2nd June 2025

2nd June 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 2:1-4 focus v1)


Message (Alan Burke) 


Some years ago I found myself with having a discussion with someone over the English translation of the Bible I used. At the time my preference was the ESV and it remains so today although I mainly use the NIV84 because it was what I inherited when I arrived to Lissara. What made this debate frustrating was that the person I was having the discussion with could not get their head around my claim that the KJV that they used was not the original language (ie Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic) never mind being the original version of the King James Bible (1611) because it has been updated and then standardised (1769). While it is called the ‘Authorized Version’ by many it’s not that God had authorised it was rather that the Privy Council authorised it although we have no records of its authorisation by the Privy Council because the records for 1600-1613 were lost in a fire. I bring this up not to start a war over which translation is best but that there is a reason why a student for the ordained ministry is taught Biblical Languages (again not the 1611 or 1769 Kings English but Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic) so that they can look at the original because all English translations fail to some degree in conveying the original meaning of the Biblical Text. 


Today is one of those passages that explain why I suffered in Union to be given some ability with the languages. Looking at the text before us the ESV conveys the meaning of verse 1 whereas the NIV84 and the KJV try to and fail but are closer to the Greek. Paul here says to the church and I’ll use the NIV84; ‘If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion…’. Notice the repetition of the word ‘if’. Well often when we use the word if in the sense in which Paul uses it is becomes accusatory, we are calling into question the reality of something which is why the ESV says ‘So if there is’ but it only uses this once and does not repeat the ‘if’. Yet the thing is they all fail to convey the sense in which Paul said what he said. Replace the ‘if’ with ‘since’ it conveys much more clearly what the apostle was saying. 


Let me give a paraphrase; ’Since you have encouragement from being united with Christ, Since you have comfort from his love, Since you have fellowship with the Spirit, Since you have tenderness and compassion…’. Let’s think to what Paul says; 


‘Since you have encouragement from being united with Christ…’. The wonder of what has been done for the church in Philippi and us is that we who were united to Adam, from the moment of our conception sinners (Ps 51:5) have now been united to Christ. There has been a profound change that has taken place within us. For those to whom Paul wrote and to us we have encouragement from being united in Christ, we need not fear what lies ahead, we can come before the Father as children, knowing that all our sins are forgiven, all our sins remembered, forgotten and not yet committed have been dealt with completely because of Christ. ‘…since we have comfort in his love…’, think of the wonder of what has been done for us and what comfort the believer can have from his love, the love that has been shown to us is not because we are deserving, it is a love that we could never earn or merit, instead it is a love that has been lavished upon us we who are by our nature the enemies of God. ‘…since we have fellowship with the Spirit…’ ie how we are united with Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit, born again, baptised into one body by the Spirits work, united together together having fellowship, we have fellowship with the Spirit, relationship with Christ as a result of the Spirits work. And ‘…since we have tenderness and compassion…’ all because the work of Christ within us we have tenderness and compassion for our brothers and sisters because we are because we are being conformed more and more into the likeness of our Lord and saviour. 


Through our union with Christ we have these things, Paul was not here intending to call into question the salvation of those to whom he wrote, rather he was reminding them of who the believer is, who we are through our union with Christ that should provoke in us a response. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q99 What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
A. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called, The Lord’s Prayer.
​