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In the bible it says that certain Jews were charged with ensuring the scriptures were accurately scribed and all the passages contained as being scripturally sound and accurately and precisely recorded as directed by the Holy Spirit.
God knew full well how the bible was going to be translated and what shape the major revisions were to take so as to be understood and applied in one's life.
My own test is too compare any revision with the first chapter in the book of John that describe the divinity of God. If the revision does not agree with the King James bible in this one regard then I don't believe that it is a bible that should be read and studied as it is obviously skewed and biased towards the view and perception of those that compiled it and is not faithful the original manuscripts that they derived from.
God knew full well how the bible was going to be translated and what shape the major revisions were to take so as to be understood and applied in one's life.
My own test is too compare any revision with the first chapter in the book of John that describe the divinity of God. If the revision does not agree with the King James bible in this one regard then I don't believe that it is a bible that should be read and studied as it is obviously skewed and biased towards the view and perception of those that compiled it and is not faithful the original manuscripts that they derived from.
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Well in response to the first video, no physicist worth his salt would say the universe is not ever expanding and there is no beginning. That is kind of straw manning their argument. But, even taking the premise that God does exist my question is how are you sure which God is the "right" God. That was my original question. And I do want it. I really hate being dismissed like that. I am trained as a scientist which means I just question most things. I will watch the third video tonight.
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No man made denomination is going to be perfect... but Gods word is...
I think the best way to start is to dive deep into His word (I personally suggest a KJV since that is what I use mainly, then going to strongs for words that you would like help with)
but with whatever translation you choose, it is always best to first pray from your heart to God to reveal to you what it is He wants you to see...
I've met many brothers and sisters from different denominations who would argue over many things, but I still see them as fellow believers so long as we all accept Jesus as our only hope and we trust and believe in Him as we try to be useful members to the body we are now a part of.
(then after you have a strong foundation in Him, it is good to seek a sound congregation for fellowship)
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Every single Religion on planet Earth boils down to man attempting to somehow earn, or work, or be a good enough person to attain Salvation, except true Christianity based on the Bible. Really think about that statement.
True Christianity says that you can NEVER work, or be good enough, to get to Heaven. That is why God had to become human flesh in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. HE had to die to pay for the sin debt we simply CAN'T pay for. And He rose from the that death 3 days later, proving that those that are in Him will rise to eternal life as well.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, died for YOUR sin, and believe in YOUR heart that He was raised to life on the 3rd day, YOU WILL BE SAVED.
True Christianity says that you can NEVER work, or be good enough, to get to Heaven. That is why God had to become human flesh in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. HE had to die to pay for the sin debt we simply CAN'T pay for. And He rose from the that death 3 days later, proving that those that are in Him will rise to eternal life as well.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, died for YOUR sin, and believe in YOUR heart that He was raised to life on the 3rd day, YOU WILL BE SAVED.
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I enjoy these questions, as it lets me exercise the spiritual and intellectual mind and prepare me for questions when non-Christians ask me at work.
The two questions I’ll address are: 1) How can we trust the translations? (drawn from post - “I mean my question is larger than that like how do you have so much certainty that the bible was correct. Or even what translation or version is correct?”)
And 2) Why are there so many denominations? And do they matter (drawn from post – “but how are people sure christianity and their denomination is the right one? Like everyone seems certain that they are correct. I just don't know how to navigate all the different opinions.”)
Word-for-word translation such as ESV/KJV will try to translate the original word into the most appropriate English word in its context and meaning. It is very good for study and when you want to meditate on the words and its meaning.
Meaning-for-meaning such as the NIV will try to translate the meaning of the sentences (noting that there’s no punctuation in the Greek/Hebrew) in to the modern English meaning. They are good for everyday reading or when going through large bodies of text.
Paraphrase translations such as the NLT will try to translate the whole sections into modern English, they may add words not present in its original form but the words are added to assist with the modern translation. They are good for new converts or those who struggle to read (like myself).
For example, Rom 3:25 (the red is my own emphasis)
ESV
“whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
NIV
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
NLT
For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
Notice the different types of words used to describe Jesus act of sacrifice – propitiation/sacrifice of atonement/sacrifice for sin, and also how the translators capture the effect of it on sin – passed over former sin/left sins unpunished/did not punish previous sin.
The ESV translator has used 'propitiation' to emphasise how Jesus' sacrifice restores relationship between God and Man. The NIV and NLT used sacrifice for sin/atonement which is similiar to the Levitical sacrifices for sin with a hint that Jesus was our perfect sacrifice. Both are correct yet different however this is the challenge of translating any text into a different language because the new language doesn't quite fit the old one.
In spirit they try to convey the same message but different translators understand the text differently and will have some bias though it will not drastically diverge from the original text. This brings me to the fourth approach to translation – Corruption, which are texts driven by other religions such as JW or Mormonism to purposely change the Christian doctrine by adding or subtracting words from the original text and to effectively change its meaning.
Perhaps the best way to understand your translation is to go through the Forward or translators notes in the beginning of the Bible (usually present in big study Bibles) and understand the translator’s approach to their work.
I’ll post my response to Q. 2 in the morning, after some reflection.
The two questions I’ll address are: 1) How can we trust the translations? (drawn from post - “I mean my question is larger than that like how do you have so much certainty that the bible was correct. Or even what translation or version is correct?”)
And 2) Why are there so many denominations? And do they matter (drawn from post – “but how are people sure christianity and their denomination is the right one? Like everyone seems certain that they are correct. I just don't know how to navigate all the different opinions.”)
- How can we trust the translations?
- Word-for-word
- Meaning-for-meaning
- Paraphrase
Word-for-word translation such as ESV/KJV will try to translate the original word into the most appropriate English word in its context and meaning. It is very good for study and when you want to meditate on the words and its meaning.
Meaning-for-meaning such as the NIV will try to translate the meaning of the sentences (noting that there’s no punctuation in the Greek/Hebrew) in to the modern English meaning. They are good for everyday reading or when going through large bodies of text.
Paraphrase translations such as the NLT will try to translate the whole sections into modern English, they may add words not present in its original form but the words are added to assist with the modern translation. They are good for new converts or those who struggle to read (like myself).
For example, Rom 3:25 (the red is my own emphasis)
ESV
“whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
NIV
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
NLT
For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
Notice the different types of words used to describe Jesus act of sacrifice – propitiation/sacrifice of atonement/sacrifice for sin, and also how the translators capture the effect of it on sin – passed over former sin/left sins unpunished/did not punish previous sin.
The ESV translator has used 'propitiation' to emphasise how Jesus' sacrifice restores relationship between God and Man. The NIV and NLT used sacrifice for sin/atonement which is similiar to the Levitical sacrifices for sin with a hint that Jesus was our perfect sacrifice. Both are correct yet different however this is the challenge of translating any text into a different language because the new language doesn't quite fit the old one.
In spirit they try to convey the same message but different translators understand the text differently and will have some bias though it will not drastically diverge from the original text. This brings me to the fourth approach to translation – Corruption, which are texts driven by other religions such as JW or Mormonism to purposely change the Christian doctrine by adding or subtracting words from the original text and to effectively change its meaning.
Perhaps the best way to understand your translation is to go through the Forward or translators notes in the beginning of the Bible (usually present in big study Bibles) and understand the translator’s approach to their work.
I’ll post my response to Q. 2 in the morning, after some reflection.
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