This morning, I would like to show you one tactic that I have learned can be really helpful when studying Scripture, and that is to read different translations of the same passages. Now, for some people, you may be thinking, "duh!", but to others, like I was before, I had thought that the translation I always read was the easiest to read -- and sometime it is, but other times it helps to read others to get a better picture.
If you've done any study of Greek, even if it's very small, like me, then you know that often the words in the original Greek (or Hebrew) have multiple meanings based on their context, just as we do for certain words in English. Take the word bear, for instance. We have the many uses of the word: bear the weight of something, bear a child, a tree bears fruit, his claim might not bear close examination, a bear market, you can bear scars, the bear that eats salmon, or the man is a bear in court. So, as people translate anything, it is obviously very important that they picked the exact correct meaning of a word for a correct translation. If someone didn't know English, I'd say bearing weight and bearing a child could possibly be difficult to distinguish without really studying the context, etc.
So, that is why I love to put up multiple translations on my computer as I study scripture...I can get a fuller picture that way! I don't have to have multiple concordances and historical books when I'm starting out in my study of the Bible. That is what I want to show you now. For our passage today, I am not going to say anything of my own, but just show you one example in comparing the NIV to The Message. Now, I know there's a lot of controversy about the Message, and that it is not a true translation, but a paraphrase. But even the present-day language of the paraphrase can be really helpful sometimes, even if you may not use it as your personal translation of the Bible. So, join me in comparing our passage today!
8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
8-9I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can't manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.
10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
10-11And if you are married, stay married. This is the Master's command, not mine. If a wife should leave her husband, she must either remain single or else come back and make things right with him. And a husband has no right to get rid of his wife.
12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
12-14For the rest of you who are in mixed marriages—Christian married to non-Christian—we have no explicit command from the Master. So this is what you must do. If you are a man with a wife who is not a believer but who still wants to live with you, hold on to her. If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God.
15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
15-16On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you've got to let him or her go. You don't have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God.
So, what do you think? Helpful? I really think so! I love to use the website www.biblegateway.com for my study because you can add as many parallel versions as you want. I usually look at at least 4 at a time. It's a fantastic, free resource!
What I'm finding is that you do not have to a be trained Biblical scholar to truly understand Scripture for yourself. When you get stuck on a passage, or are concerned you may not fully understand what is being said, pull up some different versions. (The versions I tend to go to most are NIV, ESV, NLT, NASB, KJV, and The Message.) First, ask God to grant you the wisdom and insights to understand His Word (because you won't understand anything without Him), then pick a chapter of a book you'd like to read, and read it in at least three different translations. It won't take you long, but you will be amazed at how much you can understand! Let me know how it goes for you!
We'll be back to the normal format tomorrow, and talking about "God's Will for you when it comes to Marriage, Sex, and Singleness." It's gonna be good! See you here in the morning!
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