What Version of the Bible Should I Use?

As a Christian, what Bible version should I be using? If a version is doctrinally unsound should we refrain from using this in a public way? Is there anything wrong with the NIV?

In Deuteronomy 4:2 we read, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” In Proverbs 30:5, 6 we read, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” In Matthew 15:7, 8 we read, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” In Galatians 1:8, 9 we read, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Finally, in Revelation 22:18, 19 we read, “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: 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.”

Now if you haven’t yet got the idea that God is serious about keeping his message pure, then go back and read these verses again. It would at least be inconsistent for us to preach that we ought not to add to nor take away from the word of God, and then choose a Bible translation that does just that. The deciding factor in choosing a Bible translation should not be whether it is easy to read. A translation should be understandable. A translation should be legible. However the final deciding factor in choosing a specific Bible translation should be whether or not the translators have accurately reflected the word of God in their translation.

There are many translations available to choose from today in the English language. You can view fifteen different translations of the Bible on the American Bible Society’s web page. Some of those translations are: Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New American Standard, Amplified Bible, New Living Translation, King James Version, English Standard Version, New King James Version, 21st Century King James Version, American Standard Version, Worldwide English, Young’s Literal Translation, Darby Translation, and the Wycliff New Testament. In addition to these there is the Revised Standard Version, the Easy to Read Version, the New English Bible, and Today’s New International Version. No doubt there are many more that I am not listing here.

Now, I want to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with reading different versions of the Bible. There is nothing wrong with owning any particular version of the Bible. It is not a sin to compare different versions of the Bible in your own personal Bible study. In fact, I do this quite frequently and if it were a sin, then I expect that I would be guilty of some whoppers. It is, however, sinful for a translator to place a translation before you which does not accurately reflect the word of God, or which contains deliberate efforts to insert human doctrine. It is also sinful for a person to purposefully acknowledge a translation as an accurate representation of God’s word when it is not, whether that person is a preacher, teacher, scripture reader, or personal evangelist. Let me make this point clear. If one represents a translation of God’s word as the word of God when it does not accurately reflect God’s word, then that person is (depending on what the translation does) endorsing an effort to add to or take away from the word of God and that is sinful. The Bible clearly states this to be sinful.

So what are some ways that I can tell whether a translation is representative of the word of God or not? First of all, read the translators preface that you will find in the front of each translation. If they display within the preface an acknowledgment that the Bible is the infallible and inspired word of God that is a good start. Be aware, however, that just because they say this in the preface doesn’t necessarily mean that they have respected this in their practice.

Second, learn what philosophy of translation the translators have used. There are two basic translation philosophies in circulation today. There is the philosophy that a translation should be as literal as possible except where the original languages are clearly idiomatic. This is known as the Modified Literal Translation Philosophy (some also call it the Essentially Literal Method). On the other hand you have the philosophy that seeks to translate not the words, but the thought of the text. In other words the translators take an extra step in translation. They translate literally, figure out what they think it means, then put what they think it means into the text. This is called the Dynamic Equivalent Translation Philosophy (it can also be known as the Functional Equivalence Method). You really want to find a translation that is based upon the modified literal method. There is nothing wrong with consulting a dynamic equivalent translation, but just be aware that these translations contain human opinions about what the original text means.

Third, does the translation use italicized words for the words that have been added to clarify the meaning of the text? You will notice in the KJV and ASV that italicized words appear every once in a while. These are words that the translators have added, but they have identified them for you so that you will understand that they are not part of the original Greek text. It is an effort on their part to be faithful to the original. Some versions do not italicize the words that they add to the text. This blurs the line as to what words are God�s words and what has been inserted by man.

Fourth, compare the translation with other translations. You will probably be surprised at how many mistakes you can find in the various translations by doing this. (No translation is perfect and there are going to be some problems with any of them.) You may also compare your translation to a literal translation of the Bible such as the American Standard Version of 1901 or Young’s Literal Translation. The ASV has been criticized by just about everyone because it is such a literal translation of the scripture. Personally, I find that reassuring. This means that I can take a modern translation, compare it to the ASV and find out what the differences are in the modern translation from an acknowledged accurate representation of the original.

Now, I am not going to tell you to use one version or another for your personal Bible study. I believe that each Christian has the personal responsibility to decide that individually. However, when it comes to public teaching, preaching, reading, or personal evangelism, we should use a translation that is going to accurately reflect God’s word. And now I am going to express my personal judgment in this matter. From my personal studies I believe that the King James Version, The American Standard Version, and the New King James Version are attempts on the part of the translators to accurately represent God’s word. From the selection of translations that we have, these would be the best translations to use in public settings. I want to make it clear that it is not my job to state what translations should be used in the worship assembly. I have a responsibility to accurately represent God’s word in my sermons and I try to do this by using one of these three translations. However, it is the responsibility of the eldership to determine which translations ought to be used in public assemblies. Selecting a translation is an optional matter and the eldership has final authority in these matters. Many elderships require members to read from one of a set of approved translations and I believe that this is a scriptural practice.

Now regarding translations that are doctrinally unsound, and there are several of these, they should not be used in a public way lest we misrepresent the word of God. I noticed that the questioner asked specifically about the New International Version. The NIV is not a good translation of the Bible. In the preface they specifically state that they are going beyond a literal word for word translation. Their translation philosophy is one of dynamic equivalence. They do not italicize words that have been added to the text for the sake of clarity thereby failing to acknowledge that their insertions are not the words of God. The translators have also attempted to put their own human doctrines into the text. Within the NIV New Testament alone the Greek word which is best translated “flesh” is translated some twenty-four (24) times by the phrase “sinful nature.” This is an obvious effort on the part of the translators to insert the unbiblical doctrine of original sin into the Bible. (This doctrine states that man inherited his sin from Adam and that he is born totally depraved and sinful. Hence, man’s nature is sinful and the word “flesh” should be translated “sinful nature,” at least according to these translators.) There are some places where the NIV does a good job at translating, no doubt. However, for one to say that the NIV is an accurate representation of God’s word is not true. We should avoid using the NIV publicly.

God’s warnings regarding respecting the purity of His word are serious and we should respect those warnings. If you need some assistance with selecting a translation, there are several books available which review all of the translations. The most thorough book that I have read in this regard is “Challenging Dangers of Modern Versions” written by Robert R. Taylor, Jr (Bellview Preacher Training School, Pensacola, 1985). This book is fairly detailed at looking at the different versions and the various issues that arise as a result of modern attempts to insert human doctrines into the translations. He also provides a critical review of many of the modern versions.

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Is John 5:24 Speaking of Final Judgment?

In John 5:24 when it says “does not come into judgment” is this speaking of the final judgment?

We read in John 5:24 in the KJV, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” The ASV has the word “judgment” instead of “condemnation” and I assume that this or another similar translation is the one from which the reader is posing this question.

This particular verse is not speaking of the final judgment. Verse 25 within the same context explains this for us. It says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Notice that Jesus says “the hour is coming and now is.” Jesus is speaking of those who accept Him and His message during this life. Those who accept His message have the promise of eternal life, not condemnation.

The Greek word translated “judgment” here is the word “KRISIS” (from which we get our English word “crisis”). It is sometimes used in the sense of condemnation such as in Matthew 23:33 where Jesus says, “Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment (damnation, KJV) of hell?” In our text in John 5:24, Jesus does not have in mind here the final judgment scene where both the sheep and the goats will stand before Him to be judged (Matthew 25), but rather the concept of being condemned by judicial sentence. Those who accept Him and His words will not have to worry about condemnation. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” Jesus is not saying that some souls are going to bypass the Day of Judgment, but that those who believe Jesus’ words do not have to worry about the sentence of condemnation in that Day of Judgment.

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How Many Clean Animals Get Onto the Ark? Is it Seven or Seven Pair?

In Genesis 7:2, 3, how many of the clean animals get onto the ark? Is it seven, or seven pair?

Ancient, modern, conservative, and liberal scholars alike are divided about 50/50 on this question. The text says, “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.” If we start with the assumption that God commanded Noah to bring one male and one female of each kind (as seems to be indicated in chapter six), then the conclusion would seem to be that just as there were two total in the unclean, then there should be seven total in the clean. But this does not make for an even division of clean animals. If three were male and three were female, that is just six and we need one more to make seven. Those who choose this interpretation say that the extra one would be a male for the purpose of sacrifice.

On the other hand, if we start with the assumption of seven pair of clean animals meaning seven male and seven female, then we are left with the equally perplexing problem of suggesting that there were two male and two female of the unclean animals. This would suggest that Noah had twice as many unclean animals on the ark as we have previously thought.

I am not sure that I can come to any definite conclusions about this particular matter. After studying the issue, I am personally inclined to understand the number as one male and one female of the unclean and then four males and three females of the clean as well as the fowls. Economy of space within the ark would also support this conclusion. The important thing to understand about this passage was that there were more clean animals than there were unclean. This seems to be the primary purpose for the passage. God inspired Moses to write the book of Genesis to the children of Israel who were wandering in the wilderness. This book explained how they got into their present situation. The distinction between clean and unclean animals was instructive for them because they were to recognize that distinction as well in their worship and service to God. Understanding that this distinction predated Moses would go a long way toward helping them accept the distinction and live in the way that God wanted them to live as His covenanted people.

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What is the Sin Unto Death?

What is the sin unto death?

In 1 John 5:16 we read, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” The ASV translates the last part of this verse as follows: “There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request.”

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the Greek language is its lack of the indefinite article. In English, the indefinite article is the word “a” or “an.” When an indefinite article is expected, the syntax of the Greek sentence just gives the noun itself without the definite article. It is up to the translator to either supply the indefinite article or to leave it out depending upon the context. In this particular context, it makes better sense to me as a translator to leave the definite article out so that the sentence would read, “There is sin unto death.” This has the force of removing the idea that there is some particular sin that is unto death. In other words, there is no particular sin unto death, it is just a case where someone commits sin and that sin leads to death. Additionally, John uses the Greek word “PROS” in this verse, which is translated “unto” in the King James Version. A better translation for this preposition would be “toward.” That would help us to understand this statement even better. “There is sin toward death.” In other words, if one continues in one�s sin, eventually that will lead to one’s spiritual death. What is such a situation?

We must note that John is speaking to those who are Christians. He says, “If any man see his brother sin�.” What kind of sin could a Christian commit that would lead to death? James says in James 1:14, 15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” According to James, any temptation can lead to sin and death. So, how do we avoid sinning toward death? John gives the answer in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The sin that leads toward death is the un-repented and un-confessed sin. This follows naturally with the next thought, the sin that is not toward death. That is the sin of which on has repented and confessed. For this sin, we can pray for our brethren and God will forgive.

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Why Do Christians Partake of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday?

In Matthew 26, it talks about the Lord’s supper. However, it never says anything about taking of the Lord’s supper, on the Lord’s day (Sunday). Why do we partake on Sunday? Does the Bible say we should?

We read in Matthew 26:25-29 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father�s kingdom.” It is interesting to note that in this passage, Jesus says that He will drink of the cup with the apostles in His Father’s kingdom. The kingdom was established on the day of Pentecost (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1, 4) which was always observed on a Sunday according to Leviticus 23:15, 16. It was on this day that Jesus was raised from the dead (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1), and it was on this day of Pentecost that many became Christians for the first time. Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles� doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” This is the first mention that we have of Christian worship within the kingdom, and it includes the breaking of bread, one of the elements of the Lord’s Supper.

Paul writes concerning the Lord’s Supper, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord�s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Notice specifically the phrase, “As often as.” This indicates regularity to the matter. In other words, it was not just once in a blue moon that they partook of the Lord’s Supper, but on a regular basis. What was that regular basis? It was the first day of the week. In Acts 20:7, we read, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” Immediately before this particular verse, we see Paul waiting in Troas for a period of seven days. Paul expected the church to meet and he knew the day of their meeting. We can conclude from this that it was customary for the church to meet to worship once a week, (every seven days, upon the first day of the week) and that this day was when they partook of the Lord’s supper. So, “as often as” means “upon the first day of the week, every week.” Such was also true of the contribution that was to be taken on the first day of the week. 1 Corinthians 16:2 states, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” The church met upon the first day of the week to worship and this included observing the Lord’s Supper.

In thinking about the principles of worship, one of the most important is the principle of authority (Colossians 3:17). We have the command to partake of the Lord’s Supper. We have several examples of the early Christians partaking of the Lord’s Supper upon the first day of the week. If we were to suggest that we could partake of the Lord’s Supper upon some other day of the week, we would find ourselves in the position of not having any authority to do that. There is no command, example, or implication within the scriptures that authorize the church to partake of the Lord’s supper upon any other day than the first day of the week and with that we must be content if we are going to walk by faith–if we are going to live and act based upon the word of God (Romans 10:17).

But how do we know that we need to partake of it upon every first day of the week. This should be obvious from the expression, “upon the first day of the week.” The expression does not indicate any other time value except a weekly value. If I were to say to you that I go to volunteer at the community center on the third day of the week, you would understand me to mean, every Tuesday. If I did such any less than every week, you would expect me to qualify that statement with a “once a month” or such like. So also is the meaning of “upon the first day of the week.” The correct understanding of that phrase without additional clarification is a weekly.

Such was also true regarding the Sabbath day under the Old Law. God said, “Honor the Sabbath.” If the Israelites were to honor the Sabbath once a month, would that have been what God commanded? No. They were to honor every Sabbath and that was understood. We are on safe ground by partaking of the Lord’s Supper upon the first day of the week, every week. We know that this is something with which God cannot be displeased and faith seeks to please God (Hebrews 11:6). By observing the Lord’s Supper in some other way or less than weekly, we step out of God’s authority and onto our own without any biblical statement of support for such practices.

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