New and Living

Bible reading and knowledge has sunk to a new low according to a recent article from the American Bible Society.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us, however that the word of God is living and active.  We have to decide to take the steps to read, think, and understand what God has said to us through His word.  This coming semester at SAGU, I'm going to have the privilege again of joining my Bible teacher, (and boss), :-) Dr. Leroy Bartel, in teaching the course Bible Study.  This is a required course of all students that enter @ sagu because we believe that God has called them all into ministry.  The course is a simple, although challenging introduction into the world of Bible Study.  Students will be taught the different types of literature, and the right questions to ask of the text when they come to the word of God.  This is important not just for college students but everyone who wants to know what Scripture is saying.  In our textbook, (I'm currently reviewing the latest edition), the authors talk about a "principalizing bridge" that gets the reader from the "then and there" of the biblical world, to the "here and now" of the current day.

One approach I use to stay aware of God's word is to have a daily reading plan.  Last year I finished the ESV (it took me 3 years because I like to highlight and underline when I read).  This time I've set my reading plan on the New Living Translation.  Wow. We're talking about some fun reading.
For a sample, click here.

If you recall the Living Bible, the NLT fits in that category according to most who compare translations.  Here is what the editors of the New Living Translation have to say about their version.

We believe that the New Living Translation—which combines the latest biblical scholarship with a clear, dynamic writing style—will communicate God’s word powerfully to all who read it. We publish it with the prayer that God will use it to speak his timeless truth to the church and the world in a fresh, new way.

The Publishers, July 2004

Discover something new.  Try reading the word of God in a different version.  It's the same Spirit that inspired it, just a different translation.