House of Truth Ministries
September 2021
House of Truth Ministries is about sharing the Gospel in various venues.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV)
September 2021
House of Truth Ministries is about sharing the Gospel in various venues.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV)
Greeting in Lord
On June 25th-27th, we had an outreach at the La Habra Citrus Festival. Below are some photos.
On June 25th-27th, we had an outreach at the La Habra Citrus Festival. Below are some photos.
Please pray for the La Habra Corn Festival outreach this October 8th through 10th, We are starting our college campuses outreaches. We visited MT SAC college in August and September. We have a live YouTube show on Monday nights at 7pm PDT.
Tools for Biblical Study
By Kurt Van Gorden
The student of Scripture should have a general understanding of the Bible. More so, the prospective Bible teacher, preacher, Sunday school teacher, missionary, or any Church leader should have a working knowledge of the Bible. The following tools are recommended for a richer and more rewarding time in studying God’s Word.
We should use the many great works of past Christian writers; whose lives are a testimony of faithfulness to God that is often unparalleled in modern times. Men like Adam Clarke, who through the 1820s endured bitterly cold winters and ill health while praying for hours for insight into God’s Word. God preserved his life to write a six-volume commentary after which he died a mere 30 days following its completion. Others like Matthew Henry and John Gill enslaved themselves to Christ’s ministry while producing books that have blessed untold millions of Christians three hundred of years after their death.
Commentaries: Commentaries are not to be shunned, as is often the mistaken belief of the untaught Christian. It has been well stated by Christian scholars of the past that there is no greater commentary on the Bible than the Bible itself. We expand this view to include Jesus. Jesus is the greatest commentary upon both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. He told us the purpose and fulfillment of all the former Scriptures concerned Him (Luke 24:44).
Jesus taught His disciples for a period of four years. It is from His Apostles that we draw our second source of New Testament information. The closest followers of our Lord Jesus Christ were inspired of the Holy Spirit to give us the proper and clearest understanding of His ways. Their writings are cherished today by true Bible believers as fully inspired of God and given to the Church for direction and doctrine. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is evident in their writings (2 Timothy 3:16). The Apostles were guarded by the Holy Spirit from making mistakes in the words and works of Christ (John 14:26).
The Apostolic fathers of the Church are those who knew the Apostles but were too young to have encountered the Lord. Their insights and comments upon the Scriptures are invaluable in Christian study because of their proximity to the Apostles. Two such Apostolic Fathers, Irenaius and Polycarp, were personal disciples of the Apostle John. Their writings have been translated in The Apostolic Fathers (Jack Sparks, Nelson Pub.) and The Apostolic Fathers (Lightfoot, Hendrickson pub.).
The pre-Nicene Church Fathers also provide valuable insights into the teachings of the early Church. Their writings are translated in the Ante-Nicene Fathers (A. Roberts, Hendrickson pub., 10 volumes). Each generation of Christians strove to closely follow the Lord Jesus and His teachings. Several of the many great commentators who are faithful to God’s Word are Matthew Henry, F. F. Bruce, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Robert C. H. Lenski, Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, Matthew Poole, John Gill, and J. P. Lange. Some of the recommended multiple-volume commentaries by multiple authors are the Expositor’s Bible, the Word Bible Commentary, New International Commentary, and the Tyndale Commentary. Some recommended single-volume commentaries are The International Bible Commentary (Bruce), Bethany Parallel Commentary, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Ewell), Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Matthew Henry, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, and the New Bible Commentary (Wenham).
By Kurt Van Gorden
The student of Scripture should have a general understanding of the Bible. More so, the prospective Bible teacher, preacher, Sunday school teacher, missionary, or any Church leader should have a working knowledge of the Bible. The following tools are recommended for a richer and more rewarding time in studying God’s Word.
We should use the many great works of past Christian writers; whose lives are a testimony of faithfulness to God that is often unparalleled in modern times. Men like Adam Clarke, who through the 1820s endured bitterly cold winters and ill health while praying for hours for insight into God’s Word. God preserved his life to write a six-volume commentary after which he died a mere 30 days following its completion. Others like Matthew Henry and John Gill enslaved themselves to Christ’s ministry while producing books that have blessed untold millions of Christians three hundred of years after their death.
Commentaries: Commentaries are not to be shunned, as is often the mistaken belief of the untaught Christian. It has been well stated by Christian scholars of the past that there is no greater commentary on the Bible than the Bible itself. We expand this view to include Jesus. Jesus is the greatest commentary upon both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. He told us the purpose and fulfillment of all the former Scriptures concerned Him (Luke 24:44).
Jesus taught His disciples for a period of four years. It is from His Apostles that we draw our second source of New Testament information. The closest followers of our Lord Jesus Christ were inspired of the Holy Spirit to give us the proper and clearest understanding of His ways. Their writings are cherished today by true Bible believers as fully inspired of God and given to the Church for direction and doctrine. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is evident in their writings (2 Timothy 3:16). The Apostles were guarded by the Holy Spirit from making mistakes in the words and works of Christ (John 14:26).
The Apostolic fathers of the Church are those who knew the Apostles but were too young to have encountered the Lord. Their insights and comments upon the Scriptures are invaluable in Christian study because of their proximity to the Apostles. Two such Apostolic Fathers, Irenaius and Polycarp, were personal disciples of the Apostle John. Their writings have been translated in The Apostolic Fathers (Jack Sparks, Nelson Pub.) and The Apostolic Fathers (Lightfoot, Hendrickson pub.).
The pre-Nicene Church Fathers also provide valuable insights into the teachings of the early Church. Their writings are translated in the Ante-Nicene Fathers (A. Roberts, Hendrickson pub., 10 volumes). Each generation of Christians strove to closely follow the Lord Jesus and His teachings. Several of the many great commentators who are faithful to God’s Word are Matthew Henry, F. F. Bruce, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Robert C. H. Lenski, Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, Matthew Poole, John Gill, and J. P. Lange. Some of the recommended multiple-volume commentaries by multiple authors are the Expositor’s Bible, the Word Bible Commentary, New International Commentary, and the Tyndale Commentary. Some recommended single-volume commentaries are The International Bible Commentary (Bruce), Bethany Parallel Commentary, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Ewell), Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Matthew Henry, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, and the New Bible Commentary (Wenham).
In our current age liberal theologians have sown seeds of tare among the wheat. We need to be watchful of those in the past century who have done their utmost to cast doubt upon God’s Word rather than esteeming it as holy. In particular, watch for such names as Julius Wellhausen, Emil Brunner, Karl Barth, Rudulf Bultmann, Fredrich Schleiermacher, Raymond Brown, John Hick, Hans Kung, Reinhold Neibuhr, Karl Rahner, Robert M. Grant, Bishop Spong, William Barclay, Norman Vincent Peal, and James Hastings. Liberal commentaries where caution should be exercised are the Interpreter’s Bible, the Jerome Bible Commentary, and the Anchor Bible Commentary.
Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias: Generally, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias do not follow the same trend of liberal thinking as what is found in modern commentaries. This is due to defining terms rather than giving a theological discourse. There are, though, some biblical dictionaries or encyclopedias that overstep their duty and speculate beyond mere definitions. In brief, the way to discover the bias of a Bible dictionary is to look up certain key areas of contention between liberal and conservative Christians. If one examines the topics of Creation, Inspiration, the writings of Moses, the Gospel authorship, or the like, and finds slants toward the Wellhausen theory (JEPD, the Jehovist, Elohist, Priestly, Deuteronomic authorship of the Pentateuch), or doubt as to the Gospel writers, or advocating “Q document” theories, theistic evolution, or if it refers to creation as a myth, then rest assured that the volume in hand has a liberal taint. A few good conservative Bible dictionaries are Zondervan’s New Compact Bible Dictionary, the Holman Bible Dictionary, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary (J. D. Douglas), The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Zondervan), the New Bible Dictionary (IVP), Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Moody), and Smith's Bible Dictionary. Some of the better Bible encyclopedias are the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, the New International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, and Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible. Some of the liberal names to watch for are Hasting’s Bible Dictionary, Hasting’s Bible Encyclopedia, and the Eerdmans Bible Dictionary.
Concordances: There are three favored concordances often used for biblical research, i.e., Strong’s, Young’s, and Cruden’s. Strong’s and Young’s are particularly valuable because they give the root-word meaning for Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek along with a fair English equivalent. One must be warned, though, that simple knowledge of Strong’s or Young’s Hebrew and Greek only supplies root word definitions and has little to do with how these words are properly translated in their grammatical context. One could say, “Strong’s Concordance says this is the meaning of the Hebrew,” but the root meaning alone gives us no insight upon the usage, grammar, or context.
Background books and Bible handbooks: The biblical background gives us insight into the history, archaeology, geography, topography, culture, mannerisms, and customs. Most of books on these subjects make good references for consulting various biblical passages. These help us to understand things like how Joseph was called the “husband” of Mary during their betrothal. The Jewish custom of betrothal was as solid as a marriage and could only be broken by a decree of divorce. Background books help us immensely in this area. Some of the popular, thorough Bible handbooks are Halley’s Bible Handbook, Eerdman’s Bible Handbook, Unger’s Bible Handbook, Boyd’s Bible Handbook, World’s Bible Handbook, and Holman’s Bible Handbook.
Translations and interlinear texts: The various English translations of the Bible are exactly what they say they are—translations of one language into another. No English version is any more holy or ordained than any other is. We do not have a commandment from God telling us which English version has His sanction, therefore we must look at the various translations and understand what, if any, differences exist between them. There are basically three different methods of translation for the Old and New Testaments—literal, dynamic equivalence, and complete equivalence.
The literal translation is not a simplistic word exchange for the languages involved. They take all things into consideration, such as the grammar, context, history, and background. They then produce a literal translation based upon the information within the text and about the text. The King James Version, even with its antiquated English, is a good literal translation of the Bible. Probably one of the best is the New American Standard Bible, even though it is criticized for lacking smooth reading.
Dynamic translations result from modern studies. They are not literal translations, but instead they provide equivalencies in thought content while trying to maintain the writer’s intent. The New International Version and Today's English Version are examples of dynamic equivalence translations. Students who desire an easy-reading text that is trustworthy for the thought-content of the original prefer these.
The complete translation is a combination of these first two methods. It remains faithful to the literal text, but keeps in mind the dynamics of the languages involved. The New King James Version is an example of a complete translation. Preference should be given to these translations for the student who desires to use an English version with the certainty and trustworthiness of a literal translation, yet with smoothness and clarity of a dynamic translation.
Hebrew and Greek interlinear translations are literally word-for-word equivalencies of the languages, but they lack grammatical structures that may clarify the meaning of the sentence. Jay Green, George R. Berry, I. Howard Marshall, and Spirio Zodiates translate the better interlinear volumes.
© 2000 – Kurt Van Gorden
Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias: Generally, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias do not follow the same trend of liberal thinking as what is found in modern commentaries. This is due to defining terms rather than giving a theological discourse. There are, though, some biblical dictionaries or encyclopedias that overstep their duty and speculate beyond mere definitions. In brief, the way to discover the bias of a Bible dictionary is to look up certain key areas of contention between liberal and conservative Christians. If one examines the topics of Creation, Inspiration, the writings of Moses, the Gospel authorship, or the like, and finds slants toward the Wellhausen theory (JEPD, the Jehovist, Elohist, Priestly, Deuteronomic authorship of the Pentateuch), or doubt as to the Gospel writers, or advocating “Q document” theories, theistic evolution, or if it refers to creation as a myth, then rest assured that the volume in hand has a liberal taint. A few good conservative Bible dictionaries are Zondervan’s New Compact Bible Dictionary, the Holman Bible Dictionary, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary (J. D. Douglas), The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Zondervan), the New Bible Dictionary (IVP), Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Moody), and Smith's Bible Dictionary. Some of the better Bible encyclopedias are the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, the New International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, and Baker’s Encyclopedia of the Bible. Some of the liberal names to watch for are Hasting’s Bible Dictionary, Hasting’s Bible Encyclopedia, and the Eerdmans Bible Dictionary.
Concordances: There are three favored concordances often used for biblical research, i.e., Strong’s, Young’s, and Cruden’s. Strong’s and Young’s are particularly valuable because they give the root-word meaning for Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek along with a fair English equivalent. One must be warned, though, that simple knowledge of Strong’s or Young’s Hebrew and Greek only supplies root word definitions and has little to do with how these words are properly translated in their grammatical context. One could say, “Strong’s Concordance says this is the meaning of the Hebrew,” but the root meaning alone gives us no insight upon the usage, grammar, or context.
Background books and Bible handbooks: The biblical background gives us insight into the history, archaeology, geography, topography, culture, mannerisms, and customs. Most of books on these subjects make good references for consulting various biblical passages. These help us to understand things like how Joseph was called the “husband” of Mary during their betrothal. The Jewish custom of betrothal was as solid as a marriage and could only be broken by a decree of divorce. Background books help us immensely in this area. Some of the popular, thorough Bible handbooks are Halley’s Bible Handbook, Eerdman’s Bible Handbook, Unger’s Bible Handbook, Boyd’s Bible Handbook, World’s Bible Handbook, and Holman’s Bible Handbook.
Translations and interlinear texts: The various English translations of the Bible are exactly what they say they are—translations of one language into another. No English version is any more holy or ordained than any other is. We do not have a commandment from God telling us which English version has His sanction, therefore we must look at the various translations and understand what, if any, differences exist between them. There are basically three different methods of translation for the Old and New Testaments—literal, dynamic equivalence, and complete equivalence.
The literal translation is not a simplistic word exchange for the languages involved. They take all things into consideration, such as the grammar, context, history, and background. They then produce a literal translation based upon the information within the text and about the text. The King James Version, even with its antiquated English, is a good literal translation of the Bible. Probably one of the best is the New American Standard Bible, even though it is criticized for lacking smooth reading.
Dynamic translations result from modern studies. They are not literal translations, but instead they provide equivalencies in thought content while trying to maintain the writer’s intent. The New International Version and Today's English Version are examples of dynamic equivalence translations. Students who desire an easy-reading text that is trustworthy for the thought-content of the original prefer these.
The complete translation is a combination of these first two methods. It remains faithful to the literal text, but keeps in mind the dynamics of the languages involved. The New King James Version is an example of a complete translation. Preference should be given to these translations for the student who desires to use an English version with the certainty and trustworthiness of a literal translation, yet with smoothness and clarity of a dynamic translation.
Hebrew and Greek interlinear translations are literally word-for-word equivalencies of the languages, but they lack grammatical structures that may clarify the meaning of the sentence. Jay Green, George R. Berry, I. Howard Marshall, and Spirio Zodiates translate the better interlinear volumes.
© 2000 – Kurt Van Gorden
House of Truth Ministries
Box 729
La Habra, CA 90633
Our E-mail address is below should you have questions or comments:
My E-mail
jeff@HouseOfTruthMinistries.org
Our website
http://www.HouseOfTruthMinistries.org
House of Truth Ministries' Blogs
http://houseoftruthministries.org/blogs.html
House of Truth Ministries' YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtvAk11yMYsOfFhy3W81jw
Box 729
La Habra, CA 90633
Our E-mail address is below should you have questions or comments:
My E-mail
jeff@HouseOfTruthMinistries.org
Our website
http://www.HouseOfTruthMinistries.org
House of Truth Ministries' Blogs
http://houseoftruthministries.org/blogs.html
House of Truth Ministries' YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtvAk11yMYsOfFhy3W81jw