Sparrow wrote:
Well, then how can one trust God to keep His promise to keep His Word if there is not a perfect Word for us today?
Scripture tells us that we are to rely on the Holy Spirit's illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (
John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11).
It is the Holy Spirit's work to throw light upon the Word of God so that the believer can assent to the meaning intended and act on it.
The Holy Spirit, as the "Spirit of truth"
(John 16:13), guides us so that "we may understand what God has freely given us"
(1 Corinthians 2:12).
Comprehension of the Word of God is impossible without prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God, for He who inspired the Word
(2 Peter 1:21) is also its supreme interpreter.
Illumination is necessary because man's mind has been darkened through sin
(Romans 1:21), preventing him from properly understanding God's Word.
Mankind cannot understand God's Word apart from God's divine enablement
(Ephesians 4:18).
This aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry operates within the sphere of man's rational capacity, which God Himself gave man
(cf. Genesis 2-3).
Illumination comes to the 'minds' of God's people--not to some nonrational faculty like our 'emotions' or our 'feelings'.
To know God's revelation means to use our minds. This makes knowledge something we can share with others, something we can talk about.
God's Word is in words with ordinary rational content.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in interpretation does not mean interpreters can ignore common sense and logic.
Since the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth"
(John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), He does not teach concepts that fail to meet the tests of truth. In other words, "the Holy Spirit does not guide into interpretations that contradict each other or fail to have logical, internal consistency."
It must also be kept in mind that the function of the Holy Spirit is not to communicate to the minds of people any doctrine or meaning of Scripture that is not contained already in Scripture itself.
The Holy Spirit makes men "wise up to what is written, not beyond it." Indeed, "the function of the Spirit is not to communicate new truth or to instruct in matters unknown, but to illuminate what is revealed in Scripture."
The Word of God is not the words printed on paper. The Word of God is Jesus Christ. The written word communicates the thoughts of God. Not one version of the Bible is prefect. The written word of God is man’s way of expressing the thoughts of God.
John 3:16 has been written in how many languages? Each language expresses the same thought of God as written in
John 3:16. Are we to be so arrogant as to say our King James’ English version is the only true “scripture?”
Would we do as the Catholic Church has done for centuries and read the Bible only in Latin, which very few understand? The King James Version, likewise, is a foreign language to the majority of people living today.
Could you please explain what these verses mean to you, if it is just the spirit we are to obey?
Psalm 12:6-7 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Proverbs 30: 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
In each of these scriptures, “word” means utterance, or speech. In what language was the Word of God spoken? I have to say, it was not English. In all three scriptures quoted here, the message of the word is important, not the words written.
I have a question for you, Old Timer. Have you ever sat in a public worship service where there were readers for several portions of Scripture?
Yes, many times... As I followed along in my version, I listened for the message, not the words.
In history, the KJV was the ONLY translation available. When one referred to the Bible, it was commonly accepted and known that the KJV was what they were referring to.
How far back in history would you have us go?
In the Middle English Period (ca. 1100-1550), John Wycliffe, John Purvey, and Nicholas of Hereford collaborated to produce the first complete Bible in English. There were two editions of the Wycliffe Bible. They were both translations of the Latin text. The first edition was a literal translation from Latin into English. There was a second edition completed in 1396. It circulated more widely. The focus was on the meaning of sentences, not mere words.
As a result of this work, Wycliffe and his followers, "the Lollards" suffered persecution as heretics. Purvey and Nicholas were forced to recant their work. In 1408, the Constitutions of Oxford included a prohibition against Bible translation without approval of church authorities.
William Tyndale (1484-1536) was a Greek scholar educated at Oxford with a desire to provide a readable Bible to the average person. He based his English New Testament on a Greek text established by Erasmus in 1516. He printed it in Europe in 1526 and revised it in 1534. Myles Coverdale produced the first complete English Bible of the sixteenth century in 1535. Not until 1611, did King James gave his blessing to a new translation, the Authorized Version or King James Bible.
But when one wants to read Scripture/ and interpret it according to the spirit, we can make it say whatever we want.
If we interpret scripture according to the Spirit, the interpretation will be interpreted in truth. If we make it say whatever we want, that is not of the spirit, but of the flesh.
Sparrow, here is a King James scripture:
Mark 13:24-26
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Being that this is from the King James, can you tell me exactly what it is saying?? What are these powers that are in heaven?
And, JABova's (Joe's) comments in the above post, supports my statements.
I can only surmise that the King James is your favorite version, and you strongly desire that other versions were never used.
Blessings,
The Old Timer