Interpretation journal

I've taken up the offer from Interpretation journal to read it online for free for 7 days, and am enjoying ploughing through the more than 50 years of issues. It's a good thing I'm on holidays!

The very first issue has a great article by H H Rowley on The Relevance of Biblical Interpretation, and in another 1947 issue there is an intriguing article by R B Woodworth on Jesus' words to Mary at the wedding at Cana.

Most of us know that the way Jesus addresses Mary is not rude, though it sounds that way when woodenly translated into English.
But what about the puzzling words that he says to her?

It is translated various ways and here are a few:
King James Version: Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee?
English Standard Version: And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with
me? ..."
New American Bible: (And) Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your
concern affect me?..."
NET Bible: Jesus replied, "Woman, why are you saying this to me?..."
New International Version: "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied.
New Jerusalem Bible: Jesus said, 'Woman, what do you want from me?..."
Contemporary English Version and Good News Bible: "You must not tell
me what to do..."

But R B Woodworth, in the very first Reader's Forum, has some interesting things to say. While commentators say that Jesus' words do not imply a rebuke, many of the translations above come out like one.

But the expression is common in the Septuagint [the first Greek translation of the Old Testament] and is found in Judges
11:12; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13 and 2 Chron 35:21 and something
like it occurs 6 times in the New Testament in Matt 8:29; 27:4; Mark 1:24; Luke 8:28 and John 21:22.

Woodworth says that in every case the expression is used of the
relation of the speakers not to each other, but to some third person or thing. He says it should be translated "It's not our concern." In John 2:4 he thinks it should be understood as "What have you and I to do with the wine?"

A few translations seem to agree with Woodworth, but it is
interesting that these include the allegedly literal New American Standard Bible, and others which are reputed to be looser versions that are concerned with bringing out the meaning:
NASB Woman, what does that have to do with us?
New Living Translation: How does that concern you and me?
International Standard Version: How does that concern us, Woman?
The Message: Jesus said, "Is that any of our business, Mother--yours or mine? ..."

Comparing Religions

It is always interesting to compare religions, even if you are already convinced about one of them. I have been reading A Spectator's Guide To World Religions, by John Dickson. It is written in an engaging style that makes you want to keep reading. He seems to have done his homework, and I found I knew more about each of the 5 major religions, after reading the book.

His If I Were God, I'd End All The Pain is a great book to read and give away on the problems of evil and suffering. It is short, easy to read and not unbearably dogmatic. Dickson confesses that he also struggles, but he clearly shows how faith in Christ is the best way to deal with these issues. He looks briefly at Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Atheist explanations for suffering, and does this in a fair, dispassionate way. A later book, If I Were God, I'd Make Myself Clearer, is another short, thought-provoking look at several influential world religions, including Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Sikhism, through the eyes of a convinced Christian. In this book, Dickson attempts to give some ways in which the claims which Judaism, Mormonism and Christianity make may be tested.

You can purchase these last 2 books from Matthias Media

Holiness by John Charles Ryle

A group of Christians in Australia, the UK and the US [and maybe other places] have begun reading through Bishop J C Ryle's Holiness. You can download the chapters from Mount Zion Bible Institute and join us, if you are interested.

We are discussing the book at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/charisList/

Articles on Guidance

I have been thinking about how God guides his people, and have found several helpful articles at Stand To Reason. Greg Koukl, Christian radio broadcaster, has an interesting article which shows how divine intervention was even unusual in the Book of Acts. In Divine Direction and Decision-Making in the Book of Acts, he shows that God is said to give personalised direction only 16 times over the 30 year period of the Book of Acts, but people made up their own minds without special signs 71 times!

I also found his article on Hearing God's Voice stimulating. In this article he points out that you can't prove that God speaks to people directly today by sharing an experience in which you believe he did, because this is assuming what you are trying to prove! He also shows that God does speak today through his Word and through the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, but does not give us tips on future events.

Michael Spencer's The Internet Monk terrific site for interesting Christian articles. His friend, Bill McKinnon's No Voices in My Head is a humorous look at the way various Christians claim they obtain supernatural guidance. I love his subtitle, which is "God may or may not have told me to write this."

I hope you find these articles as helpful as I have.

Milk or Solids?

We are going through 1 Corinthians in our church, and last week we were in chapter 3, where Paul says:

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly— mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?

I have been pondering over what Paul means by
milk and solid food. Some commentaries were not very helpful on this issue, but I found Anthony Thiselton's NIGTC commentary and Calvin's to be the most helpful.

The question I was musing over is whether 1 Corinthians only contains "the milk of the Word," which must be supplemented by the solid food in other New Testament books. But what teachings are not found in 1 Corinthians? I suppose you could argue that Ephesians and Colossians have some exalted teaching, not found there, but when Paul says throughout all his writings that the message is Christ, there seems to be a danger that you could think that we can leave behind the simple teaching about Jesus for something deeper, suitable only for spiritual Christians.

But Calvin says

Here it is asked, whether Paul transformed
Christ to suit the diversity of his hearers. I answer, that this refers to the manner and form of his instructions, rather than to the substance of the doctrine. For Christ is at once milk to babes, and strong meat to those that are of full age,the same truth of the gospel is administered to both, but so as to suit their capacity.

Fee, Thiselton and Garland seem to agree with this interpretation, and it satisfies this little black duck!

Christian Missions

I am ashamed to say it, but I haven't read many books on Christian missions. But here are two challenging ones:
1. John Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad, which has helped lots of people come to understand God's purpose in creating and saving and using us. This exciting book explains what it really means to follow Jesus and is an outstanding exposition of the theology of Christian missions. It gives an overview of God's plan for the world, and our part in it.

2. While K P Yohannan's Revolution in World Missions is not as well written or edited, it explains clearly how we can be a part of God's plan to bring his saving message to every tribe and language and person. After reading Piper's book, you may be all fired up to go overseas and be a missionary, but this second book will show you a far better way to fulfil Jesus' words to us to take the good news to all the world.

A few of us may be able to go where Christ's message has never been heard, but most of us will have to go vicariously through our prayers and support of indigenous missionaries.

There are many organisations which are working in the 10/40 window but there is no better one than Gospel For Asia, which has 14,000 locals spreading the word of Jesus throughout the hundreds of thousands of villages where Jesus' message has never been heard.

I hope these 2 books will change your life as they have mine.

The Law and the Christian

What is the relationship between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant?
How does Christ's Church relate to Israel? Is it the New Israel? Do Christians have to keep the law, and if so, what law?
What does Paul mean by "the law of Christ?"

Questions like these have led me on an interesting journey through these stimulating books:

From Sabbath to Lord's Day, edited by Don Carson, has thought-provoking contributions from Max Turner, Andrew Lincoln, Richard Bauckham and others. It is expensive whether you buy it second-hand or in a limited-run reprint, but it is well worth your time.

In The Law and the New Testament: the question of continuity, Frank Thielman discusses key passages in the New Testament which bear on whether Christians are to keep the Old Testament law.

Tom Schreiner's The Law and Its Fulfilment is mainly concerned with Paul's theology of law, as its subtitle reveals. I always find reading his books to be well worth it.

Reading Continuity and Discontinuity makes you realise how Covenant Theologians and Dispensationalists and everyone in between all believe in degrees of both continuity and discontinuity between the Church and Israel and between the Old and New Testaments.

Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel's New Covenant Theology is a book every Christian should read. It aims to be a middle ground between the Covenant Theology of Christians of Reformed persuasion and the Dispensational Theology which is subscribed to by Christians of both Reformed and Arminian points of view.

The views expressed are quite close to those espoused by Douglas Moo in his article in Continuity and Discontinuity and also those of Carson in his terrific Commentary on Matthew in the Expositors Bible Commentary. I have linked it here to the CD ROM, because it is a cost-effective way of getting several superb commentaries by Longenecker, vanGemeren and others for the same price as the 2 volume book version of Carson's Commentary.

From studying this topic, I have found valuable insights in the Continuity/ Covenant Theology writings, but as you can see from the ones I have recommended, I favour the Discontinuity and New Covenant Theology writings as best expressing the bible's message on these issues.