1. Our attitude toward sin is more self-centered than God-centered. Often we are more concerned about our own victory over sin than we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God. Many times the only reason we are upset about sin is because we are success-oriented, and not because we know that we have done something offensive to God. I believe W.S. Plummer said it well, “We never see sin aright until we see it as against God…. All sin is against God in this sense: that it is His law that is broken, His authority that is despised, His government that is set at naught…. Pharaoh and Balaam, Saul and Judas each said, ‘I have sinned’; but the returning prodigal said, ‘I have sinned against heaven and before thee’; and David said, ‘Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.’” God wants us to walk in obedience, not personal victory. Obedience is oriented toward God; victory is oriented toward self. One shows a self-centered attitude and the other shows a God-centered attitude. We cannot consistently walk in holiness as long we continue to make sin merely a personal battle. God wants us to experience the victory over sin, but that is not the end goal. Personal victory comes as a by-product of obedience. As we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we will certainly experience the joy of victory over sin.

2. We must take personal responsibility for holiness. Too often the religious world has tried to impress upon us that true holiness can only come from God and there is nothing one can do to attain it. While holiness is defined by the Lord, as we have noticed, living by faith does not mean that we are to exert no effort at all. We have a personal responsibility to walk in holiness. We will be judged based upon our choices and decisions in this area. We are not passive participants in this world. We are not victims of sin.  We have been empowered by God to choose our course and have the responsibility to walk in holiness. Human nature tells us that we need to blame others for our shortcomings and problems. We see this was done in the very beginning as Adam and Eve blamed everyone else but themselves for their sins. The devil made Eve do it and Eve made Adam do it. Holiness will never come as long as we are laying the blame upon others. No one has caused us to sin. No one is to blame for our condition. Certainly we have been affected by other people’s actions, but we have control over our choices. A denial of this fact will continue to lead us into a life of sinfulness.

3. We do not take sin seriously. We need to take our actions seriously and see the devastating effects of sin if we are going to live in holiness. We must not rationalize our weaknesses as tolerable or generally okay. We are committing sins and God does not find our sins acceptable. When we accept this harsh reality we are now ready to separate ourselves from these actions so we can separate ourselves to the Lord. We must separate from the things of the world and dedicate ourselves to God. Only God can define what is holy and unholy, not us. We need to look at sin as a personal offense to God. Will we see our actions as offensive to God and not merely a person defeat? Will we take personal responsibility for our sins, realizing that we must depend upon God’s grace for what we have done? Will we decide to obey God in all areas of life, no matter what is commanded of us? If so, we have take the first steps down the road to the holiness of God.

Every culture has some form of holiness which it keeps. Certain actions are considered taboo and improper in a society, while other actions are considered good and acceptable. But this is not the holiness that God is speaking about. Society does not dictate what is holy and what is common. Holiness has high standards. I cannot simply say that I dedicate this paper to God and it is no longer part of my common papers. Biblical holiness is specific separation as revealed by the Lord. People can claim to be holy and dedicated to the Lord but that does not make them holy to the Lord. The scriptures are full of illustrations of those who claimed to be holy to the Lord because they declared that their actions were for God yet God condemned them.

A clear example of this is in Leviticus 10:1-3 with the sacrifice presented by Nadab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu offered a sacrifice to God which they considered dedicated to God. However, God killed Nadab and Abihu for offering an unholy or unauthorized fire.  Verse 3 says, “This is what the Lord meant when He said, by those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.” God defines what is holy and dedicated to God and what is not. This is an important lesson that we cannot gloss over too quickly. Too often people believe their actions are authorized as long as it is dedicated to the Lord. They seem to think that church bingo parties, church funded golf tournaments, church funded recreation and feedings, and anything else can be considered worship and acceptable to God as long as we simply declare that it is dedicated to God. But this is not the case. Only God has the right to declare what is holy and what is common. People have no right to make such declarations.

Further proof of this principle is found in Acts 10. Peter has a vision with all sorts of creatures and God said to Peter, “Rise, kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). “But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:14-15). Peter did not have the right to declare something unholy which God had declared holy. By the same token, we have no right to declare something holy which God has declared unholy. God defines holiness.

Therefore, attaining holiness is a very simple proposition: do what God says. Since God defines holiness, if we are to be holy as He is holy, we must simply do what God says. This is what God said to Israel in Exodus 19:5-6, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” This same command is reiterated to us in 1 Peter 2:9, where Peter tells us that we are chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation.

External Holiness Alone Is Unholy

In Matthew 15:1-9 Jesus drew this clear distinction. Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees were keeping their own traditions and not following the commands of God. Jesus called them hypocrites because keeping their rules was not the holiness of God. Further, the external holiness that the Pharisees attempted to keep was also unholy. The reason they were unholy was because their hearts were far from God. In other words, it is possible for a person to do something that the Bible defines as holy or that people believe to be holy yet not fulfill biblical holiness.

When we engage in actions that would seem holy, like prayer, study, and worship attendance, but permit our hearts to remain distant from God or even rebellious to God, we are unholy even though we appear holy to others. We cannot be holy to the Lord unless both our actions and our hearts have been separated from the world and dedicated to God. One without the other is simply to be unholy. A clean heart that does not do what God says is unholy. A person who do what God says yet has an impure heart is also unholy. We must have heart and actions separated from the world and devoted to God to be credited as holy to the Lord.

Holiness Means Separation

Our first step in attaining holiness begins with a proper understanding of what God means when He calls us to be holy. Holiness has been defined in all sorts of ways.  Sometimes we have allowed our minds to think of holiness as sinlessness. Perhaps we consider holiness as perfection. The first time we come across a strong concept of holiness is in Exodus 3. In this passage we see Moses is shepherding a flock in the wilderness and comes to Horeb.  The angel of the Lord appears to Moses as a flame of fire within a bush, yet the bush was not consumed by the fire.  In verses 4-5 we read, “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’  ‘Here I am,’ he answered.  ‘Do not come closer,’ He said.  ‘Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’” Why was this holy ground? How could ground be considered holy? If Moses had taken a handful of “unholy” ground and compared it with the “holy” ground at the burning bush, would he been able to see a difference? If Moses had traversed this ground last week while shepherding, would the ground have been holy then? Consider for a moment what made this ground holy!

The only reason the ground where Moses stood was holy was because God had said it was holy. The word “holy” simply means “separate.” God had separated this land from the other parts of the earth as the place where He would reveal Himself to Moses in the burning bush that was not consumed. If God had spoken to Moses at another place, that location would have been holy. The ground did not change its characteristics or organic components. The ground was the same dirt that it always had been. The only way Moses knew that this ground was holy was because God revealed to Moses. The only reason the ground was holy was because God declared it separate from other ground.

Holiness requires separation from one thing and separation to a different thing. The ground that God used to appear to Moses was separated from the rest of the ground of the earth and separated to God for His purpose. Holiness requires division. This is one reason why the word “holy” and its various derivatives are translated with terms like “set apart, dedicated, consecrated, sanctified, and separated.” Holiness is about distinction and division from one thing and separation for or to another thing.

Suppose the temple priests required a new knife to be used for the preparation of the sacrifices to God. The priest could not merely take a knife from home and start using in the temple sacrifices. The knife may have been separated from the home but it had not been dedicated or separated to God. Further, the knife could not be considered holy to the Lord and remain in the house of the priest. The knife had to not only be separated to God, but it also had to be separated from the common use in the house. Holiness requires subtraction and addition. With this idea in mind, we see that God has called us to abandon our unholy ways and pursue His holy way. Without both actions, holiness is not possible.

Consider 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” In this command we see the dual command of separation. We are to separate ourselves from youthful passions and lusts. But that is not all that is required for holiness. We are to separate ourselves to or dedicate ourselves to righteousness, faith, love, and peace. This is the two-part equation to holiness. Separation from plus separation to equals holiness. We are not holy if we only separate from the youthful passions. Neither are we holy if we only dedicate ourselves to righteousness, faith, love and peace. Both separation from youthful passions and separation to righteousness, faith, love, and peace leads to the holiness of God. When we return to 1 Peter 1:14-16 we see that we are to separate ourselves from the desires of our former ignorance and inappropriate conduct and separate ourselves to Him and appropriate godly conduct.

One thing Zondervan learned from the mistake of the TNIV Reference Bible is to make the superscriptions indicating marginal notes smaller. The superscriptions in the TNIV Reference Bible regularly interfered with the text causing difficulty in reading God’s word. This problem has been corrected in this edition. I love that it comes with two ribbons, a surprise because I did not read that it came with two ribbons on Zondervan’s website, nor on CBD or Amazon. The only small complaint (and it is very small) is that the cover has stitching down the middle as if it were a two-tone imitation leather. I don’t understand this choice, but this should not prevent anyone from buying this beautiful Bible. There are probably many who think it looks good. To me it looks strange.

You can see pictures at the Sundry Times (though he has a bonded leather edition)

http://sundrytimes.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/first-look-niv-2011/

And you can see pictures at Inquiring Minds

http://theinquiringminds.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/niv-2011-premium-edition-review/

Now I have a fine, high quality calfskin leather edition for the ESV, HCSB, NIV, and NRSV. If you want a new NIV 2011, I strongly recommend you purchase this edition. The layout is pleasing to the eyes and encourages reading.

Next on my list is to read through this new edition and find out if the new NIV has fixed all the problems or if there are still some areas that miss the mark.

I just received an email that the NIV Thinline Reference Bible, Large print edition in ebony cowhide is on its way. I was lucky and found a website with this $129 Bible listed for $52. So I quickly jumped on that deal. The website no longer has this Bible at $52 but now at $90. Otherwise I would tell you where you also could get this great deal. I only wish that this edition was a single column layout rather than the standard double column. But everything else looks great on the web and I should have it in my hands by next week. I look forward to having an updated NIV in print (or perhaps more appropriately called the Revised TNIV, but RTNIV is probably too long for an acronym). Now as I carry out my studies and sermon preparations, I can consult the NIV 2011 and pass on my findings to you. Now I just need my Bible software program to make the updated NIV available and then I will be able to really dig into the new NIV.

By the way, I am currently reading A Slave by John MacArthur. If I find anything interesting or questionable from my reading I will be sure to share it with you.

In the meantime, my new Revelation project is just getting off the ground. The website is still under construction, but the first lesson is available to read and to listen. I hope you will check it out here. The audio expositions will be available as a podcast shortly. I do not take a futurist point of view to the book of Revelation. My first post points out the reasons why. If you are interested in a different perspective on Revelation, even if you end up disagreeing, I hope you will take the time to thoughtfully consider my exposition.

I still have a lot of work to do on this website and I hope to get to those projects soon. I need to write about the Bible translations I am using. I have observed more translation wars in the blogosphere and I would like to weigh in shortly. Hopefully everything will realign in my life so that I can write once a week again. Here’s to hoping….

While preaching through Romans, I found the NET to have a fantastic rendering of Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice alive, holy, and pleasing to God which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God, what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2; NET)

The first point that I really like was the change away from “living sacrifices” to “a sacrifice alive, holy, and pleasing to God.” The NET translation notes explains that there is no reason to move “living” or “alive” to be in front of the sacrifice. I think it slightly changes the force of what Paul was saying. Typically, most understand a “living sacrifice” to be in contrast to the dead animals that were sacrificed under the old covenant. While this observation is still useful, the NET’s rendering shows that the greater point may be that being a sacrifice means we are alive to God and live for God, a point Paul made earlier in this letter (Romans 6:12-14). It is striking to notice how word placement can cause one to see things differently. Paul is not just saying that live our lives as sacrifices to God but everything we do must show the world that we have been made alive by God and live to God. We belong to God because he has made us alive.

The second point is the NET’s choice of going with the rendering “reasonable service,” a choice most modern translations avoid except the NKJV. Most translations choose “spiritual worship.” While the rendering, “spiritual worship” has its merits, I think we should not ignore that Paul’s point could very well be that based on the mercies of God, it is logical, rational, and reasonable for us to give our bodies as sacrifices to God.

The third difference in the NET that I believe is useful is in verse 2, “that you may test and approve what is the will of God.” A number of translations have some funny renderings for this, but I think the NET does a great job giving the thrust of the meaning. The NIV and TNIV use the same combination of “test and approve.”

I wanted to give some praise to the NET as a very good translation that is worth having and using for study. You can use the NET Bible and its translation notes for free online:

http://net.bible.org/bible.php

As mentioned in my last post there are literally thousands of fragments of either portions or the full text of every book in the New Testament. Through the fragments scholars have assembled the bulk of Acts and Romans, all of First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Titus, Philemon, most of Hebrews, all of James, First and Second Peter, First, Second and Third John, Jude, and two-thirds of Revelation. Through these means we possess good copies of the entire New Testament.

Once again, the archaeological and historic finds continue to demonstrate the completeness of God’s Word and the remarkable effort that was made through the preceding two millennia to maintain the purity of the documents. The New Testament is the most thoroughly documented and available of all ancient texts.

Those who deny the accuracy and historicity of the text of the New Testament simply have no ground upon which to stand. We can have the greatest confidence in what we possess, if we will but take the time to scrutinize and to understand the words placed before our eyes and given now in our own tongues. And we can verify the accuracy of the original text should we choose to.

We have God’s Word. What do you suppose we should be doing with it?

~

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away.

(Matthew 24:35)

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

(John 14: 5, 6)

The other leading translators of that day, Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, never appealed to fragments but leaned upon the two Codex versions they had discovered: Vaticanus and Sinaiticus. These two documents are the oldest known manuscripts of the New Testament, both dating into the fourth century. Vaticanus is considered a full manuscript, though it is missing some controversial passages, and Sinaiticus is complete into the ninth chapter of Hebrews.

In the 1890′s, B. P. Crenfell, A. S. Hunt, and Adolph Deissmann, among others, also discovered collections of fragments at various sites within Egypt. As had been the case with p¹¹, the Greek writing found in these pieces turned out to be identical to the type of writing found in the existing Codex versions of the various New Testament manuscripts.

These fragments and the many finds since were responsible for the movement of the scholars away from the theory that the letters and books of the New Testament had originally been penned in classical Greek. Rather the language and writing was the language of commerce and daily life used throughout the Eastern part of the Roman Empire, beginning after Alexander’s conquests, and ending sometime after the fall of the Empire in 476. This form of Greek is known as koine dialektos. The Greek of the New Testament has henceforth been known as Koine Greek. And the translators and scholars from the early twentieth century onward recognized this and commenced to study its distinctions in words and applications.

Since the identification of p¹¹ thousands of additional New Testament fragments have been cataloged. The very earliest of these is dated to prior to the end of the first quarter of the second century. This places the verification of the larger part of the original language of the New Testament writings, and therefore, the general accuracy of translations, to within the lifetimes of those disciples who were alive in the last half of the first century. While there are no autographs of the ancient texts extant; this is the next best thing as concerns historical referencing and linguistics. The detail and complexity of the text can be and has been assessed by comparison of the various fragments to the Codex versions, then to the Modern Greek texts, and also to how it all compares to passages quoted by early historians and writers such as Irenaeus, Polycarp, Justin, Eusebius, and the like. Most of the New Testament had been quoted by the early writers.

The point is that the overwhelming majority of the New Testament stands verified today to be as it was when it had first been compiled. It retains its original state beyond any reasonable shadow of a doubt. It is also verified as a product of its times, and not as some later fabrication. The assembled Greek texts available today are an excellent representation of the originals. Therefore we can view the earliest text through these historical evidences. Scholarship and history have allowed authentication of the Word of God, the Gospel of Christ and the letters of the apostles and disciples. No other ancient text is able to rise to this level of accuracy through comparison to archaeological evidences and authorities. There are thousands of copies and fragments now available for academic scrutiny and study. There is also no doubt as to the accuracy and history of the Word of God.

~

I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it that men should fear before Him. (Ecclesiastes 3: 14)

~

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

(Hebrew 4:12 – 16)

Rather than putting the translation notes in the margins or as footnotes, all the information appears in the text surrounded by brackets. The scripture text is in bold print and the bracketed translation information is in regular print. This helps the reader’s eye stay with the scriptures and clearly identifies what is the additional information and not part of the translation. Here are few things that are found in the brackets of The Expanded Bible:

• Expanded translations bring out the meaning of words and offer alternatives.
• Literal meanings of terms from the original languages are included where they can provide more understanding.
• Traditional wordings assist recollection of familiar terms and expressions.
• Comments explain passages that can be understood better with a brief remark.
• Useful references supply rewarding opportunities for comparing other Scriptures.
• Variants display additional wording in some of the original language texts.

The translation notes are presented with this code:

Words in brackets [ ] without any notation are other possible ways of translating a word, phrase, clause, or sentence. [or] is a different translation possibility that takes the meaning of the original language in a different direction than the base text does. L is a more literal rendering of the original language, allowing the reader to see why translations make varying choices. T provides familiar terms and well-known renderings from past translations, especially those in the King James tradition. C is a comment that briefly provides historical, cultural, theological, or other explanatory information to help readers better understand a verse or passage. A scripture in brackets is a cross-reference. The bullet tells you what word or phrase the following bracketed information is referring to.

1 My friends [L Beloved], this is [L now]the second letter I have written you [C the first is probably 1 Peter] to help your honest minds remember [L awaken/arouse your sincere understanding/intentions with a reminder]. 2 I want you to think about [remember; recall] the words the holy prophets spoke in the past, and remember the command our Lord and Savior gave us through your apostles [Jude 17]. 3 It is most important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People [L Scoffers] will laugh at [scoff at; ridicule] you. They will live doing the evil things they want to do [indulge their own desires/lusts; Jude 18]. 4 [L And] They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he [L Where is his promised coming]? [L For] Our fathers[ancestors] have died [L fallen asleep], but the world [L all things] continues the way it has been since it was made [it began with creation].” 5 But they do not want to remember [willfully forget/ignore] what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made [came to be; Gen. 1:3—20; Ps. 33:6; 148:5; Heb. 11:3], and the earth was made from water [Gen. 1:2; Ps. 24:2] and with water [Gen. 1:6—7, 9; Ps. 33:7; 136:6; Prov. 8:27—29]. 6 Then [L Through these; C either the water and the word of God, or the heavens and earth which poured forth their water; Gen. 7:11] the world was flooded and destroyed with water [L being deluged with water; Gen. 6—9]. 7 And that same word of God is keeping [reserving; holding in store] heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire [Deut. 32:22; Is. 66:15—16; Zeph. 1:18; Mal. 4:1]. They are being kept for the judgment day and the destruction of all who are against God [L the ungodly/impious people].

The layout of The Expanded Bible is excellent. The print is dark and the font selection is easy to read. The paper is thick so there is not any ghosting from other pages. Scripture references are at the top outer corner of each page to help the reader quickly find scriptures. The Expanded Bible is also in a single column paragraph format. Single column paragraph is my favorite layout and I wish more Bibles came in this format. Verse numbers are dark and easy to find and the chapter numbers are large. It even has 1 1/2 inches of margin space for note taking. The paper is so thick that one could take nearly any type of pen and write their notes in this expansive space. Only the occasional heading is set in this margin, leaving lots of free space for recording your observations. There are no maps, index, glossary, or concordance, which is fine with me. The Expanded Bible is a very handy size: 5 3/4″ x 8 1/2″ and it stands 1 1/2″ thick. This is pretty thick for just the New Testament, which reveals the thickness of the paper used. It is very nice. I expect when the full scriptures are released that they will have to change the paper weight or else it will be in the neighborhood of 4 1/2″ thick.

It takes a little bit of time to get used to reading The Expanded Bible because the translation brackets are in every verse. But with some practice, one easily gets used to the layout. For the student who wants to study the scriptures, but does not want to swim through commentaries to learn the other possible ways the text can be worded will find The Expanded Bible to be a very useful resource. I can see that some people would be disappointed with this work if all they intend to do is read the Bible. The Expanded Bible has a different purpose: to give access to the meanings behind the words to the average reader. This will be an excellent study tool for those who are new to the scriptures and for those who do not have a number of biblical resources to dig deeper into God’s word. The Expanded Bible cannot replace biblical dictionaries, commentaries, and reference works. But it does not try to replace those tools. The Expanded Bible gives its readers quick access to the nuances and deeper meanings in the scriptures. Understanding this purpose, I believe The Expanded Bible has attained its goal. As an evangelist, I look forward to consulting this work for years to come.