Bible Translations (and preferences)

 (My very next post is going to be a review of a Bible I recently got. For now, I wanted to talk about the various Bible translations.)

Reading the Bible is fundamental to the Christian. Some of us have trouble with (and questions about) the various translations.

For me, the KJV is my favorite for quoting from but I don't find it easy for general reading and Bible study. The NASB has been my go-to translation for Bible study. The first concern I had when I started reading and studying the Bible on a regular basis was the translation accuracy. I'd rather struggle to read an accurate translation rather than enjoy reading a less accurate one.

When I started serious Bible study, I pulled out every Bible I happened to own at that time:

• a KJV study Bible
• an NASB study Bible 
• an Amplified Bible
• an NIV red-letter edition
• a large, ornate KJV family Bible

I stuck mostly to the KJV and the NASB. I avoided the NIV because I was unsure about the translation. Finally, I looked up the key differences between the most common (English language) Bible translations. I cannot find the original source but this chart I found on God's Word is close. 

Got Questions (a go-to resource!) explains the differences further here. For a visual, I will use Christianbook's Genesis 3:8 verse examples of 1 translation from each of the 4 types shown on the above chart:

King James Bible (KJV)

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)

In the cool of the evening, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking around in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees in the garden.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

The Message

When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

Personally, the "retelling" versions are way too loosey-goosey for me to ever use as a study resource but I could see someone wanting to use them for reading to a child or for their own casual reading. I love reading the ESV in the evenings while in bed.

By the way, since my next post will be a review of an ESV Bible, here's that translation of Genesis 3:8:

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

When trying to decide which translation to use, I again refer to what Got Questions has to say. They go into more detail and have a video for the subject, but this is the part I take away from it:

There are many more Bible translations than the seven mentioned above. It is wise to have a personal method for determining whether a particular Bible translation is accurate. A good technique is to have a set of Scripture verses you know well, and look those verses up in a translation you are unsure of. A good idea is to look at some of the most common verses that speak of the deity of Christ (John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 10:30; Titus 2:13) to make sure a Bible translation is true to the Word of God. Despite the multitudes of English Bible translations, we can be confident that God’s Word is truth and that it will accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12).

I put emphasis on what I think is most important out of that suggestion.  It bears repeating:

A good idea is to look at some of the most common verses that speak of the deity of Christ (John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 10:30; Titus 2:13) to make sure a Bible translation is true to the Word of God.

The deity of Christ is the crux of Scripture. Anything that challenges, changes, or twists that fact is to be defended against. We defend our faith in the Lord every day as we live in this world, I don't want a Bible that attacks the very thing it is meant to stand for.

Whichever translation(s) you choose, do read and study the Bible. I never realized the importance of that until I began. I was raised in a church that taught erroneous doctrines and many people still follow those errors. They are relying on the words and interpretations of pastors who may or may not be willingly deceitful. There are church leaders and teachers who twist the Bible to make themselves rich or powerful - or worse. The pastor I was under was a good man but I no longer agree with many of his teachings - not after prayerfully reading the Scriptures for myself. 

Okay, I'm through ranting! I will have the next post up as soon as I can.

Peace

--Free

#Jesus Is Coming Soon

 I rarely use Twitter because I get annoyed by the unorganized clutter of information. So I use the platform for very specific needs. This morning I logged in to DM the USPS about a bad delivery attempt and noticed that one of the Trending Topics is #JesusIsComingSoon. 

The Bible teaches that no one knows the day or hour of Jesus's return. However, whether or not he returns in your lifetime (or mine), we are going to see him when we die. I don't know if people think about that. We don't know how long we have to live. 

As I've mentioned in my blogs, my 36-year-old niece died unexpectedly. On the day she died, she woke up with plans to prepare for an upcoming visit from her twin brother. She had breakfast and fed her dogs and checked her email and logged into her social media accounts. Later, she walked her dogs before going off the part-time job she'd recently started. Her full-time job paid well but she was trying to earn extra money for achieving some additional life goals. A few hours later, she was dead.

We think that we have so much control over everything. We plan and worry and fret and anticipate. Yet we cannot control whether or not we take our next breath, What every one of us will eventually learn is that God is in control.

There are people who stand in pulpits and teach that God is a genie in a bottle that we can "sow seeds" at to get money and healing. They will stand before God and they will know.

There are people who think that they can pray to various "saints" and idols for their salvation and safety and earthly well-being. They will stand before God and they will know.

There are scientists who argue against a Creator and teach that we exist because of a cosmic accident or that we were birthed by stardust or some such nonsense. They will stand before God and they will know.

There are Atheists who perform wonderfully in their debates against those who believe in a Creator. they will stand before God and they will know.

There are Christians who sometimes get weary and discouraged. They too will stand before God and they will know.

You are going to see God and know. I am going to see God and know. We don't make something true or not by believing or disbelieving. What is, is. We have been told and it will be. 

So when I saw that such a truth was "trending" on a social media platform, I was both happy and sad. I worry for the people who refuse to believe what is true.

For it is written: “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, TO ME EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, AND EVERY TONGUE WILL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.” (Romans 14:11)

Accepting Christ is not hard, although living for him can be. All you have to do is sincerely ask him to come into your heart and your life. Ask him to forgive you of your sins

That's it. Once you trust in him - truly trust in him - you have made the first step. You will learn to read the Bible and pray for guidance. Pray to find other Bible-believing Christians to connect with. 

None of us know how much time we have to live - whether we live for the world or live for Christ. But we do need to choose. Please think of eternity. Consider carefully what you believe and why.

Peace

--Free 

No Govt Representation for Me

 Republican, Democrat, Independent... blah, blah, blah.

I'm not someone who obsesses over politics. I scan the news and try to be aware of major issues but... I really just cannot cope anymore with the distractions, disorganization, and disinformation that have escalated in the political world.

To be honest, I think the last time I paid attention to politics was a couple of years before Obama ran for the first time. That wore me out. I became so fatigued with all the hype and ADHD energy of voters who were so "for" or "against" one party or another. It was exhausting. 

My family has never been very "political". While growing up, I don't remember passionate discussions about politics in my home. Of course, my parents and their friends were interested, concerned with, and affected by the Civil Rights movement and the issues surrounding equality in the everyday lives of black people. I heard the adults discussing these things but I never heard them arguing with each other. 

For years, I was registered as Democrat. Not because I was very educated about every issue concerning citizens but because my parents had been Democrats. Shallowly, I always thought of Democrats as being for equality and fairness while I saw Republicans as being for pure capitalism and not concerned about anyone with brown or red skin.

I don't think it was until I was in my late 30s that I began to see how blurred - and at the same time, how clear - the lines are between the two major parties. I'm not sure when I began to feel - as an individual - not represented. It was during the rise of MAGA Republicans and the "squads" of progressive Democrats that I knew I was not well-represented.

As a citizen with only a layperson's understanding of politics, I am:

• Both pro-life and pro-choice. As a Christian, I know that every life is precious and that abortion is wrong. Also, I know that God gave us free will. I don't want people to sin but I know that they will (as I do). If someone murders - takes a life in any way that is not in justice - they are going to face divine judgment if they don't repent.
• Against gay marriage and special rights for LGBTQ+ citizens. If someone wants to live a gay lifestyle and suffer God's judgment, that's on them. However, I don't think that they should have the right to legally impact the education system. I don't think there should be such a thing as "drag queen story time". I don't think that we should legitimize or normalize sinful lifestyles. (And I once lived with a man I was not married to. I had to repent for that.) 
• Against the entire "trans" movement. If someone wants to be trans, fine. However, I should not have to be legally forced to figure out the confusion of pronouns because someone is confused about their sexuality or identity.
• Against movements about which lives matter more or less. We are all precious in God's eyes and by fighting over who is more or less valued, we are denying that. Black lives do matter - so do white lives and red lives and brown and whatever other color there is. How about "everybody with skin matters"? There. I fixed it for you.
• For programs that some people consider "socialist" - the programs that help feed the poor, provide school lunches and assist with housing, education, and healthcare. I am for those who cannot help themselves due to addiction, mental or physical disabilities, or poor parental situations.
• Fair working wages and compensation. 
• Against free and unlimited welfare for people who are able to be trained to work or provide a service in exchange for help.
• Support for Israel because God promised to "bless those who bless" Israel and "curse those who curse" her.

I was asked during a heated discussion in some online forum or the other if I would rather have a "doddering" Biden as president versus a more decisive if "lacking in decorum" Trump. That's an unfair choice. I don't know anyone in their right mind who wants Trump who stirs up so much division and hate. Also, I'm not crazy about Biden who, in my limited understanding, is very much for many of the things I think are sinful. And that's my problem. There is no one representing sane Christians. I don't think there ever will be and - to be honest - I don't think there is supposed to be.

There. I said it. 

This nation is not God's kingdom. This is a nation, like any other, that makes its policies based on mostly secular reasoning and viewpoints. I would like a nation that ran on totally Christian morals but I know that never will be. Just as Jesus wanted the people in his time here on earth to understand: his kingdom is the one to come. 

But back to this earthly "kingdom". I'm not right-wing or left-wing. I'm not even really a centrist. I'm a Christian and that's not a recognized party in the political system of the USA. 

Speaking of "socialist" programs, what is wrong with giving as much as we get - as a nation taking care of its citizens? The government talks about money like it's unlimited when it comes to things that benefit the wealthy or powerful. We can fund wars, no problem. We can let the big corporations find tax loopholes, no problem. But Medicare and Medicaid for those lazy peasants or housing and care for the mentally ill or veterans of wars? Oh boy, we might need to discuss that...

I heard someone once mention some of the ridiculous things that are in some of the government bills. There was money allocated for things like observing the mating habits of such and such an animal. Again, I'm ignorant about many things so here is a link to a list of some of the ridiculousness of federal spending. Even if a list such as this is exaggerated, it's not the only example.

Basically, as a Christian, this world is not my "paradise". Politicians are not my friends. Political parties don't really matter. We will be fighting each other until the end of time if we think that we can change that. How about we try to have our differences without violence?

What if we all learn to be civil? Not in agreement, of course, but civil in both our agreements and disagreements? Just because I am not pro-gay, I'm not going to be hateful to a gay or trans or MAGA or Progressive person. Just because I'm not for what they are for, I'm not going to be hateful to them. I'm going to pray for them and I will advocate that they - or any other person promoting sin - not be allowed to affect my rights to be and live a Christian life. If they can promote drag time story hour in school, why shouldn't prayer in school be allowed?

The bottom line: we are never going to have peace in this world until God's kingdom comes. In the meantime, I just want to be decent and kind and to be treated with decency and kindness. 

Okay. Now I'm just starting to rant. I think I've made my point. Basically, as a Christian, I will not have true representation under a man-made government. That's what Heaven is for.

Peace

--Free