Category: Bible

Initial Thoughts on the New, Updated NIV

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

For years, the NIV has been the most loved, and most hated of the modern Bible versions produced in the 20th Century. Many of us who used to be KJV-only advocates used to reserve our sharpest criticisms for the NIV. Perhaps that background is one of the reasons many of us still are hesitant to use it. We just prefer a more literal approach to Bible translation for various reasons.

With the advent of Today’s New International Version, there was an outcry about gender neutral language run too far. Partly as a result of this controversy, the English Standard Version was produced. The ESV is a conservative remake of the somewhat liberal Revised Standard Version. And the ESV took the Bible market by storm, as many Reformed pastors and teachers have made it their Bible of choice. It is making inroads into non-Reformed segments of Christianity as well.

Along the way, people like Leland Ryken, John Piper and Wayne Grudem have had some not so flattering things to say about the NIV, and especially the TNIV. And many other conservative scholars have concurred. At issue are the many places where the NIV smooths over the text to make nice sounding English, but in the process obscures the presence of important connector words like “for” and other features of the text which influence its interpretation. Many feel the NIV makes too many interpretive choices for its readers. Of course the gender neutrality of the TNIV is not a problem in the NIV, but the direction the TNIV took seems to be far afield of where conservative scholarship thinks we should go with respect to Scriptural integrity.

In light of this reaction, I was initially hopeful that the announcement of a new NIV update might promise a turn toward a better direction for the NIV. After reading the translators’ notes about the new update, I am inclined to think it actually is the positive change I was hoping for. In several cases they move toward a greater transparency to the original text. They restore many of the missing “for”s, and the gender neutral language concerns seem for the most part to be satisfactorily addressed. The tack they take is not much different than the ESV which also uses some gender neutral language in an attempt to employ contemporary English.

In this whole process I was also pleased to learn that the publishing house has little control, if any, over the actual text of the Bible translation. The translation aspects of the NIV are kept separate from the publishing and marketing arm of spreading the finished product abroad.

I encourage you to read the translator’s notes on this important update for yourself. You can also see a video introduction of the text by Douglas Moo, the chair of the translation committee. Furthermore, there are several comparison tools available for comparing the 1984 NIV text, and the TNIV and now the new 2011 NIV Update edition. BibleGateway can do that. And a couple other sites have comparison tools for comparing the various manifestations of the NIV: This site has a drop down menu to pull up the text a chapter at a time. This one offers several different comparison points between the editions.

I think this whole update was handled transparently and honestly. I believe it is a good sign that evangelicalism as a whole has a careful concern for the text of Scripture and aren’t just ready to adopt any translation that can be made. The respect and care with which the translators of the NIV handle their work has been apparent through the whole process. I think the end result will prove to be a blessing to the wider church, even with the presence of other useful, conservatively produced translations. May this lead to a greater unity and a lessening of the “Bible wars” which have been transpiring in the last decade or so. I for one, am eager to get a copy of this new NIV, to see how it compares with my ESV.

One last word: check out Rick Mansfield’s review of the updated NIV. I’m sure more reviews will be forthcoming, in the next few weeks.

~cross posted from my team KJV Only debate blog

My Winning Entry for the Sharper Iron Writing Contest

~ Bob Hayton

Sharper Iron just posted my entry to their writing contest today. I was one of three winners this year. The topic of my paper may be of interest to some of my readers so I’ll excerpt the beginning paragraphs and encourage you to go over to Sharper Iron and read the whole thing. You can discuss it at SI or here in the comments.

Let the minutiae speak: The place of genealogies, numbers, and parallel passages in the King James only debate

“Things that are different are not the same.” So says the title of Mickey Carter’s book advocating the exclusive use of the King James Bible. This sentiment is a fair summary of the mindset of most King James only (KJO) advocates. The differences between Bible versions demand a judgment. Which Bible is right?

Troubled by differing Bible versions, many sincere Christians seek for answers. One side affirms that no doctrine is affected by the relatively minor differences between Bible versions. The message is the same, but finer points and particular details may be slightly different. A typical KJO position jumps in and says this can’t be right. Verbal inspiration is useless without the preservation of those very words of God. In fact, we need to know each and every word, in order to live (Matt. 4:4). All differences, even word order and spelling differences, matter (Matt. 5:18). Differing versions cannot both claim to be translations of the perfect, inspired Word of God.

On the face of it, the KJO argument makes sense. When we’re speaking about the Bible, shouldn’t every little difference matter? Some respond with manuscript evidence that calls into question the choice of the King James Bible as a perfect standard. Others have shown that the various proof texts for word perfect preservation don’t actually promise a single, identifiable, word-perfect copy of the Bible. And prior to 1611, where was such a copy to be found, anyway?

In this paper, I want to take us down a road less traveled. Rather than looking for a proof text which directly deals with this controversy, I aim to scour the King James Bible itself for examples of the very differences which are said to matter so much. The minor points of Scripture itself, the minutia, should be allowed to speak to this issue. Genealogies, lists, numbers, and parallel passages all have an important bearing on how we should think about “things that are different.” [read the rest of the entry at Sharper Iron]

Update: I have attached a .pdf version of this article here for convenience.

Facing Temptation — Hebrews 12

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Here are some notes from a lesson I shared with some teens and young adults at my church this Sunday.

I. The Cycle of Temptation (Prov. 24:16)

  • Weak Flesh + Wicked World + Satan’s Work = Continual Temptation
  • We try to resist ~ we fail and fall into sin ~ we get up & resolve to do better ~ but we fail again….
  • This can lead us to lose heart, to give up and give ourselves to sin, or to be discouraged and even lose our faith

II. Resources for Temptation

  • Memorizing and learning God’s Word — Ps. 119:9,11
  • Watchfulness and Prayer — Matt. 26:41
  • Faith — 1 John 5:4, 1 Pet. 5:9
  • Godly Friends — Heb. 3:12-14
  • God does provide a “way of escape” — 1 Cor. 10:13
  • God uses temptation to work good in our lives — James 1:2-17

III. The Proper Perspective for Facing Temptation (Heb. 12:1-17)
1. The Christian Life is like a Long, Grueling Marathon — vs. 1

  • Not a quick sprint, the battle with sin is long and hard
  • Sin trips us up, and some non-sinful things can slow us down
  • We need endurance, to be in it for the long haul
  • It can be done, others have finished before us they testify to God’s grace, and they watch us finish our race

2. Our Focus needs to be on Christ, our Captain — vs. 2-3

  • Focusing on our failures and problems doesn’t solve anything, look away from ourselves to what Christ has done
  • Christ initiated our faith and will bring it to completion
  • When we fall, we must cling to the Gospel not self-effort
  • Jesus resisted sin “for the joy that was set before Him” we can also live now in light of Heaven’s joys (Phil. 3:13-14, 2 Pet. 3:11-14, Heb. 11:10, 13-16, 26)
  • Live in light of what is supremely true — that is faith

3. Battling sin is a struggle — like a boxing match — vs. 4

  • We haven’t even lost any blood in our match (others have)
  • There isn’t a magic “lose interest in sin” pill
  • Everyone struggles not just you (1 Cor. 10:13)
  • But with time, you can mortify sins and the battle gets easier (Rom. 8:13)
  • “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” — John Owen

4. Fighting sin is part of God’s discipline of his children — vs. 5-11

  • The trials of the Hebrew Christians primarily are in view when the author speaks of God’s “discipline”
  • But discipline is training or teaching as much as punishment
  • Vs. 4 “struggle against sin” , vs. 10 “share his holiness” , vs. 14 “strive for… holiness” as well as the weakness in vs. 12-13 argue for the battle against sin as being part of this “discipline”
  • So, this means the fight against sin (which isn’t easy), is part of what God ordains for us to make us holy
  • The struggle isn’t fun now, but it results in fruit (vs. 11)
  • And if you don’t experience this struggle, you just might not be a true son of God because every son experiences the struggles against sin
  • Be encouraged if you are struggling — that’s actually a good sign. Non-believers don’t struggle with sin
  • Take heart that God is behind our trials and temptations, and He wants them to mature us (James 1:2-4, 12-17)

5. Having this perspective on temptation, take heart! — vs. 12-13

  • We are tempted to give up and the race makes us weary — but take heart
  • Is. 35:3-4 is quoted: “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come… He will come and save you.'”

6. Fighting sin is a team-sport — vs. 14-15

  • It’s like Tour-de-France, many members working toward the one goal of the victory — we look out for each other
  • Some can fall short, and miss out on God’s sustaining grace.
  • So we need to encourage each other (Heb. 3:12-14, 10:22-25)

7. The fight against sin does have real casualties — vs. 15-17

  • Holiness is required to see God — vs. 14 (and Matt. 5:8)
  • Some do fall away “bitter roots” (Deut. 29:18) & Esau — he sold his birthright for a bowl of stew (we are as foolish!)
  • Ultimately, the grace of God keeps us. Trust Him when you fail and sin. But take heart God’s not done with you!

Help for the Bible Translation Overload

~ Bob Hayton ~ 7 Comments

Charts like the one above highlight the problem that the abundance of Bible translations poses today. Sometimes, the plethora of available Bible translations on the bookstore shelf is overwhelming. How are we to make sense of the different options available? Which version should we use? And who is to say that this chart or others are correct? [This one is actually slightly biased as it is put out by the makers of the NIV and TNIV (which occupy the coveted “balanced” position). It also doesn’t include the ESV or HCSB, but that is because the chart is outdated.]

Well, over at my team KJV Only Debate Blog, Erik DiVietro has given us a 5 part series describing the various major Bible translations available today. This might make for some good weekend reading, so I thought I’d share it here. I felt he did a great job explaining and categorizing the various Bibles. He like myself, gravitates toward the ESV as his preferred Bible. Other good options are available, but it helps to learn the background of the various selections out there.

T. Desmond Alexander on Biblical Theology

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Justin Taylor posted an interview of T. Desmond Alexander by Andrew Naselli on the topic of biblical theology. Biblical theology has revolutionized my understanding and appreciation of the Bible, and I thought this brief interview was a good introduction to biblical theology. I’m sharing the first part of this interview but encourage you to read the whole thing.

Consider picking up one of Alexander’s books on biblical theology, too. I have The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology on my shelf (it’s really good), and From Eden to the New Jerusalem is on my wish list.

1. What is biblical theology? How does it compare to systematic theology?

For me biblical theology is about understanding how the Bible as a whole should be read so that we can appreciate its message as the Word of God. I’m still a learner as far as this is concerned. What I’ve found to be helpful is discovering themes that tie together the big picture of Scripture. I’ve tried to convey something of this, hopefully in an accessible way, in my book, From Eden to the New Jerusalem. For me, it’s important that Christians grasp the grand story of what God is doing. Through the story, which I take to be historically true, we begin to understand something of ourselves and the world we live in.

It is this story dimension that sets biblical theology apart from systematic theology. While I think that there is an important place for a systematic understanding of what we believe, it is through Scripture that God speaks to people as they grasp the biblical metanarrative. Hopefully, good biblical theology sheds valuable light on how we should read the Bible. For this reason, I think biblical theology is exceptionally important.

2. Briefly sketch out an example of addressing a theme with a biblical theological approach (e.g., temple, throne of God, evil, lamb, tree of life, people of God, rest).

I’ve said something about most of the examples you list in my most recent book. So let me pick something that might not seem so obvious: the great city.

Fundamental to my understanding of biblical theology is the idea that God created this world with the intention that it should become his dwelling-place, a temple-city filled with people who love and serve him (as reflected in Rev. 20-21). This was the original creation plan. Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God threw the grand design into chaos. Created with the skills to be city-builders, humanity set about building god-less cities. Exhibit number one is obviously Babel. However, in Hebrew Babel is also the name for Babylon. Interestingly, the building of Babel/Babylon is associated with Nimrod in Genesis 10, who is also responsible for the building of Nineveh in Assyria. As a mighty hunter “˜against God’ (not “˜before God’) Nimrod is the founder of a city/kingdom that opposes God’s city/kingdom. Remarkably, the story in Genesis to Kings ends with what appears to be a victory for Nimrod’s descendants (the Assyrians and the Babylonians). The city of God, Jerusalem, is sacked, God’s house is destroyed, and the royal line through which the nations are to be saved is exiled.

Yet all is not lost, for the story does not end here. This big picture is important because it reveals how deep-seated aspirations to create human empires oppose what God desires. Obviously, the OT has lots to say about this (e.g., Habakkuk, Daniel). However, the NT picks up the same contrast. For example, the author of Hebrews has something important to say about the city of God, starting with Abraham. Likewise, the book of Revelation draws an important contrast between the here-and-now Babylon and the future New Jerusalem.

I hope that this very brief biblical-theological sketch of the city makes sense. We’re only scratching the surface. Yet it is a theme that pervades the whole of Scripture….

[Read the entire interview]