The New Testament

Here is 2 Peter in the New Eclectic Version.

And here is brother Peter himself, reminding us that the multiform Word of God is given to his saints as a beacon of truth and hope, shining in a dark and dismal place. Reading the newspaper first, and 2 Peter next, you will get an excellent feel for both.

For we were not following cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were in fact eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice such as this was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we ourselves heard this voice borne from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

Moreover, we also possess the trustworthy prophetic word, which you do well to keep in view as though it were a lamp shining in a dark and dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts; recognizing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s private inspiration, for no prophecy ever had its origin in the will of man, but holy men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Here is 1 Peter in the New Eclectic Version.

This epistle was challenging to translate, since a number of the verses are condensed and cryptic; your alternative translations are more than welcome!

But for far weightier reasons, the book itself is challenging. It reminds us that persecution–even to the point of “fiery ordeals”–is not “some strange thing”, but the norm for Christ’s Church down through ages, as she makes her pilgrim way through the wilderness of this present evil world.

But do read the many encouragements that the apostle offers us: the fellowship of the brotherhood, the sustaining presence of the Spirit, the assurance of divine protection, and the hope of the Consummation at the Revelation of Jesus Christ, when an upside down world, at long last, will be turned right side up, and when his people, in all the fulness they long for, will experience joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Here is Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in the New Eclectic Version.

By my lights the NT gives us four Matterhorns; four towering Scriptural peaks that pierce the heavens and stun us with their beauty and majesty.

They are: 1) the Lord’s high priestly prayer (John 17),  2) Paul’s discourse on the Christian’s walk in the Spirit (Romans 8),  3) Paul’s unveiling of God’s eternal purpose and plan in Christ (Ephesians 1), and 3) John’s vision of the Investiture of the High King of Heaven (Revelation 5).

So then, here’s hoping you will enjoy scaling Ephesians 1 in the NEV, and also hiking through the rest of the book.

But be prepared: More than once this amazing terrain has made grown men weep for the beauty and truth to be seen everywhere we look!

I’m happy to introduce you to 1 Thessalonians in the New Eclectic Version!

Incurable eschatologist that I am, I have always loved Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. Written very early in the new Christian Era (around 50 AD), they serve as a window through which we may glimpse of a new-born Gentile church in all her glory.

Though not without her problems, she is full of love, joy, zeal, outreach, affliction, endurance, and–hovering over it all like the Spirit in the form of a dove–a lively expectation of the Lord’s soon return to rescue, judge, and eternally redeem!

Could we be entering such days? Could such an experience be ours? If so, you may want to read this letter, and (soon, I hope) its sequel.

May you be blessed as you do.

1 Thessalonians in the NEV