After the recent publication of a devotional on The Nugget, I, as moderator of The Nugget, received the following message (reprinted with permission):
“Has there been a change in the Lord’s prayer? It was always ‘and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.'” Now sins have become trespasses, I must upset a few because Jesus died for our sins and that’s how I say it, I’m a sinner, yes I do commit the odd sin but I’m not into trespassing, there’s laws against that.'”
I had to smile. It was simply a matter of a different Bible translation! I was raised actually with the wording “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”, and I have to admit that I was well into my relationship with Christ before I realized that those words actually applied to me! After all, I don’t take out loans, so I’m not a debtor! But call it what you will: Debts, trespasses, it’s ALL sin, and like the writer of the above quote so eloquently stated, we’ve ALL sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!
This all made me think. It’s true that the Bible has been translated literally thousands of times, and each time, though most of these translations go back to the original language, there is potential for error. Case in point is the different spin on meaning that different wordings from different translations can give.
Okay, then is there one translation that is better than another, or do we have to go back to the ancient Greek and Hebrew?
If so, then most of us are sunk. I don’t know about you, but I’m not fluent in ancient Greek or Hebrew! So back to my original question: Is there one version of the Bible that is more accurate than another?
Friends, I am very aware that many sincere Christians have a version that they feel is the “best”, they often have at least one that they feel should not be used. I am also aware some of you will stop reading at this point, for you don’t want to read “heresy”. Others will stop reading because you don’t wish to waste your time in what you think you already know, and others will simply say, “Who cares???”. But I pray you will read this devotional to its completion, for God has laid this message heavily upon my heart.
You see, the more I pray about this issue, the more I am convinced of one thing and one thing alone: When we claim one translation is better than another, we limit God! It’s God’s Word, His Spirit authored it, and He will ensure that it exists in a form that conveys all Truth in whatever language the person who is reading it needs to hear! Let’s remember, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“ (Heb 4:12-13 NKJV)
What does this mean? It means that God’s Word is going to speak to each of us differently each time we pick it up! Oh, that doesn’t mean the fundamentals will change: “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Mal 3:6 NKJV). But it does mean that a certain passage will speak something different to me than it will to you, and it may even speak something different to me the next time I read it!
I would you all to try this experiment: Chose a particular passage of Scripture and meditate on it every day. Ask God to reveal His message to you for each day, and keep a journal of your findings. If you do this for a couple of weeks or more, you will find that your findings are not all the same!
Let’s take the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2), for example, the great statue with head of gold, chest of silver, loins of brass, etc. This dream speaks of prophecy, and history has confirmed every part of this dream, except for the Rock which has not yet come. One day when you read this story, you may be struck with the wisdom of God in foreknowing this. Another day God will speak to you about keeping His promises. Do you know what this story told me this morning? I am currently struggling with relinquishing control of a certain area of my life to God, and this morning when I read this passage, it screamed out loud and clear: The God who controls history is certainly BIG ENOUGH to be in charge of this matter in your life!
This is what being living and active means, friends! God isn’t limited in His ability to speak to us simply because we’re reading a certain translation of the Bible! God’s Spirit still pierces and divides soul and spirit. It still judges the thoughts and intentions of man’s heart, NO MATTER WHAT TRANSLATION WE USE!
Let’s put aside our petty differences, friends! Let’s stay united, fully accepting that some of us prefer to read the KJV, while others prefer the NLB, and still others go directly to the original Hebrew and Greek. Let’s leave the task of correct interpretation of His Word to the Author of the Word, God’s Spirit, and each time we open our Bibles, let’s remember to ask His Spirit to open our spiritual eyes, that we may fully understand that special message God has for each of us in ever passage of His Word!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.