Many Christians often forget that modern day English is a relatively new human creation. Biblical texts in their “original” forms were written in either Hebrew or Greek. In fact, if we want to get really technical, many translations of the bible were based off a Greek translation of ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament!

So sometimes, students of the bible get themselves in a bit of a pickle. Some people worry if their English biblical translation is genuine or accurate. Some argue that there are only certain “valid” translations like the King James Version and that others are inaccurate. Others argue that in order to truly understand the bible, one needs to master old languages.

Our Advent series for this year is on several “ancient” biblical words as we find them in scripture, with their English counterparts. Yesterday’s word was yakhal, or as we know it today as English speakers, hope. Here are some general thoughts on biblical languages for you to keep in mind…

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Hebrew and Greek studies can be incredibly insightful

The meanings of words change over time. A common example I like to use is the word love. We love many things nowadays, and this word is basically synonymous with “really liking” something. We love the weather. We love when our sports team wins. We love tacos. So when we read a verse from scripture about God being love or how we must love others, sometimes we have an insufficient understanding of the big idea.

Therefore, word studies can be very helpful when studying scripture. With our “love” example, there are numerous Greek words for love, and each has a unique meaning. So when we talk about old “original” words for love, its something much deeper that popular usages today! The same is also true for what we saw yesterday for hope. Biblical hope is not optimism, but rather waiting on the Lord.

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The bible itself is not something to be worshipped

This might sound quite controversial to hear at first. But as a Christian, the only object of our worship must be God. The bible is a powerful tool that testifies as to who God is! It points to our redeemer and source of life.

Think about that for a moment. During your prayer time, do you bow before the bible and speak your prayer requests to it? If you are in a moment of crisis, do you hopefully think of that physical leather-bound book? I hope my point is clear that we ought to be worshipping God alone, and not get too hung up on the biblical translation debate. Bible reading is incredibly important, but it should never be the only thing we focus on in faith.

There are plenty of faiths out there that may be rooted in a particular holy text or specific language. For instance, the Koran is a revelation specific to the Arabic language and English translations lack the original sacred character. Christianity is different in that it is all about a relationship with Christ, and it doesn’t matter what language scripture gets translated into!

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The Holy Spirit must guide us as we interpret scripture

Too many people read the bible and fail to remember the love of God. We read verses and focus on the ones which support our personal agenda. Even worse, we sometimes use the bible as a weapon to shame or defeat others.

When you read the bible, are you treating it like any ordinary book? Hopefully we know that God’s Spirit should be moving in our hearts as we read it. The bible shouldn’t just be about absorbing information for personal benefit. Allow the Holy Spirit to change you as you read the words! That is a wonderful truth that transcends human language and translation.

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In conclusion, word studies of old languages can help in your reading of scripture. I hope our Advent series will shed new light on the meaning of Christmas as we look at words like hope, love, and peace.

In the same breath, however, don’t miss the forest for the Greek/Hebrew “trees!” There are many more important aspects of reading the bible, including deepening our relationship with God and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. You don’t need a seminary degree to understand scripture. You don’t have to be fluent in Hebrew or Greek. If you’re an English speaker, a mainstream English translation and an open heart ought to do the trick.

Just about every personal relationship issue people face has to do with boundaries in one way or another. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend explore this problem in their book Boundaries. They approach this major issue through the lens of Christian counseling and psychology.

We acknowledge physical boundaries in our world, so why do we struggle with emotional or social boundaries in relationships? Many people assume that putting up boundaries and saying “no” are somehow unloving actions. We have distorted the word “love” to mean to always consent and accept whatever comes our way. We even might think we are able to control the actions of others. But we must remember that boundaries signify the area in which someone may be responsible for. Just as with a fence around a yard, spiritual boundaries are very real and help define us.

Here are a few examples of mismanaged boundaries:

• Every time a husband has an issue with his wife (or vice versa), the parent will complain about the situation with a daughter over the phone. The daughter is caught in a strange place, managing conflict between two adults instead of the mother and father dealing with one another. She frequently feels exhausted playing the mediator between mom and dad, and in turn, the husband and wife grow distant with one another.
• A parent has a difficult time saying “no” to a son. The son repeatedly makes mistakes as an adult and always asks for a bail out when in tough times. The parent believes that “love” means protecting offspring from all consequences.
• A son is trying to establish his career as a young adult. He faces pressure to return home every weekend to visit parents, regardless of work schedule or personal life. When he doesn’t return home, the parents become angry.
• A husband feels lack of physical intimacy with his wife. He develops a habit of viewing online pornography.
• An employee continually accepts requests from a boss to work over the weekend without overtime pay. She misses out on much-needed rest and time with her family.

In all these examples, one or multiple subjects struggle with putting up healthy boundaries.

Boundaries are thoroughly rooted in scripture. There were almost too many bible passages and stories to count in Boundaries! Here is a general idea of what the authors mean when boundaries are God-mandated and necessary for any relationship. God has created us to be a steward of creation. We are not responsible for the actions of others, as we cannot literally control people all the time. We must pursue God ourselves and support others, hoping and praying they chose righteousness. Galatians 6 does tell us to carry one another’s burdens, but that is not a permanent command, as we ought to be turning over everything to Christ! Galatians 6:5 does in fact tell us that everyone ought to carry their own load, implying there are many things in life we are personally responsible for and others are not. We frequently ignore these basic biblical principles and try to “play God” with other people, trying to use or control their behaviors.

So with the “ten laws” in mind, let’s examine a hypothetical example from above—the conflicted husband and wife with the exhausted daughter. A psychological term for this scenario is triangulation (Person A is mad a B, but instead of talking with B goes to C to complain. C’s relationship with B is affected and A and B make no progress to solving the initial problem!).

The “ideal” outcome for this family conflict (as I see it) is obviously that mom and dad would communicate with one another instead of bringing in the adult daughter every time they have issue. Hopefully the parents treat the daughter as an adult with her own life, not a marriage counselor or conflict mediator! How can we get to that resolution by remembering the “ten laws?”

1. For starters, the family must remember that we sow what we reap. If a husband and wife neglect to nurture their marriage, that relationship will suffer. That is a consequence the daughter has utterly no control over! She cannot control a relationship that was not hers to begin with.
2. Secondly, each have responsibility and are unable to be someone else. In this case, the daughter must recognize she cannot be the “partner” of her mother or father. That’s what a husband or wife is for.
3. Third, all three family members must see that while they have power, they do not have the ability to make decisions for others. I imagine dad believes he can change mom by gossiping about her (or vice versa). Perhaps the daughter even thinks she can “fix” the marriage by listening to each parent vent! But while we all have power, we cannot control others.
4. The fourth law of respect means that the family must acknowledge and remember the boundaries of other family members. It is not appropriate to ask the daughter to handle everything. We must respect the responsibilities of others.
5. Fifth, to have a health parent-child relationship, the daughter must be able to say “no” to these gossip sessions over the phone. Without that free choice, this relationship will undoubtedly struggle.
6. The sixth law might involve the daughter evaluating her boundary-setting with mom and dad. Dad might get upset she says “no” to gossiping about mom. In the big picture, however, this boundary (despite dad feeling temporarily “hurt”) is healthy to pursue and hopefully encourages the dad to be kinder in general. (An example of “harm” would be the daughter insulting dad, or gossiping about him to mom!)
7. Seventh, the daughter must be proactive with her parents, and the parents ought to be proactive with one another. Instead of being dismissive to her father next time he calls to complain, perhaps a better response would be to voice why she cannot have this conversation (i.e. “I have a busy day at work right now” or “I am preparing for my friend’s birthday party the next couple of days”).
8. Eighth, the parents need to see that envy is likely destroying their relationship. They might be jealous of other marriages, whether a neighbor’s or even an idealized portrait of marriage in a movie. Focusing on the problems will only develop more resentment. Focus on solutions!
9. Ninth, everyone in this family must show initiative to solve this conflict. Mom and daughter might be “on board” for a resolution, but without the father agreeing to change his behavior and habits, some conflict will continue to persist. Everyone must be on the same page.
10. And finally, this issue will never resolve without communicating your boundaries to others. The daughter must tell both parents that she cannot play “husband” or “wife” any longer–that is the couple’s responsibility.

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Boundaries are such a complicated and important issue for relationships with children, friends, spouses, colleagues, church members, and relatives. Too often we neglect to have healthy boundaries.

Cloud and Townsend do an incredible job in Boundaries outlining the importance of this topic from a biblical perspective. They have many practical examples to support every aspect of their argument. I’ll definitely use this material in my own ministry, and think many others would benefit from reading this book!

Sunday’s sermon was on the importance of sharing our blessings with others. Hopefully we all increase our generosity as time goes on, whether that is how we spend our money, give our time, and manage other aspects of our life.

Sometimes when Christians speak about giving, they will argue that God will “bless” you the more you “give.” This implies that God will reward givers for the sacrifice with some kind of material blessing. In the worst cases I’ve witnessed, I was under the impression someone argued that God would bless the generous with a winning lottery ticket!

I’m uneasy about this line of reasoning and think it distorts the true message of scripture. God never promised us worldly fame or fortune. In fact, following Christ is actually very costly! We surrender our will in exchange for God’s. We hopefully refuse to worship idols like money. And as with our service this weekend, by being a Christian, we are to live a life of generosity.

Nevertheless, I do think there are many “blessings” we can experience if we give. These blessings look different than what we might expect. They certainly don’t look like indulging our greedy tendencies (i.e. praying to win the lottery!). These “benefits” might not even look like good things compared to how our sinful world operates. But note what I’ve learned through studying scripture, pastoring, and managing my own life…

Giving forces you to budget

This “benefit” deals with how we might be generous with our finances and even our time. If you commit to giving a 10% tithe between charity and the church, then you are “forced” to plan to only spend 90% of your income. I’ve written before how many people struggle with issues like debt and living above one’s means. Giving generously to others can help you be more mindful of how you spend.

Also consider if you commit to volunteering your time. Too many times we let the days waste away, wondering where the time went, or running out of time to do things that truly matter. Our time can absolutely be eaten away sitting in front of a TV or staring at a phone screen. Committing to feed the hungry at a soup kitchen or mentor a struggling student will force you to plan your week wisely. Time is something we need to “budget,” too!

Generosity can free us from materialism

We frequently define ourselves by a bank account balance, the square footage of a home, or the kind of car or truck parked in our driveway. Materialism is the belief that physical belongings matter most, and this toxic viewpoint is everywhere in our culture. If you are generous in your life, I firmly believe that allows you to step away from materialistic tendencies and instead, embrace Godly living. Personally, I’ve noticed that extremely generous people tend to be less concerned about material things because they focus on God’s commandment to serve our neighbor.

Giving allows you to join in on what God is doing

If you regularly “invest” in your church through consistent tithing, I think you have a “front row seat” to witness what is going on with God’s kingdom! It is truly wonderful to see how God is already active in our world, whether that be supporting partner nonprofits, supplying food pantries, or leading transformational ministries at the local church. I personally do not think giving our resources should be a miserable experience. Instead, it is rather exciting to see what God does with a church offering, Advent collection, or goods drive!

Giving can witness to others

The book Passing the Plate notes a troubling statistic in American Christianity: The majority of churchgoers give either nothing or less than 1% of their income away. It goes without saying that we live in a very selfish world. Likewise, generosity is truly countercultural. Perhaps it might even be one of the best witnessing tools to address our selfish world.

When we give to others, that has such incredible potential to witness to God’s love. In Genesis 12, when God calls Abram, the culmination of the covenant is that all the families of the earth will be blessed because of Abram’s family. Hopefully we never lose sight of the truth we must share God’s goodness with others.

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This week as you ready yourself for Thanksgiving, I hope you’ll take time to consider how to be more generous. Indeed God offers us many blessings when we open our hearts and lives to others. Hopefully as we thank God for the many blessings we have, we develop a passionate desire to share those blessings with the whole world!