First, let us consider that the Bible says, “All scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). The word translated “inspired” literally means “God-breathed.”

The original New Testament documents (called the “autographs”) were given by inspiration by the Holy Spirit to the writers. Jesus told the apostles that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance all things that Jesus had taught them (John 15:24), and that the Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13). Therefore the apostles (and other Bible writers) did not leave out anything Jesus wanted to reveal to us,  and they made no errors when they recorded the message.

Most textual controversies would be easily resolved if the autographs were available to us, but they no longer exist. The only existing manuscripts are hand-written copies. The autographs were complete and totally error-free because they were inspired by God. However, the copies are not inspired and are thus subject to human error.

Another thing we must consider is that the original New Testament was not written in English, but Greek – and it was a special class of Greek called koiné (“common”). Koiné Greek is now a dead language. Languages change as years go by, but koiné Greek is frozen in time. We therefore can use a reference book called a lexicon to determine the original, unchanged, meanings of the words.

There are more than 5000 ancient manuscripts (most are just fragments) of the Greek New Testament in existence. This is more by far than any other ancient manuscript of any language. Most ancient manuscripts have fewer than a dozen existing manuscripts.

The monumental task of bringing God’s Word into English and other languages begins with piecing together these fragments to create a complete New Testament. There are some textual variations caused by scribal mistakes in hand-copying the text. How do we determine accuracy?

One philosophy is that the closer we get to the first century, the more likely the text accurately reflects the original. If we find several of the most ancient texts and they agree with each other, we can pretty well consider that they are accurate renditions of the autographs. This seems to me to be the most logical way of determining accuracy.

However, some reject this philosophy, believing that these most ancient texts agree because there was a heretical conspiracy to corrupt the original text. These people accept a later text.

We might note that most of the texts available to us are dated at least three hundred years later than the originals.

Here are three of the ancient most complete (and also very reliable) texts available to us:

• Sinaiticus
• Alexandrinus
• Vaticanus

These are all very good Greek manuscripts, and these were the most used in compiling a usable Greek text.

In the sixteenth century the Greek New Testament was published in printed form for the first time.

The real controversy today is over which Greek text to use. There are two schools of thought regarding this: the Textus Receptus (“Received Text” – also called the “Majority Text”) and the International Bible Society text (based on Westcott-Hort / Nestle / Aland texts – also called the “Minority Text”).

The Textus Receptus was published by Desiderius Erasmus in 1518. This was the first published Greek version of the New Testament. The Textus Receptus was the basis for the King James Version of 1611. The New King James Version is also based on the Majority Text. Two popular versions based on the Minority Text are the New International Version and the New American Standard Bible. These are currently the four most popular English versions of the Bible. The English Standard Version is a recently published version which is gaining in popularity, and is highly recommended. A good site to compare the different versions is Bible Gateway. This site provides over fifty Bible versions.

Which Bible should we  use? The best approach is not to be a “versionist” but to use several versions for comparison. We will surely miss some points if we restrict ourselves to only one version. All of these versions have their strong points and their weak points.

The good thing about all of these versions is that they accurate teach the way of salvation, the organization of the church, proper worship practices, and how to live the Christian life. You can get to heaven by studying any of these versions and applying the teaching to your life.

The most revered book ever published in the English language is the KJV. It has for decades been the largest selling book in print. However,  lately the NIV has overtaken it for popularity.

There are two extremes regarding attitudes toward the KJV: KJO (King James Only) and NKJ (No King James). Both of these attitudes seem a bit harsh to me.

A few things to consider when reading the Bible: some Bibles use italics within the text. Why do they do this? It is done to indicate that the italicized words were not contained in the original text. Some people do not know this, and they mistakenly believe that italics mean to give special emphasis to the words. One example is 1 Corinthians 14 of the KJV where the expression “unknown tongues” is used several times. The translators, in their honesty, wanted the reader to know that these words were entered because they hoped to “clarify” the meanng. However, in this case, it results in confusion because to some it refers to some “heavenly” language which was unknown to humans. The translators simply meant that the language was foreign to the hearers, it was a known language, but foreign (“unknown”) to those particular listeners.

Another thing to notice is that some Bibles place alternate readings as footnotes at the bottom  of the page.  A footnoted word indicates that there was good evidence that this word could have also been used. So how did the word in the text get selected over the footnoted word? The word in the text won out because two-thirds of the translators voted for it over the word in the footnote.

Another misconception is that the archaic language of the KJV is a “holy” language, and has thus become a “prayer language.” When the KJV was published, everyone, including God, was referred to as “thee” and “thou.” As the English language changed, for some reason these words were retained for God, and everyone else was called “you.”An interesting point is that “you” was a word which was being used to show great respect and “thee” and “thou” were reserved for the common person. Read the Preface to the King James Version and note that the King was referred to as “You” with a capital Y. Click this link to read the Preface to the King James Version http://www.mb-soft.com/believe/txh/kjavpref.htm . God probably does not care which term we use, as long as o the King James Versionwe pray to him. This should not be a point of contention.

None of these are reasons for rejecting the KJV, and we should not speak against it. All of our versions (and all we have are versions) have strengths and weaknesses. By a comparison of readings between the versions we can generally determine the most accurate reading.

Larry Nixon. M.Min.

Just what is authority? We can easily recognize that “author” is the root of this word. The “author” is the source. Not everybody is the “source” of true authority. In religious matters, Jesus claims to hold “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). If Jesus has all authority, that doesn’t leave source authority in the hands of any human being.

Jesus is the source authority! He is the author – or source – of our salvation (Hebrews 5:9). Anyone who endeavors to create doctrine or change Bible teaching is doing so outside the authority of God.

When Jesus ascended into heaven following his resurrection, he delegated authority to certain men – his apostles. The apostles appointed men called elders in each church. The elders were also called bishops, pastors, presbyters, and overseers. All of these terms refer to the same office. Their work is to oversee the affairs of the Lord’s church. They have authority in the church. However, their authority is delegated authority – it is not source authority! They have no authority to create new doctrines, nor do they have authority to change any of the teachings of Jesus.

Where should we look today to find what God has authorized? God has left us a book – the Holy Bible. This book contains the final and complete will of God. The Bible is inspired (God-breathed) and is sufficient to provide us with every spiritual need (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Bible authority is God’s authority. We do not need human authorities, and anyone who sets himself up as such an authority is in rebellion against God’s authority.

Some great slogans will help us keep the proper perspective concerning true authority:

“Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.”

“Let us call Bible things by Bible names, and do Bible things in Bible ways.”

“In matters of faith, unity. In matters of opinion, liberty. In all things, charity.”

Bible authority comes to us in the following ways:

Direct command (example: “repent and be baptized” – Acts 2:38).

Approved example (example: the disciples met on the first day of the week to break bread – Acts 20:7).

Necessary inference (example: “go into all the world” implies a means of going – Mark 1615).

Expedient (an aid which does not change the command – example: use of a song book does not change the command to sing – Ephesians 5:19).

Larry Nixon, M.Min.

New International Version: 41.5 percent
New American Standard Version: 17.1 percent
New King James Version: 10.3 percent
English Standard Version: 9.5 percent
King James Version: 5.8 percent
Revised Standard/New Revised Standard Version: 4.8 percent
New Living Translation: 3.6 percent
Today’s New International Version: 2.3 percent
‘The Message’: 2.2 percent
Other: 2.2 percent
Holman Christian Standard Bible: 0.5 percent
Contemporary English Version: 0.4 percent
Common English Bible: 0.1 percent
New American Bible: 0.1 percent

Click here to read the complete article

]]> http://arkansaschurches.org/2011/03/most-popular-translations/feed/ 0 http://arkansaschurches.org/2011/02/censorship-coming-to-america/ http://arkansaschurches.org/2011/02/censorship-coming-to-america/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:55:49 +0000 archurch http://arkansaschurches.org/?p=139 Christian broadcaster gets the Canadian boot
by Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow – 2/7/2011 4:25:00

A Canadian pastor has been kicked off one of two Christian stations in that country.

Dr. Charles McVety of Word TV first raised concerns with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council over comments he made about homosexuality. At that point, McVety was temporarily taken off the air at Crossroads Television System, but allowed back on with a warning that his shows would be screened before airing.

Now McVety tells OneNewsNow that his last three shows never made it on the air. In one, he talked about an upcoming debate with an atheist author.

“This lady is a very proud atheist — but somehow they claim I can’t call her an atheist pastor,” he shares. “On the next show, I said that I was being attacked and my freedom of speech was under attack. They said I’m not allowed to use the word ‘attack.’”

McVety says he has been so heavily censored that he is in a quandary as to what he can say — or, as he states on his website, “I don’t know how they want me to talk.” He believes that sort of speech control should be reserved for fascist, totalitarian states — not a country that claims to permit freedom of speech.

“In fact, I spoke to the chair of this censor board and I said, ‘You can turn the television station on and you will hear my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ cursed on a regular basis — and you don’t censor anything like that out.’”

The censors’ first objection was McVety’s criticism of curriculum in Canadian schools that teaches the existence of six genders — not just male and female. He is currently organizing a grassroots effort to end the censorship.

The Christian broadcaster points out that Americans should be concerned because American preachers are being silenced, too — plus McVety contends that what is happening in Canada eventually will happen in the U.S.

]]> http://arkansaschurches.org/2011/02/censorship-coming-to-america/feed/ 0 http://arkansaschurches.org/2011/02/chrislam-in-protestant-churches/ http://arkansaschurches.org/2011/02/chrislam-in-protestant-churches/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:40:56 +0000 archurch http://arkansaschurches.org/?p=134 by Chad Groening – OneNewsNow

A Protestant renewal organization is concerned about the recent efforts of some mainline Protestant churches to produce an ecumenical reconciliation between Christianity and Islam.

According to a recent blog post from The Last Crusade, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, along with other congregations in Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit, preached sermons and held Sunday school lessons on the founder of Islam, Mohammad, whom Muslims consider a prophet. Qurans were also placed in the pews next to Bibles.

Proponents of the movement, which has been dubbed “Chrislam,” claim that Christians cannot love their neighbors without having a relationship with them.

Alan Wisdom, director of the Presbyterian Action committee and vice president for research and programs at The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD), contends that Islam should never be viewed as an equal to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover, Qurans should never be placed next to God’s Holy Word.

“I think that that implies some kind of equal authority there, and I don’t think that’s the case,” Wisdom explains. “The Bible is God’s unique revelation to us. The pulpit of a church is for preaching the Word of God, and we believe that that is the scriptures of the Old and New Testament. When we go to worship God, we worship Jesus Christ, and we can’t mix that worship with any other allegiance.”

The IRD committee director adds that while he believes it is important for Christians to study and understand religions like Islam, he does not think believers should ever cross the line and blend Christianity together with a religion that is antithetical to Christian teachings.

Recently, I came across an article I had saved from the July 26, 2009 “Parade” publication and the title of the article is “The Race for the Secret of the Universe”.  The first time I read the article, it just “blew my mind.” After reading it again, I still can’t comprehend why anyone would believe in such things.

According to the article, “At Fermilab (the legendary physics research facility just outside of Chicago) several of the nation’s top scientists gathered at 1:30 am to hold a somewhat bittersweet all-nighter.  They wanted to be together when they, and America, fell behind in what many consider the most important and resonant competition in science: the search for the elusive Higgs boson, also known as the God-particle. Physicists believe that this special subatomic particle allows all of the other particles in the universe to have mass and come together to basically form everything that’s around us.  Without so-called God particles, one Fermilab theorist tells me, “atoms would have no integrity, so there would be no chemical bonding, no stable structures (no liquids or solids) and, of course, no physicists and no reporters.”

The article goes on to say that Fermilab fell behind because the Swiss had built a new $9 billion, 17-mile-round particle accelerator.  However, eight days after firing up the accelerator, “a catastrophic electrical failure” caused monumental damage which “would take at least a year and tens of millions of dollars” to repair.  So the physicists at Fermilab revved up research as never before.  The physicist agree that “this particular particle (the God-particle) could answer the biggest question in science: How did the cosmic crash known as the Big Bang become the universe we live in today?”

Aren’t you thankful that, as a Christian, you don’t have to worry about such nonsense!!!  The “Big Bang” theory has been around all of my life and, from the looks of things, it’s not going away soon.  And just look at the years of intensive labor and millions of dollars this is costing – not only the U.S. but other countries as well.  Wouldn’t it be great if just a portion of those millions could be used to help teach lost souls about a loving God Who “created man in His own image; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27).

The “God particle” is simple:  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  The earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:1,2). The “spirit of God” is the God particle and these physicists will never find it.  Listen as Isaiah wisely spoke of God, “I am the Lord Who makes all things; Who stretches forth the heavens alone and Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; Who frustrates the tokens of the liars and makes diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish” (Isaiah 44:24, 25).

Did you see that God turns ‘wise men’ around and makes their knowledge foolish?  When Paul was telling Festus about his conversion, Festus said to him, “Much learning has made you mad (foolish)” (Acts 26:24). I submit to you that much learning has made these scientists mad, unlike Paul who spoke “words of truth and soberness” (Acts 26:25).  The Wise Man said,“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7).

These men won’t find the ‘God particle’ they are searching for because they don’t know God Who affirmed “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9). In preaching to the ‘religious’ Athenians, Paul said, “God made the world and all things in it…and is not served men’s hands as though He needs anything, seeing that He gives to all life, breath and all things…they should seek the Lord that  they might find Him though He is not far from every one of us for in Him we live, move and have our being” (Acts 17:24ff). And we read in Romans 11:33ff: “O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of God or been His counsellor?  Or who has first given to Him and it will be recompensed to him again?  Of Him, through Him and to Him are all things: to Him be glory forever.” God doesn’t need man, man needs God.  And, unless everyone comes to that realization and bows before The Great ‘I Am’, searching for the ‘God-particle’ will bring serious eternal consequences!

Moses found himself in the same situation at the burning bush. He was afraid that he wasn’t prepared to lead God’s people out of bondage. Finally, the Lord asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”  Moses had a rod in his hand and he didn’t see any way that the rod would help him. But, God showed him that he could use what he had to accomplish the Lord’s purpose. Let me ask you to consider this question…”What is that in your hand?” What abilities, talents, knowledge do you have that can help to spread the gospel?  What kind word or deed can you use to help someone else to have a stronger faith in God? What small thing do you possess that can become a powerful thing when you allow God to use it to His glory? Look at yourself and USE WHAT YOU have right now to glorify God.

May God bless and keep you every one.

With Much Love,
Ted & Barbara Knight

Five Bible Reading Plans in Over 50 Translations . Start Reading on the 1st or 15th of Any Month

1. Beginning to End:  Read the Bible from start to finish, from Genesis to Revelation.
2. Chronological:  Read the Bible as its events occurred in real time.
3. Historical:  Read the books of the Bible as they were written historically, according to the estimated date of their writing.
4. New then Old:  Read through the New Testament first, then read through the Old Testament.
5. Old and New:  Each day includes a passage from both the Old Testament and New Testament.

Click here to go to the Bible reading site – http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/

• Step #1: Choose Your Favorite Version and Reading Plan.
• Step #2: Choose a Starting Date.
• Step #3: Bookmark the Selected Page or Make it Your Browser’s Home Page.

The program automatically keeps track of your progress by blanking out the portions you have read.

We should set goals for each of the six areas of life:

• Intellectual
• Physical
• Spiritual
• Social
• Financial
• Family

These six areas are Bible-based. Note Luke2:51-52: “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them (family), but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom (intellectual) and stature (physical), and in favor with God (spiritual) and men (social).” Five of the six areas (as indicated in parentheses) are mentioned in this passage – all except financial. However, proper use of money is mentioned many times in other Bible passages.

by Larry Nixon, M.Min.