The King James Version

I get so fed up with people who say that the King James Version is the only true version of the Bible.  They claim it is the only version worthy to read and study from because it is the most true to what scripture actually says.  They claim that the other, newer versions all contain errors and the wording used does not accurately portray what scripture is actually trying to say.

If you want to use the only version that is guaranteed to be 100% accurate and error free, then you have to read the actual manuscripts written by the authors themselves in their original language.  You will have no ambiguity of the translations then.  No question of what the word should or should not be.  What is that?  Oh, you do not know how to read Greek and Hebrew?  I'm so sorry, guess you are out of luck.  But wait!  God, yes our God, has given men the ability to translate scripture between languages!  God uses men who have studies the old languages and scriptures to translate them into other languages so the everyday person can understand.

I know you will agree with that, even if you do believe King James is the only true Bible.  What about people who do not know English?  Do they not have a true and accurate Bible to read?  Why can't other translations be acceptable, even other English translations?  Are you saying God cannot preserve his Word through out the generations?  Isn't God capable of that?  Doesn't scripture say nothing is impossible for our God, no matter what version you read?

Matthew 19:26

26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (HCSB)

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (KJV)

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NIV)

26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (ESV)

I feel that the way you can choose a good translation is to first see how it was written.  If someone used accepted Greek and Hebrew manuscripts for translations and accurately translates them into another language, then I think they are fine for us to use to study his word.  Yes, some ambiguity will slip in as translations are made, but the overall ideas, truths and promises are still accurately conveyed.  There are always words in one language that do not exist or some idioms in one language we just do not understand, but they do not hinder our understanding of scripture as a whole.  Knowing what was used to translate the Bible and how the translator went about doing it can help you find the right Bible for you.  If you believe the King James is the best version for you, by all means, use that version.  If you feel the NIV or the ESV or the HCSB is the best translation, use those.  Just beware of how they are translated.  If a passage in the NIV or ESV or HCSB or KJV or any other version have a meaning that seems different across the versions, that is when you pull out Greek and Hebrew dictionaries and try to determine which is most accurate. (Or research it using the internet or books)  Perhaps the reason for the differences is that there is a word in the native languages that scholars do not know exactly what they mean.  They are using the context of the passages (HA, see context is still important!) to determine the best meaning for the unknown term.  Each translator will think of something slightly different based on his understanding of the passage.  Does that mean the passage is in error?  Well, not exactly.  Perhaps the word means all those things.  We just may not know.  Does that mean the translator was not inspired because God did not give him the meaning of every single word?  NO!  There are some things that remain mysteries in the Bible because God wants them to remain mysteries.  He reveals HIS mysteries in HIS time.

Colossians 1:25 I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

What really gets me, is that one person I have met through the internet claims King James to be the only true word of God in the English language, but then goes on to site several places where translations were incorrect.  If some of it is incorrect, then it isn't perfect, now is it!

I know I mentioned in the previous post that I believe the Word of God is 100% true and contains no errors.  By errors, I do not mean punctuation or spelling or changing between words that have the same meaning.  What I mean is that nothing that was supposed to be there was left out and nothing that wasn't supposed to be there was put in.  There is no error in the meaning of what a passage is trying to convey, no matter which rightly translated Bible you pick up.

I do believe that there are some Versions that should not be called Bibles because they are not.  Take "The Message" version.  It is not a Bible.  It was not written to be a Bible.  It was written as a study guide as one reads through the Bible and should not be taken as the Word of God.  Can God use what is in "The Message" to help reach the lost for Him?  Yes.  But it should not be promoted as a Bible when the author, himself, wrote it as something different.

All in all, be careful on the translation you use, but do not be so stingy as to look down on someone else for not using "THE" version of scripture.  There are many good translations, not just one.  My husband says that the ideas of scripture is more important than the exact words used.  One translation may say it slightly different, but the meaning is completely the same.  Saying God can do all things is exactly the same as saying nothing is impossible for God.  There words used may be different, but the idea/meaning is the same.

Genesis 17:1-14 - Circumcision

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty.Live in My presence and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7 I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. 8 And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.”

Here God is reiterating the promises he has previously given to Abram.  He will have many offspring, who will be a great nation and his offspring will possess the land of Canaan.

Genesis 17:9 God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep My covenant. 10 This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you at eight days old is to be circumcised. This includes a slave born in your house and one purchased with money from any foreigner. The one who is not your offspring, 13 a slave born in your house, as well as one purchased with money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Circumcision of an outwardly sign of the covenant of God with Israel.  Every Israelite male was to be circumcised   This was an issue in the early church, as Paul addresses in some of his letters.  

Many people in the early church began to argue that one had to be circumcised in order to be saved.  This is not so.  As Romans states below:

Romans 4:9 Is this blessing only for the circumcised, then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness. 10 In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. 12 And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

Abraham was not circumcised until he was 99 years old.  Does that mean he was not righteous or not favored by God because he was uncircumcised?  No!  He was called righteous before God called him and his people to be circumcised.  Likewise, Noah was seen as righteous, but he was not commanded to be circumcised.

Galatians 5:1 Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

Here Paul clearly states that it doesn't matter if you are or are not circumcised.  What matters is faith.  Now, Paul is not saying you should not get circumcised.  He is saying do not get circumcised if the reason you are doing it is to be right with God.  If that is the reason they choose to get circumcised, then they are subjecting  themselves to the Law, which Jesus already fulfilled   Why go back seeking a sacrifice for righteousness when our Lord has already sacrificed himself!  Our salvation is not based on what we do, but on the mercy and grace of God through Christ.

I'm going to end today's post with this verse

Colossians 2:8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. 12 Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.

Amen.

Genesis 1:1-3 -- Day 1

So, now that I have answered the question, why did God create all things, I'm going to continue reading, starting back at verse one.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  Wow.  When I think about this and what it would have been like to actually see this happen, I think about being deep in a cave where no sunlight (or any light) has ever been.  To be in absolute darkness is what I imagine when I think about before light was created.  And when God spoke, I image that all of a sudden, it becomes so brightly blinding with light.  White all around.  You can see nothing but light.

My husband has written a blog post himself about the beginning and what he believes happened.  If you would like to see his blog, which goes into a lot more scripture and details than mine, just visit What happened "In the beginning?" and The end of "What happened in the beginning?"

Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good,and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Yes, I believe in a literal six day creation.  I believe God created all things in six days.  I used to believe that the six days of creation corresponded to geological time periods.  I was trying to reconcile the Bible with science.  (I will not go into a deep theological discussion on my understanding of why I believe in six literal days of creation, but if you want to know more or less my personal beliefs, my husband has also written a blog on that!  If you want to read it, just visit Why I believe in six literal days of creation and Part 2.)

Another part of science that people try to reconcile the Bible with is the Big Bang, saying that the creation story is an account of the Big Bang.  One major assumption of the Big Bang is that the universe was created by an explosion of very dense, chaotic material.  Some, in an attempt to reconcile the two, say that God simply spoke order into what was already there, thus the Big Bang happened.  I see at least one major issue with this.  If God's creation of the universe was simply ordering what was already there, then where did the stuff come from that God made the universe from?  Why couldn't God make something from nothing?  He is God.  All things are possible with him!  I believe that God created the world from nothing.  He brought forth all things by the Word of his mouth and the power of his hands.  I found a few verses to look at.

John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John says that "without him, NOTHING was made."  This clearly suggest that nothing existed that God did not make.  EVERYTHING we see, know, feel, and experience was made by God.  IF there was an event like the Big Bang, then God was the one who created the material from which the Big Bang occurred.  We, as humans, have a hard time imaging this.  We can only create using materials.  We bend and manipulate them to form something new.  God does not need anything to create.  He can create with just his words.  We cannot just make something if we want.  We cannot say I want to create a flower and the flower just appear.  (Which is what I image happened when God spoke -- Yes he is that powerful!)

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Hebrews says that "by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command."  By Faith.  That means we must believe that the Bible has told us the truth about what happened in creation.  We were not there, so we will not ever know for sure what happened when God said, "Let there be light."  We can imagine and believe and that is about it.

Colossians 1:16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  

Colossians here says "all things have been created through him."  ALL things.  EVERY thing.

Now these things are not to say that science and the Bible can never agree.  And I am not against science.  I love science, just not all their theories.  Science attempts to explain the order in the universe.  God created the universe, and gave it order and us the knowledge and understanding to see the order and learn about how it works.  Thus we have science:  to help us better understand the creation of God.