When we read the Bible we must remember that we are reading words that sombody or a group felt means in English what the original text meant.
In another Topic, I was reading about wives submitting to their husbands.
I recommend that you get a copy of the Bible in The New American Standard translation. In this translation the goal was to put forth the literial translation of the text. If the footnotes are there; you get to see the literial word if the translaters used another in the passage.
The famous Ephesians 5:22-33 passage gets people wound up in knots. Many translations use the word "submitt" as in this example from the NIV:
EPH 5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
However, the word in the original is better translated as "be subject." This means, "to place or rank under."
Here's were it really gets interesting. If you have an NAS Bible like mine you will find that there are words in ITALICS. This means that the word that we are reading wasn't in the original text, but it is put there to help the reading go smoother by adding meaning. In Eph. 5:22, we would read: Wives to your own husbands, as to the Lord." The use of the words "be subject" comes from verse 21, which says, "and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." This verse has a footnote that shows that "fear" can also mean reverence.
Let me end with:
EPH 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
You want something or someone so bad that you get so fed up that you decide you want to do things your way. Often times we make our plans, have them on paper set in stone, ready to go� got them all laid out to a �T�. Then you do whatever you need to do to �make it happen�. But you find that it doesn�t work out exactly like you had it planned. Somewhere along the line you forgot to include the �what ifs�. AND invariably the �what ifs� protrude and interrupt, and you find out �oops, didn�t think about that�.
Sometimes we get more than we bargain for when we take matters in our own hands.
We pray to God--- sometimes He answers, and it�s no or wait. And sometimes He doesn�t answer right away or ever�. Yes-- whether He might be saying no, wait, or doesn�t answer at all we still go after it. We want what we want, and it�s now or never. God gives us free will as it�s been expressed through various posting and scripture, and as He loves us so very much, He has that kind of love for us where He allows us to do our thing.
However, with that in mind, we must know and understand that as God allows us the choice to do as we wish, we also will learn that while the choices may be ours, the consequences will never be ours to choose. For those of us who believe the Word of God, and �know� it, meaning it�s been embedded deep in our heart BUT--- we choose still to bypass the truth, and even twist the Word around abit to justify whatever it is about that want-- well the consequences are much harsher. When He (God) knows that we know Him, we�ve gotten a taste of how God works in our lives, while He still may forgive, still love, He doesn�t remove the consequences. Sometimes there are hard, and valuable lessons He needs us to get, and remember. God knows our heart yes, but He will want us to be purified and tested in all assurance that He will be able to trust us to be used without fail in His greatest purpose for us which it to glorify Him.
Just sharing thoughts as I�ve listened to the news today and reading posts. Open for thoughts, comments or testimony. ~
