Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Bible Review: NASB (1971, First Edition)

New American Standard Bible Reference Edition. 1971. Lockman Foundation. 1730 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

I have read the NASB 1995 translation quite a few times in my life. This was my first time reading an earlier edition of the NASB. In fact, this is a first edition of the NASB that was published in 1971.

It was verse by verse and not paragraph.
It was black letter and not red letter.
It did have references and textual notes on the sides. The text was in the center.
The Old Testament and New Testaments were paged separately.
There was little to no bleed through. The pages were just the right thickness.
The size of the font was small. In a perfect, perfect world it would have had larger font. But it wasn't impossible to read.
It was a little large to read in bed, but just right for reading in a cozy chair with a cup of tea.
It does use thees and thous.

I enjoyed reading this one. I started reading it the first week of September. I finished it October 15, 2018.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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Monday, October 15, 2018

Bible Review: NIV Rainbow Study Bible

NIV Rainbow Study Bible. 2015. Holman Bible Publishers. 1632 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 ETA: I used the 100 Day reading plan found in another Bible to go through this one. For each day's reading I answered some very basic Bible study questions. "What do we learn about God?" "What do we learn about people?" "What does God want me to believe?" 

 The introduction states,
"The Holman Rainbow Study Bible is a simple yet thorough Bible based upon the premise that every verse of every Bible falls under one of twelve thematic headings. Each of the twelve headings is assigned a different color; then each verse of the Bible is color-coded to the heading to which it is most closely related…The Holman Rainbow Study Bible allows the serious Bible student the opportunity to study and teach the great Bible themes while avoiding a time-consuming or complicated system."

What I like most about the Rainbow Study Bible is the fact that all the words of God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are underlined. I also love the format and design of this one. I love the font size--so comfortable on my eyes. I love the size of the Bible, and also how flat it opens. It makes for a great reading experience.

There are twelve themes and colors. The themes are: God, Discipleship, Love, Faith, Sin, Evil, Salvation, Family, Outreach, Commandments, History, and Prophecy. 

Is the system easy to learn? Yes and no. I won't lie. It may take you several weeks to memorize the colors and what they mean, ESPECIALLY, if you are concerned with distinguishing the subheadings and the headings. Yes, it's easy to learn that purple represents God and that pink represents outreach. The general headings aren't overly difficult. But the subheadings under each heading add depth and substance. And it's my recommendation that readers take the time to DECONSTRUCT the system, the color codes. And work with the verse, looking for layers of meaning and trying to figure out how it fits.

It isn't as simple as saying all "discipleship" verses are about DISCIPLESHIP. And if I just pull all these verses out and read them, I'll know everything I need to know on the subject, and I can teach a great lesson. The subheadings within each heading can make that complicated, to say the least.
  • Discipleship: obedience; praise; service; worship; spiritual formation; commitment; fellowship; spiritual gifts; fruit 
  • Love: joy; kindness; mercy; mourning; lament; comfort; compassion; peace; sympathy; humility; charity
  • Faith: prayer; miracles; courage; confession; repentance; fasting; healing; hope; confidence; conviction; belief
  • Outreach: teaching; counseling; questioning; instruction; testimony; ministry; preaching; evangelism; gospel; doctrine; sayings
  • Salvation: blessings; deliverance; holiness; Heaven; the tabernacle; angels; eternity; resurrection; second coming; judgement of the godly; grace
But after reading the Bible for several months, you do get better at understanding and interpreting it. For example, you'll pick up that most--if not all verses--about the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven will be blue for salvation. You'll see the consistencies of the system come together the more books of the Bible that you've read. 

So. If you are willing to work at it, then this is a good choice as a study Bible. But it takes work. There isn't a system of reading the Bible, of interpreting the Bible, of studying the Bible, that isn't time consuming. You've got to be willing to engage with the text. To perhaps deconstruct it. To question it. To seek for interpretation (meaning) and application. To purposefully seek to understand the verse IN CONTEXT and not just on the basis of its color. You can reconstruct it again. 
For example:
  • Why did they choose "pink"? why did they choose the heading "outreach" for this verse? 
  • Which of the subheadings does this fit into? Does it fit comfortably into one subheading? Or is it a blend of several?
  • Does it fit into any other headings or subheadings? Is it saying more than one thing? Which is most important? Do I agree with their choice? IF I was color-coding this verse, this paragraph, this chapter--would I do it any differently?
  • What other verses fit with this verse? How does it connect with the passage? the chapter? the book? the rest of the Bible? Are there any other verses that directly "help" me understand this one better? 
"Outreach" in the book of Romans
You'll notice that the heading "outreach" can mean a variety of things!

I do think it would make an interesting topical Bible. One could certainly make a point of studying over the course of several weeks or months various topics. Such as "What does Paul have to say on salvation in his letters?" Or "What can the gospels teach me about love?" 

What Matthew teaches about "love"
What John teaches about "love"
What Paul teaches about "salvation" in Titus
Just like when you're using a concordance or doing a key word search, the results will have to be refined. You'll find some verses that are KEY and just what you're looking for at the moment. But you'll also find plenty that aren't quite what you're looking for. 

I think one could also use it in studying books of the Bible. The colors can give you a quick, at-a-glance preview of the book which further study will only illuminate. 

Titus
So would I recommend it? Yes and no. I wouldn't recommend it as your one and only Bible. I think it would probably be easier to go with a more traditional Bible. But many believers have more than one Bible. And I think it would make a good addition to a Bible collection.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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Saturday, October 13, 2018

Week in Review: October 7-13

NIV 2011 Rainbow Study Bible

  • Luke
  • Acts
  • James
  • Galatians
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • 2 Thessalonians
  • 1 Corinthians
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Romans
  • Colossians
  • Philemon
  • Ephesians
  • Philippians
  • 1 Timothy
  • 2 Timothy
  • Titus
  • 1 Peter
  • 2 Peter
  • Jude
  • Hebrews


NASB 1971 First Edition

  • 2 Samuel
  • 1 Kings
  • 2 Kings
  • Proverbs
  • Jeremiah
  • Lamentations
  • Ezekiel 1-22
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • 2 Thessalonians


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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My Victorian Year #38

This week I'll be sharing quotes from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening and J.C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew.

 From Morning and Evening:
  • Only the prayer which comes from God—can go to God. We must shoot the Lord’s arrows back to Him!
  • Only that desire which He writes upon our heart—will move His heart and bring down a blessing—but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him.
  • Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in fervency.
  • Those who do not plead with fervency—do not plead at all. As well speak of lukewarm fire—as of lukewarm prayer. It is essential that prayer be red hot!
  • Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he proceeds, and grows more fervent—when God delays to answer.
  • Praying in the Holy Spirit means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us up with pride.
  • It is His office to convince of sin, and so to bow us down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never pray acceptably, unless we cry to God out of the depths of contrite hearts.
  • A man prevails—only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God’s promise.
  • Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patience, power and wisdom of God—who watches over us moment by moment—and day by day!
  • He is faithful, who has promised, and He is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety!
  • Jehovah has power enough, without borrowing from our puny arm! Peace, you unbelieving thoughts! Be still, and know that the Lord reigns!
  • The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness—which is a very beneficial lesson for such proud beings as we are.
  • If God gave us favors without constraining us to pray for them—we would never know how poor we are—but a true prayer is an inventory of needs, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth—it is also a confession of human emptiness.
  • The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in SELF—and rich in Jesus;
  • Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian.
  • This calling forbids all trust in our own doings, and conducts us to Christ alone for salvation—but it afterwards purges us from dead works to serve the living and true God.
  • As He who has called you is holy—so must you be holy. If you are living in sin—you are not called by God.
  • But if you are truly Christ’s, you can say, “Nothing pains me so much as sin! I desire to be rid of it! Lord, help me to be holy.”
  • There are times when solitude is better than society; and silence is wiser than speech.
  • We would be better Christians—if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering spiritual strength for labor in His service, through meditation on His Word.
  • We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them.
  • Truth is something like the cluster of the vine—if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times.
  • So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth—if we would get the wine of consolation from them.
  • Hearing, reading, and learning—all require inward digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it.
  • Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons—make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets—and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word. They love the wheat—but they do not grind it; they would have the corn—but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree—but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet—but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord, and be this our resolve this day, “I will meditate on Your precepts!”
  • The Holy Spirit consoles—but Christ is the consolation. If we may use the figure, the Holy Spirit is the Physician—but Jesus is the medicine.
  • The Holy Spirit heals the wound—but it is by applying the holy ointment of Christ’s grace.
  • The Holy Spirit will not speak of His own things—but of the things of Christ. The Holy Spirit the Comforter—but Jesus is the Comfort!
  • Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin—is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature’s garden!
  • Penitence never shows itself in sinners—unless divine grace works it in them. If you have one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it you, for human nature’s thorns never produced a single fig.
  • When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon SIN—and another upon the CROSS! It will be better still—if we fix both our eyes upon Christ—and see our transgressions only in the light of His love.
  • No man may say he hates sin—if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory—but experimentally—as the burnt child dreads fire.
  • Repentance is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time—but this dear sorrow grows with our growth, and it is so sweet a bitter, that we thank God we are permitted to experience it, until we enter our eternal rest!

From J.C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on Matthew, chapters 19 and 20
Matthew 19:1-15

  • In these verses we have the mind of Christ declared on two subjects of great moment. One is the relation of husband and wife. The other is the light in which we should regard little children, in the matter of their souls. The well-being of nations, and the happiness of society, are closely connected with right views upon them. Nations are nothing but a collection of families. The good order of families depends entirely on keeping up the highest standard of respect for the marriage tie, and on the right training of children.
  • It is clear, from the whole tenor of the passage, that the relationship of marriage ought to be highly reverenced and honored among Christians. It is a relationship which was instituted in Paradise, in the time of man's innocency, and is a chosen figure of the mystical union between Christ and His Church.
  • With respect to little CHILDREN, we find our Lord instructing us in these verses, both by word and deed, both by precept and example. They were evidently tender infants, too young to receive instruction, but not too young to receive benefit by prayer. Let us learn from these verses, that the Lord Jesus cares tenderly for the souls of little children. It is probable that Satan specially hates them. Young as they are, they are not beneath his thoughts, and attention. That mighty heart of his has room for the babe in its cradle, as well as for the king on his throne. Let us begin from their very earliest years to deal with them as having souls to be lost, or saved, and strive to bring them to Christ. Let us make them acquainted with the Bible, as soon as they can understand anything. Let us pray with them, and pray for them, and teach them to pray for themselves.

Matthew 19:16-22

  • Salvation is an individual business. Every one who wishes to be saved, must have private personal dealings with Christ about his own soul.
  • We see, for one thing, from the case of this young man, that a person may have desires after salvation, and yet not be saved.
  • We must never forget that good feelings alone in religion are not the grace of God. We may know the truth intellectually.
  • We may often feel pierced in conscience. We may have religious affections awakened within us, have many anxieties about our souls, and shed many tears. But all this is not conversion. It is not the genuine, saving work of the Holy Spirit.
  • Not only are good feelings alone not grace, but they are even decidedly dangerous, if we content ourselves with them, and do not act as well as feel.
  • Feelings often indulged in, without leading to corresponding actions, will finally exercise no influence at all. Let us apply this lesson to our own state. Perhaps we know what it is to feel religious fears, wishes, and desires. Let us beware that we do not rest in them. Let us never rest until we know that we have really repented, and laid hold on the hope set before us in the Gospel. It is good to feel. But it is far better to be converted.
  • Tens of thousands fill churches and chapels weekly, who are utterly in the dark as to the full extent of man's sinfulness.

Matthew 19:23-30

  • Let us beware of the love of money. It is possible to use it well, and do good with it. But for each one who makes a right use of money, there are thousands who make a wrong use of it, and do harm both to themselves and others.
  • No man's place or circumstances shut him out from the kingdom of God. Let us never despair of any one's salvation.
  • The last thing that we learn in these verses, is the immense encouragement the Gospel offers to those who give up everything for Christ's sake.

Matthew 20:1-16

  • The hint of Chrysostom deserves notice. He says, "It is not right to search curiously, and word by word, into all things in a parable but when we have learned the object for which it was composed, to reap this, and not to busy ourselves about anything further."
  • We learn, in the first place, that in the calling of NATIONS to the professed knowledge of Himself, God exercises, free, sovereign, and unconditional grace. He calls the families of the earth into the visible church at His own time, and in His own way.
  • We learn, in the second place, that in the saving of INDIVIDUALS, as well as in the calling of nations, God acts as a sovereign, and gives no account of His matters.
  • True faith in Christ, though it be but a day old, justifies a man before God as completely as the faith of him who has followed Christ for fifty years.
  • The righteousness in which Timothy will stand at the day of judgment, is the same as that of the penitent thief. Both will be saved by grace alone.
  • Both will owe all to Christ. We may not like this. But it is the doctrine of this parable, and not of this parable only, but of the whole New Testament.
  • Let us beware of supposing, from anything in this parable, that salvation is in the slightest degree to be obtained by works. To suppose this is to overthrow the whole teaching of the Bible.
  • Whatever a believer receives in the next world, is a matter of grace, and not of debt. God is never a debtor to us,
  • Let us beware of supposing, from this parable, that all saved souls will have the same degree of glory. To suppose this, is to contradict many plain texts of Scripture. 
  • Finally, let us beware of supposing from this parable, that it is safe for any one to put off repentance until the end of his days.
  • Few are ever saved on their death-beds. One thief on the cross was saved, that none should despair; but only one, that none should presume. 


Matthew 20:17-23

  • The first thing we should notice in these verses, is the clear announcement which the Lord Jesus Christ makes of His own approaching death.
  • The Lord Jesus KNEW from the beginning, all that was before Him. The treachery of Judas Iscariot--the fierce persecution of the chief-priests and scribes--the unjust judgment--the delivery to Pontius Pilate--the mocking--the scourging--the crown of thorns--the cross--the hanging between two malefactors--the nails--the spear--all, all were spread before His mind like a picture.
  • The Lord Jesus was a VOLUNTARY sufferer. When He died on the cross, it was not because He had not power to prevent it. He suffered intentionally, deliberately, and of His own free-will. (John 10:18.)
  • He knew that without shedding of His blood there could be no remission of man's sin. He knew that He was the Lamb of God, who must die to take away the sin of the world. He knew that His death was the appointed sacrifice, which must be offered up to make reconciliation for iniquity. Knowing all this, He went willingly to the cross. His heart was set on finishing the mighty work He came into the world to do.
  • He was well aware that all hinged on His own death, and that, without that death, His miracles and preaching would have done comparatively nothing for the world.
  • The next thing that we should notice in these verses, is the mixture of ignorance and faith that may be found, even in true-hearted Christians.
  • There are many Christians, who are very like this woman and her sons. They see in part, and know in part, the things of God. They have faith enough to follow Christ. They have knowledge enough to hate sin, and come out from the world. And yet there are many truths of Christianity, of which they are deplorably ignorant. They talk ignorantly, they act ignorantly, and commit many sad mistakes.
  • But we must learn from these verses to deal gently with such people, because the Lord has received them. We must not set them down as graceless and godless, because of their ignorance.
  • The last thing that we should notice in these verses, is the solemn reproof which our Lord gives to the ignorant request of the mother of Zebedee's children and her two sons.
  • Do we not often say things in prayer without "counting the cost," and ask for things to be granted to us, without reflecting how much our supplications involve?
  • We ask that God would make us holy. It is a good request indeed. But are we prepared to be sanctified by any process that God in His wisdom may call on us to pass through?
  • Are we ready to be purified by affliction, weaned from the world by bereavements, drawn nearer to God by losses, sicknesses, and sorrow? Alas! these are hard questions. But if we are not, our Lord might well say to us, "You don't know what you are asking." Let us leave these verses with a solemn resolution to consider well what we are about, when we draw near to God in prayer.

Matthew 20:24-28

  • Pride is one of the oldest and most mischievous of sins. By it the angels fell--for "they kept not their first estate." (Jude 6.) Through pride Adam and Eve were seduced into eating the forbidden fruit.
  • In the second place we learn, that a life of self-denying kindness to others is the true secret of greatness in the kingdom of Christ.
  • The standard of the world, and the standard of the Lord Jesus, are indeed widely different. They are more than different. They are flatly contradictory one to the other.
  • True greatness consists not in receiving, but in giving--not in selfish absorption of good things, but in imparting good to others--not in being served, but in serving--not in sitting still and being ministered to, but in going about and ministering to others.
  • In the third place, we learn that the Lord Jesus Christ is intended to be the example of all true Christians. 
  • The Lord God has mercifully provided His people with everything necessary to their sanctification. He has given those who follow after holiness the clearest of precepts, the best of motives, and the most encouraging of promises.
  • "Would my Master have spoken in this manner? Would my Master have behaved in this way?"--These are the questions by which we ought daily to test ourselves.
  • Finally, let us learn from these verses, that Christ's death was an atonement for sin. What says the Scripture? "The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many."
  • This is the mightiest truth in the Bible. Let us take care that we grasp it firmly, and never let it go. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not die merely as a martyr, or as a splendid example of self-sacrifice and self-denial.
  • Christ died as a sacrifice for man's sin. He died to make reconciliation for man's iniquity. He died to purge our sins by the offering of Himself.
  • He died to redeem us from the curse which we all deserved, and to make satisfaction to the justice of God, which must otherwise have condemned us.

Matthew 20:29-34

  • In these verses we have a touching picture of an event in our Lord's history. He heals two blind men sitting by the wayside near Jericho.
  • For one thing, let us mark what strong faith may sometimes be found, where it might least have been expected. Blind as these two men were, they believed that Jesus was able to help them.
  • Such faith may well put us to shame. With all our books of evidence, and lives of saints, and libraries of divinity, how few know anything of simple, childlike confidence in Christ's mercy and Christ's power.
  • For another thing, let us mark what wisdom there is in using every opportunity for getting good for our souls. 
  • Let us never neglect the house of God--never forsake the assembling of ourselves with God's people--never omit the reading of our Bibles--never let drop the practice of private prayer.
  • Do we feel any desire to see the great Physician? If we do we must not wait in idleness, saying, "If I am to be saved, I shall be saved." We must arise and go to the road where Jesus walks.
  • For another thing, let us mark the value of pains and perseverance in seeking Christ. These blind men were "rebuked" by the multitude that accompanied our Lord. They felt their need of help. They cared nothing for the check which they received. "They cried out even more, "Lord, have mercy on us, O son of David!" 
  • We feel our diseases, and want to find Jesus, the great Physician--if we know our sins, and desire to have them pardoned--let us press on. "The violent take the kingdom by force." (Matt. 11:12.)
  • Finally, let us mark how gracious the Lord Jesus is to those who seek Him.
  • He "being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight." We see here an illustration of that old truth, which we can never know too well, the mercifulness of Christ's heart towards the sons of men.
  • The Lord Jesus is not only a mighty Savior, but merciful, kind, and gracious to a degree that our minds cannot conceive.
  • Well might the apostle Paul say, that "the love of Christ passes knowledge." (Ephes. 3:19.) Like him, let us pray that we may "know" more of that love.
  • We need it when we first begin our Christian course, poor trembling penitents, and babes in grace. We need it afterwards, as we travel along the narrow way, often erring, often stumbling, and often cast down.
  • We shall need it in the evening of our days, when we go down the valley of the shadow of death. Let us then grasp the love of Christ firmly, and keep it daily before our minds. We shall never know, until we wake up in the next world, how much we are indebted to it.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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Berean Playlist #7 Gracefully Broken

See my blog post: On Being Berean, Part 2 for context on this series. Tasha Cobbs Leonard video. Matt Redman and Tasha Cobbs Leonard video. 

Today's song is "Gracefully Broken." I've known the song a little over a week. My first exposure to the song was on Matt Redman's album, Glory Song. It is a duet between Matt Redman and Tasha Cobbs Leonard.

Before I analyze if the song is biblical, it would be helpful to determine what the song means. Usually this is relatively easy. Usually. But in the case of "Gracefully Broken" I'm finding myself stumped.

What do the songwriters mean when they say "multiply, God, all that I am"? I'd really love to know. The full thought is "Take all I have in these hands and multiply, God, all that I am and find my heart on the altar again." The last phrase "find my heart on the altar again" makes some sense in the context of Romans 12. But I'm thoroughly confused on what the songwriters, on what the worshippers want multiplied? Theoretically, we're sacrificing ourselves on the altar--giving up our will, our selfishness, our desires, our sins, our pride, our ego, our stubbornness, our independence, our need to be on the throne, our tendency to make idols, our worldliness. Surely these things don't need to be multiplied. Are they talking about spiritual gifts or spiritual fruit? If so, it makes sense in that you'd want more, desire more...but would you really be talking about this in context of sacrifice and surrender? The song mentions this "And multiply, God, all that I am" at least twice. So it must matter to the song's overall meaning.... If only I knew what it means--what they meant--I'd have a better guess on if it lines up with Scripture.

"Set me on fire, set me on fire" and "Set me on fire, set me on fire." Assuming they mean "fill me with Your Spirit." But then again they are talking about sacrifices at an altar. So the figurative language continues. My question: Do we really want to be set on fire? Even if God is the one setting the fire?

"Here I am, God, arms wide open pouring out my life gracefully broken." Arms wide open, I'm assuming, is continuing the surrender/sacrifice theme. As is "pouring out my life." But what does the phrase gracefully broken mean?!

Gracefully is an adverb meaning "in an attractively elegant way." A second meaning is "in a respectful and dignified way."
Graceful is an adjective meaning "characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech; elegant.
Graciously is an adverb form of gracious, see below
Gracious is an adjective meaning, "godly" "pleasing, acceptable," "marked by kindness," "merciful, compassionate."

There is a BIG difference in the two words. There are pages on the internet showing the difference between the two trying to help writers determine which word should be used based on different contexts. I think the songwriters MEANT gracious but used graceful. I'll rephrase that. I think there is biblical and experiential proof that God GRACIOUSLY breaks us. That our brokenness is God's mercy, kindness, and compassion at work. God is providentially, graciously, lovingly at work in our lives--not to make us comfortable, not to make us feel comfy-cozy, not to make us feel warm-and-fuzzy on the inside, not to make us feel blessed and favored, but to make us holy and acceptable. I think there is little to no evidence that God GRACEFULLY breaks us. When we're broken, it is messy and ugly--at least from our perspective. There's nothing beautiful or elegant about it. There is nothing dignified and respectable about it.  Our hopes, our dreams, our wants, our desires, our plans, our wills, our pride, our independence, our self-esteem, our self-confidence, our self-righteousness--are being broken, even crushed.

 The next verse--beginning with "My heart stands in awe of Your name..." and ending with "You won't forsake me, You will be with me"--is actually straightforward, easy to understand, and biblical. In fact, if this verse wasn't part of the song, I would be more willing to dismiss the whole song as junk.

The next section(s) of the song are repetitive--extremely so. But there are a few more phrases that are worth examining: I'm strong when I am weak/ I will be free/ Your power and work in me/ I'm broken gracefully..

I think the idea of being strong when weak comes from 2 Corinthians 12. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” There are several places that speak of being made free. And of course, God's power is at work in us when we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

There are phrases that are definitely biblical. There are phrases that are over-used cliches (Here I am, Lord...Arms Wide Open...Set Me On Fire...I Surrender All...) with a somewhat mechanical feel, in my opinion. And some parts of the song are just CONFUSING and COMPLICATED.

I'd love clarification on WHAT the songwriters want multiplied in us. I'd also love to know WHY they went with the word GRACEFULLY instead of GRACIOUSLY. Are they making a theological argument that the way God breaks us is BEAUTIFUL and RESPECTABLE and ELEGANT and DIGNIFIED from God's perspective if not our own?

As for the melody, I could actually close my eyes and imagine a chorus of dancers doing a modern dance number to this song.

Here are the lyrics:
Take all I have in these hands
And multiply, God, all that I am
And find my heart on the altar again
Set me on fire, set me on fire
Oh, take all I have in these hands
And multiply, God, all that I am
And find my heart on the altar again
Set me on fire, set me on fire
Here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken
My heart stands in awe of Your name
Your mighty love stands strong to the end
You will fulfill Your purpose for me
You won't forsake me, You will be with me
Here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken
Pouring out my life again
Here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken
Oh, gracefully
All to Jesus now
All to Jesus now
Holding nothing back
Holding nothing back
I surrender
I surrender
I surrender
I surrender
Here I am, God
Arms wide open (here I am, here I am)
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken
Here I am, God
With my arms wide open (with my arms wide open)
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken, oh
Your power and work in me
I'm broken gracefully
I'm strong when I am weak
I will be free
Your power and work in me
I'm broken gracefully
I'm strong when I am weak
I will be free, yeah
Your power and work in me (work in me)
I'm broken gracefully (broken gracefully)
(I'm strong when I am weak)
I will be free (I will be free)
Your power and work in me
Are gonna work in me (I'm broken gracefully)
I'm strong, I'm strong
I will be free
Your power and work in me (your work in me)
I'm broken gracefully (I'm so broken)
I'm strong when I am weak (I'm strong)
I will be free
Your power and work in me
I'm broken gracefully (I'm broken gracefully)
I'm strong when I am weak
I will be free
Here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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Book Review: Reforming Joy

Reforming Joy: A Conversation between Paul, the Reformers, and the Church Today. Tim Chester. 2018. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: This book is a three-way conversation. We’ll start in sixteenth-century Europe with the Reformation. We’ll travel back to first-century Galatia and the foundations of the Reformation in the message of Paul. And then we’ll come home and explore their relevance in the twenty-first century. It's going to be a conversation about joy.

Is Reforming Joy a commentary on Galatians? No. Yes. Maybe. It is a study of the book of Galatians. But it is not a verse-by-verse analysis of Paul's letter to the Galatians. It examines Galatians within the first-century context, the sixteenth-century context, and the twenty-first century context.

Did the Reformers "recover" the gospel? Did Luther grasp again what Paul's letter actually meant? How did his understanding of Paul change his life? change history? Does the book of Galatians--so incredibly powerful in Luther's day--still change lives? Do modern-day Christians take the gospel for granted? Do Christians read the book of Galatians and truly grasp how amazing, how wonderful, how transformative the gospel is? Have modern-day Christians lost sight of the gospel is--what it IS and what it ISN'T. Do we assume that all "gospel" messages proclaimed by teachers, preachers, evangelists are the same? Are we quick or slow in distinguishing between true and false gospels and true and false preachers? Do we need to be more discerning? If we were more discerning would we have more joy? Would we be better rooted in the faith?

The chapter titles:

  • How To Hear God's Voice: The Reforming Joy of Scripture Alone (Galatians 1)
  • How To Know God's Approval: The Reforming Joy of Faith Alone in Christ Alone (Galatians 2)
  • How To Recognize God's People: The Reforming Joy of Mother Church (Galatians 3-4)
  • How to Enjoy God's Love: The Reforming Joy of Adoption (Galatians 4)
  • How To Do God's Will: The Reforming Joy of Life in the Spirit (Galatians 5)

This book celebrates the gospel first and foremost. But it is also a celebration of the Reformation. I would definitely recommend this one! I would love to see other Christian books written with a "time machine" perspective.
How do we know which is the true gospel? Where’s the true source of joy? We’ll address this issue by asking a series of connected questions. In Galatia one answer to the question of how we know what’s true was this: “You should submit to the founding church in Jerusalem.” People had come from Jerusalem telling the Gentiles (the non-Jews) that they needed to be circumcised. How do you know the true gospel? The Jerusalem church will tell you. Jump in our time machine, head to the sixteenth century, and we find the Catholic Church effectively giving the same answer. The only difference is that because the apostle Peter moved to Rome, it’s now the successor of Peter in Rome, the pope, who tells us what God wants. Fast forward to the twenty-first century, and we find a new variation on the answer. Today many people say, “I’ll follow the one I like best.” They say things like, “I’m not a Christian because I don’t like the idea of a god who sends people to hell.” That’s about as logical as saying, “I don’t believe in wearing a lifejacket because I don’t like the idea of drowning.” Nevertheless, people think they can determine what’s true on the basis of their preference, as if they construct reality through their decisions. It’s time to let the engine of the time machine cool down but not before we make the journey back to find Paul. He answers the question of how we can know what’s true in Galatians 1:11–12: “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
and
Is the Bible Enough? But who decides what the Scriptures say? That was the issue in the Reformation. The Catholic Church said that ordinary people weren’t sophisticated enough to read the Bible. They would only misunderstand it. “We’ll read the Bible for you,” they said, “and tell you what to believe.” It was the same issue in Galatia. The troublemakers weren’t saying, “Follow us instead of following the Bible.” They were saying, “You’ve misunderstood the Bible. Let us tell you what it really means. After all, we’re from the founding church of Jerusalem.” Paul’s response is to tell a lengthy two-part story. It’s a fascinating response. His job would have been so much easier if he had just said, “Actually, the leaders of the church in Jerusalem agree with me.” Because that was the case. But Paul doesn’t go straight from 1:12 to 2:9. Instead, he gives a lengthy travel itinerary in 1:13–2:10. He describes how he received his message directly from Christ (1:13–16) and didn’t even consult the apostles (1:16–24). If Paul had simply said, “The Jerusalem church agrees with me,” then he would have won one battle at the expense of another. He would have won the one over circumcision, but he would have conceded that Gentile Christians needed to obey the Jerusalem church rather than Scripture alone. He’s determined that we should realize that authority comes from God’s Word above all else. We’re not called to obey God’s Word plus a human institution or God’s Word interpreted by a human institution—not even the founding church in Jerusalem. So is the Bible enough? Yes. Our authority comes from Scripture alone. For us the challenge of Scripture alone comes primarily from the world around us... The challenge of Scripture alone is, Will we listen to God or to the world? But behind that is a bigger challenge: Do we live for God’s or other people’s approval? If the answer is other people’s, then we’ll inevitably end up compromising, neglecting, or reinterpreting the Bible to fit into the world around us. After all, no one wants to be thought of as a religious bigot or an outdated fool.
Favorite quotes:
  • There is nothing “more joyous” than the “joyous tidings” in the Bible that make us “leap for joy.” You get the picture: the Bible matters because it leads to joy.
  • The Reformation was the rediscovery of justification by faith alone in the work of Christ. But the foundation of the Reformation was the ultimate authority of Scripture alone. The majority of people, including the most powerful and most educated, said one thing. Scripture taught another. And the Reformers chose Scripture.
  • Paul’s letter to the Galatians was one of the key texts that shaped the Reformation. Galatians 1:6–7 says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one.” What was at stake in Galatia and the Reformation was the gospel. The word “gospel” means “good news.” The gospel is the good news that our sins are forgiven and that we’ve been rescued (1:4). It answers the question, How can we be right with God and escape his judgment?
  • When you pick up your Bible, you hold in your hands a message from God. And it’s a message more impressive, more intimate, and more reliable than a chat with any apostle or a vision of any angel!
  • How can I gain God’s approval? How can I be right with God so that I enjoy his love and escape his judgment? This question is the key to finding true joy. Indeed, it’s the most important question in the world. At stake is our eternal future. Yet in an act of staggering negligence, most people put it out of their minds.
  • At the heart of the Reformation was the issue of justification. And this is what it means: it’s the act whereby we become right with God, righteous, in the right. It anticipates a “not guilty” verdict when we stand before God on the day of judgment.
  • There were two breakthrough moments for Luther. The first was when he realized that the righteousness of God is not just a characteristic of God (that he judges justly) but also a gift from God. God gives righteousness. 
  • Luther’s second breakthrough moment was when he realized that God’s righteousness is not just a boost to help us become righteous. First and foremost, it’s the declaration that we are righteous.
  • When the Reformers emphasized faith alone, it wasn’t because faith itself is virtuous, somehow earning merit with God. It was because faith connects us to Christ. Faith is letting go of self-confidence (what Paul calls “the flesh”) and entrusting yourself entirely to Christ. But whenever you hear the words faith alone, you must also think Christ alone. Faith alone connects us to Christ, and Christ alone saves.
  • We need to realize that becoming a Christian is not just a change of opinion or a lifestyle choice. It’s a death and resurrection. You die to your old life, and you live a new life.
  • The Reformers said that there are two key marks of a true church: the preaching of the gospel word and the administration of the gospel sacraments.
  • It’s not the church that creates the gospel. It’s the gospel that creates the church. The authority over the church is not the pope in Rome or any human hierarchy. The Head is Christ. He’s our Husband, our Head, our King. 
  • The role of preachers and leaders in the church is to proclaim that Word. They have authority to the extent that they rightly teach God’s Word—nothing more and nothing less.
  • We need to believe justification by faith not only for ourselves but for others as well. Satan sees their faults and makes their faults the focus of his attention, which leads to accusation. God sees their faults and makes Christ the focus of his attention, which leads to affirmation. And we should be more like God than like Satan!
  • The secret to enjoying God is to realize that he enjoys you.
  • When we choose to reject Christ, we make a real choice. There are two options before us, and no one is forcing us to choose against our will. The problem is that our will is so set against God that we will not and cannot choose Christ. You can offer children a choice between sprouts and chocolate. It’s a real choice with both on the table in front of them. But a typical child is going to choose chocolate every time. In a similar way, but with much more inevitability, we’re presented with a choice. On the one hand, we see the pleasures of sin and living life as we choose. On the other hand, we see a pathetic figure hanging on a cross and the constraints of living under God’s restrictive rule. And every time, we choose sin instead of Christ. Our hearts are hardwired to reject God. We’re like the needle of a compass floating freely. It’s free to point in any direction, but it always points toward magnetic north. Likewise, we’re free to go in any direction, but we always point away from God and toward sin.
  • But then the Holy Spirit opens our eyes. Instead of the pleasures of sin, we see hatred, pain, and death. Instead of God’s rule seeming restrictive, we see him as a loving Father. And instead of a pathetic figure on the cross, we see our King, full of love, dying in our place to rescue us from our guilt. We see Jesus, the Morning Star of heaven, the perfect Image of God, the true Man, the kind Husband, the faithful Friend. We see that following him leads to forgiveness, freedom, life, and the promise of eternal glory. Our blind eyes are opened. Our deaf ears are cleared. Our dead hearts are renewed. And now we choose Christ—of course we do. But the “of course” is all down to the Spirit.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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Saturday, October 6, 2018

Week in Review: September 30 - October 6

NIV Rainbow Study Bible 2011

  • Psalm 21-150
  • Matthew
  • Mark


NASB 1971 First Edition

  • 1 Samuel 
  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra 
  • Nehemiah
  • Esther
  • Isaiah
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Ephesians
  • Philippians
  • Colossians


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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