Some thoughts on this week's passage

Every year I'm tempted to read through the entire Bible (and Apocrypha). I usually don't, but am always happy I did. Making your way from Genesis to Revelation clarifies quite a bit, especially the centrality of themes consistent throughout the entire Bible. You can begin to see the old Western Christian guideline: Creation, Fall, Redemption. (Those first two things happen quite quickly.) More importantly, you can see the truth of Jesus' statements in John 5:39: "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me."

Although I want to finish the Bible this year, I know I won't, which is one of the reasons I'm posting the Calvinist Gadfly's scripture passages. I hope to have at least embedded 52 NT passages by the end of the year. Rather than get a quick overview, I can spend a bit more time mulling over each passage.

So here are some thoughts on this week's post (Phil 4:6-7):
1. "Don't worry" is an present active imperative. In other words, "Stop worrying."
2. "About" is an extension of the word for "worry," but it is arguably possible to read this passage as, "Stop worrying. But in everything - by prayer...."
3. "Your" is plural. This is a letter to the church.
4. "thought" is probably just as good a translation as "understanding" in the old KJV. The word is "mind".
5. "In Christ Jesus" is not an accident. Our confidence and hope - the reason we are told to stop worrying - goes back to that phrase. There's a Seinfeld episode where the gang dirties every fortune cookie by adding the phrase, "... in bed." ("You will have great success... in bed.") For the Christian, every promise goes back to Paul's phrase, "in Christ." God loves us in Christ. We are more than conquerors in Christ. So he says here, the peace of God will guard you (all) in Christ.

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Bible Week 2

Here is week 2's memory passage from Calvinist Gadfly. Again, I simply steal his format and provide the Holman Translation.

6 Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phi 4:6-7)

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Bible Week 1

Alan Kurschner - over at Calvinst Gadfly - threw down the kind of challenge I really need to take up. He's offering a passage of Scripture every Friday for memorization. The goal is to have embedded 52 sections of the New Testament to memory by 2008. So, I'm going for it. But like all whiny people, the first thing I do is debate using his chosen text: the NIV (although I think the NIV may better clarify the meaning of this first passage). Still, I've decided to re-post his selections here using the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible). Here's week #1:

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30 HCSB)

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