To be good-ified (and not of the ‘two-shoes’ variety)

Papa Samedi, the back translator, translated the Bhogoto draft of Titus 3:7 from Bhogoto into French so I could check it:

“Ainsi, par le bon cœur de Dieu, il a fait que nous soyons des gens qui agissent dans la droiture… »

Thus, by God’s good heart, He made it so that we are people who live in a just way.

So after he’d translated, I asked him, “Put your pastor’s hat on: what does that mean? Could you say it in different words?”

 (I then had the verse read again in his language, Bhogoto).

He quickly responded, “Yes, that means that God’s favor is shown to us in that he makes us people who live our lives in a good and righteous way.”

I had anticipated the problem in my preparation the day before.  I thanked Papa Samedi and turned to the translators and discussed how we could change this. Something had gone wrong…

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Well…I’ve got to stop here to explain a little bit where we are in this passage for the rest to make sense.  My job is to do the final quality check for translated Scripture.  A back-translator (in this case he's Papa Samedi, a native Bhogoto speaker who wasn't involved in any part of the translation of this text). Bear with me; you’ve come this far already…

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You see, the book of Titus is a pastoral epistle.  Thus, this book is a letter that Paul is writing to one of his pastoral proteges, Titus. In it Titus is instructed to return to the Island of Crete (a rise of land south-east of Italy in the Mediterranean) His task there is to put the newly-started churches in order by appointing qualified leaders.  A good and noble task, for sure.

The problem is the people in the congregations.  The congregations are made up of Cretans (no, really, people from Crete).  And they are, in Paul’s citation of a prominent Cretan, "…evil beasts and lazy bellies (aka lazy gluttons)." The kind that today would be that unemployed guy in his late twenties who has permanent orange stains on his finger tips from continually grubbing the bottoms of Dorito bags for that last taste of powdery ambrosia. The kind that would then toss the used bag behind the couch/bed in his parent’s basement where he lives. The kind that if you kindly suggest he seek gainful employment and soon a place of his own (and maybe give those fingers a good scrub before the job interview), might pull a knife so he could set you and your meddling ways aright.  Congratulations Titus, you’re their pastor! It’s your job to lead these new Christians in how to humbly love God and their neighbors.

The way one might naturally lead a bunch like this is with a heavy hand. And no doubt Paul encourages Titus to strongly rebuke people if they need it. But there is a type of strong rebuke that’s prideful and condescending, and thus repulsive to anyone.  It only invites further arguments or quiet resentment.  But there is also a type of serious, yet humble, rebuke that comes from someone that you know loves and accepts you and wants your best interest.  Unless you’re a complete fool, you can listen to almost any tough thing about yourself from a person like that and really take it to heart.

This is the kind of impact that Paul wants from Titus to God’s people on Crete.  But that kind of love can’t be faked.  You can’t just first say, “Well you know I love you but….” and then continue talking like a Pharisee.  Most people (children included) have a prideful-self-righteous sniffer that can detect accurately at two parts per million.  While most of us Pharisees correct at roughly your standard 1 to 4 canned OJ concentrate ratio.  In other words, our self-righteous criticism won't impact people (at least not for their good).

But how can this tough humility be produced in Titus?  As always, Paul encourages Christian people not by telling them to grit their teeth and just start doing what’s right. No, never.  He brings their minds and hearts to truth, doctrines if you prefer.  Paul never expects people’s feet to move down a different path unless their heart and mind were first convinced. Neither should we.  As a master of Biblical reality, Paul encourages Titus to kick his pride in the teeth in two ways. 

First, he reminds Titus that both he and Titus were like Cretans themselves once before their conversion:

"For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another." (chapter 3 verse 3)

It’s funny that no matter how bad another culture’s sins are, it is only a mirror to how we in our culture do similar or worse things.  To humbly lead brutal people, the leader must see their own former brutal selves.  An honest self-assessment goes a long way in helping to remove a condescending attitude.

Paul then goes on saying in the following verses (including the verse we were talking about above verse 7),

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Paul here goes on by pulling out the most enriched weapons-grade pride-slayer there is: the Christian message itself, the Gospel.  The Gospel is the message that changed former polytheist Titus and former Pharisee Paul. It is what unites different peoples, making them one people.  It is the message that tells of how our deserved shame can be taken away. This was accomplished by the immortal Author of the universe's story, as He took on flesh and becoming the main protagonist in His story and dying for His creation. Taking away a guilt, declaring them just people, and even uniting Himself to His redeemed people by placing His own Spirit in them.  This way these changed people can live in this damned and dying world with a sure hope until He returns and makes the earth new again.

And all of this divine favor is given to those who didn't earn it.  This is a wonder for anyone comparing religions.

It has been said that all the religions in the world are like building a bridge. How does one build a bridge?  You build a pile-on and connect a bridge to it until step by step you arrive to the other side.  Thus with religion,  each religious system you are always in process of doing and trying step by step to achieve what you want from the God or force (be it salvation, or heaven, or to stop the miscarriages, money, enlightenment, meaning, etc.) Biblical Christianity is different from all other religions in that you simply trust in it and your status is changed. No step by step building.  You've crossed over immediately because your status has changed.  All this was accomplished by the God and not by you.

This reality, when it reaches the level of one's imagination, is profoundly humbling and freeing.  It makes you talk different. If Titus' imagination is filled with these realities he can then pastor these congregations on Crete with both tenderness and power, with grace and truth.

Now STOP.

Back to Bangui and the translation desk...

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The Bhogoto translators and I then discussed their interpretation in chapter 3 verse 7 that the French phrase that they translated from, "nous rende justes" could in isolation be interpreted as "God makes us to be people who act justly."

However, in the broader context, the one word that Paul translated 'making just' (δικαιωθέντες) does not mean that God makes us people who do good stuff, but rather that he judicially declares us righteous.  That God treated Jesus on the cross as if He lived my shameful and sinful life so that I might be treated as if I lived His righteous life!  In other words...we've crossed over.  Legally, my status before God is instantly changed.  My status was "guilty," but has now been changed to "innocent and right." As Jesus said, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." In other words...to be good-ified.

The translators are very capable interpreters, and understood this concept immediately when I explained it.

I suggested an alternate translation that another related language chose and they thought that it was perfect in leading the reader to the correct interpretation.  They reworked the verse with the new interpretation into natural Bhogoto.

 hɔ̧gɔ, nɛ waatɛ desɛɛ kɔ Sɔ̧ , a̧ dɛɛ ende arɛ doo o nɛ riwarɛɛ rii,

Thus, by the path of God's good heart, He made it so that we sit as righteous before his eyes.

 All of us, including Papa Samedi who was listening to the discussion, smiled as he back-translated the changes the translators made.

Amen, Papa...it's worth smiling about.