| Author | Message | ||
| Another_Carol (Another_Carol) |
Angie, Welcome Where your problem begins is "The Truth". The truth for me is Jesus death for remmission of sins, His burial for change and His resurrection for life. If you have those truths which are really only one,JESUS CHRIST then you will not worry about if you are doing this right or if you are doing something wrong because the Holy Spirit will convict you of what you should be doing. Having said that I believe that that may be different for you than it is for me. Don't get me wrong though murder is wrong for you and for me. But what about defending yourself and in the process you kill another. Is that murder or not? That is when you and your God, which I pray is also my God(the one who sent His Son for our redemption)will give you wisdom in those times. For those of you on this post who know that I am a Mennonite and know that they are pacifists I still say it is between you and God. I have been in this battle with my son-in-law over the SDA issue and I believe that if he would talk about what the problem really is he would say that it's all about the Sabbath and the diet. I would say that's the problem. He hasn't a clue as to what the problem is because he has been taught to "know the Lord" and you cannot be taught from anyone except the one and only teacher, Jesus Christ. Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life. John 14:6 and he who believes in me will have eternal life. John 3:15 Bottom line is when you have the truth, the truth will set you free and you will not be burdened with did I do this right or did I do this wrong. Don't let anyone tell you that something other than Jesus Christ is the truth or that there is something + Jesus because that's not what I see in these verses and many more through out the Word of God. i would encourage you to get in your Bible like Doug said and let the Word of God speak to you and bounce everything you hear off of what you read. Praying for you.It's a jngle out there with those who think they know what we should or should not do. Only you and God know for sure and He will guide you in all truth. We do have an advocate that will keep us from losing our salvation to sin. 1 John 2:1 My little children,these things write I unto you,that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Now an adventist will go on to the next verse and tell you that you must keep the commandments, but you must study that real carefully and in light of previous verses you must determine what that commandment is. I trust you and our Lord and Saviour can determine that toghether. The thing that encourages me the most is that you always felt God's presence. That's the Holy Spirit that was left for us all at Pentecost Acts 2. All we need to is receive it. I think you have. Because of Him, Carol | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
Angie, In my humble opinion, there are many saved people who do not walk in holiness for whatever reason, mainly because they don't know what they have. They don't realise who they are in Christ. Satan holds many of us in bondage in this flesh but that doesn't mean we aren't saved and it is a process from glory to glory. Take a look at the book of Nehemiah: Nehemiah means comforter or consoler. (the same thing the holy Spirit is for us) Coincidence? I don't think so. Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and went in and conquered the people there in one day but then it took 12 years of long, hard work before the wall was rebuilt. Likewise, we can be saved in one instant, in the instant that we accept Christ. Unfortunately, we have years and years of baggage and pain and destruction of the enemy that we have to build back up, with the help of Christ. It is a process and as long as we keep our eyes on Christ He is able to rebuild us! Praise God we don't have to worry about losing our salvation because we screw up. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of it and we repent and get on with our walk. When we have sin in our lives we are convicted and prompted to change, not because that will make us anymore saved, because we are a new creature in Christ and He shines through us. | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
I'm also thankful for that, Sabra! The Holy Spirit takes responsibility for teaching us and showing us what we need to do and how we are to follow Jesus. Yes, Susan, that is essentially what Adventists teach. In fact, Jan Paulsen, the GC president of SDAs, said in his (infamous) April, 2002, speech that those who hadn't heard the Sabbath truth in a way that they could understand it can be saved, but if he were to give up Adventism and Sabbath, he stood in danger of being lost. Colleen | ||
| Angie (Angie) |
Finally!Something I can understand!!I read Galatians last night and I can't tell you what a impact that had on me.I laid there in bed and could not believe what I had read.I always used the KJV which is very hard to understand.And the ironic part is that my son used to love that Bible song Gal.5:1.Had I ever read the whole book,I would of seen what the yoke of bondage really was refering to.And had I been using a different Bible also would've made a difference.But that is definitlly a book to study.This morning I left a note for my husband to read it on his lunch break today.That book even answers a question that my husband and I had about Noah whan he drank and was still considered perfect and just.Jerry thinks that he is going to Hell for smoking which I never believed that,but I do think that I should quit b/c of health reasons but to go to Hell for it!!I have a long way to go b/c I still don't completely understand it all on grace and faith.But I do know that by Gods grace,I will!! Another carol, what does Mennonite & pacifist mean?And as for our mediator? That was the first thing that got me to wondering about the SDA doctrins which in turn led me right in out the door!!Doug,thank you so much for your words of encouragement,it really made me feel like I wasn't asking a stupid question,one that I sould know that is.As I study it more I will send more reply God Bless! Angie | ||
| James_Jean (James_Jean) |
As I look at the Gospel message. In Isaiah 42:6-7 it says "I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness. And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people. As a light to the gentiles. To open blind eyes. To bring out prisoners from the prison. Those who sit in darkness from the prison house". In those verses, God was the God of Christ in covenant, that He might be our God in covenant. That to me is the meaning of the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant that was given through Moses the people said we will obey, Exodus 24:3. In the New Covenant Jesus said I will obey, and He fulfilled every part of the Law for us Matthew 5; John 19:30. What that means to us is so big but also so simple. When I enter into a love relationship with Christ through faith two things happen. The first is that we receive the benifit of the Cross in that my sin is put upon christ. The second thing is Christ perfect life is given to me. So in a real sense only perfection goes to Heaven. But it's not my own perfection or works, it is Christ perfect life that is imputed to me. So as long as I look to Christ and Christ alone there is no posibility of losing my salvation. | ||
| Janice (Janice) |
Angie, I was so glad to read what you said about reading Galatians. That was the one book that I challenged my family to read. I really do wish that the SDA would just lay aside all books and magazines, everything except the Bible-preferably the KJV along with a good concordance,and just pray for the Holy Spirit to lead them into the truth that is really found in the book of Galatians. It isn't a very long book to read at all but speaks volumes about the law verses grace. God is so good, isn't he? Galatians is probably my favorite book to urge any cult member to read. Many people these days seem to have the same view that the weekly TV show "Touched By An Angel" seems to hold. I dearly love that show, MOST of the time, but the saddest thing that I think is happening these days is the fact that people are getting a 'watered down version' of God and the Bible. Ever notice how the angels always speak of the love of God but never seem to get around to saying anything about Jesus or about "how to get saved"? This is yet one more 'feel-good' religious show that, if one isn't scriptural literate, will soon be taken up in with a lie. Maybe the word lie is too harsh, so, maybe I should say 'they don't give the full gospel' nor do they EVER mention the word SIN. The typical dialogue goes something like this "I am an angel sent by God, and God wants you to know that he loves you so much that he sent you an angel." Does this sound like the gospel of John 3:16 to you, NO it does not. Note: Della Reese claims to be a preacher out in California and says that the show was actually a brain child of hers to help "reach" people for the Lord.(What does the book of Revelations says about the church that isn't hot or cold?) Got to go before I get on a roll again, I said that I was going to set back and read instead of input but I had to say PRAISE GOD to anyone who is studying their Bible, it blesses me every time I read it and never gets old. God bless you all, here's praying that you continue to grow in the Lord. If I can help, just call out my name in the forum, or ask for my e-mail and we will speak in private. Janice | ||
| Angie (Angie) |
Janice,what do you consider to be the best version if the Bibles that are out there?I have the NIV by Zondervan and a KJV and my Strongs concordance.But if you don't use theKJV,you can't use the Strongs can you?So then what do you use?Why do you prefer the KJV?I was reading Galatians again in it and it is so much clearer in the NIV!! Who do I ask ,for your e-mail?? Angie | ||
| Janice (Janice) |
Angie, I know I said I had to go for now but I have to answer your question here. The Bible states that 'we all sin daily', it also says that if we say contrary to that, we make God a liar, it also states 'let God be true and all men liars.' I have not nor will I ever say that eternal security is a license to sin, it certainly isn't and when I hear of someone acting like your husband's coworker, it definitely sounds like he is giving himself 'license to sin.' It is one thing to let a #### fly out of your mouth when you hit your thumb with a hammer or trip and fall or grab something hot; and although cussing is cussing, it is quiet different to sit and pepper your everyday language with such garbage while feeling good about it and bragging that you will get to heaven regardless. The working of the Holy Spirit will always point to the cross in such a way as to make us drop our head in humility and not hold it up in vain arrogant pride. By the very thing that you said in your post, it indicates that when you were in sin, "something" was definitely telling you to stop it. Praise God, let me tell you--that was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, more than mere conscience, speaking to your heart. I myself have done many things over the years and have hurt many people. One example of this would be when I left my first husband after 18 1/2 years of marriage and got out in the world for a season and partied in local nightclubs with girl friends, I am not proud of what I did, so, please no one jump on the band wagon with this thing. I sinned BIG TlME by getting involved with several losers who were either reformed alcoholics hooked on drugs or vice versa!!! All the time that I was doing this, I felt so ashamed but was so lonely that I found myself living for Friday night so that I could put on those dancing shoes and flirt with the boys. I would come in at 2 or 3 in the morning and sleep until way after time for church and lay there in my bed saying that I was such a hypocrite that I didn't need to bother going to church, while at the same time that spirit inside me said get to the church and repent. I eventually married a man that I met in such a place and that was seven years of diaster in itself. Well, I got back into church with my second husband,and was stronger than ever in my faith and joyful in the knowledge that God still loved me and even had my husband testify of his call to preach. Seven years later, after 19 jobs with nothing to show for it, this "man of God" left me suddenly, without warning and I got mad at God and tried to get out and "find" another man since I was getting to be an old woman at this point and the choices were few and far between, I thought anyway. Boy, did God really talk to me, he showed me just what a hypocrite I really was and again I repented and moved to another town and found another church family and eventually dated a few nice men that went to church with me instead of bars and such. I have now been a member of my present church for over six years and can attest to the truth found in Romans 8:28. For we know that ALL things work together for the good, to those who love God, who are the called according to his purpose. This great truth says it all, no matter what BAD things take place in our lives, we can use it as a stepping stone instead of the stumbling block that Satan throws at our feet. I believe that, if nothing else, my testimony can make you feel better about yourself and give you peace in your eternal security. I have a wonderful husband now and two grandchildren and my inlaws are absolutely the greatest that anyone could ever hope to have and my church family is absolutely the greatest family that I have ever had. So, having said all that, the truth remains: If you truly asked God into your heart on the day that you claimed your salvation, the Bible teaches that you have been sealed in the hands of both God and Jesus and can rest in those hands. I will only add to what I have said though, when we willingly sin, we must suffer those consequences such as a lost testimony, even lost physical fitness, among other blessings that God wants to give to you, but you are saved none the less. As for those who go about flaunting sin and harping "I Am Saved" then I would just ask them if they are under any of the same guilt feelings or have an uneasiness about what they are doing, if a person can say that deliberate sin is OKAY and they don't have an uneasy conscious about any sin in their life, then maybe they should check to make their election sure is all I can say. But before I give anyone the gun to run with this conversation, please go to I Corinthians, chapter 5 tells about a church being disraught with the fact that a member of the church was sinning with his new stepmother and the church wrote to Preacher Paul to ask his judgment about what course of action to take. Paul writes back to them concerning the matter. Please read very carefully what verse five has to say: To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the SPIRIT MIGHT BE SAVED. This is why many carnal Christians die a premature death because God chooses to let a man decide for himself what to do, we can grieve the Holy Spirit and loose many blessings that God is eager to bestow on his children and some even shorten their life with ungodly living but no where does it say that he looses his soul. How about the verse found in I Corinthians, chapter 3 verses 13-15...If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself SHALL BE SAVED, YET SO AS BY FIRE. Again though, people want to think of heaven as a reward. Heaven is not our reward, it is our eternal home that Jesus is preparing at this very moment, he isn't in the heavenly sanctuary doing an investigative judgment as EGW says in her false prophecies. We have God's word on that and if her words contradict clear Bible teachings, which they certainly do, we are to throw them away. Sorry, didn't mean to get off on her again. Just thought I would answer your question about whether you were saved or not. Only you really know the answer to that one. If you know you were saved and just didn't get in a church and grow and feed on the word, remember too that God winks at ignorance but now calls you to repentance so that he can bless you, let him bless you with his peace as only he can. We can plant the seed, and others can water, but God alone gives the increase. For someone to pray to God, he must first believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Seek him this day while he may yet be found. Visit this web site for literature on eternal security and also get a booklet called "How To Recognize A Good Church" because it is important to get into a church that teaches good sound doctrine, the booklet outlines all the vital teachings concerning our salvation, eternal destinies, and truth about God's word. I will pray that you and your husband can find the church that God leads you to, please pray too for the help that only his Spirit can give you. http://www.gospelcom.net/ God bless you, Standing on the promises I cannot fail, neither can you. Janice | ||
| Janice (Janice) |
I really, really, really liked that one: let the Word of God speak to you and bounce everything you hear off of what you read. I think I will give that one to my preacher for a church marqee!! When God speaks you will know it, and with the leading of the Holy Spirit will help you Bounce it off the Word. Amen and Amen. The Holy Bible is both a love letter and an instruction manual to fix EVERYTHING that could possibly be wrong with any of us. | ||
| Janice (Janice) |
Angie, my e-mail is cjlump@bellsouth.net. I will be happy to go over some of the errors of the NIV translation with you in more detail if you want to. The reason that our church uses the KJV is because it is the most closely translated version of the original Greek and Hebrew text that the original scriptures were taken from. One subtle difference can be found but I will have to look it up to be exact but where the KJV says something like this: Joseph and his mother Mary marvelled at those things... The NIV renders it: Jesus' parents marvelled at those things. Do you see the difference? The fact is that this is very subtle here, God Almighty is Jesus' father and as an All-knowing God doesn't marvel at anything. Another one that I came across a couple of weeks ago was the story about the man (Joseph, I think) that worked for his future father-in-law for seven years for his wife and was given the older daughter instead and worked an additional seven years for Rachel, as the story progressed and came time for him to take his family and leave the father-in-law's home that the father-in-law that something like: this was shown me by divination (what an awful way to translate the works of God) I will look it up too for the direct scripture quote. Also, the NIV was written by a lesbian who has, since the original writing, come up with a newer version which says that God is actually a woman. I say trash the NIV for my part but I admit that I had The Good News for Modern Man version myself and thought it was quiet educational. I will leave you with this: A natural man cannot preceive the things that are of God because they are spiritually discerned so even if you have a huge KJV, NIV, etc. and concordance to boot, only the Holy Spirit can show you what you need to see. I have offended some by quoting that verse, but the fact is that it is not me that said it, and if some of these people that visit the forum take offense, they might want to have a talk with God before getting on my case. For the tenth time, LET GOD BE TRUE AND ALL MEN LIARS, WOMEN LIKE EGW INCLUDED, ALONG WITH JW AND LATTER-DAY SAINTS (MORMONS) ETC. God bless and have a good night, e-mail me when you get this post. Janice | ||
| Another_Carol (Another_Carol) |
Angie PRAISE GOD for Galatians. I too love it and because of it I now know that my daughter is in Christ. I don't want to tell this story again because everyone on this post is tired of it but I will say this: The Holy Spirit moved in my daughters life and revealed to her, after she asked God what do you want me to do, Galatians when she opened her Bible and she read that we are no longer under the law but Jesus Christ. Her life with her husband has been in a shambles ever since but she praises God for it because she now knows what she believes. This is what I told her one day: Be sure you know what you believe and I Love You and I left and that same evening she came with Bible in hand and told me what happened. The day she was born was glorious and this was even more so because now I have no doubt that she not only has a life here but also a life everlasting. Mennonite is the name of a denomination of which I belong. I am a believer in Christ worshipping at a church called Mennonite. I must say I was never taught that the law was done away with as such. Likewise I was never taught that I had to do certain things for my salvation. I would have to admit that I never understood the full doctrine of salvation until 4 1/4 years when I and I alone got into my Bible to find out why in fact I went to church on Sunday if in fact Saturday is the original Sabbath. I am secure in what I found out. Pacifism is no violence, thus no war. I am on the fence about this although I have always been of a very peaceful nature. My problem lies with the fact that I in all honesty cannot say don't go to war when I am not the one responsible for this country that I love because of the freedom we have. We gained that freedom by fighting for what we believed. Another thing I have a problem with is if I am to believe in no violence and peace at all cost then when my house is being overtaken by robbers and murderers and my family is being tortoured I just sit and ask God to intervene and quite frankly I am not at that point yet. ie I would be calling 911. Enough for now, just keep looking in that Bible and when youv'e had enough of Galatians go to Hebrews or Epeshians or 2 Cor. or Romans and just bask in it as I know you will because I do can read Galatians and be so uplifted. God is sooooooooo Good. Just like our own daddy Carol | ||
| Doug222 (Doug222) |
Angie, I am so glad to see that you enjoyed the book of Galatians. I think it was probably the first book that I read in its entirety as I was leaving Adventism. Like you, I couldn't believe how I saw things that I had never seen before. One of the verses I really like is where Paul was describing his conversion experience. He talked about his former life as a Jew (a very "religious" individual I might add), then said "But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by His Grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles." That is the experience that God is taking you through right now. He allowed you to end up in the SDA Church for a purpose, and in the fulness of time, He chose to reveal himself to you. He is not finished. Just remain open to His Spirit, and I guarantee you that he will take you places you never imagined before. As the Prophet Jeremiah said, no longer will one man teach another, He now places His Spirit within you and talks to you personally. I would encourage you to continue your dialogue in the public forum. I say that for two reasons. First, it will allow you to benefit from the counsel of many others who have walked the same path that you are walking; but, more importantly, it will allow others to benefit from your experiences as well. Three years ago, I was in the exact same situation as you. The support and counsel I received on this forum was invaluable. God used every single person here to edify Himself. As far as versions of the Bible are concerned, I'll give you the same counsel that was given to me when I was trying to find a good version. The best version is the one you will read. If you pray before you study, and are truly searching for truth, the Spirit will not (can not) lead you astray. God promises that He will in no ways cast out anyone who is sincerely seeking Him. Claim that promise. I used to be a "KJV only" person. I thought that somehow it made me more spiritual because I was reading "the real Bible," but often I struggled through trying to understand difficult passages. I no longer believe that. I now believe that you have to read the Bible that you can relate to. For some, that may be the KJV, but for most, the language is archaic. Do not allow anyone to make you feel that you are less than, because you choose a different version. If you were attempting to get a theology degree, then maybe that would be important--but even then, the KJV would be accurate. If accuracy is that important to you, then you would need to do your studies in the original languages. If that is not your situation, then any translation will do. Anyway, I have much I would like to say to you, but must go to a meeting. Take care and God Bless. I am SO excited for you. In His Grace Doug | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
I second what Doug said above. The best version of the Bible is the one you can understand, as long as it's not a cultic Bible such as The Clear Word in which EGW is mixed into the Bible text. The translations available today are excellent and accurate. BTW, the NIV was translated by a large committee of Bible scholars, not by "a" woman. The original manuscripts they used were older than the manuscripts used to translate KJV. That fact doesn't make KJV inaccurate, but it does make for some more precise renderings in certain places. The NIV uses phrase or idea translation. In other words, the translators put the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic ideas into the most accurate English phrases possible. The NASB, for example, is a word translation. Instead of translating the originals by creating English phrases, they translated word-for-word. Each has advantages. The NASB is sometimes more precise on certain words. The NIV tends to flow with more conversational structure which often helps people understand the meaning. Either way, the translations are accurate and present the true gospel. Another great version of the Bibleóprobably more for just reading than for studyóis The Message by Eugene Peterson. Peterson actually did translate the Hebrew and Greek into The Message, but even though he wrote from original languages and it's quite accurate, it's considered a paraphrase. Translations involve more than one person in the process who collaborate and check each other. Even so, I highly recommend The Message for reading and getting "a feel" for what the Bible says. Also, one can buy concordances designed for whichever version of the Bible you use. There are KJV, NIV, and, I'm sure, NASB concordances. The important thing is that YOU READ the Bible, whatever translation you use! I'm so glad you've discovered Galatians, Angie! Colleen | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
Angie, Galatians is SO great! I was reading it for the first time all the way through a year and a half ago with my mouth dropped open, like WOW! Actually I have found some significant errors in the KJV and the SDA's have used those errors to try to confuse me. Check out Hebrews 4, it says in the KJV "if" they enter My rest. but the reference is to Psalms 95 where it says they will never enter My rest. Big difference. I like the New KJV and the Message is good just for reading. I went to a KJV only church for a while and they suggested we burn our bibles that weren't KJV!! I don't go there anymore and when I prayed about my NKJV the Holy Spirit said, "You came to the truth of salvation with that Bible didn't you?" He truly will lead you and not let you go astray. Find a Bible that you can understand and read easily. We don't speak like the 1600's anymore and I find it very hard to understand. Bless you! | ||
| Angie (Angie) |
Another Carol,Last night before bed,I was reading Gal. again,as you know Jerry[husband]is still 'in denial' so when I got to 4:21 I took it to him and asked him to read from there to ver.5:6.After he read this,he came in there and said."so you actually believe that we are not under the law anymore?"Well that wasn't ALL he said and I felt 'defence' part of me start to rise up,so I said alittle silent prayer,and said,'yes I do b/c that is what the Bible sayes'.And I know that those few words went alot further than anything I could of said.So when I went to sleep,I just prayed that MAYBE I planted alittle seed and he will finish that book.B/c you just can't get any plainer than that!! Being a Mennonite,does that mean that you keep the letter of the law?As for being a pacifist,well I believe that sometimes you have to go to war.I'm not saying that this Iraq thing going on now is one of them,but to just say that there can always be peace and always turn the other cheek at whatever cost,does not seem too feazable to me.Like you said,If someone is breaking into your house,what do you do?Yea,you pray that you aren't put in those kinds of situations,but bad things DO happen to Christians too!I know that the adventist we used to go to[home church]were TOTALLY against wars,fire-arms,or killing under ANY circumstance.And I would ask 'well what if'and ther reply would always be'just pray that it never happens'.That to me that wasn't an answer.So I never really agreeed with them or Jerry on that subject,sometime you just have to do what you have to do. God Bless! Angie | ||
| Angie (Angie) |
Colleentinker and Doug222,I agree,I used to be a KJV onlt too,as adventist teach that this is the only translation that is 'correct'.The fact is though that it is flawed also.Have you ever noticed that Acts9:7&Acts22:9 contridics itself?I know that this is just a translation error but i'm sure there is proably more.I was taught that in Luke23:43 that the comma was in the wrong place,I'm sure you believed the same,but for some odd reason,in all the Bibles that I have looked in,that comma is in the same place!!! Talk to you later, Angie | ||
| Angie (Angie) |
Sabra,I don't know if you are a former or not,if you are then you already know this.Hebrews 4 is the verse that I used to believe that meant that the sabbath was in the NT.All the other are in the NT but this is not referring to the saturday sabbath as I was taught.Thats funny,after Jerry read that in Gal. last night,he brought up that very verse!And yea,it does make a BIG differance!By the Grace of GOD,I am learning more about Jesus Christ than any 'church' could ever teach me!!And from you guys that have been there and know which direction to point me in,the BIBLE AND THE BIBLE A L O N E!!!!!!!! Thanks again Angie | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
Yes, Angie, I'm a former Sadventist. Read my testimony. I thought Hebrews was sure proof that we people of God had that Rest. HA! Then God turned it around for me with open eyes and I saw that the Rest was for the people of God, not the ones keeping the law. The chapter is so clear, they were keeping the Sabbath but they had no rest! DUH! | ||
| Angie (Angie) |
sabra,where can I find your testimony?I'm still not too familar with all that is on this site.Angie | ||
| Janice (Janice) |
Angie, I thought that since everyone was giving you all the advice on your choice of Bibles to study that I would give you this information from a web site that I just found that gives a terrific criteria for evaluating and choosing a translation, hope this helps and I will still be happy to send you the NIV information that our Sunday School class has been going over if you write me at cjlump@bellsouth.net. Looking forward to helping you along with the others here. God bless and keep coming to the forum. 1. Committee vs. individual. Generally, a committee of translators is likely to produce a better translation, since individual biases will tend to be eliminated. High: all top 10. 2. Interdenominational vs. denominational. Generally, a translation committee representing several denominations rather than a single church or denomination will tend to have less theological biases. High: all except the NAB and NJB. 3. High view vs. low view of Scripture. Translators adhering to a high view of Scripture as Godís word will generally be less likely to take liberties with the text than translators who regard the Bible as errant literature. High: all except the NJB, NRSV, NEB. 4. Known vs. anonymous translators. Generally, it is better to use a translation by scholars whose names and credentials are known. (The NASB was at first anonymous; the publishers later decided wisely to publish the names of the translators.) High: all top 10. Stated and unstated purposes. If the stated purposes of a translation are sound, the result is more likely to be sound. Read the prefatory material: Is the translation seeking to promote a particular agenda? Is this an appropriate agenda? If you can, find out more about the translators or the publishers and their agendas. High: variable scoring (but all top 10 okay); I would score NASB, NIV, NLT highest, NRSV lowest. 5. Word v. thought translation continuum. Translations are produced using different philosophies of translation. Some seek to render each Hebrew or Greek word with an English word, word for word, as closely as possible; others seek to render phrases or whole sentences into idiomatic English, thought for thought. The more word-for-word, the fewer liberties are taken with the text; the more thought-for-thought, the more readable the result. Itís a good idea to have two versions, one a strict translation and the other a "paraphrase." Word-for-word: KJV and NKJV, NASB; thought-for-thought: NLT. Readability. Even if you want a word-for-word type translation, some are more readable than others. Translators who exhibit a feel for style in their own language are more likely to know what they are doing when translating from another language. High: NLT, NIV, CEV. Original text used. Some translations are based on a slightly more reliable text of the Bible than other translations. This is, however, a more minor issue than is commonly realized. High: NASB, NIV, NRSV; low: KJV (but all good). I read one of the post that mentioned kind of the same thing that I mentioned about being led by the spirit and how the Holy Spirit always allows us to find mistakes that occasionally come up that are important. This web site that I visited follows along with us by stating: Top Five Reasons We Can Trust the Biblical Texts God would not allow his Word to be corrupted or lost (Isa. 40:8; 55:11; Matt. 5:18). The discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and thousands of other manuscripts have verified the accuracy of the transmission of the biblical texts. Variants in the manuscripts are nearly always the kinds of copying errors (lines accidentally dropped, words misspelled, etc.) that can be easily detected, or variants of little significance. No variants affect major doctrinal issues. The free copying of the Bible, unchecked by ecclesiastical authorities, guarantees that the church has not significantly altered the texts. For Further Reading Geisler, Norman L., and William E. Nix. A General Introduction to the Bible, rev. ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986. I hope that all this information helps you, but for my own studies--it is the KJV (original) along with a good concordance. I prefer to use the term 'poetic' above archaic when describing the way in which the KJV is written. Also, I would add that you look for a "Study" Bible when purchasing one, my Nave's Study Bible has proven invaluable to me. So God bless and keep on for the Lord. Janice |
