Scripture for the Day Nov 23rd 2020: Four Words for Love

God's Word is multidimensional. In our English translations, we lose much of the depth of the intended meaning of Scripture. In my quest to understand God's Word as the Lord wants us to grasp His character and will, I came across a unique translation called The Pure Word by One Path Publishing. This New Testament version is on its way to my home. To have this resource available excites me more than gold or silver ever could.

Proverbs 8:19
"My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver.

On The Pure Word website is a short video that I transcribed for you, because in it, Brent Miller perfectly describes the story of Peter being asked by Jesus three times "Do you love me?" But why three times? The answer fascinates me, and I wanted to share it with you. Here is the narrative of the video. Words in brackets [] were added by me to clarify the context.

Start of Transcript

When Jesus spoke, he spoke in the common man's language, Koine Greek, which is a very precise and elegant language. Every word had a single meaning not shared by any other word. Anything that was stated in that language was so precisely stated, there was no room for misinterpretation. So it's no surprise that the New Testament Scriptures was (sic) written in Koine Greek.

English on the other hand is a very imprecise language. We now have over 450 [Bible] translations in English that have subtle changes with each other. These subtle changes create discrepancies, which create division among Christians. So how do you solve the problem? 

What if we could go back to translate the entire New Testament and understood it exactly the way the early Christian church understood it 2,000 years ago? Only recently, with breakthroughs in a monadic Hermeneutics based translation, have we been able to accomplish translating the entire New Testament Scriptures in just over 20 years. The Pure Word represents the original in-depth intent and meaning. It opens up your eyes to the true nature of God. 

For example, in Greek, we have four words for LOVE. 

• There is [EROS], the physical love.
• There is [PHILIOS], a brotherly love. 
• There is [AGAPE], a perfect God love, pure and holy. 
• And then there's [STORGE], the bonding of a mother with a child.

In English, all these words are translated into a single word, LOVE. But in the original language, there are four very precise words. 

So if you look at John, Chapter 21 where Jesus is asking Peter "Do you love me?" and Peter's response is "Yes, Lord, I love you!" in English, we see the same word. In Greek, Jesus is asking Peter "Do you AGAPE me, do you love me unselfishly? Peter's response is, "I love you!" but the word he uses is PHILEO; I have brotherly love for you. So in the end, because Peter could not raise himself up to God's standard, God Jesus came down to Peter's level and says "Do you love me?" But in the third question to Peter, it was "Do you PHILEO ME?" So of course Peter responds "Yes, Lord, I PHILEO you!" 

So why is it that Peter couldn't AGAPE love Jesus? You'll remember that previously, before Jesus' crucifixion, Peter denied Christ three times. So Peter realizes how flawed he is, showing us that God comes down to our level where, we are at, to save us. If you read your English Bible, reading that passage you will see the word LOVE six times, but you will have lost the meaning, the depth that Christ is trying to show you. The Pure Word shows you every single original definition in the translation and what God fully intended. Receive the full meaning and blessing that Christ always meant for us to have.

End of Transcript

Let's bow our hearts and pray:

LORD, thank you for Your Word, for Your love, for Wisdom, which You give freely to those who ask for her. 
Seeking Wisdom rather than chasing money has liberated me. 
Lord, let other's also seek Your face and Wisdom instead of gold, silver, or fiat.
I don't want to chase money, 
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (Mat 6:33). 
I don't need to chase money, because Your promise stands forever:
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (1 Tim 6:10).

I AGAPE You, LORD. I love You!

In Jesus' name,
Amen

#Devotional #Scripture4TheDay #ThePureWord #TPWTranslation