I suppose Dallas Willard’s book, The Divine Conspiracy, is one of the most significant works I’ve ever read. While I first read it some years back when it first came out, I think of it and refer to it often.
Recently a friend and I have been working through it and recently we came across Willard’s paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer. Being a paraphrase (not a translation) it necessarily bears the idiosyncracies of the author and the marks of the general discussion and context in which he has couched it. But that’s the beauty and uniqueness of a paraphrase, and I think this one is done well.
Here it is.
Dear Father always near us,
may your name be treasured and loved,
may your rule be completed in us-
may your will be done here on earth in
just the way it is done in heaven.
Give us today the things we need today,
and forgive us our sins and impositions on you
as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.
Please don’t put us through trials,
but deliver us from everything bad.
Because you are the one is charge,
and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours-forever-
which is just the way we want it!
Not being put through trials is different from “being led from temptation.” Some trials make us stronger, but being led away by temptation is never a good thing. I like this translation, except for this one line.
You make a valid point Diane! Thank you.
I agree with Diane
I do not disagree with Diane but she is defining the words by today’s definitions while I am assuming that Willard is defining it by biblical context. The Greek word used can be translated both as trial and temptation in modern language. The Greek word means both a tough time in a persons life as well as being tempted, therefore I think his paraphrase is right on.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts here, Bob.
Dallas explains this in the book saying that temptations is not a precise translation. It is referring to trials. So this is more accurate.
Yep.