To: unlearner; Corin Stormhands
It is enough to use Biblical words like fornication, adultery, inordinate affection, lasciviousness, concupiscence, reprobation, defrauding, covetousness and such. Those aren't Biblical terms, but rather Elizabethan attempts to translate Biblical terms. Anything we can do to remove the antiquated language barriers is a good thing.
Find me a teenager who can use concupiscence in a sentence. Very few can.
92 posted on
03/19/2005 8:06:09 AM PST by
jude24
(The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.)
To: jude24
These terms are very specific in the Bible. Short of learning the original languages, they best convey Biblical concepts and help communicate Biblical principles.
Using what you call "antiquated" terminology is beneficial to those who have, by trusting in Christ, escaped from bondage to perversions. They do not need to have vile memories brought back by the use of modern euphemisms that placate what God calls sins, iniquities and abominations.
Watered down human opinions and commentary masquerading as a "translation" or "version" serve to undermine the faith of immature and untrained believers. They also tend to promote the Satanic deception of Christians having the right to do whatever is right in their own eyes. That is why I pointed you to the passage in Jude earlier.
I have various commentaries which I have found useful to help learn the meaning of numerous passages. Yet, I would never consider substituting reading these and studying these in place of God's Word.
But while these "translators" attempt to make reading the Bible smooth and easy, they compromise the essential truths and clear message contained in scripture.
If these terms are antiquated, what words are more appropriate for instructing believers how God wants them to live?
adultery (moicheia) - sexual relations with spouse of another
Example (application): an "affair"
This can, in some cases, apply to remarriage of a divorced person.
fornication (porneia) - impermissible sexual relations
This term sometimes broadly refers to sexual intercourse between participants who are not married to each other. It is more specifically used (especially when contrasted with adultery in the same passage) to describe sexual relations that are intrinsically improper. That is, there are some types of sexual relations that cannot be sanctified by marriage (Lev. 18). Using the term "sexual immorality" does not convey this sense.
Example (application): homosexuality
uncleanness (akatharsia) - (primary use is) sexual activity that is not clean
Example (application): sexual relations with a woman who is menstruating
Using the term "impurity" does not convey the physical aspect of this term and hinders the most relevant application.
lasciviousness (aselgeia) - pursuit of sensual pleasure
As used in scripture - activities that sink to new moral lows; practicing greedy, unsatisfiable lusts; exploring out of the bounds of sexual norms (nature) due to desensitization.
Example (application): pornography
Using the term "debauchery" fails to communicate the meaning in a way that serves to make it applicable. Debauchery conveys extreme behavior, while the scriptural term applies to lesser offenses.
reveling (komos) - riotous or uproarious festivity
This is associated with drinking alcoholic beverages. The term "orgies" is far too strong. The reader might get the false impression that as long as they do not engage in sexual relations with a group of people, they are not guilty of revelry. This is false.
Example (application): night club activity
"Find me a teenager who can use concupiscence in a sentence. Very few can."
They need to learn. Give them enough credit to be able to learn new vocabulary. What would you advise if teenagers are completely illiterate?
The Bible was not given merely for light reading or entertainment value. It is meant to be studied, memorized, meditated upon, and applied.
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