Paraphrase Translations Of The Bible
A paraphrase translation of the Bible seeks to make the Bible more understandable to the reader.
It may elaborate more on the context in a way designed to help the reader understand the passage better.
To paraphrase means a restatement of a text or passagegiving the meaning in another form, as for clearness rewording.
A paraphrase often uses a lot more words in an effort to more fully describe the meaning of the words coming from the original language.
This helps readers to easily perceive additional shades of meaning they might otherwise struggle to see in a standard translation.
A good comparison can be made by comparing a well-knownpassage like John 1:1 in the King James Version and the Phillips version:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, andthe Word was God. KJV
Atthe beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, waswith God, and was God, and he existed with God from the beginning. Phillips
A paraphrase translation like the Phillips translation uses more words and its easy to see that it is still very accurate and does not add or subtract from the original.
It just helps make it more understandable.
Dr Tim And Mrs Noreen Muehlhoff
Dr. Tim Muehlhoff is a professor of communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California where he teaches classes in family communication, interpersonal communication, apologetics, gender, and conflict resolution. Tim and his wife, Noreen, are both on staff with Biolas Center for Marriage and Relationships where he is a co-host of The Art of Relationship podcast.
How A Former Abortion Doctor Became Pro
As an abortion doctor at Planned Parenthood, Dr. Patti Giebink believed she was helping women. Later, she began reading scripture and God gradually changed her heart on the abortion issue. Patti tells the story of her long journey from abortion doctor to pro-life and encourages listeners to share the message of life with compassion.
You May Like: How Many Times Does Bible Say Fear Not
Gods Glory In Creation
God intends for us to have a well-grounded conviction that he is the powerful, wise, merciful creator and sustainer of the world by means of a sight of his glory.
Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens are telling the glory of God. Notice! The heavens the sun and moon and stars and galaxies are not themselves the glory of God. We are not pantheists. The heavens are not God. And their glory is not the glory of God. They are telling pointing to the glory of God. Which means you must have eyes to see through the glory of nature to the glory of God.
Many non-Christian scientists see glory in the universe. Charles Misner said that Einstein had seen much more majesty than the preachers had ever imagined, and it seemed to him that they were just not talking about the real thing. So we have Psalm 19:1 showing us that the sight of glory can give us a well-grounded confidence that this universe is of God.
Then even more importantly, Paul says in Romans 1:1921,
What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
B The Bible Claims To Contain Ver Batim Statements Made By God
It stands to reason that, if the Bible is the Word of God, it would likely contain actual statements made by God. The fact is, such statements appear on both the Old and New Testaments and comprise a significant portion of the Bible. Here are examples of such statements:
1. From the Old Testament
In Genesis 1, the words God said appear eleven times and are followed by the words that the writer claims God said . Exodus 9:1 declares, Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.'” In Joshua 1:1, The LORD spoke to Joshua . . . saying. . . . In 1 Chronicles 17:3, The word of God came to Nathan, saying . . . .
Exodus 24 refers to the Law of Moses as All the words which the LORD has spoken and all the words of the LORD . In fact, God is said not only to have spoken the Ten Commandments , but to have written them .
In numerous instances the prophets professed to record actual declarations made by God. Some examples: Thus says the LORD . . . Thus says the LORD of hosts. . . . introduces a statement purported to be made by God forty-nine times in Jeremiah Then the word of the LORD came to me saying. . . . Bible teacher Winkey Pratney writes, The LORD spoke appears 560 times in the first five books of the Bible and at least 3800 times in the whole of the Old Testament!”
2. From the New Testament
Don’t Miss: Examples Of Loneliness In The Bible
There Are Two Basic Approaches To This Question
There are two different approaches that are taken when it comes to arguing for the Bible being the Word of God. First, there are those who believe that the Scripture is self-authenticating. The Bible is true because it says it is true, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to this truth. No other argument is necessary.
A second approach believes that the claims of Scripture have sufficient evidence to back them up. Those who hold this view believe there is overwhelming evidence to convince anyone that the Bible is what it claims to bethe Word of God. People, therefore, need to check out the evidence not merely blindly believe the claims of Scripture.
We can summarize the two approaches as follows:
Approach 1: the Bible Is Self-Authenticating
To many people, the issue of the Bibles authority is something that should not be debated. The authority of the Bible must be believed because the Scripture says so. This is usually argued in the following ways:
1. The Bible Claims to Be Gods Word: No Other Testimony Is Necessary
There is something else. The problem with providing evidence for the Bible is that human beings are both sinful and finite. They must still evaluate any evidence offered for the truthfulness of the Christian faith. Again, it places some sort of human standard as the final authority. Evidence gathered from other sources may be useful, but it has nothing convincing to say about the truth of Christianity.
2. The Bible Should Be Able to Testify on Its Own Behalf
Is The Bible The Word Of God
Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. Youll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Already receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
When it comes to the truth of the Bible, modern people often think like George Gershwin: The things that youre liable to read in the Bible, it aint necessarily so. After all, says the skeptic, this book is so chock full of fanciful stories and over-the-top miracles that no reasonable person could believe it. Why should we think the Bible is actually from God?
Of course, it needs to be acknowledged that convincing the skeptic of the divine origins of Scripture is no easy task. Since the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God , it is not as simple as just presenting the facts. The Bible is a spiritual book, so the Spirit must work for us to see it for what it is.
Our arguments may not always convince the skeptics, but that does not mean our arguments are invalid. God has provided ways that we can know these books are from Him.
divine qualities
First, we must recognize that the biblical books have internal qualities that demonstrate that they are from God. Just as natural revelation has characteristics that show God is the author of nature , so we should expect special revelation to have such characteristics that show God is its author.
You May Like: Does The Bible Say You Should Not Be Cremated
Sharing Your Faith With Grace And Purpose
You can confidently and lovingly share your faithyou just need to learn some new tactics to do so! In this Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast, apologist Greg Koukl outlines the Columbo tactic of asking questions, the self-defeating argument tactic to find holes in your opponents arguments, and other specific methods for engaging in faith-building conversations with others. Greg pulls from his over 30 years of experience debating atheists and agnostics to help you share your faith with grace and truth.
Christians Cant Even Agree On What Its Saying So Who Cares If Its True Or Not
Christians often come to different conclusions on what the Bible teaches on a whole host of subjects. All we have to do is drive down the street and see a Baptist Church on one corner, then a Lutheran Church on another, then a Catholic Church, a Presbyterian Church, and on and on to come to the conclusion that there isnt one, but a host of different Christian messages.
Christians disagree on many things, such as as how to interpret Genesis 1-2, how to understand the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of humans, what happens during communion, when someone should be baptized, how the gifts of the Spirit manifest themselves in us, when Christ is going to return, and on and on. Such differences may lead some people to conclude that if Christians cant agree on what the Bible teaches, then why bother with it all.
You May Like: What Does Inerrant Mean In The Bible
Looking For Some More Related Articles
Take a look at these other similar type articles:
- Robert
-
Hi Kidcruze,Im sure Jack will be more than happy to answer your questions, but I wanted to give you some reassurance in the meantime. I used to have some of the same doubts, anxieties, and worries that you are having. Every time some non-believer would throw some question at me, I would panic because I didnt have an answer. I just want to encourage you with these two things to remember: Gods word is trustworthy. I have studied it, and the atheists claims against it, for a long time now and it has never been proven wrong. When someone says that science contradicts the Bible, one of two things is going on. Either their claim is wrong, or our understanding of the Bible needs adjustingthe Bible is not wrong. Secondly, even when we do not understand or do not know how to answer these atheists, we can trust in our loving Heavenly Father to see us through. Let me encourage you to rest in the knowledge that God is not surprised or threatened by unbelievers or their taunts. And we, as His children, should not be afraid of them either.I hope this helps. Like I said, Im sure Jack will give you some more encouragement. You have no need to fear those who reject God. Pray for them. God bless you.Yours in Christ,
The Bible Has Been Faithfully Passed Down
A common objection to the accuracy of the Bible is, Isnt the Bible just a copy of a copy? The scribes who copied Scripture took great care in their work. Accuracy was ensured by a number of safeguards, including the counting of letters in a line and on a page. Minor variations exist between certain manuscripts, but thanks to the abundance of early texts and fragments, we can ascertain the original wording in nearly every case.
Watch Tim Chaffeys video below to learn more:
Don’t Miss: Sanctified Biblical Definition
Check All The Options
The third category of supposed contradictions is not the result of context.
For instance, 2 Samuel 24:1 states that the Lord incited David to take a census of the people 1 Chronicles 21:1 records, Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
But the Jewish people saw all that happens as within the providence and permission of God, so that Satans activity was permitted by the Lord and thus attributable to him . And the people grew in their knowledge of God so that the Chronicler could record Satans activity in more detail than the people had earlier understood.
Matthew 4 records Jesus temptations in a different order than does Luke 4. But neither claimed to be writing chronology, so the order is immaterial. One could set them in time order, the other in spiritual priority, for instance.
1 Kings 7:13 states that Huram, one of the builders of Solomons temple, came from the tribe of Naphtali 2 Chronicles 2:14 says his mother was from the tribe of Dan. But she could have lived in the territory of Naphtali, or her parents could have come from both tribes.
The Bible Is Sufficient
Scripture contains all the words from God that we need in order to know him truly, trust him fully, obey him perfectly, and enjoy him abundantly. Peter says God has given us everything we need for a godly life through the knowledge available in the Scriptures . Likewise, Paul says, the Bible is so complete that through it we can be thoroughly equipped for every good workthoroughly and every, not partly and most . It doesnt get more comprehensive.
While the Bible may not tell us everything we want to know, it does tell us everything we need to know. Its truth isnt exhaustive, but it is enough . It contains all we need to know in order to be saved and to obey God in faith . No wonder severe warnings accompany adding to or removing any of its words .
While the Bible may not tell us everything we want to know, it does tell us everything we need to know. Its truth isnt exhaustive, but it is enough.
The case can be made that every corruption of biblical Christianity begins by compromising the principle of sufficiency, one author observed. Every deviation from Christianity established by Christ and the apostles begins by adding to the Bible or by taking away from it. Every deviation is the Bible plus or minus something.
You May Like: Mixing Races In The Bible
Praying The Scriptures Over Your Children
You will discover how using the Bible to shape your desires and requests opens the door to Gods provisionand frees us from things like worry and fear in our parenting! This expanded edition of the bestseller features updated content on issues like technology and identity, and comes with new material designed to invite children into the family prayer circle. Purchase now and receive 10% off your product.
Reasons You Can Believe The Bible Is The Word Of God
The most scrutinized and authenticated, scientifically and academically studied, carefully documented and transmitted piece of literature in history happens to make the internal claim to be the written word of God. Is the Bible true? And can you stake your life on it?
One day I showed our Man in the Mirror Statement of Faith to a man having doubts about his Christian faith. Our Statement of Faith covers the usual subjects, like the deity of Jesus, the Virgin birth, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and so on. But point #1 deals with the inerrancy of Scripture.
Wanting to understand where he was stumbling, I asked if he would be willing to go through our Statement of Faith and mark each of the ten points as either believe, dont believe, or doubt.
He responded, Well, I can, but its pretty simple. If I could believe the first onethat the Bible really is the Word of Godthen I would believe all of it.
And theres the heart of the issue: How can you have enough confidence to believe the Bible really is the Word of God? How can you settle the answer to the question, is the Bible true?
My goal is that by the end of this article you will have learned, or been reminded of, three compelling reasons that will give you more than enough confidence to affirm that in the Bible we find a flawless record of exactly what God wanted to say exactly the way He wanted to say it.
You May Like: What Does The Bible Say About Strong Woman
Gods Word Says What Is True
Like the psalmist, we can trust in the word , knowing that it is altogether true . We cant trust everything we read on the Internet. We cant trust everything we hear from our professors. We certainly cant trust all the facts given by our politicians. We cant even trust the fact-checkers who check those facts! Statistics can be manipulated. Photographs can be faked. Magazine covers can be airbrushed. Our teachers, our friends, our science, our studies, even our eyes can deceive us. But the word of God is entirely true and always true:
Gods word is firmly fixed in the heavens it doesnt change. There is no limit to its perfection it contains nothing corrupt. All Gods righteous rules endure forever they never get old and never wear out.
If you ever think to yourself, I need to know what is true what is true about me, true about people, true about the world, true about the future, true about the past, true about the good life, and true about God, then come to Gods word. It teaches only what is true: Sanctify them in the truth, Jesus said your word is truth .