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V . Which Translation Is Best? In this essay we've been looking at the differences in Bible translations. We have noted that the Greek text behind the King James NT is different from the Greek text behind most modern translations. We have seen that the discovery of the papyri at the turn of the century has shed much light on the meaning of biblical words. And we have found that Bible translations, by-in-large, are either word-for-word or phrase-for-phrase translations and that there are pros and cons with each of these. Today, we want to look briefly at five or six popular translations and discuss their values. But before we look at these translations, I'd like to make three general comments. First, you might think there is no hope of ever knowing what the Word of God really says. There are so many translations that read so differently! How can anyone who does not know Greek or Hebrew really know what the Bible says? I am personally convinced that the Holy Spirit is so...

I. Why So Many Versions? "Breaking up is hard to do," as the song goes. Ma Bell did it--creating a glut of long distance companies almost as numerous as brands of deodorant. The Bible did it, too. Before the year 1881 you could read any version you wanted--as long as it was the King James Version. But since 1881, scores of new translations have been printed. How did the King James get dethroned? Which translation is best today? Are any of the modern translations really faithful to the original? These are some of the questions we'll be looking at in this essay. But initially, we'd just like to get a bird’s eye view. We simply want an answer to the question, "Why are there so many versions of the Bible?" There are three basic influences which have given birth to a multitude of translations. First, in 1881 two British scholars published a Greek New Testament which was based on the most ancient manuscripts then available. This text, by Brook Foss We...

What do you think of when you hear the word “pure”? I immediately think about sexual purity. No doubt, it is vital that we talk about and practice sexual purity in our current cultural climate. Or perhaps, instead of thinking about sexual purity, you think about moral purity: that when the Bible speaks about purity, what it is really speaking about is keeping ourselves from sin—so being pure means being without sin. This is often the case in the Bible. In fact, there are many instances in which the New Testament points to purity as an issue of being free from the sin (Philippians 1:10, 4:8; 1 Peter 3:2). However, thinking of purity solely in these ways misses the Bible’s underlying teaching about what purity is. As we look at how purity is described in the Bible, we see that it is speaking of something that is far deeper and more universal. Purity is not merely an issue of lust that struggling men and women need to be concerned about. It is an issue that it is at the very hea...