the Good Question

"Some so-called Christians... sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you... You and I are Jews by birth, not 'sinners' like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.... No one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.

"But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ.... I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die....

"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?... But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, 'Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law.' So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.' This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, 'It is through obeying the law that a person has life.' ...

"Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

"Dear brothers and sisters, here's an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn't say 'to his children,' as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says 'to his child'—and that, of course, means Christ. This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

"Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised.... Is there a conflict, then, between God's law and God's promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law.... And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus....

"Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.

"And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic 'spiritual principles' of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, 'Abba, Father.' Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir....

"So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years.... I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws....

"Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God's promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God's own fulfillment of his promise. These two women serve as an illustration of God's two covenants.... And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

"Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.

"But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

"You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!...

"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ...

"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.... When you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.... The Holy Spirit produces... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives....

"Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.

"As for me... my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God."

If you like, read the next post, consisting of my comments on Paul's discussion here.

Upon reading Romans 14, one will discover that Paul is not using the term "faith" in the sense of "saving faith" in this passage at all. He is discussing sins of the conscience and referring to personal convictions. Verse 23 and the two preceding verses read as follows:

• It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
  (Romans 14:21-23 ESV)

The New Living Translation, Second Edition, renders the same passage in this way:

• It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there's nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don't feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
  (Romans 14:21-23)

Remember that "faith" (pistis) in the New Testament can refer to intellectual belief, moral conviction, reliance, trust, or a system of belief (only with the direct article "the"). Ouk ek pisteos (οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως) is often rendered "not from faith" and is functionally equivalent to "from doubt." Therefore, pan de ho ouk ek pisteos hamartia estin (πᾶν δὲ ὃ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἁμαρτία ἐστίν) can be translated, "furthermore, all which is from doubt is sin." The phrase ouk ek (οὐκ ἐκ) ("not from" or "not out of") can also mean "against." The Greek word pistis can be translated any one of the following English words, depending on the context: faith, reliance, assurance, belief, or conviction, among others. In other words, Paul is saying, "everything that is done against moral conviction is sin" or "everything you do that is against what you believe is sin."

Robertson agrees: "Faith (pistis) here is subjective, one's strong conviction in the light of his relation to Christ and his enlightened conscience." The Contemporary English Version (CEV) has it, "anything you do against your beliefs is sin." And Eugene Peterson paraphrases it, "If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong."

John Calvin even commented on Romans 14:23:

• The word faith is to be taken here for a fixed persuasion of the mind, or, so to speak, for a firm assurance, and not that of any kind, but what is derived from the truth of God.
  (John Calvin, "Commentary on Romans", source)

A good summary of what Paul is saying might be: "In these morally-ambiguous sort of issues, follow your conscience. If you believe it is wrong according to God to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols, then don't, because though it may not actually be sin, you are sinning by your intention to commit what you do believe is sin."

While Bethlehem Baptist's statement indicates that "faith" in Romans 14:23 is referring to "a heart humbly relying on God's grace," the context doesn't support that interpretation. The points Piper and Bethlehem Baptist are trying to make could be true, but we would never know from this passage. Interpreting Romans 14:23 in this way is going beyond Paul's authorial intent—something of which we've all been guilty with one scripture or another.

Another man attempted to take Piper's first point using this text and take it to a logical conclusion. He wrote,

• Romans 14:23 says, "Whatever is not from faith is sin." If you are not a believer in Christ, everything you do is sin. Going to church is sin, being kind to your room mate is sin, being honest is sin, coming to Campus Crusade for Christ is sin, its all sin! Everything is sin!
  (Dustin Shramek, "The Supremacy of God in the Depravity of Man", source)

Is that true? Is everything sin? Is being honest sin? No. That statement is exactly the opposite of the Ninth Commandment. Isn't that silly? Now, you can have a motive that is wrong while telling the truth (such as, hoping for another's unjust downfall), but the honesty itself is not wrong, your heart is. Jesus settled this in the Gospels. The heart is indeed deceitfully wicked. But there are worlds separating the idea that every deed is a sin for the unconverted and the idea that any action could be done with a sinful motive.

I tell you, it takes just one sin to garner the full and just wrath of Almighty God! Every sin is "exceedingly sinful," and an everything-is-sin theology of sin is unnecessary to a complete theology of salvation and unsubstantiated.

Honesty doesn't have to be sin in order for everyone to deserve Hell—"all men are liars" (Romans 3:4) and "all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone" (Revelation 21:8). That's both succinct and complete. If you are a liar, you are bound for Hell. And everyone is a liar. (It's just that Jesus has provided a way for them to be rescued from their "part.")

I'm not saying that there aren't often unrighteous motives underlying good actions. I'm not even saying that it's not likely that most good deeds are in fact done out of impure motives. I wouldn't argue with that. I'm saying, let's not call the actions sins if they aren't sins. That's not sending the right message. It's not pointing out the deeper problem.

Blame the marionetter. The heart pulls the strings.

^*  I agree with John's point that "depravity is our condition in relation to God primarily, and only secondarily in relation to man," but Romans 14:23 doesn't speak to this point.

Below is a list of my favorite translations and a brief description of why I think they are handy for "training in righteousness." (in random order):

      Analytical-Literal Translation (ALT)

attention to word-for-word literalness; Majority Text base; in-text notes for clarification, alternate translations, and figurative expressions (which are frequently insightful); in-text elements to denote the plural "you" (asterix), the strong "but" (underline), emphasized pronouns (underline); individual translator (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); evangelical translator.

      Complete Apostles' Bible (CAB)

attention to word-for-word literalness; Majority Text base; Septuagint base; individual translator (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); evangelical translator.

      King James Version (KJV)

attention to word-for-word literalness; Received Text base; useful grammatical clues (such as "ye" and "you" to show plurality, rather than "thee" and "thou" to show singularity, and "will" to show future intention or conditionality, rather than "shall" to show future certainty or obligation); beauty; committee translation (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); familiarity; tradition; reliable.

      Wuest's Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament(WET)

attention to word-by-word explanation; verbose; accompanied by excellent translational and exegetical commentary; frequently insightful; individual translator (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); scholarly evangelical translator; paragraph formatting.

      Today's New International Version (TNIV)

healthy balance between word-for-word literalness and thought-for-thought literalness; not quite as bound to popular renderings because of tradition as most popular translations; frequently insightful; literal treatment of Greek neuters; case-by-case treatment of gender neutrality; very natural reading for contemporary vernacular; committee translation (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); evangelical; reliable.

      Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

healthy balance between word-for-word literalness and thought-for-thought literalness; frequently insightful; not quite as bound to popular renderings because of tradition as most popular translations; individual original translator; committee review and revision; evangelical; reliable.

      Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

healthy balance between word-for-word literalness and thought-for-thought literalness; frequently insightful; not bound to popular renderings because of tradition; some terms presented as Hebraisms; Old Testament especially dynamic; unique Messianic Jewish perspective; accompanied by translational, exegetical, and historical commentary Hebraic, rather than Englishized names; Jewish feel; individual translator (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); evangelical translator.

      English Standard Version (ESV)

word-for-word literalness without becoming wooden; familiar feel due to traditional renderings and style; trusted history (from Tyndale's Bible and the Great Bible, to the KJV; then the RV, the ASV, the RSV, and to the ESV now) of committee review and revision; evangelical; reliable.

      New Living Translation Second Edition (NLTse)

attention to thought-for-thought literalness without becoming paraphrastic; frequently insightful; very natural reading for contemporary vernacular; reliable.

      J.B. Philipps' New Testament in Modern English (JBP)

paraphrastic; frequently insightful; unique renderings; individual translator (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); often refreshing reading; paragraph formatting.

      Richmond Lattimore's New Testament (RLNT)

attention to the literary style of each book; individual translation (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); unique translational approach, accentuating the writing styles of the various New Testament writers (when Mark writes, you can really tell it's Mark; when Peter writes, you can really tell it's Peter—the translation doesn't read like it was written by the same guy from book to book); unique perspective—a secular Greek expert and literary scholar without an agenda or a theological axe to grind; paragraph formatting;

      New English Translation (NET)

healthy balance between word-for-word literalness and thought-for-thought literalness; committee translation (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); reliability due to unprecedented accountability in translation; accompanied by copious, lengthy translational commentary and textual notes; evangelical; reliable.

      International Standard Version (ISV)

healthy balance between word-for-word literalness and thought-for-thought literalness; committee translation (can be either a benefit or a drawback, depending on the passage or word); attention to literary elements, style, and genre; evangelical; reliable.

DEVOTIONAL READING

My favorite translations for devotional reading:

• TNIV — especially when my College Devotional Bible is handy. It contains lots of stirring personal testimonies and real life stories for illustration and application. That aside, the TNIV is currently my favorite translation for devotional reading. The TNIV reads so naturally and comfortably to me that my brain sighs with surprise whenever I read at length. (This is the best way I have discovered to express the feeling.) I find myself understanding more of what I'm reading with much less mental effort. In technical terms, I suffer from significantly less cognitive dissonance when I read the TNIV. The fact that I can't stand the NIV, but love the TNIV goes to show that the latter is much more than just an edition of the NIV.
• NLTse — for the same reasons as for the TNIV. There are particular portions of Scripture in which the NLT is much more enjoyable to read devotionally. I often find myself going to the NLT when I need something explained a little more.
• HCSB — especially when reading through a New Testament book. I like the introductions in my Holman Student Bible. Plus, the HCSB often gets things right where other translations drop the ball, and it is often fun to read it to see this happen, especially in passages that are more familiar to you in other translations than the HCSB. I also can't deny my bias, that it gives me some assurance to know that the proprietors of the translation committee (the Southern Baptist Convention and Broadman & Holman Publishers) were solidly evangelical and Baptist, even though only a third of the translators were.
• JBP — on a case-by-case basis in the NT. Frequently, just plain fun and insightful to read. Other times, I don't like the way ol' J.B. renders some passages, but that's the nature of a paraphrase anyway.
• CJB — on a case-by-case basis in the OT. Stern makes the Old Testament cool again just by bringing out that wonderful Jewish perspective which is so needed in English translations. And let's face it: it just doesn't make sense that Greek minds like ours can convey the Hebrew sense as well as a scholarly Hebrew mind can. The Bible is a Jewish book for all ethnicities. So, it's logical for all ethnicities to get a Jewish read on a Jewish book.

FINAL THOUGHT

The saying is true: The best translation is the one you'll read. So, even if you aren't a translation junkie like me, pick up a Bible, read it, believe it, and you'll be the better for it, because "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." ... "The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God and fit him fully for all branches of his work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT and JBP respectively).