What is Lent? The church you attend may or may not participate in remembering this handful of weeks before Easter. Our study of Lent begins by thinking of the word itself. The word “lent” simply comes from the Old English word “lengten,” which means “spring.” These are the times when the days lengthen and a renewal of life takes place. For the believer, it is a time when we anticipate the victory of the light of the world, Jesus, over the darkness of sin and death. C.S. Lewis called Lent “a season of happiness and wonder that makes you serious.”
Lent is the 40-day period (excluding Sundays) that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The season is commonly observed by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Protestant churches. Many churches use the time to encourage fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and personal reflection.
During the season of Lent, we will be focusing on several concepts and a handful of Scripture passages to encourage our reflection and devotion. The passage we will be looking at this week is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
The printed Scripture each week is from the New English Translation. The NET was first conceived in 1995 and published in 2006. A group of Bible scholars met in Philadelphia and agreed they wanted a version of the Bible available to people free and available online and on CD-ROM. The version has an open copyright and is available as a free download.
I enjoy the NET translation because it relies heavily on the Greek LXX Septuagint version of the Hebrew Old Testament.
In addition to the NET, several other translations of the Scripture will be available for you to browse during your time of devotion and study.
There are three types of translations of the Bible. Some translations attempt to be literal in their expression. These versions try to provide a word-for-word expression in English for the original Hebrew or Greek word. An example of this type of translation is the New American Standard Version.
The problem with literal translations appears in the flow of the English text. The resulting translation does not read or sound very pleasing or fluent in English.
A more appealing way to translate is called a dynamic translation. Instead of a word-for-word translation, these translators attempt to provide a thought-for-thought translation. Not every word in the Hebrew or Greek needs to be rendered to provide this type of translation. A good example of this type of translation would be the New International Version or the English Standard Version.
A third type of translation is what I call an idiomatic translation. These translators attempt to provide a translation of the Bible that uses a limited vocabulary. The Message Bible, the Contemporary English Version, or the International Children’s Bible are examples of this approach to translation.
When you study the Bible, it is best to compare translations. This allows a broader perspective on the meaning of a passage through the various words that are used.
In addition to these English translations, your background may provide you knowledge of other languages. If you know the original Hebrew or Greek languages, you can examine the original versions of the Scripture.
Perhaps you know a different language. Studying the Scripture in a Latin or Spanish version will only enhance your understanding of the meaning of a passage.
As we read the Scripture in our study of Lent, follow these habits in your devotion.
First, read the Scripture all the way through several times and in several translations if possible. At least once, read the passage aloud.
Next, reflect upon the passage. Meditate and ponder where your heart leads you.
Third, consider what God is trying to say to you through the words of the Scripture. We believe His word is active. What does He want you to hear?
Finally, respond to Him in prayer. What will you choose to do with what you have learned? How will you put the Scripture into practice. Tell God at least one specific behavior or thought process that will change.
Ephesians 1:7-10 NASB
Ephesians 1:7-10 NIV
Ephesians 1:7-10 HCSB
Ephesians 1:7-10 NKJV
Ephesians 1:7-10 KJV
Ephesians 1:7-10 NRSV
Ephesians 1:7-10 NLT
Ephesians 1:7-10 ESV
Ephesians 1:7-10 NCV
Ephesians 1:7-10 MESSAGE
For our devotional this week, we are looking at Paul’s words in the first chapter of the book of Ephesians. There are two concepts in this passage that add to our understanding of the study of Lent – redemption and forgiveness. We will go into more detail on these two subjects in Friday’s devotional thoughts. Paul declares that we – saints or believers – have redemption. Perhaps a more literal rendering would say, “we have the ransoming.” We don’t use the word “redeem” often in English today. We are even more specific when we use the word ransom. We are immediately drawn to think of a payment made to a criminal in return for the safe return of something that was stolen.
The English word forgiveness is rich in meaning for us, but is not as specific and accurate as the Greek word, ἄφεσις (APHESIS), which denotes “to send away.” Psalm 103:12 provides the perfect commentary for this concept: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgression from us.” Another commentary is Micah 7:39: “You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” There are two implications from these concepts that we need to embrace. First, God sends away our sins – to think about them no more. It is difficult for us to imagine because we always “remember” when someone wrongs us. But we need to remember that God deals with everything in a much more perfect way that we are able.
The other implication is that God casts our sins away in such a way so that He can continue to have a relationship with us. We tend to “forgive” but never trust the person again. God’s forgiveness does not depend upon our future behavior. In fact, God forgives knowing we will continue to sin.
Thank you for joining us in this study of Lent as we approach the Easter season. May our time together help raise the level and depth of your relationship with God through Christ.