COMPROMISE: BIBLE TRANSLATIONS

1. I was once sitting in a jail cell with about 12 other people.

2. I and another man were trying to conduct a Bible study with some prisoners.

3. One of the passages that we read was Acts 22:16.

4. This passage says, QUOTE.

5. After this verse was read I asked what seemed to be a simple question:

6. How are sins forgiven?

7. One man said “by confessing Christ.”

8. That man was asked to look at his Bible a second time.

9. He did and his answer was the same – confessing Christ.

10. Since he seemed to be having some difficulty with the passage he was asked to read vs.

11. His translation said, “Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins by confessing Christ.”

THE BIBLE THAT THIS MAN HAD WAS A TRANSLATION THAT WAS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER 7 OR SO TRANSLATIONS THAT WERE IN THIS ROOM. WHAT THIS PRISONER’S BIBLE SAID WAS NOT WHAT THE OTHER BIBLES SAID. IF SINS ARE FORGIVEN BY CONFESSING CHRIST THEY ARE NOT FORGIVEN BY CALLING ON THE LORD’S NAME WHEN ONE IS BAPTIZED.

A. At the present time there are many different Bible translations available to us.

B. As Christians we should know that not all translations of the Bible are equal.

C. Some are good, others are okay, and some are downright bad.

D. This morning I want to present some basic information about translations.

E. The nature of this material does not lend itself to quoting a lot of passages.

F. Still, there are some passages that can be and should be cited.

G. We should realize that throughout time God has somehow managed to
preserve His word.

2. During the time of Jeremiah the prophet a king destroyed some of God’s word.

3. We heard this from the scripture reading (Jer. 36:21-23).

4. People tried to destroy God’s word but it didn’t work.

5. Listen to what God said to his prophet in Jer. 36:28 – READ.

6. God did not allow His word to be destroyed.

7. In Mt. 24:35 Jesus said that heaven and earth would pass away but His words w/

8. In light of these passages we may draw a conclusion about Bible translations.

9. God’s word does exist.

10. It exists through the copies of the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts that we have.

11. It also exists in the translations of the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.

12. God has preserved His word.

A. We live in a time when there are several translations of scripture.

B. A reading of the many translations sometimes reveals some striking differences.

C. One of the questions that many people ask is, “Which Bible should I use?”

D. Others have asked if certain translations should be avoided.

13. When we look at the subject of translations we find a broad range of beliefs.

14. These varying beliefs are best illustrated by stating the two most extreme positions.

A. On the one hand some would have us believe that any translation is a good translation.

B. If a book has the word “Bible” stamped on the cover some think that it is okay.

C. On the other end of the spectrum some would say that only the KJV is okay.

D. Some have gone so far as to say that Paul and Jesus used the KJV.

E. Contrary to what some may believe, the KJV came along about 1700 years after Paul.

15. The truth about Bible translations lies somewhere between the positions just mentioned.

16. Most who are familiar with the KJV know that this translation was published in 1611.

17. What many do not know is that our KJV is not the KJV of 1611.

18. The KJV of 1611 was revised. It has been revised several times.

19. I have a copy of the 1611 KJV and it is hard to read.

20. What we have in the pews and the KJV Bibles bought in stores are not the 1611 version.

21. The KJV was produced and was very popular for about 300 years (till about 1900).

22. About 100 years ago things began to change.

23. In 1901 a new translation called the ASV was produced.

24. This is what I typically read from and study from.

25. The KJV and the ASV are often similar in what they say and there is a reason for this.

26. In both versions translators tried to actually translate the words.

27. The people who put these two versions together tried to be as literal as possible.

28. This technique was an excellent approach to the text as far as accuracy is concerned.

29. Instead of giving us the “gist of the thought” translators strove for to be precise.

30. Instead of giving us the “equivalent idea” translators sought to convey what God said.

31. The ASV that I use was put out about 100 years ago. The KJV is nearly 400 years old.

32. Most of us know that with the passage of time words change.

33. Even after 10 or 20 years the meanings of words change.

34. In the KJV and the ASV we find that some of word meanings have changed.

35. These versions have some words that do not mean what they meant 100 years ago.

36. Thus, as time passed people wanted a Bible translation that was more up to date.

37. As we look at the last 50 years we find that publishers did release other translations.

38. In 1952 a translation known as the RSV was brought out.

39. In 1965 the Amplified Bible came out.

40. The New English Bible was introduced in 1970.

41. The Living Bible (a paraphrase) was presented to the public in 1971.

42. The Today’s English Version was made available in 1976.

43. I think everyone has heard of the New International Version. This came out in 1978.

44. The New King James Version was introduced in 1982.

45. Other translations have followed including the so-called “gender neutral” version.

46. IN LOOKING AT THE VARIETY OF BIBLE TRANSLATIONS ONE POINT BECOMES VERY CLEAR. SOME TRANSLATIONS ARE FAITHFUL TO THE GREEK AND HEBREW MANUSCRIPTS. OTHERS ARE NOT.

A. There are some versions of the Bible that actually compromise God’s word.

B. Some of these compromises include the Lord’s deity and His virgin birth.

C. With so many translations on the market it is not uncommon for people to feel frustrated.

D. How do people know whether or not a version is reliable?

E. Each Bible translation is based upon a certain philosophy (approach to the text).

47. For the sake of simplification we can say that there are four basic philosophies.

A. Some who are here have (or have seen) an interlinear Bible.

B. An interlinear Bible contains the actual Greek and or Hebrew text.

C. Under each Greek or Hebrew word is an equivalent English word or translation.

D. Reading an interlinear Bible is very difficult and often impossible.

E. This kind of Bible is not really designed to be read word for word.

F. An interlinear helps readers see what words the Bible writers used.

G. Since some interlinear Bibles are keyed to Bible helps, it becomes possible to study…

H. For people who have not been trained in Greek and Hebrew, interlinear Bibles are good.

I. A second method that translators have used is the “formal equivalence” method.

J. Those who take this approach strive for accuracy.

K. If the Greek text has a noun, the formal equivalence tries to use an English noun.

L. This kind of translation allows readers to translate (interpret) the Bible for themselves.

M. This seems to be consistent with what God wants.

N. God said to “work out our own salvation” (Phil. 2:12).

O. It is our job (not the translators) to interpret and dig out the truth of scripture.

P. Major translators that are based upon this approach include:

Q. The KJV, ASV, NASB, and NKJV.

R. It looks like another recently released Bible has adopted this philosophy too.

S. This translation (reviewed by Wayne Jackson) is the English Revised Version.

T. These versions try to give a translation that accurately conveys the force of the original.

U. If we want a Bible that is faithful to the original text these versions are very good.

V. Some of the Bibles available to us have all 4 of these translations side by side.

W. A comparison of the KJV, ASV, NASB, and NKJV is an excellent want to study.

X. A third approach to Bible translation is the dynamic equivalent approach.

Y. This third method is not as accurate as the first two.

Z. The most literal type of translation is an interlinear.

AA. The second most literal type is a version based upon the formal equivalence method.

BB. The dynamic equivalence approach (the third type) focuses on readability.

CC. These versions are easy to read but they are not always faithful to the original text.

DD. Versions like the NIV often give the “thought” of the passage.

I). This approach can easily compromise God’s word.

II). Scripture teaches us to pay attention to “every word” from God.

III). This was what Jesus said in Mt. 4:4.

IV). If we substitute the “gist” or the “general thought” the information may not be accurate.

V). The dynamic equivalence method often makes the translator an “interpreter” of

48. In an attempt to make things simple, the dynamic equivalence sometimes sacrifices accur.

A. Versions that are based upon this philosophy include the NIV, RSV, NEB,

B. New Jerusalem Bible, Easy to Read Version, and the Contemporary English Bible.

C. These versions are popular with people because some of them are almost like a novel.

D. These translations do have a place.

E. They make the scriptures easy to read.

F. I have used this type of translation to teach people who are poor readers.

G. If we use this type of translation we need to know about the weaknesses.

H. In some passages these versions have compromised some of the things taught by God.

I. If we are looking for precision when we read passages we have other translations handy.

J. The last category of translations is the paraphrase.

K. The most famous of the paraphrases may be the Living Bible.

L. A paraphrase is just what it sounds like.

M. It is not literal. A paraphrase may or may not give us the right “gist” of the thought.

N. A paraphrase is an approximation of what is said.

O. A paraphrase often has extra words and or interpretive thoughts.

P. Another famous paraphrase is the one done by J. B. Philipps.

Q. These Bibles also have a place.

R. They can help us get a better picture of the text.

S. If we use a paraphrase we must remember that the thoughts in it may not be accurate.

49. In the formal equivalence versions like the KJV and ASV added words are often italicized.

50. Translators tried to warn readers that they used some words that are not in the original.

51. Versions based upon the dynamic principle and the paraphrases are as cautious.

52. The other translation philosophies have caused translators to add and delete words.

53. Sometimes the addition or loss of words radically changes the meaning of a passage.

A. I have taught the gospel to people from some horrible translations.

B. I am not part of the group that says some translations should be used as door stops.

C. The other extreme (any translation is okay) is also a position that is wrong.

D. If we are serious about studying the Bible we should know a little something about translations.

E. This information is not hard to access.

F. A lot of books have been written about it.

G. The internet has information on it; the library has resources that deal with it.

H. We need to know a little something about the Bible that we use.

I. If it is a version that is not known for accuracy we need to take some precautions.

J. We do not want our faith—or our children’s faith—compromised by incorrect information.

54. Our goal should be to go to heaven.

55. We have reliable translations that tell us how to get to this place.

56. We trust that this is where you want to be. This is why you are here today.

57. Getting to heaven involves some very clear steps.