Tag: Bible Truth

Posted on

Is Your Favorite Bible a Translation, Version or a Paraphrase & What is the Difference?

According to the “Guinness Book of World Records”, the Bible is still the best-selling book of all times. And it has been translated in more languages and dialects than any book ever written. “Wikipedia” records that “The full Bible has been translated into 670 languages, the New Testament has been translated into 1,521 languages and Bible portions or stories into 1,121 other languages. Thus at least some part of the Bible has been translated into 3,312 languages.”

And have you noticed the great number of translations of the Bible in  modern English on the market today? Since 1900, there have been over 200 + New Translations of the full Bible or  only of the New or Old Testament. The most common and most popular include . . . Continue reading “Is Your Favorite Bible a Translation, Version or a Paraphrase & What is the Difference?”

Posted on

Does God “Lead” us Into Temptation?

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a model prayer. We often refer to it as the “Lord’s Prayer.” Matthew and Luke both record it: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4. And both record Jesus as teaching them to pray, “And lead us not into temptation.”

Through the years lots of folks, including some in the Roman catholic Church have had a problem with this phrase, “lead us not into temptation.” God wouldn’t lead us into temptation, would He? Pope Francis I went on record to say that the phrase, “lead us not into temptation” is not a good translation. “The one who leads us into temptation,” he says, “is Satan.” So he suggests that it should rather be rendered, “abandon us not when in temptation”.

Continue reading “Does God “Lead” us Into Temptation?”

Posted on

Three Steps to Reading the Bible for Proper Understanding

No preacher or teacher can adequately preach or teach God’s Word without having adequately read God’s Word. Paul advised his young son in the ministry to “accurately handle the Word of Truth” for “all Scripture,”writes the Apostle, “is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 2:14; 3:16-17

Three Steps to Reading the Bible . . .

1 Read the Bible in in its proper context: You can prove almost anything you want to Biblically, if you take Scripture out of context. Read what the Bible is saying before and after the text. Read other Scriptures that relate to the text and topic that you are preaching or teaching. Be careful that you are saying the same thing God is and that you are not contradicting His Word.  What you preach and teach must agree with the whole Bible.

2 Read the Bible bi-focally:That is, read it first as it is reflects the day and age in which it was written. What was the writer saying to the recipients of his day, i.e., what was Paul saying to the church in Corinth when he wrote about eating meat sacrificed to idols (I Corinthians 8)? Secondly, what does it say to us today?

3 Read the text prayerfully: Allow God to speak to you. The Holy Spirit led the mind and heart of those who wrote it (II Timothy 3:16) so, allow God to lead you in the understanding of it.

If other thoughts or recommendations for a proper reading and an adequate understanding of God’s Word come to your mind, please share them. I welcome your comments!

Posted on

Bread of Life

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger.'” John 6:35

A pioneer family was making its way West by covered wagon when they were suddenly surrounded by a band of Indians. With gestures and broken English they made the wife to understand that they wanted her to bake for them a pan of biscuits. After eating the biscuits, they rode away, never to be seen or heard of again.

That day, the Indians hunger was temporarily satisfied. But there is a Continue reading “Bread of Life”

Posted on

They Know His Voice

“They know His voice . . . A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:4b-5

One summer when still a student in seminary, I was serving as pastor of  a little country church in Central Texas. To help pay off some bills and upcoming tuition for the fall semester, I hired out to a dairy farmer. I knew something about beef cattle, but very little about dairy cattle. So the summer became quite a learning experience.

One of those lessons came early on. The first time I attempted on my own to ‘call’ up the cattle, they just stood and looked at me. On the other hand,when Glen, the cows owner ‘called’ there was no hesitation. They Continue reading “They Know His Voice”