Christianity is about the only faith where individuals take the very cornerstone of their faith, and rewrite it according to their needs, desires or visions. The Bible has innumerable versions, changed over the ages, modernized and translated into many many languages. So which one is the best one? Which one is the closest to the truth?
Well, none of them.
When you do an in-depth study into where the Bible as we know it today, comes from, you will probably also look at your Bible – irrespective of the version you currently prefer – and wonder if you can still use it, knowing its history? This is where the good news come in: yes, you can. God knew that the Bible would be chopped and changed and translated, and in His infinite wisdom gave this revelation unto Paul, which he then tells to Timothy in his second epistle: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” – 2 Timothy 3:16.
Whatever message God wants you to get, you will get it with or without a Bible, and which Bible isn’t going to matter either.
That being said, I use the King James. I was brought up with it, I understand it, and I firmly believe that it contains much more subtle messages – like the placing of semi-colons, or the placing of a specific word in a verse – than most of the other translations. If you take Ps 1:1 for instance, it clearly shows the degeneration that occurs when you start to sin: you walk, then you stand and then you sit with sinners. It paints a clear picture, that simply gets lost with other translations. In the King James, the Old Testament ends with the word: curse. What an ending! Especially as Jesus came in the New Testament to break all curses.
So what about that verse in Revelation 22:18-19?
“18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
I do not believe that these verses refer directly to translations. However, I have seen translations where the core message of a verse has been changed, where a verse utterly condemning something was turned into a light slap on the wrist in the new or updated version. That is my opinion however, and you need to pray about yours. Perhaps it refers to actually adding things to what God said, like if God said you can only drink water, to add that you can drink milk, too. Or if God said you will be punished for 100 years, to say God said it is actually only 10 years. To add or take away from what He actually said… But that is my opinion. And if I choose only 1 translation, I only have to worry about what God did or didn’t say, in only one way.
In the end, do not get caught up too much in the muddle of finding the “best” version – rather be concerned about HIM who wrote and inspired the words. The Bible is His love letter to us, His children. Let’s rather keep our eyes focused on Him, following Him, obeying Him.
Be willing to listen and He will talk to you, no matter the Bible you use.
No comments:
Post a Comment