I am undertaking a project to re-read the New Testament. I must say I certainly do NOT read my Bible every day, not by any means. My whole life people in church would get on us about reading our Bible every day, but we live by the spirit of the law, no the letter. We need to remember that. No where in Scripture does it say, "You MUST read your Bible every day, or else....." lol The only relevant verse is Jesus saying, "If you remain in me, I will remain in you." So that is why it is important to stay in the word, in order to remain in Jesus.
I am re-reading things, one, because I have not read the N.T. in the King James Version before. I was at a church for awhile that swore by it being the most correct version of the Bible. The pastor vehemently argued, "Hundreds have fought and died to protect this version! This is the correct version of the Bible!" I saw that as a bit legalistic at first but after reading more of the King James version I can see his point. There really are some pretty astounding differences.
For example, Phil 1:6 in the NIV, which I've been reading for the last 14 or 26 years really, says, "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." But check out how it's worded in the King James, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." That is a HUGE difference. Even the NASB, which Biola University swears by, says, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." There is a very big different meaning between God "carrying it to completing" and his "perfecting" it versus him just "performing" it. Think about it. The other two versions seem to say there will be a finality to it, that God will finish his work in you. But in the King James it just says he will just be working in you basically, not that he will finish anything. And think about it, He is not required to. He is God. He doesn't have to finish anything. The point of this difference is that it is both US and God who walk out the Christian life. God is not going to do everything for us. "God helps those who help themselves" right? Right. God helps us but we are also responsible for our OWN sanctification. We can't expect to just kick back in an inner tube on the lazy river and let God carry US along. No, it doesn't work that way. That is why we are a lukewarm church, because we think that way. The Christian walk is when you try with all your might to walk against the current in the lazy river. It's hard. It's not comfortable. It requires effort. Don't think you can just float along. Get out of the inner tube of sloth and complacency and start walking the other way, against the current.
So I am re-reading the N.T. also for this reason, to find the differences. Clearly the NIV and the NASB have a Calvinistic slant. Which makes sense for Biola because it was predominantly Calvinistic, which is probably why I never felt fully comfortable there. Calvinists and these versions really to want to prove the concept of the perseverance of the saints, but in so doing God's Holy Scripture has been twisted. It has been tainted. It has been messed up. :(
I always used to blow off people that said the Bible has been mis-translated. I always thought, "If God saw that people were messing up his Word he could strike them with lightning." But people have in fact messed up the Holy Bible as it's been translated into different versions. And why does God allow this?
Like the Message, WHAT is the deal with that version honestly? But we have free will. The Message is NOT the Bible and I get so tired of people references it as if it was. It was just a guy who figured out how to make tons of money. I'm sure he thought to himself, "I'll re-write the Bible, yeah, that will make me rich." Think about it.
But what does the end of Revelation say? "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book." That's in the NASB. And that is what the Message does. So be very wary of this version please!
I would say the same for the Amplified Bible. In my heart, in my Spirit, I just know it's also wrong. I know that is what Joyce Meyer uses and I love her but she is off on some things as well.
For example, in one conference of hers I attended in L.A. she said at one point, "Ok I am giving you the Holy Spirit now. Everyone pray in tongues; pray in the Spirit!"
I'm sorry but is not how it works. God alone can pour out his Spirit on people, as much or as little as HE wants to and when and where He wants to and decides to. It is not up to us.
And Paul explicitly says that is NOT how tongues praying is supposed to go. In public it needs an interpreter or you do it in private between you and God. That's it. Period.
Back to the King James version of the Bible. :) I recommend you all try to read the King James Version as well.
It can be a bit harder to read but it's certainly not impossible. Think about it, it's still in English. That's what kept me from reading it for years though, was I thought it was just too hard to read, but it's not lol. Have confidence in yourself and your ability to understand God's word or anything.:)
I always pray before and as I read the Word too that God's Spirit would give me eyes to see what I'm reading. That "the eyes of my heart" would be enlightened. Do the same and He will give you eyes to see more and more of what He wants to show you.
James says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." See that's the King James and it's not too crazy to understand lol. Upbraideth just means like he will not deny wisdom to the person who asks. You can decipher the meaning of the harder words in context every time.
So far I have gotten through 1,2, and 3 John, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 and 2 Timothy, Ephesians, Jude and James.
I have blogged about some of my findings already, regarding can someone loose their salvation. It seems to come up in EVERY single one of these books. Read them for yourselves in the King James and you will see.
I do think it's possible that it can be lost, but think about it, that is our motivation for walking the Christian walk as well as we can! Otherwise, why does it matter really? Why does anything we do matter then? If we are once saved, always saved then we can do whatever we want right? So it would seem but no, and that's why it can't be that way.
About 50 of you, or whoever God lead to, read my blog on "Fear God" which was about this, can one's salvation be lost? I think people are hungry for this concept of the fear of God because it is so lacking in the church today. We are the Laodicea church. We are the lukewarm Christians that Jesus wants to spit out of his mouth. And why? Because we lack greatly a fear of the Lord as we should have.
I had a book titled "Fearing God" that just came out in the last 20 years. In the preface the guy says he searched and there had not been a single book written about the fear of the Lord for at least 100 years. CAN YOU IMAGINE?! And why not when the fear of the Lord is the most important aspect we can maintain in our Christian walk? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." If we don't fear God then what are we doing? If we don't see him for who He is then are we REALLY seeing him?
"Fear God and keep his commandments," the wisest man who ever lived concludes his book with. But we have lost that SO much in our modern world. We think of God as a cute teddy bear that we are glad to have with us when times are hard so he can snuggle with us. But no, he is the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. He formed the Andes mountains and everything we see! He is not some harmless cute small thing. He is HUGE, magnificent and glorious! We ARE to fear him! Yes "perfect love casts out all fear." But this is a reverent fear. This is a respect fear that we should always maintain when we think about God. Why? Because He, of all people or beings, DESERVES it.
Fear God. And read the King James Version.
And GOD WILL BLESS YOU! :) In Jesus name, AMEN!
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