Have you ever felt like it is hard to understand the Bible? Sometimes it can seem like the Bible has turned into a glorified game of “telephone” with its many translations. Everyone has an opinion on their understanding of the Bible. But what does the Bible actually say?
The “1 to 1 Bible Translation and Commentary” is a translation for lovers of the Greek language of the New Testament. It will be grounded on the authority of the Bible as the uniquely inspired, inerrant, and supernaturally revealed Word of God, the inspiration and source of which is the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21).
This “1 to 1” translation seeks to be as literal as possible and at the same time uncover the nuances and meanings revealed by the semantics of the Greek language.
At times this meaning has been overlooked even when looking at the plain and obvious meaning of the text. What did the reader of the day understand by a passage or a phrase?
The plain unadorned meaning oftentimes is what was actually intended, and oftentimes overlooked.
Recently I was shocked by a passage of scripture when read in the original. In Acts 13:1 the common translation is “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers”. The original says “There were in Antioch ‘kata ten ousian ekklysian.'” “Kata ten ousian ekklysian” means “according to the being of the Church”. “There were in Antioch, according to the being of the church, prophets and teachers“.
Wow! How radically different from our concept of the church. We see the church as a group of people who “do”. Do what? Do ministry. The original says that the church is a group of people who “are”.
According to this view expressed in this text the church just “is”.
The sun in the sky shines in its brilliance because of its “being”, what it is. Its massive gravity holds all the planets in its grip, from the most near to the most distant, where it appears as a tiny pin prick of a light in the sky. The explosive power of its fire and light are unimaginable. The sun in the sky just “is”.
The flower of the field is clothed in glory because it just “is”. It does not toil. It does not labor. The Lord Jesus said “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
It is written “according to the being of the church are prophets and teachers.” Not what they do, but who they are. Everything else flows naturally, effortlessly from that.
In Philippians it is written “For God is the power (energia) in you both to will and, by that power, to work for HIS good pleasure.” With that we Christians can breathe deeply, sit down and take rest.
“Let us reason together”, not as man would reason, but in the wisdom of God by the Holy Spirit. I extend to you, dear reader, an invitation to begin this journey to create the “1 to 1 Translation and Commentary of the New Testament”.
J’aime bien le concept et la façon dont vous avez expliqué ,église est remplie des prophètes et des enseignants, ça dit grand. .Merci pour cette révélation
Merci beaucoup!