews concerning their gathering together (James 2:2). Paul never uses this term when referring to the gathering of the churches in his letters.

As such, this account of Peter and Cornelius, Paul’s interactions in Acts, and also Paul’s letters are invaluable in understanding the equality of Jew and Gentile in the New Covenant. Paul, writing to those in Rome, and using a noun cognate to the one used by Peter above, says that God does not show favoritism when referring to both Jew and Gentile.

He also breaks down the barrier between classes within society, such as that of masters and slaves in Ephesians 6, Colossians 3 & 4, 1 Timothy 6, and Titus 2. It is also the subject of the letter to Philemon. Paul speaks of the unity of acceptance in the gospel concerning males and females as well –

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29

These and other such references tell us that all people are on equal standing before God, and that those who are in Christ are on equal standing in Him. This does not mean we all possess the same rights in this earthly life, however. By Paul noting that slaves are to heed their masters, it implies that there are slaves.

By noting the physical differences between men and women and the cultural differences between Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:28), it means they are different, even if no distinction in Christ exists. Because of that, when Paul says elsewhere that women are not to teach or have authority over men, it is because of these differences. Thus, there is no contradiction in Paul’s words.

Think about these things and remember that God’s word has defined the Christian parameters for our earthly lives. For our eternal position in Christ, He has accepted all as being on the same level. Any and all are open to receiving the gospel and being saved by the precious blood of Christ. Thank God for Jesus Christ.

Lord God, how good it is to be a part of what You have done in Christ. Each of us is acceptable to You regardless of our gender, societal class, culture, or any other earthly distinction. We are acceptable to You because of Jesus! Thank You for Your care of Your people even when we don’t always care for one another. Help us to drop all such things and be willing to share the message with all we encounter. Amen.

State Senate, Salt Lake City, Utah

Sunday, 2 October 2022

So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.” Acts 10:33

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

In the previous verse, Cornelius continued his reason for having Peter called, as he conveyed the words of the messenger from God. Now, he finishes this side of the conversation, beginning with the words, “So I sent to you immediately.”

This is exactly what happened as was stated in verses 10:7, 8 –

“And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸ So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.”

Not even waiting for the next day, he had immediately followed through with the words spoken to him. With that, he next says to Peter, “and you have done well to come.” The words more appropriately read, “and you did well, having come.”

Cornelius acknowledges Peter’s presence, demonstrating gratefulness through the words conveyed. It is the same formula used when Paul addressed those at Philippi –

“Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
¹⁴ Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.” Philippians 5:13,14

After his compliment to Peter, he begins his finishing thought, saying, “Now therefore, we are all present before God.”

Cornelius acknowledges on behalf of all assembled his understanding of God’s omnipresence and ability to discern the hearts of those assembled. Even if his understanding of the nature of God was limited, he had deduced enough to know that God was fully sovereign over His creation, including His creatures, and that He had expectations of man who walked in His presence. His words convey the idea that God was attending the meeting with the same attention that He had when He created the universe. Having noted this, he finishes with, “to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

The Alexandrian text, used by many translations, says, “to hear all the things having been commanded you by the Lord” (BLB). Determining which is original, God or Lord, is difficult. If Cornelius was either aware of Jesus, or if Peter had told him he was a messenger of Jesus as they entered in verse 10:27, then saying “Lord” would make more sense. If Cornelius was not yet aware of Jesus yet, then saying “God” would make more sense.

The coming verses do not really clear that up and could be taken either way, but because Jesus is God, it doesn’t change the overall narrative greatly. God sent Jesus to accomplish His mission. The command rested upon Jesus, and He fulfilled it, including giving His commands to the people. Peter was fully aware of this, and he had been given his further commission during the trance which was specifically tied to his speaking to Cornelius.

Peter will explain the ministry of Jesus going back to the time of John’s baptizing, including the words “that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout Judea.” However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Cornelius was aware that Jesus was the Messiah. All it means is that he had likely heard about Jesus in some fashion. This is certain because it will go on to say –

“Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, ⁴¹ not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.” Acts 10:40, 41

If the resurrection was not known to all the people, then it means that not all the people knew that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. As such, the story in Cornelius’ mind may be that another failed messianic figure had come among the people. The extent that Cornelius had of who Jesus was cannot be known. But what he will need to know will be fully presented as the verses continue.

Life application: It is rare to come across a person who has never heard of Jesus, even people in other cultures around the world usually have some limited knowledge of Him. This is no different than most people having heard of Buddha or Muhammed. Just because someone has heard of a person, it doesn’t really tell you much about the extent of that person’s knowledge.

In the US today, knowing there was a “Jesus” who started Christianity is almost universal. And yet, even in supposed Christian churches, there may be very little knowledge beyond that about who He is or what is expected by Him. Our responsibility as saved believers in Jesus is to explain the meaning of Jesus’ coming and what it means to the state of humanity.

Once the truth of Jesus has been explained, there is still the necessary instruction that not only is He God and that He is the focus of the gospel, but it should be explained that He is the only path of restoration with God. This is not a part of the gospel itself, but it is an important point about Jesus that should be explained. If not, there may remain confusion in people’s minds about the exclusivity of what Jesus has done. This should not be the state of anyone who has accepted the simple gospel.

The sooner sound discipleship is introduced, the chances will be all the better that this person will rightly repeat the message of Jesus to others. And so, be prepared to give the important basic points about the faith that will keep that individual, and those he next talks to, from heading down erroneous paths of thinking.

Lord God, help us to be clear in our presentation of who Jesus is and what He means to the state of all people before You. Give us wisdom in our presentation of Him, and help us to be strong in our stand concerning those points about Him that must be conveyed for a new believer to be solidly grounded in his thinking about the faith. Amen.

Utah Senate. State capitol, Salt Lake City.

Wednesday, 28 September 2022

Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ Acts 10:32

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

In the previous verse, Cornelius noted the words of the messenger sent from God, saying, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” The words of verse 10:32 now continue his thought. They follow closely after the words of verses 10:5, 6 –

(10:5, 6) “Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶ He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

(10:32) “Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.”

Cornelius is carefully explaining exactly what occurred so that Peter is fully aware of what transpired and of what is expected of him. To get a full sense of the meaning of the words, please refer to the commentaries on Acts 10:5, 6.

Life application: There is a great division among people about how the Bible is to be translated. Cornelius does not explain to Peter word for word what the messenger said to him. However, he carefully gives the substance of what the angel has said.

In Bible translations, some demand an exact and literal rendering of what is said in the originals (literal translation). Doing this can make the translation unintelligible to the reader because various words and idioms do not convey the same meaning as they did in the original.

Some think that a dynamic equivalence is the best way to go. That is having the “quality of a translation in which the message of the original text has been so transported into the receptor language that the response of the receptor is essentially like that of the original receptors” (Eugene Nida). The meaning is “sense for sense.”

The original audience received the words of the writer, and their minds had a sense of what the meaning was. Likewise, when translated into another language, the desired goal is for the translation to carry the same sense.

For example, “He was killed with the mouth of the sword” (Hebrew thought) becomes “He was killed with the edge of the sword (English thought).” Another example might be that of 1 Kings 18:21, “Until when are you leaping on the two branches?” That becomes “How long will you falter between two opinions?” The first is an idiomatic expression that means nothing to an English reader. Hence, a literal translation really says nothing to the mind. In dynamic equivalence, the original words are not conveyed, only a sense of what they mean is.

There are many (almost innumerable) other types of Bible translations, each claiming it is the “best and most reliable.” But the fact is that any translation can only go so far in its ability to convey the true meaning of what is said. Before Bibles were common, plays about the gospel message helped explain the Bible to people. That would be a sort of verbal paraphrase to convey meaning. Is that wrong? Obviously not. We watch movies about Jesus all the time.

In church on Sunday, a reliable pastor will read a passage of Scripture and then take the time to describe it in one of various ways, such as from a moral, a historical, a prophetic, or a typological explanation. Is one “more right” than another? Not if the word is properly explained. We should not get so caught up in a single translation or a single way of instructing from the Bible that we dismiss other ways of transmitting the message.

This will lead to arrogance, judgmentalism, finger-pointing, and congregations that are actually unbalanced and unhealthy. If you don’t know that, go sit in a King James Only congregation for a couple of Sundays. The Bible will give you exactly what you are willing to take from it. If you don’t read it, it will give you nothing. If you read it in one fallible translation, you will think of its contents only from that perspective.

If you read many translations, you will get a broader view of what is being said. You will be able to more accurately evaluate what is going on and what the meaning of various literary styles will convey. If you study the original languages, you will become even more proficient in the nuances of what is being conveyed. If you study the land from which the narratives are penned, you will gain even greater insights into the original intent of the authors. And so on.

Be careful to always handle the Bible with the utmost care and respect. But also understand that because it comes from the mind of God, what is being conveyed can be explored and explained in a multitude of ways, none of which are incorrect. But they may be insufficient in fully explaining all of what the original intent may mean. Above all, pray to the Lord for guidance, insight, and wisdom in His word when you read it. And you cannot get those things unless… you actually read it.

Heavenly Father, what a joy and a blessing it is to receive Your word each day, to drink from it as the coolest of water, to revel in it as the greatest treat, and to share it as the most precious gift. What a treasure it is that we possess when we have Your word. Thank You for Your precious word. Amen.