Christian Standard Bible – Anglicised Edition

 

I was happy to find out that the Christian Standard Bible is going to be issued in an Anglicised edition with British spelling and usage. I understand the new edition will go on sale in June this year.

The Christian Standard Bible or CSB is a great translation. It first came out in 2017 and was a revision of the "Holman Christian Standard Bible" first published in 2004. The CSB translators claim it uses "optimal equivalence" as its translation philosophy which is to say it is more literal than the NIV but more functional than the ESV. It is a conservative evangelical committee translation produced by Holman Publishers in the USA. Often thought of as a "Baptist" translation because it was produced by a Baptist publishing house, it is not sectarian and involved scholars from 17 denominations to avoid denominational bias.

Like the NIV, the CSB is a completely fresh translation from the original languages and is not within the Tyndale/KJV/RV/ASV/RSV family tree, which means it does not necessarily follow "traditional" renderings. I believe this is a strong point in its favour, whenever a "new" rendering is more accurate to the Hebrew or Greek.

Here are a couple of sample verses from the CSB, which I think show the nature of the CSB as a translation:

Mark 9:3 - describing Jesus' appearance during the transfiguration - "and his clothes became dazzling—extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them."

Where the CSB has "no launderer" the NIV has "anyone" and the ESV has "no one" but the Greek has "γναφεὺς" (grapheus) - a launderer or "fuller" (KJV), thus the CSB is considerably more accurate.

Matthew 6:9 - "Our Father in heaven, your name be honoured as holy" moving away from "hallowed" in the Tyndale/KJV tradition, which few modern readers understand or use anywhere else except in the Lord's Prayer.

John 3:16 - "For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Here the CSB again moves from the traditional to the more accurate. "In this way" is an improvement on the traditional "so loved" which we tend to read as "loved so much" rather than "loved in this way" which is what the Greek word houtos usually means. Secondly, "everyone who believes" is better in my view than "whoever believes". 

The CSB also makes good use of footnotes where alternative translations are possible or where there are textual variants. Often the footnotes contain a more traditional or literal translation. 

For example in 1 John 2:2: "He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world" with a footnote "the propitiation."

Again in 2 Timothy 3:16a: "All Scripture is inspired by God" with a footnote "breathed out by God".

There is always a danger that the CSB will fall between two stools. It may not be literal or traditional enough for churches that favour the ESV and it may not be simple enough for churches that use the NIV or anything even more functionally equivalent like the NLT.

Yet the CSB is a very good translation and its fresh renderings in many places are helpful to contrast with the ESV/NRSV in the Tyndale tradition or with the NIV/NLT's more functional renderings.

How to tell if someone is a Christian?

I came across this video on YouTube, which features seven people who claim to be Christians in conversation.

The point is that only six are professing Christians and one is an atheist masquerading as a Christian. Through questions, the participants try to guess who is the imposter and vote them out. It is an interesting exercise.

Personally, I have some doubts about the credibility of some of the others who claim to be Christians as well, but that's beside the point.

Of more interest is to ask, how would we try to determine if somone claiming to be a Christian is genuine?

I don't think the questions asked in the video were very good. No one seemed to ask or talk about God at all. No one mentioned Jesus or the Holy Spirit. No one referred to prayer or Bible reading. At least not in the edited version we see in the video.

These are the kind of questions I would probably ask in this scenario:

• What led you to become a Christian?
• What kind of church do you attend?
• What Bible translation do you mostly read?
• What's your favourite Bible verse?
• What's your favourite hymn or worship song?
• Do you serve in any capacity at your church?

Of course, someone deliberately setting out to deceive could probably come up with answers to these, so who knows. In my experience, most Christians are very willing to accept someone's profession of faith as genuine.

More important than our personal "tests" is to see what the Bible says about what makes a Christian. Some relevant verses are the following:

• A Christian is someone who has been born again by the Holy Spirit. The phrase "born-again Christian" is a redundancy. See John 3:3-8.
• A Christian is someone who has faith in Jesus to save them. See Acts 16:30-31, John 3:16
  
• A Christian is someone who seeks to follow Jesus in obedience to his teachings. See 1 John 2:3-6.
• A Christian is someone who confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead. See Romans 10:9
• A Christian is someone who seeks to turn away (repent) of their sins. See Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15, Acts 2:38, 2 Peter 3:9.

The folk in this video seem to associate being a Christian with going to church and maybe having some kind of spiritual experience. I was quite shocked that none of them mentioned a personal relationship with Jesus or God the Father or the Holy Spirit.

The Meaning and Translation of "Hilasterion" in Romans 3:25

Paul's Letter to the Romans is a key part of the New Testament, the letter in which the gospel or good news is given its fullest explanation. Within this letter, the section in Romans 3:21-26 is central to the meaning of the doctrine of salvation and within that section verse 25 is a key verse. 

The focus of our discussion is on the meaning and translation of this word "hilasterion" in this verse. 

1. Description of the Possible Translations

While we confess that ‘all Scripture is God-breathed’ (2 Tim. 3:16) meaning that all of Scripture comes from God, we recognise that not all the God-breathed Scriptures are equally important. Obviously, for example, the crucifixion and resurrection narratives of the Gospels are more important to the people of God and the message of salvation than say a genealogy of names in Genesis or Chronicles. Paul’s Letter to the Romans is one of the most important books in the New Testament because it is where we find the fullest exposition of Paul’s gospel. Within Romans, chapter 3 verse 25 is a key verse. And within that verse the key word is ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion). This word is the focus of this paper.

The verse reads as follows (author’s translation)—from verse 24 to give the context:

24 Being declared righteous freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a hilasterion, by his blood, to be received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins committed beforehand.

The correct translation of this word "hilasterion" into English has a long history of controversy and debate. English translations of the word divide into five main categories as explained below.

a. Mercy Seat or Atonement Cover

The first group of translations sees hilasterion as a direct reference to the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, traditionally known as the ‘mercy seat’ or other more descriptive translations such as ‘atonement lid’ or ‘atonement cover.’ 

This view sees hilasterion as the direct Greek equivalent of the Hebrew, כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporeth) which is the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, commanded by God to be made (Ex. 25:17 ff.), the place where God’s presence would rest and make atonement for the sins of his people. 

Translations taking this approach include the following:

God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith (CSB)

whom God has set forth a mercy-seat, through faith in his blood (Darby)

whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat through faith in his blood (EHV)

God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith (NET)

Whom God hath set forth as a propitiatory covering, through faith in his blood. (Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible)

Whom God purposed for a Propitiatory shelter, through faith in His blood. (Concordant Literal Version)

This interpretation sees Paul’s argument being that just as the mercy seat on the ark was the place where the people’s sins were taken away, God’s wrath removed, and God’s reconciliation with his people established, so the cross of Jesus Christ was the reality of that Old Testament type. It should be noted that the last two translations above make it explicit that the kapporeth being referred to is much more than merely the lid of the covenant box or ark, it has deep theological meaning—it is a propitiatory shelter or covering—meaning it is the place where God’s wrath against sin is dealt with and taken away or removed.

b. Propitiation

The second group of translations does not link hilasterion directly to the mercy seat, but instead sees it as a reference to the means or place of propitiation (the means by which or place where sin is taken away, wrath turned aside and justice is satisfied). The translations which take this approach includes some of the most commonly used literal translations in English, as follows:

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. (KJV)

whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood. (ASV)

whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith. (NKJV)

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (ESV)

whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. (NASB 1995)

whom God put forward as the means of propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Moffatt)

Two versions agree that the hilasterion is a propitiation, but rather than use this technical term which would doubtless be difficult to understand for many English readers, they explain the concept of propitiation:

God presented him as the one who would turn aside his wrath taking away sin through faith in his blood. (NIV 1984 marginal reading)

For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. (NLT 1996)

c. Expiation

Some English translations, particularly it must be admitted, translations at least influenced by liberal theology, which have a tendency to deny or play down the concept of the wrath of God, see in hilasterion a reference to the taking away of sin, but not the turning aside or satisfying God’s wrath. For these translations, rather than use ‘propitiation’ with its connotation of appeasing or satisfying wrath, they use the word ‘expiation’ which connotes only to the taking away or removal of sin, without reference to wrath.

This position is found in the following versions:

whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (RSV)

For God designed him to be the means of expiating sin by his death, effective through faith. (REB)

whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood. (NABRE)

d. Reconciliation

A few English translations take hilasterion to refer not to the expiating of sin or the propitiating of wrath, but to the end result of expiation and propitiation, which is the reconciliation of God and sinners and believe this was Paul’s point in Romans 3:25. These versions include the following:

Whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood. (Geneva)

For God showed him publicly dying as a sacrifice of reconciliation to be taken advantage of through faith. (Goodspeed)

whom God purposed for reconciliation through faith in his blood. (Jubilee Bible 2000)

e. Other ‘Non-Committal’ Options

Finally, some translations, either for reasons of simplicity for the reader or from a desire to avoid the controversies surrounding the historic and ongoing ‘expiation vs propitiation’ debate, opt for a more general translation such as ‘sacrifice of atonement’ which could allow for either expiation, propitiation, or indeed reconciliation, which ‘sacrifice of atonement’ at least hints at.
    Versions taking this approach include the following:

Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. (CEB)

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. (NIV 1984 main text)

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. (NIV 2011)

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (NLT 2004)

whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. (NRSV)

2. Assessment of the Translation Options

Of these five possible approaches, I think there are three we can dismiss quite easily and two that have strong claims.

The translations I would set aside first are the last three. To take the last one first, translating "hilasterion" as "sacrifice of atonement" is only a very broad attempt to explain the concept behind the word. Although "hilasterion" does imply an atoning sacrifice, this does not adequately explain the word's meaning and could be viewed as something of a "cop out".

Likewise, although the "hilasterion" can lead to reconciliation between the offended and the guilty party, the word does not itself refer to reconciliation.

Finally, the translation "expiation" or "expiating sacrifice" should be rejected as it does not cover the full menaing of "hilasterion". Expiation refers to the removal of guilt, but that is only half of the meaning of "hilasterion". As has been well-explained by Leon Morris, John Stott and others writing on the atonement, "expiation" has been favoured by theologians who do not believe that the atonement involves dealing with the wrath of God against sinners. But one of the key aspects of a "hilasterion" is appeasing or satisfying God's wrath.

It is for this reason that the word has traditionally been translated as "propitiation" (meaning either the means of propitiation or the place of propitiaiton). Propitiation implies both expiation (removal of guilt for sin) and the turning aside of God's wrath against sinners. For this reason, "propitiation" or an explanatory phrase meaning the same found in the NIV 1984 margin or the 1996 NLT is a good translation as far as I am concerned. The only problem with it, it might be argued, is that the word is not well understood by many readers. Chambers Dictionary defines "propitiate" as meaning "to appease or placate (an angry or insulted person or god)" and it is this appeasing, placating or satisfying divine anger or wrath that is the key aspect of "hilasterion" that most other translations omit or downplay.

Some scholars believe that Paul was not referring to a place or means of propitation in a generic sense, but rather they see this as a clear alluding to the Old Testament "mercy seat" or "atonement cover" - the lid of the ark of the covenant, the place where the people's sins were taken away and the wrath of God averted or appeased or placated. Some translations use "propitiatory cover" or "proptiatory shelter" to try to cover both concepts.

It is a difficult judgment whether to translate in a more general sense of "propitiation" or the more specific sense of "mercy seat" or "propitiatory cover". We cannot be entirely certain which of the two Paul had in mind. The difference is a translation problem, but not a theological one because both have the same meaning: the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross took away the guilt of sin and turned aside the wrath of God against sin by taking the punishment directly in his own flesh. 

If I had to pick one, I would go with the more general term "propitation" as I am not certain Paul was solely making an Old Testament allusion to the "mercy seat" when writing to a largely Gentile church in Rome. Although "hilasterion" was used in the Greek Septuagint as the translation of the mercy seat (the atonement lid on the ark of the covenant), "hilasterion" is a broader theological concept than the noun for the covenant box lid, and so on balance I think the wider theological term "propitiaton" or an explanation of what "propitiaiton" means is preferable in our English translations, with the single word "propitiation" being more suited for formal equivalent translations and a phrasal explanation such as "the way of turning aside God's wrath and taking away sin" being more suitable for functional equivalent translations.

Year's End

 

As we reach the end of 2023, many of us will reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the year ahead. This is a good time of year to consider your own walk with God. 

In my tradition, among other things, church membership vows include how we should give a "fitting proportion of time, talents and money" to the church's work in the world. At the end of 2023, maybe we should all take stock on how we did on this and how we might do better in 2024. For each one, this is a personal thing between them and God, but is always worth reviewing at least once a year and the start of a new year is a convenient time to do it.

We might also consider what sins we need to better "put to death" and what good works God is leading us to do.

All of us can surely do better. Almost all of us could use our time better to read God's word and pray for example. But maybe most important of all is to remember that we who believe in Him already have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Perhaps our biggest challenge is to live in that truth and let it guide us out of contentment and thanksgiving, not out of guilt.

We pray for a holy and blessed new year for all our readers in 2024.

My Top Ten Christmas Carols

I recenly posted a "Top Ten" Christmas carols countdown on my personal Facebook page as a countdown to Christmas and a gentle work of evangelism among my non-Christian friends. Here are my choices along with good performances of each carol.

Number 10 - While shepherds watched their flocks.

 

With ten days to go to Christmas, I thought I'd do a "top ten" Christmas carols counting down from today to Christmas Eve. These are my personal choices. With so many available, narrowing it down to 10 was hard. Your favourites might or might not feature in this list.

 

Coming in in 10th place is "While shepherds watchehd their flocks" (also published as "While humble shepherds watched" in some hymnals, including the ones I grew up with in the Church of Scotland).

 

The words were written by Nahum Tate (1652-1715) and they are a fairly straightforward paraphrase of the nativity story found in Luke's Gospel chapter 2. Tate was born in Dublin and was an Anglican clergyman, who also became Poet Laureate in 1692.

 

Although a number of tunes have been used with these words, the most common tune used in the UK at least is called WINCHESTER OLD which dates at least from the 1630s when it was published though it may predate being written down.

 

Here it is performed by the choir of King's College Cambridge in an arrangement by Sir David Willcocks.

 

Number 9 - It came upon the midnight clear

 

Coming in at 9th place on my top ten carols is "It came upon the midnight clear".

 

This is the first of two American carols in the top 10 and also one of those carols that are best known by different tunes on each side of the Atlantic.

 

The words were written in 1849 by Edmund Sears, who was actually a pastor in the Unitarian church. However, there is nothing in his words that would make them unacceptable to orthodox Trinitarians. 

 

Unlike many of the great carols that focus on the incarnation of the Son of God, Sears' words focus on the message of peace that the angels sang "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth, good will to men" particularly the idea of "peace on earth" and considers not the events of Bethlehem but the sweep of history and how the world has not accepted the message of peace in "our time" whether that is the 19th century of the author or the 21st century in which we live.

 

In a year that been marked by wars and strife in different parts of the world, the words of the third verse are as poignant as ever:

 

But with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angel-strain have rolled

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love-song which they bring; –

Oh hush the noise, ye men of strife,

And hear the angels sing!

 

As far as the music goes, as I said, the most common tune in the United States is known simply as CAROL or WILLIS which was written for this hymn by Richard Willis.

 

Personally, I have always found the American tune a bit syrupy. For that reason, I much prefer the tune composed by Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) and usually called NOEL. It is Sullivan's tune which is usually sung in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.

 

In this recording, the carol is performed by the choir of Winchester Cathedral.

 

Number 8 - As with gladness, men of old

 

I suspect this one might not be on everyone's list of favourites, but it has always been one of mine, both for the words and the tune, which is perfect for congregational singing.

 

The words were written by William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898). Unlike most hymn writers in Victorian Britain who were mainly clergymen, Dix was a businessman, and actually worked for a time in Glasgow as manager of a marine insurance company.

 

Many hymns about the visit of the magi focus on the gifts, but Dix's hymn draws a number of parallels between the visit of the wise men (the "men of old") and how we should seek to live as Christians now. In the first three verses there is a recurring pattern: "As they did..."/ "So may we..."

 

In verse 1, as the wise men were guided to Christ by the star, so may we be led to Jesus. In verse 2, as they travelled joyfully to Bethlehem, so may we seek the place of propitiation or "mercy-seat" found at the cross. In verse 3, As they offered gifts, so may we present our best to King Jesus in our lives.

 

The whole hymn is a prayer really and this is most evident in verse 4 which is addressed to Jesus directly:

 

Holy Jesus, every day

keep us in the narrow way;

and, when earthly things are past,

bring our ransomed souls at last

where they need no star to guide,

where no clouds Thy glory hide.

 

Transitioning from the prayer for heaven in verse 4, the hymn ends with a triumphant last verse about heaven and how Christ himself will be everything we need there.

 

Almost the only tune used with this hymn is known as DIX, originally a German tune by Conrad Kocher. Although not written for this hymn specifically, it was later adapted for it by William Monk in the 1861 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern and has been used ever since with this hymn, the tune being re-named after the hymn's author.

 

Here it is, sung by Salisbury Cathedral Choir with a rousing descant in the final verse by Sir David Willcocks.

 

Number 7 - See, amid the winter's snow

 

At number 7 on my list is another Victorian carol, "See, amid the winter's snow" by Edward Caswall first published in 1858. The tune was later written for the words by John Goss in 1871. He called the tune HUMILITY which fits very well with the theme of Caswall's words.

 

Caswall converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism not long before he wrote this carol and the final verse he wrote, which includes a prayer to the Virgin Mary, is dropped from Protestant hymnals. 

 

Also, in some hymn books, the first line is changed to "See in yonder manger low" which I think misses something of the fact that in the UK and much of the northern hemisphere we do contemplate the events of Christmas in the cold and sometimes the snow of wintertime.

 

I chose this one partly because I love the tune with the quieter more reflective verses and the triumphant chorus, and also for the words, especially of two of the verses:

 

Lo, within a manger lies

He who built the starry skies

He who throned in height sublime

Sits amid the cherubim.

 

Sacred infant, all divine,

What a tender love was Thine,

Thus to come from highest bliss

Down to such a world as this.

 

To begin to grasp the truth of who this baby was and why he came into the world is to glimpse at the mystery of the incarnation and the grace of the good news.

 

Each verse sung in unison is followed by the powerful chorus in four-part harmony:

 

Hail, thou ever blessed morn,

Hail redemption's happy dawn,

Sing through all Jerusalem

Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

Here is the carol performed by the choir of Guildford Cathedral.

 

Number 6 - Silent Night / Still the Night

 

This carol is probably many people's favourite and comes in at number 6 on my list. This is the first of two carols on the list not originally written in the English language.

 

The carol is from Austria and was originally written in German. The story goes that it was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in a little town called Oberndorf bei Salzburg, with words by Father Joseph Mohr and music by his organist, the local school teacher, Franz Gruber.

 

The English words exist in more than one version. The most commonly sung translation is by John Freeman Young, who was an Episcopal priest in New York City. It reads:

 

Silent night! Holy night!

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and child!

Holy infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace!

Sleep in heavenly peace!

 

Silent night! Holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight!

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ the Saviour is born!

Christ the Saviour is born!

 

Silent night! Holy night!

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

 

However, anyone familiar with the Church of Scotland hymnary in any of its editions, knows that we usually sing a slightly different version, translated by Stopford Brooke, an Irish-born Anglican cleric who served as a royal chaplain to Queen Victoria. It’s a matter of personal preference, but I like these words a little better:

 

Still the night, holy the night!

Sleeps the world; hid from sight,

Mary and Joseph in stable bare

watch o'er the child belovèd and fair,

sleeping in heavenly rest,

sleeping in heavenly rest.

 

Still the night, holy the night!

Shepherds first saw the light,

heard resounding clear and long,

far and near, the angel-song,

'Christ the Redeemer is here!'

'Christ the Redeemer is here!'

 

Still the night, holy the night!

Son of God, O how bright

love is smiling from thy face!

Strikes for us now the hour of grace,

Saviour, since thou art born!

Saviour, since thou art born!

 

There are few recordings of this alternative version, many of the “Silent Night” version, but here is St Thomas Choir (Thomanerchor) in Leipzig, singing in the original German version and what a pure sound they create.

 

Number 5 – O come, all ye faithful

 

We now enter the top five of my personal selection of top ten Christmas carols. As the lyrics say, this carol is indeed ‘joyful and triumphant’ and ‘O come, all ye faithful’ takes the number five spot.

 

Although one of the best-known carols, the origin of its words and tune are shrouded in mystery. There's even a conspiracy theory that the words are actually a Jacobite coded message!

 

A number of people have been suggested as authors of the words. By the way, this is the second of our carols that were not originally in English, the original language in this case being Latin. The opening words in Latin are Adeste Fidelis. The main candidates for authorship include King John IV of Portugal, a 17th century musician called John Reading, and an 18th century writer called John Francis Wade. Wade is usually considered the most likely writer, but we do not really know. The first published version was by Wade in 1751.

 

The English translation was made by a Catholic priest, Frederick Oakeley in 1841, with additional translations by William Thomas Brooke.

 

The tune, known as ADESTE FIDELIS, is also of uncertain origin with many suggestions over the years including Wade himself, John Reading, King John IV, as well as a number of famous composers such as Handel, Gluck and Thomas Arne.

 

The arrangement by David Willcocks is justly celebrated with its descant on the “Sing choirs of angels” verse and his re-harmonisation of the final “Yea Lord we greet Thee” verse.

 

The words themselves touch on many of the central truths of the incarnation of Christ. The hymn is often used as the penultimate carol at Nine Lessons and Carols services following the reading of the ninth lesson, John 1:1-18. The words in the final verse “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing” are a paraphrase of John 1:14.

 

In normal church Christmas services, the hymn is often used as the opening hymn as God’s people gather to worship.

 

Here is the hymn, in the Willocks arrangement, sung at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College. Cambridge.

 

Number 4 – Once in royal David's city

 

As we reach the top four of my personal choices of Christmas carol, it is very difficult to put these in order.

 

"Once in royal David's city" was written originally as a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander (née Humphreys) and then published in 1848 as one of her "Hymns for Little Children." I think it is important to remember that this is a children's hymn and when you read the words that way it makes a lot of sense.

 

Mrs Alexander was an Anglo-Irish hymn writer born in Dublin and was married to William Alexander in 1850. He was later Bishop of Derry and Archbishop of Armagh in the Church of Ireland. Among her other well-known hymns are "All things bright and beautiful" and "There is a green hill far away".

 

The words are simple enough for a child to understand, yet cover the profound truths of the incarnation, that Jesus was fully God:

 

He came down to earth from heaven

Who is God and Lord of all" (v.2)

 

And at the same time, he was fully human like any one of us:

 

For he is our childhood's pattern;

Day by day like us he grew,

He was little, weak, and helpless,

Tears and smiles like us he knew." (v.4)

 

My favourite verses are the final two (verses 5 and 6) where the writer reflects on the fact that we will one day see Jesus. In verse 5 she explains that it is by Christ himself and his work that we are saved and in verse 6 she points out that when we see him it will not be as a baby in the manger, but as the King of heaven.

 

And our eyes at last shall see him

Through his own redeeming love,

For that Child so dear and gentle,

Is our Lord in heaven above:

And he leads his children on

To the place where he is gone.

 

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see him: but in heaven,

Set at God's right hand on high,

Where like stars his children crowned,

All in white shall wait around.

 

The hymn was set to music a year after it was written by Henry John Gauntlett. His tune is called IRBY.

The hymn is traditionally the first one sung at many Lessons and Carols services, most famously at King's College Cambridge, with a boy treble singing the opening verse solo and unaccompanied.

 

Here it is in a performance by Trinity College Choir, Cambridge.

 

Number 3 – O little town of Bethlehem

 

Some of the carols we have looked at are shrouded in mystery as to their exact origins, but the very opposite is the case for "O little town of Bethlehem" where we know a great deal about its composition.

This is the second American carol on our list. It was written in 1868 by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), an Episcopalian clergyman who was rector of Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts. He was inspired to write the words after visiting Bethlehem on a tour of the Holy Land.

 

The words reflect on how the most significant event in history, the birth of the Son of God came so quietly that most the world never even knew it happened. Yet for those who "receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in."

 

The final verse is a prayer that Christ would come and make his home in our hearts as we respond to the gospel:

 

We hear the Christmas angels,

the great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

our Lord Emmanuel!

 

As with the other American carol on this list ("It came upon the midnight clear") the carol is usually sung to different tunes in the USA and in the UK.

 

In a way, the American tune is the more "authentic" one. It was written by Brooks's own organist, Lewis Redner, for the hymn and with the author's approval. The tune is known as ST LOUIS.

However, in the UK, we normally sing the hymn to an English folk tune, FOREST GREEN, which was paired with the words by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

 

It probably depends a lot on what you are used to, but I like both tunes, though I think the American tune is definitely of its time and can sound overly sentimental, which is fine if I'm feeling overly sentimental myself!

 

So we have two renditions to share on this one. First, we have the American tune sung by the Trinity Choir. Second, the choir of Ely Cathedral singing the hymn to FOREST GREEN.

Number 2 – In the bleak mid-winter

 

The second top place goes to "In the bleak mid-winter" and it was a close thing between this and the number one. This carol is simply perfect and makes it feel like Christmas any time I listen to it or sing it.

 

The words were originally written as a poem by the English poet Christina Gabriel Rossetti (1830-1894), though perhaps with prescience she titled the poem "A Christmas Carol" when it was first published in 1872.

 

The original poem has five stanzas. Verse one focuses on the weather around Christmas time, at least in the cold northern hemisphere, and hints at the fact that it was (and is) a harsh world that the Christ child was born into.

 

Then in verse two the focus switches to the incarnation itself with the God who reigns over all becoming a poor baby born in a stable.

 

Verse three (which is omitted in some versions of the sung carol) focuses on the child's human needs ("a breastful of milk and a mangerful of hay") yet even then he received the "worship" of "the ox and ass and camel which adore."

 

The fourth verse imagines the angels and archangels gathering to worship, but Mary worshipping Jesus with a tender kiss.

 

The final verse creates a challenge for the poet and us today. "What can I give Him, poor as I am?" And her answer, which ours should be too, is to give Him our hearts.

 

I have always had a deeply emotional experience when singing these words.

 

And that brings us to the music. It is sad that Rossetti never lived to see her words set to music. She died in 1894. There are two equally good and famous settings of the words to music. The first one was by the English composer Gustav Holst (he of "The Planets" fame) in 1906. He called his hymn tune CRANHAM. This is maybe the best-known version and certainly the one suitable for congregational hymn singing. It is a beautiful tune which matches the mood of the words perfectly.

 

As with many of the carols we have looked at, there is more than one setting of the words. The second tune was written by Harold Darke in 1909. Darke's version is more suited as an anthem for a choir to sing as each verse has a different arrangement, some with solo voices, some unaccompanied. It is also a lovely tune which is well-matched with the text.

 

There are at least five or six other settings with other tunes, but these are the "big two".

 

We present both versions, first the Darke version with the Cambridge Singers, with City of London Sinfonia conducted by John Rutter. Second the Holst setting to the tune Cranham sung by the choir of King's College Cambridge conducted by Stephen Cleobury.

 

Number 1 – Hark! The herald angels sing

 

So we arrive at our number one choice this Christmas Eve and I've chosen "Hark! the herald angels sing" as my favourite Christmas carol of all.

 

The original words were written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788) in 1739, although Wesley's original is a bit different from the version we normally sing today. Wesley's opening words were "Hark! how all the Welkin rings, Glory to the King of Kings" ("Welkin" is an archaic word for "heaven"). The first words were revised by Wesley's colleague, George Whitefield, to "Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King" as well as a few other changes, and more tweaks to the words occurred in later years. Wesley also wrote several more verses than we normally sing today.

 

The great words of this carol really get to the heart of the Christmas message and the Christian gospel.

In verse one the message of the angels in Luke 2 are the focus:

 

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled."

 

In verse two, the words reflect on the fact that the baby Jesus is God incarnate, God made flesh:

 

Christ, by highest heaven adored

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

Late in time behold him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb:

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail the incarnate Deity,

Please as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

 

The third verse is a great hymn of praise to Christ:

 

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Risen with healing in His wings.

But the verse also comes back to the gospel message of salvation:

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth.

 

Each verse ends with the same refrain as the hymn's opening:

 

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

 

It is hard now to even read the words without also hearing the tune for this carol. Yet the words and music are separated by a century. The tune for this carol is usually kunown as MENDELSSOHN or sometimes as BETHLEHEM. It was written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 for a completely different piece, a secular cantata called "Festgesang" about the printer Gutenberg. It wasn't until 1855 that William Cummings, organist at Waltham Abbey Church paired Mendelssohn's tune (with slight amendment) with Wesley/Whitefield's words, and the rest is history.

 

Incidentally, before that, Wesley himself in his lifetime, preferred "Hark! The herald" to be sung to the same tune he used for "Christ the Lord is risen today" which is Handel's tune MACCABAEUS usually used today with "Thine be the glory". Confused yet? As with one or two other carols on the list, it is strange to think that Wesley never heard his hymn sung to the tune we can't imagine it without nowadays.

 

The hymn is often sung with a rousing descant and reharmonsiation on the final verse by Sir David Willcocks which was written in 1961.

 

So, here is "Hark! the Herald angels sing" in Willcocks' arrangement. As befitting our number one choice, this version also has a brass fanfare to introduce it. Here it is sung by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge conducted by David Willcocks, with organ and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.

What does it mean to be a Disciple of Jesus?

Christians—those who believe in Jesus Christ—are called not only to be believers but disciples of Jesus. Jesus commanded:"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, NIV). We have a responsibility not only to reach out to others, but to be discipled ourselves. The question is: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?

To answer this, the first question is what is a "disciple"? A disciple who follows and lives by the teachings of another, a teacher. A disciple is someone who studies under another, who learns from another, and who seeks to live by the teachings of the one from whom they have learned. It should be emphasised that a disciple is more than a student who gains mental knowledge or insight. There is a practical element to being a disciple or follower. Our word "apprentice" is close to the meaning of disciple. Like an apprentice, the disciple seeks to learn in order to live according to the teacher's insights and wisdom. Yet beyond this, the disciple also has the aim of reaching a position where they can themselves pass on the teacher's knowledge and insights to others.

A Christian disciple, or follower of Jesus Christ, is therefore someone who seeks to get to know Jesus, learn from him, put his teaching into practice, and help spread his message others so that they too will become disciples.

The Bible teaches that this whole process is beyond the ability of human beings by nature. From beginning to end, becoming a Christian, obeying Christ, and spreading the good news about Christ is not something we can do for ourselves. Saving faith itself is a gift from God (Ephesisans 2:8-9) and every part of our lives as Christians depends on the Holy Spirit who comes to reside in us when we come to faith.

Yet the Bible also teaches that there are things God expects us to do as Christians and though we need the Holy Spirit to give us the power to do them, God does not do them for us. The tasks are still for us to do.

Some of the things expected of Christian disciples include the following, though a comprehensive list would require us to read the whole of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments (see Matthew 5:17-20, 2 Timothy 3:16).

1. Learning the truth about Jesus and His Work

We cannot be followers of Jesus Christ without getting to know the truth about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished for us.

2. Getting to Know Jesus

However, being a Christian is more than learning stuff about Jesus. It means getting to know Jesus personally for ourselves. We do this by reading the Bible, prayer, reflection on the Bible and meditation in which we spend time with Jesus.

3. Putting Jesus First—Jesus is Lord

A Christian confesses that Jesus is Lord, which means among other things, that Jesus comes first in life. The direction of our life is set with reference to Jesus Christ and the way he wants us to live.

4. Obeying Christ 

Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). A key part of being a Christian disciple therefore consists in obeying Christ's teachings, living the way Jesus taught us to live. These teachings are found not only in the four Gospels of the New Testament, but in the letters of the New Testament where Christ's apostles continue Christ's teachings.

5. Doing Good

Christ calls on his disciples to do good works (see Ephesians 2:10), which he sometimes called "bearing good fruit" (John 15:5-8).

6. Being People of Love

Christ taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are, above all, to be people of love.

7. Prayer and Worship

Jesus prayed all the time and expects those who follow him to also be people of prayer. He lived in close communion with God. Christians must therefore be people devoted to the worship of God.

8. Evangelism

As we have already seen, Christ commands us to go and make more disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, as well as living as Christ's followers ourselves, we are also called to seek to reach others with Christ's message so that they too can be saved and become disciples themselves. 

Women in Ministry - Prof. Craig Keener

I thought this was a good lecture by Craig Keener explaining why women should be permitted to hold offices in the Church.

The 'All Israel' of Romans 11:26

One of the more controversial texts in the New Testament, at least as far as the range of interpretations it has generated, is Romans 11:26. The verse reads: 'And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come from Zion, and he will remove ungodliness from Jacob".'

The disputed interpretation concerns the meaning of 'all Israel' in the verse.

There are essentially three interpretations as follows:

1. The first and most common interpretation is that 'all Israel' means that ethnic Israel as a whole (or the vast majority of the Jewish people) will be saved at some point in the future. This view envisages a future conversion of the mass of Jewish people. There is a minority view within this position that the Jews as a nation will be saved in the future, irrespective of turning and accepting Jesus as the Messiah. Yet most people who hold to this position believe in a future conversion of the Jewish people to faith in Christ. This view is common among premillennialists and postmillenialists and was the majority view of the Puritans and also of many commentators on Romans such as Charles Hodge, John Murray, and John Stott.

2. Another view,  held by William Hendriksen, Louis Berkhof, Antony Hoekema, R. C. H. Lenski, O. Palmer Robertson and others, agrees that there is no 'future conversion' of the Jewish nation in view, but rather 'All Israel' means all elect Jews—the sum of all the believing remnants down through history. This view points to the fact that there has always been a believing remnant within ethnic Israel and believes this will continue all through time. 'All Israel' is therefore the sum total of all the believing remnants both in New Testament times and right through to the end of time. This view seems most common among Dutch Reformed theologians and commentators.

3. A third view agrees with the second view in part, in that it agrees the passage does not point to a future mass conversion of the Jewish ethnic nation, but differs from the second view in that it sees in Romans 9-11 a Pauline redefinition of  'Israel' so that 'all Israel' means all the elect, both Jew and Gentile together. The third view therefore sees 'all Israel' as a reference to all of God's elect people, consisting both of Jews and Gentiles, throughout the ages. This view has been held historically by figures such as St Augustine and John Calvin, and in our day by the Pauline scholar, N. T. Wright.

For a number of reasons, my own view is that the third option is the correct interpretation, although it is definitely a minority view.

For a full discussion and argument why 'All Israel' means all the elect, both Jew and Gentile, I thoroughly recommend the commentaries by Calvin and N. T. Wright on this verse and passage. In addition, I recommend an essay by Lee Irons, "Paul’s Theology of Israel’s Future: A Non-Millennial Interpretation of Romans 11" which can be found here.

Calvin's comments on this verse are worth quoting: 

Many understand this of the Jewish people, as though Paul had said, that religion would be restored among them as before: but I extend the word Israel to all the people of God, according to this meaning, - "When all the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith; and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, which must be gathered from both; and yet in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place, being as it were the first-born in God's family." This interpretation seems to me the most suitable, because Paul intended here to set forth the completion of the kingdom of Christ, which is by no means to be confined to the Jews, but is to include the whole world. The same manner of speaking we find in Gal. vi. 16. The Israel of God is what he calls the Church, gathered alike from Jews and Gentiles." (John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans (translated and edited by John Owen; Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans, 1955), p. 437.

My reasons for accepting Calvin's view (and N. T. Wright's) can be summarised as follows:

1. The verse says all Israel will be saved in this way. It does not say and then all Israel will be saved. The future national conversion view requires the verse to mean "and then" but this is not what the Greek means. There is nothing in this verse that points to this as being a future prophecy. The arguments of those who take the second interpretation such as Hendriksen and Robertson also support this, as do the arguments of Calvin and Wright.

2. If the verse does mean that all Israel will be saved in this way this must refer back to what verse 25 says - that a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the full number of the Gentiles comes in. The 'until' here should be viewed as a terminus ad quem and not a terminus a quo. Just as in Psalm 110:1 where we read that Christ must reign 'until' he has put all his enemies under his feet, this does not imply that Christ will cease to reign at that point, so here 'until' does not imply that the hardening will cease when the full number of Gentiles comes in, but rather that the hardening will continue right through to when Christ returns and this world ends.

3. Throughout the Bible, God only has one covenant people. In the Old Testament the covenant people are usually called Israel; in the New Testament the covenant people are usually called the Church, but they are one people - Israel is the Church and the Church is the true Israel. Paul makes this point throughout his writings.

4. Paul's argument in Romans 11 is that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are both branches - natural and grafted - into the ONE olive tree - which is a symbol of Israel or the covenant people. Verse 25 says this process will go on until the full number of Gentiles come into the covenant people and IN THIS WAY all (the true) Israel will be saved. This is entirely in line with Paul's arguments throughout Romans (and similarly in passages such as Ephesians 2:11-20). This view is also in line with Paul's key verse in Romans 9:6 where he begins to flesh out what he has already hinted at in Romans 2, that there is a "true Israel" of which not all ethnic Jews are a part: "For not all those who are descended from Israel truly belong to Israel."

5. One of the main arguments against this view that 'all Israel' means both the Jewish and Gentile elect is that it is hard to believe Paul could use 'Israel' meaning 'ethnic Israel' in verse 25, but in a different way in verse 26. However, this objection does not stand up to scrutiny. Paul clearly uses Israel in two different ways in Romans 9.6 which literally says 'not all Israel are Israel' meaning 'ethnic Israelites' in the first use and 'God's covenant people' in the second use.

These points are made more fully for those who want to probe deeper into these issues in the writings of Hendriksen, Robertson, Hoekema, Calvin, Wright and Irons' essay. Although not all of these scholars agree that 'all Israel' means all elect Jews and Gentiles, they do give reasons to reject the first view that the verse means 'and then [at some future point] all [ethnic] Israel will be saved'. Of the two remaining views, I think it makes most sense in Paul's argument - particularly since he describes this as a mystery - that he is not merely describing the salvation of all elect Jews throughout time - but that in God's purpose both Jews and Gentiles are brought together into God's covenant people (Israel) to bring about the salvation of both.

The "Suitable Helper" in Genesis 2:18

With God himself speaking, in the creation account in Genesis 2, God says it is not good for Adam to be alone and so he will make "a helper suitable for him" (NASB).

This expression is two words in the Hebrew. The first word is "ezer" which is a noun meaning "a help" or "a helper" and the other word is "neged" which is generally an adverb or a preposition meaning "in front of", "in sight of" or "opposite to". By extension from this last meaning "opposite to", in this context it means "different yet corresponding to", "different yet fitting for", or indeed "opposite yet suitable for".

The English translations of Scripture translate the words in many different ways, but they all have the same flavour. The one God created for Adam was to be a companion or helper who would be different to him yet suitable or fitting for him. Among the translations are the following (taken from English versions available on www.biblegateway.com and versions available to me on e-Sword:

• "an help meet for him" (Geneva, KJV, RV) 
• "an helper to bear him company" (Coverdale)
  
• "a help meet for him" (ASV)
• "a helper corresponding to him" (CSB)
• "a helper that is perfect for him" (CEB)
• "a companion suitable for helping him" (CJB)
• "a helper as his complement" (Concordant Literal Version)
  
• "a suitable partner for him" (CEV)
• "a suitable partner for him" (EHV)
• "a helper fit for him" (RSV, ESV)
• "a helper who is right for him" (GW)
• "a suitable companion to help him" (GNT)
• "a helper as his complement" (HCSB)
• "a helper suited to him" (LITV)
  
• "a helper suitable for him" (LSB, NASB, NIV, MKJV)
• "a helper as his counterpart" (LEB)
• "a helper suited to him" (NABRE)
• "a companion for him who corresponds to him" (NET)
• "a helper comparable to him" (NKJV)
• "a helper who is just right for him" (NLT)
• "a helper as his partner" (NRSV)
• "a partner suited to him" (REB)
• "a helper as his counterpart" (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible) 

The translations differ a little, but the meaning is obviously the same. God created the woman to be a helper, companion or partner who would be suitable for, fitting for or complementary for the man.

In these two words is a wonderful picture of the relationship between the husband and wife as far as God is concerned. 

I am so grateful to God for the blessing and gift he sent me in the form of my own wife, who is truly a helper, companion and partner suitable for me, different but complementary to me and "just right" for me.

Translation of the 'Dikaiosune' Word Group

As I have mentioned before, there is a difficulty in most English translations which tend to use two different word groups ("righteous" and "justify") to translate what is one word group in the original Greek ("dikaiosune"). This issue can lead readers in English to fail to see the connection between rightesouness and justificaiton.

A previous suggestion considered resurrecting an old English word, "rightwise", but that was never likely to be practical, I realise.

Instead, I would suggest we might base all translations around the "righteous" word group rather than the "justification" word group. This would give us the following array of terms, all related to righteousness so that the link with the single dikaiosune group in Koine Greek.

Noun – righteousness
Adjective – righteous
Adverb – righteously
Verb – to declare righteous (participle: to have declared righteous; gerund: declaring righteous) or "to be declared righteous"
Actor – the one who declares righteous
Process/Event – declaration of righteousness or declaring righteous.

This approach would result in translations such as the following (based on the ESV but with amendments as appropriate to remove the "justify" word group terminology):

Romans 3:21–28: 

(21) But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— (22) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are declared righteous by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show the rightesouness of God, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (26) It was to show his rightesouness at the present time, so that he might be righteous and the One who declares righteous the person who has faith in Jesus. (27) Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. (28) For we hold that one is declared righteous by faith apart from works of the law.