3.10.18
Going back to the beginning-Charles, Colin and Teck Chye should have left LBPC
Genesis.
When the issue of VPP broke out in BPC Singapore.
Charles and Colin together with Teck Cheye should have left FEBC and Life BPC to start their own new church if they have dignity at that moment. But they did not have any gut to make that move.
They continue to quarrel and sue. What a shame to them.
They shouldn't stay in Life BPC when they disagreed with Senior Pastor Timothy.
Charles, Collin and Teck Cheye, were not the co-founders of Life BPC. They were still not born yet and some are still sucking milk when Pastor Timothy builds Life BPC.
They should learn from many others who start their own church if they disagreed with the senior pastor.
They shouldn't have wrestled with the founding Pastor until to the courtroom.
Time will tell us, what is their punishment from the above heavenly authority.
The hot-headed person is eager to turn every disagreement into a legal case.
Timothy Tow wrote:
One of the things is that we would get into a quarrel. You sometimes ask yourself, why do you quarrel? Plain stubbornness. Actually, there was nothing to quarrel about. (Happy Life, n.d.)
A failure to be of one mind, which should be avoided whenever possible within the church, the family and other areas of everyday life. Christians are urged to maintain the unity of the church and avoid damaging division.
Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).
2.10.18
How dare you !!!
1 Co 6:1–7.
6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
Pr 25:8–10.
8 Go not forth hastily to strive,
Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,
When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself;
And discover not a secret to another:
10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame,
And thine infamy turn not away.
Mt 5:25.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
Pr 25:8–10.
8 Go not forth hastily to strive,
Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,
When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself;
And discover not a secret to another:
10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame,
And thine infamy turn not away.
Mt 5:25.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
1 Co 13:1–3. I am nothing
13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
If i am a reformed calvinist, a Bible Presbyterian Church pastor or a scholar in Bible College, i am very wise, very faithful to biblical doctrines, have faith which can move mountains, separatist, with many degrees, preach well, handsome, very gentle, travelling a lot, to do mission work, i am also doing a lot of charity work, i am sacrificing my time, money and talents to serve the church, many people praise me, they trust me in many things and matters. Church respect me!
But, if i have no charity or love in my heart, i am nothing, i am making a lot of noises, i am a sounding brass, a tinkling cymbal, I am disturbing other with a lot of noises. I am nothing.
Everything i have or possess consider being cow dung!
Kenneth says:
The “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13 is not only Paul’s answer to the Corinthians’ spiritual gift problem. It was the answer to the division and divisiveness that was the root of almost all their problems.
We do not have the original copies of any biblical book. In a few cases, the copies we have differ on what Paul originally wrote. In those cases, we have to decide which words we think were the original ones, using what we know about how copies were made.
Kenneth Schenck, 1 & 2 Corinthians: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006), 183-4
Everything i have or possess consider being cow dung!
Kenneth says:
The “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13 is not only Paul’s answer to the Corinthians’ spiritual gift problem. It was the answer to the division and divisiveness that was the root of almost all their problems.
We do not have the original copies of any biblical book. In a few cases, the copies we have differ on what Paul originally wrote. In those cases, we have to decide which words we think were the original ones, using what we know about how copies were made.
Kenneth Schenck, 1 & 2 Corinthians: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006), 183-4
1.10.18
Book Review
THE WORD OF GOD IN ENGLISH: CRITERIA FOR EXCELLENCE IN BIBLE TRANSLATION
Leland Ryken
Wheaton: Crossway, 2002, 336 pages, £8.91, ISBN: 1-58134-464-3
‘The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him’. (Prov. 18:17, ESV)—an apt description of the success of Eugene Nida with his translation theory of ‘dynamic equivalence’. In this book Ryken sets out to convince the jury of the negative effects of such ‘thought for thought’ translation, contrasting with the ‘word for word’ focus of ‘essentially literal’ translations such as the English Standard Version (ESV).
Being a professor of English, the author served as literary stylist on the translation committee for the ESV. This gave him both the impetus and expertise needed to explain his ‘literary intuitions’ that dynamic equivalent translations such as the New International Version were inferior. His preference for the ESV, apparent in every chapter, doesn’t prevent him from also criticising it where it seems to him inferior, and his analysis actually reinforced my appreciation for my trusty New American Standard.
The result of his investigations is heartfelt, sometimes to the point of overstatement and emotive language (e.g. p. 213: ‘The quarrel of those who prefer colloquial translations is not with me but with the authors and ultimately with the God who gave us the Bible.’), while at the same time thorough, approaching the subject from almost every angle.
Part One lays the groundwork, demonstrating in the first two chapters the importance of word for word reproduction of a wide variety of original sources, whether in literature or ordinary discourse. Most examples concern updating rather than translating, but this reinforces his point that translation should be no excuse for ‘dumbing down’ the Bible’s literary content. The third chapter gives a useful potted history of English Bible translation.
Part Two succeeds in exposing twenty different fallacies that are commonly present in the prefaces to modern translations, often surprisingly condescending, about the Bible, translation and Bible readers. The tone becomes more solemn in Part Three, where Ryken makes the strong claim that a belief in the verbal/plenary inspiration of the Bible cannot be reconciled with the dynamic equivalence theory of translation. Here he also takes a chapter to isolate more precisely the appropriate division between translation and interpretation of Scripture.
In Part Four his literary sensibilities take more of the centre stage as he analyses in four chapters different problems of modern (dynamic equivalent) translations. Ignoring the literary qualities of the Bible leads to a reduction of the ‘fullness’ of the original, and by prioritising the (uneducated) reader over the author translators obscure the world of the original text, replacing details that give our Bible the flavour of ancient Israel. The most disturbing chapter, however, covers the ‘destabilisation of the Biblical text’. Ryken perceptively notes the widespread decrease in both confidence in and use of the Bible among English-speaking believers and churches. This is a situation he attributes primarily to dynamic equivalent translations.
Part Five concludes with five chapters that highlight what he considers to be the primary ‘criteria for excellence in an English Bible’, including not only accurate and effective words, but also appropriate poetic language, natural rhythm, and ‘exaltation and beauty’. In the appendix, Professor John Collins lends his expertise as a biblical scholar to the discussion of relative accuracy achieved through different translation methods, reiterating Ryken’s reasoned rejection of dynamic equivalent translations.
Ryken’s decision to criticise translation techniques rather than specific translations should keep him well above accusations of clever marketing for the ESV, and his book deserves wide readership. Despite my upbringing in international Bible translation I have become increasingly convinced that non-English translation theory must also take account of his arguments. Closer to home, both church leaders and individual Christians will find their standards raised when it comes to choosing an English Bible.
James Patrick
Cambridge
Bible Preservation
Using the Biblical Languages Exalts Jesus by Affirming God’s Wisdom in Giving Us His Word in a Book
The God who always acts to preserve and display his glory6 chose to disclose himself and his will through a written Word, given to us in Hebrew (and Aramaic) and Greek. In the words of Martin Luther, “Although the gospel came and still comes to us through the Holy Spirit alone, we cannot deny that it came through the medium of languages, was spread abroad by that means, and must be preserved by the same means.”7 Sadly, we live in a world where not only “the word of the cross” is considered foolish (1 Cor 1:18) but many deem unnecessary the sheath that guards and contains this sword, namely, the biblical languages. However, as Luther asserts, “If God did not despise [Hebrew and Greek] but chose them above all others for his word, then we too ought to honor them above all others.”8 Similarly, John Owen (1616–1683), the leading Puritan of the seventeenth century, correctly noted in 1678 that “the words of the Scripture being given thus immediately from God, every apex, tittle or iota in the whole is considerable, as that which is an effect of divine wisdom, and therefore filled with sacred truth, according to their place and measure.”9
In his wisdom and for the benefit of every generation of humankind, God chose to preserve and guard in a book his authoritative, clear, necessary, and sufficient Word.10 Initially, God uniquely entrusted his written revelation to the Jews in the Hebrew OT (Ps 147:19–20; Rom 3:2). He spoke his Word through the prophets (Deut 18:18; Heb 1:1; 2 Pet 1:21), who in turn wrote down those words in the language of the people, thus securing a lasting guide and witness (Deut 31:24–26; Isa 30:8; Dan 9:11). This written, canonical text was then to be copied (Deut 17:18; Josh 8:32), studied and meditated on (Josh 1:8; Ps 1:3; Neh 8:13), and taught by faithful followers from generation to generation, whether priests, prophets, princes, parents, or the like (Lev 10:11; Deut 6:7; 17:18–20; 18:18; 31:11; Ps 78:5). Then, in the fullness of time (Gal 4:4), God spoke again, now through Jesus, his eternal Word (John 1:1; Heb 1:1), who called his disciples to obey his teachings (Matt 28:20). He also promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would recall for them all he taught (John 14:26; 16:12–13). Then these apostles, empowered by the Spirit of Christ in them, spread abroad the teaching of Jesus through what we now call the NT (Eph 2:20; 3:5; 2 Pet 3:2; Jude 3).
Jesus highlights the significance of God’s written Word when he declares that he prophetically fulfills all OT hopes: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt 5:17–18). The very details of the biblical text bear lasting significance and point to the person and work of Christ. As such, we align ourselves with God’s wisdom and participate in his passion to exalt his Son when we take the biblical languages seriously in studying his Book.
Jason S. DeRouchie, “The Profit of Employing the Biblical Languages: Scriptural and Historical Reflections,” Themelios 37, no. 1 (2012): 34–36.
John Calvin - not to dispute about words
2 Timothy 2:14
Solemnly charging them before the Lord, not to dispute about words. Λογομαχεῖν means to engage earnestly in contentious disputes, which are commonly produced by a foolish desire of being ingenious. Solemn charging before the Lord is intended to strike terror;3 and from this severity we learn how dangerous to the Church is that knowledge which leads to debates, that is, which disregards piety, and tends to ostentation.
John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, 220.
Possible Approaches to Good Bible Reading
Possible Approaches to Good Bible Reading
At this point I am not discussing the unique techniques of interpreting specific genres but general hermeneutical principles valid for all types of biblical texts. A good book for genre-specific approaches is How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth, by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, published by Zondervan.
My methodology focuses initially on the reader allowing the Holy Spirit to illumine the Bible through four personal reading cycles. This makes the Spirit, the text and the reader primary, not secondary. This also protects the reader from being unduly influenced by commentators. I have heard it said: “The Bible throws a lot of light on commentaries.” This is not meant to be a depreciating comment about study aids, but rather a plea for an appropriate timing for their use.
We must be able to support our interpretations from the text itself. Five areas provide at least limited verification:
(1) historical setting
(2) literary context
(3) grammatical structures (syntax)
(4) contemporary word usage
(5) relevant parallel passages
(6) genre
We need to be able to provide the reasons and logic behind our interpretations. The Bible is our only source for faith and practice. Sadly, Christians often disagree about what it teaches or affirms.
The four reading cycles are designed to provide the following interpretive insights:
(1) The first reading cycle
(a) Read the book in a single sitting. Read it again in a different translation, hopefully from a different translation theory
(i) word-for-word (NKJV, NASB, NRSV)
(ii) dynamic equivalent (TEV, JB)
(iii) paraphrase (Living Bible, Amplified Bible)
(b) Look for the central purpose of the entire writing. Identify its theme.
(c) Isolate (if possible) a literary unit, a chapter, a paragraph or a sentence which clearly expresses this central purpose or theme.
(d) Identify the predominant literary genre
(i) Old Testament
1) Hebrew narrative
2) Hebrew poetry (wisdom literature, psalm)
3) Hebrew prophecy (prose, poetry)
4) Law codes
(ii) New Testament
1) Narratives (Gospels, Acts)
2) Parables (Gospels)
3) Letters/epistles
4) Apocalyptic literature
(2) The second reading cycle
(a) Read the entire book again, seeking to identify major topics or subjects.
(b) Outline the major topics and briefly state their contents in a simple statement.
(c) Check your purpose statement and broad outline with study aids.
(3) The third reading cycle
(a) Read the entire book again, seeking to identify the historical setting and specific occasion for the writing from the Bible book itself.
(b) List the historical items that are mentioned in the Bible book
(i) the author
(ii) the date
(iii) the recipients
(iv) the specific reason for writing
(v) aspects of the cultural setting that relate to the purpose of the writing
(iv) references to historical people and events
(c) Expand your outline to paragraph level for that part of the biblical book you are interpreting. Always identify and outline the literary unit. This may be several chapters or paragraphs. This enables you to follow the original author’s logic and textual design.
(d) Check your historical setting by using study aids.
(4) The fourth reading cycle
(a) Read the specific literary unit again in several translations
(i) word-for-word (NKJV, NASB, NRSV)
(ii) dynamic equivalent (TEV, JB)
(iii) paraphrase (Living Bible, Amplified Bible)
(b) Look for literary or grammatical structures
(i) repeated phrases, Eph. 1:6, 12, 13
(ii) repeated grammatical structures, Rom. 8:31
(iii) contrasting concepts
(c) List the following items
(i) significant terms
(ii) unusual terms
(iii) important grammatical structures
(iv) particularly difficult words, clauses, and sentences
(d) Look for relevant parallel passages
(i) look for the clearest teaching passage on your subject using
a) “systematic theology” books
b) reference Bibles
c) concordances
(ii) Look for a possible paradoxical pair within your subject. Many biblical truths are presented in dialectical pairs; many denominational conflicts come from proof-texting half of a biblical tension. All of the Bible is inspired, and we must seek out its complete message in order to provide a Scriptural balance to our interpretation.
(iii) Look for parallels within the same book, same author or same genre; the Bible is its own best interpreter because it has one author, the Spirit.
(e) Use study aids to check your observations of historical setting and occasion
(i) study Bibles
(ii) Bible encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries
(iii) Bible introductions
(iv) Bible commentaries (at this point in your study, allow the believing community, past and present, to aid and correct your personal study.)
Robert James Utley, The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John, vol. Volume 4, Study Guide Commentary Series (Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International, 1999), iv–vi.
Use of Computer Software in Translation
Use of Computer Software in Translation
In the last third of the 20th century, original language biblical texts were digitized and made available in an electronic format. Eventually every word from the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts was morphologically analyzed and digitally tagged with this information. This allowed scholars to do comparative analysis of word usage and grammatical constructions with a speed, complexity, and scope not previously possible. It has also provided powerful resources for Bible scholars working in the original languages. These digital systems allow various translations to be compared and lexicons, dictionaries, and grammars to be linked for quick consultation and cross-reference.
The use of Bible software was supplemented by computer-based linguistic tools allowing field translators to do analysis of target languages more efficiently. Linguistics on the software level assumes that translating the Bible into a new language is similar to any translation from a source language to a target language. The development and use of these tools has reduced the time commitment of translating the Bible into a new language from a lifetime to a decade or less. Technology allows for near-immediate results when a translation is finalized, printing from electronic sources at the site rather than expensive and time-consuming typesetting at a remote location.
Mark S. Krause and Douglas Mangum, “Translation of the Bible, Critical Issues,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
What translation?
What translation? The basic Bible that you use regularly ought to be a translation that is accurate and literal. You must be exposed to what God said exactly, even if you find a more literal translation not so easy to read. If we believe that God inspired all the words of the Bible, we must know precisely what those words are. While it is true that any translation has to take some liberties in the nature of translating, you should have one that takes as few as possible. The King James is literal but the language archaic. The New King James is literal with updated language. The American Standard Version (1901) is literal but not widely used today. It has been largely replaced by the New American Standard version, which is literal. The Revised Standard Version is also literal, though some liberal theological biases show up in it. No literal translation will read as smoothly as a freer one, but you need one for detailed, in-depth study.
You may also want a freer translation for easier and faster reading. The Modern Language Bible is more on the literal side though not quite as literal as the others I mentioned. The New International Version stands about midway between the literal translations and the true paraphrases. It could be labeled a free translation. Today’s English Version is somewhat freer than the New International Version and its vocabulary is simpler. The New English Bible is still a little freer, but it is not widely used in the United States. The Living Bible is an example of a true paraphrase that many have found very helpful. But be cautious about using a free translation or a paraphrase alone or always.
Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie’s Concise Guide to the Bible (San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, 1983), 56.
BPC Wrestling
Two tag teams:
TL-BPC and L-BPC
TL-BPC and L-BPC
TL-BPC is represented by Jeffrey, Quek, and Prabu
Round 1
Jeffrey uses VPP to punch Charles and Collin out of the ring.
Jeffery's team won
Round 2
Charles and Collin fought back and punched the TL-BPC's manager Timothy T until he fainted, and had to bring him to hospital.
Charles' team won
Rounds 3
Ding, Ding...both teams quarrel throughout this round about $ and the Book...etc. No winner.
Round 4
Charles and Collin brought in a fat lawyer into the ring to fight for them.
Jeffrey also brought in a thin lawyer to fight for his team.
Referee grant victory to Charles's team
Charles won.
Round 5
Jeffrey team run around in the courtyard to appeal.
Two lawyers fought in the ring.
Jeffrey's lawyer won this round.
Final Round 6
World Wrestling Federation's representative came to settle this game.
He granted two sides a draw.
In the End
Both tag teams were pronounced joint champion of 21st Century Reformed Wrestling competition.
Both of these tag teams are now living together in one small temple in Gilstead Road, near Newton Circus.
Now they play church, instead of wrestling.
Happy ending?
This is what others see YOU.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)