46 replies to this topic

[JayShel]

That is strange. My husband uses the NASB and found verses in Romans that certainly convicted him as to what our feelings about h*m*s*xuality should be.

Romans 1:32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

The problem with such translations is not that they are incapable of convicting believers of sin, but that "untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures." 2 Peter 3:16 They do so quite convincingly to the detriment of the church by posting their own eisegesis in the form of scripture passages isolated and woven into their own commentary online, or in books. The older versions have wording that are more difficult to twist. Also, as I mentioned before, I have heard that newer versions omit any reference to blood atonement. Finally, some versions have entire verses removed, and put them in as a footnote as if they are not as important as other scripture, calling into question if all scripture should be though of as equal. It is scary to think of a new believer reading through such Bible versions in some cases, or meeting Mormons or Muslims who have been trained to use the NIV to deconvert people. To be fair I haven't researched the NASB myself much, but it is worth researching your version to see what people say about why it might be of concern.

[Fred Williams]

I think we need to chill just a bit in this thread. When we write letters, emails, or posts to a forum such as this, we are not always going to come across as we would in person. We are all going to write things we regret later. So it is a good idea that if things really get hot, at least sleep on your reply before posting it. I should know, after all, I'm the chief violator of shooting first and asking questions later.

Regarding Bible translations, we do need to be careful, some are really bad, but we also shouldn't go too far that we throw the baby out with the bathwater. If a new Christian has a weak translation such as the NIV, I tend to tread a little carefully with the topic, often not even raising it, since IMO the good of them reading the Bible far out-weighs some of the problems in that translation. There are far worse things to warn them about (such as listening to Binny Hinn or prosperity gospels). I do believe KJV and NKJV are the best, but I also reject the KJV-only belief. Such an idea doesn't fit with God's perfect fairness. If KJV is truly the only version we should use, then too bad for the Japanese, the Chinese, the Pakistanis, etc.

When I became interested in the Bible, I read some KJV-only stuff, and immediately got rid of my NASB and NIV BIbles and bought a KJV! IT was a rash reactions, I regretted the decision after 6 months or so, because I did not take the time to test the claims of the KJV-only crowd. Test all things! My recommendation to everyone, whether you are KJV-only, or think your NIV is just fine thank you, to spend some time reading both sides of the KJV debate, read about the NIV, etc. Its worth the time. At the very least it will hopefully make you realize that it is important to have a Strong's dictionary handy.

Fred
PS. I tried to read Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven" book, but only got through a chapter or two because he picks and chooses from a huge range of translations, and in those chapters I remember at least 3 bad, in fact inaccurate, use of the verse because it was taken from a poor translation. There is no way I was going to be able to spend the time reading the rest of the book knowing I would have to stop at every verse to make sure it was correct.

[JayShel]

Fred you made a very important point, the Holy Spirit will raise the issue of Bible versions when the time is right. In some cases, them just reading the Bible is the most important thing. The best thing you can do as a believer when you start questioning versions, is to seek wisdom about it, and pray for discernment to lead you to what God needs you to see.

Off topic: I remember someone asking me "what if you had a g*y son". Well that is a good question, but it is a bit too specific. What if I have a son that lies, what if I have a son that has s@x before marriage, what if I have a daughter that gets pregnant at 16 and her boyfriend leaves her? Everyone sins, everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes children, friends, family members do not choose God. I would share my sin and my struggles, and let him or her know that it is okay to struggle with sin, that everyone does. God still loves us, and died for our sins. I would feel the same way toward a (unrepentant) g*y son that I would toward my agnostic friends, or my dad who is not saved. I would love them, I would pray for them out of fear for their souls, and I would defend them against bullying and abuse, but I would still vote my moral conscience when it comes to legislature. That is what the Bible has showed me what it truly means to love them.

[Tubal]

If I may be allowed to post a video I think explains a lot.



This one also follows up. I am not trying to offend anyone.



Hope this helps. God bless.

[JayShel]

If I may be allowed to post a video I think explains a lot.



This one also follows up. I am not trying to offend anyone.



Hope this helps. God bless.

Do me a huge favor and explain how those videos relate to the topic of debate so that we can at least get an idea of what you are asserting without having to watch four hours of video. Thank you.

[Tubal]

Do me a huge favor and explain how those videos relate to the topic of debate so that we can at least get an idea of what you are asserting without having to watch four hours of video. Thank you.

They are lectures on the history of the Bible that explains in detail why and how it was altered.
This shows where all the different versions of the Bibles came from and what they are based on.

The top video is how they changed the Bible and why. He uses quotes of the men that butchered the Bible to show what they were thinking with each edit.
The bottom video is what they changed in the Bible and why. He actually shows you what is missing.

I did not think that anyone in this forum was going to complain about the size of the lectures when I posted them.
Don't let the size of the lecture turn you off, if you start watching I garentee you will not stop.

[JayShel]

Thank you. As far as I have watched the video it is very informative. I thought it was attempting to claim that the Bible is unreliable and corrupted. Now I see he is confirming that it has been preserved, and specifying alterior motives of other some of the modern versions of the Bible. I do believe that a person can be saved by these versions, but we should understand the history and make ourselves aware. Thanks for sharing.