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NASB | Ephesians 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. |
Subject: denominations. |
Bible Note: Ed, I fear that perhaps in this discussion I'm becoming a big wheel -- one of the blessed wheels in the secular beatitude, "Blessed are they who go around in circles, for they shall become wheels." :-) The command of 2 Timothy 2:15 seems clear enough: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." That's what the New King James Version says. I also like the way the English Standard Version renders this verse: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." ..... As I've noted before, the believer can, and ought to, pray for divine guidance every time he approaches Scripture. And he can, and ought to, avail himself of the wisdom and counsel of godly scholars, both contemporary and in ages past, and not suppose that on him alone does the Holy Spirit grant the spiritual gifts of wisdom and insight into the Holy Scriptures, but that He also has bestowed them on other men of God who in turn have generously shared theirs with him. The principles of interpretation, far from being arbitrary, have been tried and tested for centuries and found to be extremely helpful and sound, if not infallible, tools to aid in a fuller understanding of Scripture. What else can one do but this? And does the Lord expect of us absolute perfection and inerrancy? Only He meets that standard. Man is limited in what he can do, just as Little Bo Beep's sheep. Referring to the sheep, the rhyme says, "Leave them alone and they'll come home, wagging their tails behind them." Pray tell, what else could they wag, and where else could they wag their tails except behind them? I suppose they COULD come home in reverse, but I should think that most unlikely! --Hank |