虚空

你的微笑，

你的笑容，

告诉我，

过去的一切，

都很虚空，

都很虚伪。

Translation

Translation work is largely related in my life, from my studies to my hobbies to my gift to my faith.

1. I am studying in Russia, many things are in Russian, including the medical books that I read and the teachers that I talk to. English-Russian translation and vice versa are important, yet I don't like Russian.
2. I like to watch anime in original Japanese audio. I can't stand those English or Chinese dub. Yet I understand not Japanese, so watching anime with English-subtitle is essential, since I don't have the time and opportunity to learn Japanese, though I would like to learn it
3. My pastor speaks only English, but there are some brothers and sisters from China only speak Chinese. A translator is needed. Last time this job was done by other people, but they graduated, so I (have to) take over this job.
4. The Word of God is the foundation of my faith in God. But the Bible or Scripture was originally written in Hebrews (for Old Testament) and Greek (for New Testament). A Bible in English translation is essential for me, because learning Hebrews and Greek is too difficult.

In the first and third instance, translation that was involved is important for understanding. Not only so for the third instance, fast translation is needed. Detailed word-to-word translation is of secondary importance. Audience need to grasp only the main point to understand the whole picture of it. In such case dynamic translation is involved. Rephrasing and choosing suitable terminology are needed. This is of utmost importance when come to the first instance, where a Russian word can have many different meaning. A literal translation (like Google translation) sometime, or many times make the sentence zero sense.

However in the second and forth instance, accurate translation is need. Recently I watch an anime Hyouka.  It is not the typical shounen anime or fighting anime. Action or drama is not the main point of it. This anime delivers its gist through wordings and conversations. So accurate translation is need to understand and enjoy it. It is so sad that sometime I need to watch different translation to understand. The worst is sometime the same sentence was translated into different versions, with total different meaning. I guess this is the complexity of Japanese. But this is just anime, just a hobby what I do in free time.

The most important is the forth instance. Some people might know that I am struggling with different English translations  of the Bible. Basically I come to faith through New International Version (NIV). I also do enjoy English Standard Version (ESV). Yet the struggle comes when I was exposed to my church in Malaysia. They taught that the only faithful translation is King James Version (KJV) or the Authorized Version (AV), while other modern translations are less faithful. When they say "less faithful", they don't only mean it is more inferior, some emphasised that they are corrupted.

I admit that KJV is more accurate in term of translation, yet the English that it used was a 16th century English. Who still using the words like "thou", "thy", "hath"? What is the purpose if it cannot convey the idea? Some might say everything is possible with God, so reading KJV is of no problem. Undeniable that with time and affort understanding KJV is possible, but what about those aged people, like my friend's grandparents, they come to faith when they are at their 80s, they have difficulties in understanding even NIV, how on earth you want them to understand KJV? Some people might argue that they can read in their mother tongues, eg. Chinese. But they only speak English. And what about those who don't have Bible in their own mother tongues, like some ethnics in Ghana? Their mother tongue is not even a written language. And if everything is possible with God, why can't God saves them using these modern translations? Not only so, so many great theologians and teachers use these modern translations like John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Jerry Bridge, D.A. Carson, and so on. So are they wrong? Are the books that they written, which quote from these modern translations, corrupted?

For long time I keep my standpoint with above statement. Yet as time passes I do saw the insufficiency and inaccuracy of NIV and ESV that I read. Should I really change and pick up a KJV Bible?

Turn Your Eyes

Recently there is something that keep disturbing my mine. The is feeling or enthusiasm to do something, like organise discussion group, do some teachings, write a book on ECG, etc. However the is always a sound telling me something is not quite right. I always feel that something is holding me back. Not only so, sometime even when after doing those things, I found no satisfaction or peace in me.

There are also time when I was called to do something that I don't. Join the chinese small group, and even lead them, do translation work, take care of the technical stuffs, etc. Many times I just go through those things with unwilling heart, yet I found some satisfaction and peace in me after doing them.

Many times these dilemma and struggles going in me. Yet I can't define what are they. Yesterday I read an article in Desiring God website. Surprisingly this article, written by Lumma Simms, stuns me. Here are some main points that she wrote:

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. (Hebrews 3:1)

There is no better path to discouragement than to look within ourselves.

Instead, we are to look to our Savior. We usually want something that we can do, but the answer is what the cross gives us. This is where the gospel meets us — it gives us a new identity.

How true is it. Many time, I try to look for answer in myself. I try to look for my identity in myself. I try to seek the potential in my own talent. I try to use the gift of Holy Spirit in worldly thing, not to magnify God, but to magnify myself. The gift of teaching is great, yet it is like a double-edged sword. It can bring understanding to others, but also can bring pride to the teacher.

Hebrews 3:1 reminds me a hymn that was sang regularly in my church.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

We are never called to look upon our ownself in our pilgrimage. We are not the centre of our life. We are called to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). I will rephrase another point written by Lumma Sims: 

Worldly encouragement or exhortation builds on sand because it tells us to look at ourselves and find worth, honor and value in our ownselves. Our true worth and value is found in Christ Jesus.

In fact this is one of the theme of the book of Isaiah.

God’s people, feeling abandoned by God foolishly put their trust in worldly powers. The only hope of the world is bound up in one man—the promised Davidic king, the servant of the Lord, the anointed preacher of the gospel, and the lone victor over all evil. - Source: ESV Study Bible

Let us find our true worth, value, and identity in Jesus Christ, and do what He calls us to do.

____________________

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2