Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Ephesians 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 1:4 just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love |
Subject: Predestination |
Bible Note: You speak of "When people take the desert Island approach..." My reply addresses a hypothetical (when/if)situation. I'm not saying YOU are doing this, I merely point out what would happen IF one did what you speak of. If one were to go into isolation, cut off from all contact with the outside world, pretending that we're not connected to 2000 years of church history, with nothing but the text of the Bible (with no English or Bible dictionary, no background information -- no cultural, geographical, historical, or language information -- on the verses in question, and no knowledge of the basic (universal) principles of interpretation), then one would still have no guarantee that all of his own understanding, interpretations, and conclusions would be correct. Follow it through to its logical conclusion. If it were possible to retire to a desert island and come out several years later with perfect understanding of every Bible teaching, then all one would have to do to be a world class Bible expert, is to do just that -- throw away and close your mind to everything but the text of the Bible. This sounds like a holy, pure, righteous and right thing to do -- ideally. But in reality it wouldn't work. You would not get at the truth of the Bible in this way. This is essentially what the founders of the Jehovah's Witnesses did and look at the conclusions they came up with. |