Note: Your particular Bible version choice should never be used as a 'test of fellowship' in Christian circles, nor should you stop reading your current Bible version if it is the only version you are capable of reading and understanding. Almost any Bible version is better than reading no Bible at all.
Recently I saw an interview on TV with an author of a bestselling book about Jesus. This man stated that he once was an Evangelical who had been on fire for God, but then went to a Bible College and found out the Bible was not the true word of God, that it was full of errors and inaccuracies and not to be trusted or relied upon. When asked about his bestselling book regarding Jesus, the man stated how he believed Jesus was ignorant and could not even read and write. I was astounded at the stupidity of this bestselling author of a book about Jesus. Clearly the Bible states Jesus was literate: Luke 4:16-21.
We are in a very dangerous time for Christians. Many Christians no longer believe the Bible is the inspired word of God written by men under the influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. They do not believe the Bible is reliable or true. They are ignorant of the fact that the Bible has the best physical evidence of any ancient text with over five thousand discovered manuscripts.
When I was a boy my Sunday School teacher gave me a Holy Bible, the King James Version. I knew when I held that sacred book in my hand I was holding the very words of God. I was awestruck, felt proud, honored, humbled, and considered that holy book a prized possession. I think for many Christians today that feeling is almost gone.
Recently the question came to my mind: “Would you die for your Bible?” The question took me aback. It is an honest question, martyrs all over the world have died for their Bible and are still dying for it. Would I die for mine? I started sorting my mind through my entire host of Bible versions and translations, and honestly, there are some I would not give up my life for. Would I die for a watered down “Message” Bible? No way! Like an equally bad “Voice Bible” these are impressions of what the Bible says rather than the actual word of God. How about one I really like, perhaps the New Living Translation? After some thought, I decided even though that book is not the literal, word-for-word, type of Bible I prefer, it is still essentially the word of God that I would die for. Then you bring up versions like the NIV Bible, because I really do like that one. But can I say that without a doubt, I would be willing to die for that Bible version? My conclusion was yes, though not as “strong” as I might like, it is still God’s word. But not every Bible version is worthy of dying for. If you water down God’s word to the point it barely resembles Holy Scripture, is it worth dying for?
This is why you should stick with a Bible you have confidence in. One that you know contains God’s word. One that is close to your heart and you hold fast in your mind.
I believe the King James Version was the Gold Standard Bible. It is a very literal Bible. The closer you get to the original Greek and Hebrew words the closer you are to having the actual words of God given by the Holy Spirit. The literal translations are going to bring us closest to the word of God. The problem with Dynamic Equivalence (paraphrase) Bible versions is that no person, not even well educated Christians, are completely free of bias. They bring their ideas about doctrine, whether Calvinism or Arminian or something else that is preferred by them into their translation choices. They can't help but bring their preconceived beliefs with them when they are trying to decide what the text means instead of focusing on what the words are and what those words actually say. Some Bible translations, especially the paraphrase-dynamic equivalence versions, are almost commentaries of scripture rather than actual word-for-word scripture. Bibles like the NASB, ESV, and NKJV are very literal Bible versions. Plus they have updated English language and in the case of the ESV and NASB they had more discovered texts available to the translators than those of the KJV had available at that time. This explains the differences in text between the KJV and modern literal version Bibles.
The NIV is very popular, very easy to read, and despite what I have written so far, I'm not trying to bash this or other Bible versions. It shines brighter than most paraphrases, but it still is essentially a paraphrase itself. To get that light of God shining through the word brighter still, we need to get into the actual words of God. Now this sometimes makes for a harder to read translation, and it may take a bit more work for some people to understand a word-for-word translation, but for serious Bible study and preaching I believe it is time to strengthen the Biblical foundation of modern Christianity.
It is not wrong to give children or new converts easy to read paraphrase Bibles. You give milk to babies. They can grow from the light that comes through these versions, because even when some of these versions lessen the word God, the light still shines through in places of the text of these books. And some, like the NIV, frequently 'get it right' on many passages. But that doesn't change the fact that mature Christians need the meat of the word of God unvarnished by interpretation and biases that take us directly to the word of God.
Must every Bible be considered flawless to be labeled as the word of God? No, I don't think so. Once when I was reading a New King James Version Bible I found an actual typo in the scripture that the proofreaders missed, and I called Nelson Bible Publishers and told them about the error. As long as God allows humans to handle and distribute His word there is a chance for errors to creep in. But what I am talking about here is the approach to translating God's word. Not everyone respects the Bible, and sadly, too often, those involved in the textual criticism and translation of the Bible do not believe in the sacredness, or to use a theological term, the Plenary Inspiration of Scripture. In layman's terms, they don't believe the Bible is the God inspired, God preserved, and God delivered Holy Book from above.
We need to get as close as is possible to those Hebrew and Greek words of the Old and New Testament. We need those words moved over from the original languages to our English language as accurately as can be done. We need as little human intervention as possible to prevent errors from creeping in and biases from marring God's Sovereign word. Some of us believe in the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, Scripture Alone. This doctrine means that the Holy Bible alone contains all that is needed for salvation and knowledge of God. We believe the Bible alone is the source and authority for Christian doctrine and teaching. This does not mean that teachers, preachers, or apostles are not necessary, only that for the Christian the Bible itself is the sole authority for doctrine and Biblical truth. I think you can begin to see why the quality of the translation of the Bible is so important for us.
Almost any Bible version will shine some light from the original source. God can and has used even very weak, dimly lit, Bibles to help Christians grow. But quite often these weak translations do not even mention important doctrinal terms like Justification, Regeneration, Sanctification, Predestination, and other long held Biblical doctrines and ideas involved and needed for Christian growth, maturity, and the very foundation of Christian understanding and education from God's word.
The multitude of Bible versions has brought us greater understanding of God's word. We have Bible versions so easy to read that young children can understand the Bible better because of them. And yet, at the end of the day, the Christian must ask themselves: Where can I find God's actual word? Which Bible is so holy and sanctified that it would be worth dying for?
As mentioned, the King James Bible has proven itself over four centuries as blessed and used by God to bring multitudes to Christ. There is no question in my mind that it is truly God's word. Then there is the New King James Version Bible, with updated language that follows the wording of the King James Bible. The New American Standard Bible is my first choice for a literal Bible translation. I think the light shines brightly through it. It is a favorite of one of the best Bible teachers and preachers Charles Stanley. The English Standard Version is my second choice as a very literal Bible. These Bibles I mention are those that I am most familiar with, there may be better or worse Bible versions not mentioned. These versions retain theologically important terms, and are also quite readable. I will mention three more popular Bibles. The New International Version has proven itself useful for many Christians over the past few decades. I think the light shines through it though it is not a strong literal translation. The Christian Standard Bible is also a middle of the road translation like the NIV between being literal and easy to read. It has been rising quickly through the ranks. Lastly, I will mention the New Living Translation. This Bible was updated in 2004 and seriously improved, bringing it much closer to the NIV in quality. Yet the NLT is still a paraphrase, or to put the nicer spin on it, Dynamic Equivalence Bible version. But the NLT can be useful.
I began my spiritual life with the King James Bible, and I still find it a reliable, proven, literal version of God's word in the English language even though the English is badly dated with words that have fallen out of modern use. Thankfully we have several worthy successors to the King James Bible. But we need to be clear, not every Bible is equal, not every version is the literal word of God or even close to it. Some new Bible translation philosophies and commercial interests have pushed certain Bible versions into the forefront that do not always provide us with fully accurate translations for Bible teaching and doctrine, even if they may have some usefulness elsewhere. We need to have a Bible worth dying for. In various places in the world your Bible can get you killed. Just owning a Bible can mean your death. My question to you is: Are you sure the Bible you are using is worth dying for?
