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    Resolving Problematic Interpretations of Scripture

    "The worker deserves his wages." In 1 Tim 5:18 Paul seems, at least, to be quoting Jesus' saying (Luke 10:7).
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    Stop eating leavened bread.

    It may surprise you to learn that Gentile Christians are not required to comply with the Jewish dietary laws except in a severely curtailed form. You can read all about it in Acts 15.
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    Some thoughts on the Sabbath...

    True, there is not a single verse explicitly commanding the Christian church to switch its weekly day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. Nevertheless, it is a known historical fact that the Church introduced that change at a very early date, and there are a few verses here and there that show...
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    Why aren't the words " believe, believer, and believing " in italics in the English translation of scripture?

    Quite a number of English words have a Greek origin, such as telescope, theology, canister, monopoly... Is that what you mean by "the history of the English language coming from the Greek language"? Or are you saying there is a greater degree of dependency than that? Kindly explain.
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    Why aren't the words " believe, believer, and believing " in italics in the English translation of scripture?

    The noun "pistis" is almost always translated as "faith," but you can find occasional exceptions, even in the KJV. Three examples: Acts 17:31, Rom 3:26, 2 Thess 2:13. "Assurance" in the first case, the verb "believe" in the second, and the noun "belief' in the third.
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    Why aren't the words " believe, believer, and believing " in italics in the English translation of scripture?

    With my very limited knowledge of Greek, I can only suggest one possible answer to your question. Liddell & Scott lists the words "believe" and "belief" among the half-dozen or so common English translations of the Greek verb and noun respectively. From the editors' point of view, they are not...
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    What was the mark on Cain?

    Your idea is a tempting one. However, Biblical Hebrew seems to have had a specific word for branding, ki, that occurs just one time in the OT, in Isaiah 3:24. It's not the word used in Genesis for the mark of Cain, which is oth.
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    Thank you, Dave. You've given me a clear answer to my first question. I'll have to leave the rest till later. My computer is being repaired and I don't have the manual dexterity (or the patience) to type a long post on a touch screen keyboard...
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    Thank you, Dave. In the last few verses of Matthew's gospel the Eleven meet the risen Jesus. He tells them, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Two questions about that: 1. Did Jesus mean baptizing with water...
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    In his post #11 @timf quoted 1 Cor 1:14-17, where Paul says he baptized a small number of people, naming Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas. In my post #10 I quoted the passage from Acts 16 about the earthquake in Philippi. It includes this verse about the jailer who was going to...
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    I see. In your post #13 you wrote, The "one baptism" (immersion) is; I thought baptism by immersion meant with water.
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    Paul is saying he didn't do more than a few baptisms personally. He might have simply delegated that job to other members of the church. In fact I believe that is the generally accepted meaning of his words.
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    Thank you, @timf. Just to make sure, you seem to be saying that, in this verse (1 Cor 12:13), the one action of baptism by immersion (water baptism) brings with it baptism in the Spirit. In other words, there are not two separate actions of baptizing, iust the one action which brings both...
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    it's not clear to me what you're saying about baptism in this passage, 1 Cor 1:14-17. Crispus and Gaius and the others named here were all baptized with water, agreed?
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    Is that the jailer in Philippi in Acts 16? 25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened...
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    Acts 2:38-39 Desperately seeking an accurate translation?

    Your thread title says you’re asking a question about translation. How can you discuss a translation question without looking at the original text? In case you change vour mind about that, here’s a convenient place to start: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/2-38.htm
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    What books are you reading?

    Jacob Jervell, Luke and the People of God. A collection of essays on Luke-Acts by an NT scholar who was also a Lutheran pastor. He always takes care to explain his meaning in plain language that can be easily understood by a non-academic general reader like me. Even though I don’t agree with...
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    The Rejection of Obedience

    That is a very unusual interpretation of Acts 15. Please read it again. The account of the meeting chaired by James the Just begins at v. 4, “When they came to Jerusalem ....” In the NIV: 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they...
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    The Rejection of Obedience

    Until this moment I had never heard of that interpretation of those three verses in Acts 15. Source, please? Including, if possible, how they calculated the percentage you're quoting here: 19Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20but should...