W e ' r e m o r e t h a n j u s t a C h u r c h . . . W e ' r e a F A M I L Y !
Pastor Carter addresses Questions on
BIBLE TRANSLATIONS
I have several friends who believe in only using the King James Version of the Bible, but I have other friends who use other translations. What are your thoughts on the different Bible translations?
I used to be a strict KJV'er as well. But when I began learning how to study from a Greek New Testament and a Hebrew Old Testament, and began to conduct in-depth, word-for-word and thought-for-thought studies from the original languages and definitions, I quickly veered from the belief that the KJV was the ONLY way to go.
However, I still do read, study AND PREACH from the Authorized KJV, but never without consulting the Greek manuscripts and any other available translations. Traditional Pentecostals, such as your humble correspondant here, are more comfortable and familiar with the KJV and so it seems to be the most widely used and accepted. But that doesn't rule out the relevance of using other translations along with it.
I often seek out the paraphrased meanings in versions such as the New Living Translation (NLT) and The Message Bible (TMB). I do admit, that while these are good reads for insight purposes, I don't think they should be used as a "final authority" on anything. ...Just merely for further depth and insight into possible meanings. I also believe the New Living Translation far outdoes its predecessor, The Living Bible (TLB). ...Way too many inconsistencies in TLB and sometimes a more difficult read than you might expect.
I get a tremendous amout out of the Amplified Bible (AMP) and do not hesitate to read and preach from it as a secondary text. Its in-depth expansions of literally translated words are awesome, and are enough to make you wanna' push the coffee table out of the way and shout awhile. Hoo-rah for the AMP!
The NIV is ok, and in some cases it is direct. In my opinion, however, I've found cases where it may provide a literal translation, but fails to express the overall theme or context that seems to be present. In this case, I'd rather use a different literal translation that says the same thing in different wording in order to see to it the Scripture is appropriately conveyed in the power, spirit and context of the overall passage.
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A lot of KJV defenders claim it was inspired by God. Do you?
I believe that the Scripture, as it was originally relayed and penned, was given by inspiration of God. I'm not able to support the idea that the KJV was God-inspired. In 1604, King James 1 decreed a new translation should be made. It began in 1607, and had six panels of translators (about 50 in all). The work of the six panels went on until 1611, when their work was reviewed by a committee of twelve (two from each panel). The final changes were made and were then sent to the bishops and other clergy for approval. King James 1 liked what he saw, and the rest is history.
While I agree that it was an important and pivotal time, in that the Word of God was finally being penned in the common language, I don't know that its translations are "divinely inspired."
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How can we prove that the KJV was the inspired version of the Bible?
I don't think we can. The only thing we can do is compare it over and over again to the earliest original manuscripts, which WERE the inspiried writings of the text as it came from the lips of their writers in their own languages. But in doing so, we can find certain instances where other translations are more literal and true-to-text. Does that make them divinely inspired as well? I think not. ...Just a closer interpretation in our language of the truly divinely inspired Word written in the language of its author.
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Has God inspired versions for the other languages of the world? He inspired a version for the Jews and a version for the Greeks and, as we say, a version for the English. What about the French, the Spanish, the Russians, the Chinese, etc?
I think you're confusing divine inspiration with denominational backing. Some organizations say that the KJV is the only version of the Bible that is acceptable for english-speaking people, and some have taken that to mean it is the closest to the original manuscripts and must be divinely inspired for English-speaking folks. And while it is true that in most cases it is very close to the original manuscripts, it is not true of all cases. If that were the case, then we would have to say the KJV is the inspired Word of God for the English-speaking people, except in Scriptures X, Y, and Z, where the Amplified, NIV, or NASB are the "inspired" Word.
Contact FHC with your questions and Pastor Carter will answer them here.
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PASTOR CHAD CARTER
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