How We Got Our Bible, What Translation Is Best? — Shane Idleman

You remember we left off last week at Matthew 17 verse 14. Matthew 17 verse 14. And this was a very interesting sermon this week as I prepared my heart was going in a lot of different directions. And when I got to verse 21 Many of you are familiar with the story.

There was a demoniac that the disciples could not cast out and Jesus finally Cast him out and he said you faithless and perverse generation. And then he had something in verse 21 he says however this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Matthew 17:21 and the Textual Variants

It doesn't go out this demonic Influences demonic power does not go out except through prayer and fasting and guess what some of your Bibles Don't have that verse in there. You might want to check right now.

Matthew 17 21 might be absent Of some of your in some of your Bibles and as I was praying about this In the sermon, I added a little side note. I was gonna say, okay. Here's why some of the Bibles don't have this verse here's the difference between some translations and that paragraph turned into Two paragraphs a page two pages three pages four pages on how we got our Bible different translations.

And I said, you know Lord I don't want to waste a whole sermon on this if you're not wanting me to go in this direction. And I showed my wife it was pretty funny and in one week I had received three different emails on this topic and I usually get an email on this topic once a year on.

The King James-Only Debate

What translations or what? You know how can we trust the Bible or what about the King James only because some people believe it is the King James is the only way the only truth the only life nobody comes to the Sun except through the King James Bible only and They will push that and push that and push that and and I'm actually not making fun of the King James in this Sermon because I was raised on the King James and I love the King James and I actually used the new King James.

But as I was getting emails and studying I thought it is very significant because we are talking about the Word of God and I think it's important for Christians to give a hope give a reason for the hope that is within you and not say when Somebody says well, how did you get your Bible?

I'm not real sure I just checked my brains at the door and do whatever they tell me and what about your translation? Don't you know your translation is an error. Don't you know you're being led astray?

Oh, no, I didn't know that I wasn't aware and it brings in a lot of questions. It also brings in a lot of Unnecessary stress a lot of fighting a lot of quarreling within the body of Christ. It's a good reminder to check your phones right cell phones.

Before we get going I actually check mine too, so don't feel bad. So what I did is I'm gonna spend just a 45 minutes on the different translations. I actually was gonna talk about how we got our Bible and then go into the different translations.

And we do not have enough time for that because that would take a sermon series. And if you're interested on how we actually got our Bible, I can direct you to a lot of great resources. Especially if you google it, how do we get the Bible?

There's a lot of reputable websites. It'll walk you through All the different from from conception of Genesis to the end and and the translations and different things but I want to just focus on probably because in some Bibles of this verse is absent and in other translations.

It's in there and you're probably people are like why is that? I don't understand and don't we have the the Bible and isn't that accurate and what are the what's the deal with different translations? So I want to try to answer some of those questions tonight springboarding off of Matthew 17 21.

The Eastern and Western Manuscript Traditions

But in doing that let me kind of set the stage as The Word of God went out in the New Testament after the New Testament after the Gospels you're talking first century ad you know 6070 8090 that the New Testament was written down and passed on and as the church grew probably, you know.

They're around the 200s 300s or so the church split into two groups and. That's why you see this as an illustration and they split into Eastern and Western churches the Eastern was the Greek Orthodox.

It's still in existence today. The Western was what would probably turn into the Roman Catholic Church and different things. So you had the the church split and went in two different geographical regions now within each region.

Certain sets of manuscripts would be found in this area. And this was what I called the majority text. This is the majority of Greek Manuscription. The reason it was Greek is that was the language of the New Testament was Greek.

So they have all these manuscripts written in Greek and over the years they found a majority of them In different places and that's what they used to translate the Bible. I believe it was Erasmus in I don't want to say the right the correct year.

But he would he translated the Greek into the modern tongue of the people. He had about five or six manuscripts. He was working on so something. So let me get right to the point before you're too confusing the main Bibles the Geneva Bible.

Have you heard of this Bible? No, why aren't you reading this one? This came before the King James this is actually what the pilgrims and the Puritans brought over on the Mayflower and Before that the Reformation this was the Bible of the Reformation Martin Luther John Knox Eurek Swingly John Calvin and actually in the marginal notes it has their commentary and that's what the Bible that was used for many years and the King did not like that very much because they didn't like Kings.

Have you ever heard of the Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence from a king. So the King James commissioned many scholars in 1611 to go off of the majority text. It means the majority it's actually called the textus receptus, which means the received text of the people.

So they had these Greek manuscripts and they printed the Geneva. They permit actually before that the Whitecliffe Luther Bible. There's a many other Bibles that were printed up until 1611 and then the King James version of the Bible came out in 1611 and that was the majority text they would look if that makes sense.

There's there's tons of Greek manuscripts. So they look at the majority now newer translations NIV English Standard version of the Bible, of course the NLT the message and I'm going to talk even more about those.

But the majority of the majority text gave away to something called the minority. But they're older so this group of manuscripts comes from the older Greek text from like second third century Church and It's called there's two there.

They mainly springboard off of Kodak's Vaticanus Vaticanus and it's a Kodak's means the Manuscript and it was found in the in the library of the Vatican in the 1800s and they see this this this Greek text.

It's older than all these and then also something called Kodak's Sinaticus that was found by Mount Sinai in a in a monastery there and they looked in this Greek text is very old. So that's what these manuscripts go off.

They go off the older minority. These go off the majority which are newer, but they're in the majority. So you might say what's the difference? Well, there's a few variances in the manuscripts I think out of about 95 of the manuscripts.

There's only a 5 difference. I'll explain some of those differences in a little bit and they have nothing to do with truth. You'll be glad to know that. It's not like these say Oh Jesus wasn't really Lord and these say he was and this one says you don't have to repent this.

One say I mean, there's nothing nothing to do with truth it's actually a lot to do with prepositions and the placing of certain words and. And the Greek and how they interpret those things and copyright little mistakes a little this a little here might say well Shane.

You know, I thought the Bible was perfect. Well, the truth is perfect given through imperfect men and Actually, I totally agree with why we don't have a perfect Bible because it would be enshrined and worshipped.

It would be the Bible would be worshipped and also it gets out into different languages. Doesn't it the Bible's been translating so many different languages around the globe and there's there's there's a disagreeing on.

Okay. Do you use this word or to use that word or to use this word or you do use that word? So other words convey different meanings and that's the whole point of translating. So that's the two that's where they come from King James new King James Geneva Bible all the older Bibles and this is the newer Bible all the newer Bibles.

Assessing the King James Bible and Modern Translations

But even on this side, there's something known as and I've talked about it before the King James only camp. If you only read you have to only read the King James and there's churches in our valley. I've actually had a pastor of a church in our valley.

Who resigned resigned recently or retired? I shouldn't say resigned recently and said I would come to your church if you use the King James by version of the Bible and. The reason is I'm trying to be as delicate as I can but also as truthful as I can a lot of the people have just not done.

Their homework they've been raised in a denomination that promotes a certain Bible. And if you look at the King James text you look at the King James Bible, it is a good Version it was it came from the textus receptus the received text but even in that the King James Bible had to go through many different translations in 1611 1616 see I mean many different times.

It was actually called the wicked Bible at one point because it said thou shalt commit adultery. Not good better change that. Also in Matthew the old version said in there cometh Judas now the new one says in there in here cometh Jesus.

That's pretty significant, right? So is there as even the translator said this is not a perfect translation this is the best that we can do to translate the king the king put pressure on these people to get it translated and From 1611 to the King James you read now.

There's been about 420 or so a little bit more word changes changes where they corrected things. So even that wasn't perfect it had different different things in it. But the reason people say it's a King James only those are perverted.

Those are leading people astray the NIV will lead you to hell. It's part of the New World Order the knee and the NIV doesn't mention the deity of Christ. It doesn't talk about the blood. It doesn't talk about hell.

It doesn't talk about any of those things. That's what they say. So What do we do? We want to uncover it, right? We want to look at exactly but you the good thing is we you have good scholars. John Piper used the ESV.

John MacArthur uses the New King James. You've got many Greek and New Testament scholars who will use both and I'm gonna explain why and explain how you can look at this whole situation with maybe a bigger broad of lenses here a couple of websites.

Disturbing websites one said the King James changed thousands of words. The New King James the Bible I use ruined valuable verses and when not agreeing with the King James Bible. It has instead copied things from the perverted NIV and other translations.

Those who translate the New King James did not believe that God perfectly preserved his word. We will now give some special attention to the one deadliest transition translation on the market. The New King James is the deadliest transition translation on the market they say.

And why is that because it changed some of the worst to the modern vernacular to what we could understand? So that's why people say and these skulls these websites have skulls and crossbones. They're like, they're just mad.

You can see anger is just coming out for that website now. I can appreciate their stand for the truth. But where what they've just simply haven't done is just look at the homework. They've done their homework and look at the look at the manuscripts.

Look at the Greek and look at what it says and look at the Greek and what it says and actually read The verses and what I'm doing. What I've been doing for the last year is I've been reading the NIV. I'm halfway through.

I'll finish in about two and a half years. So I want to see for myself. Well, as I'm reading the New King James, I want to read the NIV and To date so far. It's only enriched my study along with the New King James.

Because of the commentary notes and it's not it's not leading people astray now with that. Wow, there's just so much to unpack. There's something known as dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence. I'm trying to put on my teacher hat tonight take off the preacher hat.

So people stay around more right? He's not yelling tonight. Yeah. He's not upset anything. I'm never upset just passionate. But formal like for I prefer formal equivalence. Which means they're gonna take word for word for word and translate it word for word formal equivalence and then there's something called dynamic equivalence where they'll do thought-for-thought and It's not as accurate.

So the NIV leans more towards Dynamic equivalence. In other words, the translators will add a little bit more of their thoughts into it. Now the message Bible. A Lot more of the thoughts actually Eugene Peterson says it's a commentary on the Bible.

So I would just encourage you if you use a message that you would actually bring in a more word-for-word Translation as well as reading it like you would a commentary. There are some places in the message where I read it and I'd say I sure didn't get that Eugene.

You're you're not. I mean, that's not what I get from that scripture. And that's why because it's his commentary on the Bible the new living Translation is a commentary on the Bible the amplified version of the Bible the pros of that.

Do you know what the amplified is? It'll add a whole paragraph on Amplifying the words. The pro is that it's showing you what those words can really mean. The strong but that weakness about the amplified Bible is it's using too many different words to describe what the author was trying to say in a certain word.

And they seem to add to that. So that's the difference between many translations is one is a thought-for-thought like a commentary so if you want to a good study Bible on this side would be the English Standard Version the ESV version endorsed by John Piper and many other people but If you use this group, some people say you're being led astray and even if you use a new King James.

You're being led astray because the the King James was the only accurate Bible ever produced and we went astray from that. So let's talk about that for a minute. Let me give a few examples that would probably help right.

Matthew 9 13 in The King James for I am come for I am come to call the righteous. I'm sorry. Let me back up. It's hard to read the language of the King James for I am NOT come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

The NIV would say for I have not come to call the righteous but sinners. Now people took out the word repentance. Well, actually if you look at the Greek manuscript that it came from that the word is not in there.

They added the word repentance for emphasis number one number two is it's crystal clear throughout the whole Gospels that repentance is important. So the NIV doesn't remove repentance everywhere. It's just in this translation.

He's saying in the context Jesus did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Well, what did he call that come to call them to? Well, just keep if you just read before that and read after it that you'll see he came to call sinners to repentance but they say because they took that out of there that book is part of the occult and satanic.

When really it's just more true to the the net the Greek language and it's very interesting as well. There's a good book James White wrote. It's real small the King James only Controversy the King James only debate actually I believe it is and he has a chart on there in his book which a lot of King James only proponents use that where the King James does talk about the deity of Christ or the blood of Christ more and more and more and a more significant Accurate way and that's the chart a lot of these groups use but Jane in in his book a couple pages later a couple chapters later.

I think there's another chart. We're actually the NIV Interprets in areas and talks about the blood of Christ even more powerfully than the King James. But in and you know in you'll compare the scriptures like yeah, the King James isn't even talking about the blood.

The NIV is crystal clear. So if you look at the whole picture of manuscripts you look at at where you do you do a study on where they're coming? From they're both coming from good positions because 95 of all the manuscripts agree.

I About a half a page would disagree and it's on these small points of interpretation and translation and the Active tense of the verb and what they chose to to use so I said all that to say this. You cannot be led astray by a solid translation of the Bible.

It's impossible. Now work. It's scary is when you start to hear things like the gender-neutral version or TNIV or things that that's where you find the trash can really because they want to take out the masculinity of God.

They want God to be a mother father type view and you'll see Translations going in a weird direction and you want to be careful those the New World Translation by Jehovah's Witness that belongs in the trash can you don't mean there's no debate those so that's not time.

But I'm talking about solid mainline Translations. I would choose the ESV. Actually, the one of the most literal is the New American Standard Bible. It's very literal very good if you go the NIV. From what I'm reading.

I'm halfway through. I'm in Romans and it's bringing it home and it's it's. I mean, I'm in Leviticus. I'm also in and in the judges with the NIV and I not being led astray yet. I'll let you know if I'm starting.

Oh, let me start to not let me bow down to Satan now because I'm reading the NIV. I mean, it just doesn't work because it's still about Christ. It's about and I'm not trying to poke fun because I know King James only proponents.

I'm gonna get some nasty emails on this and I love the King James. I was raised in the King James not by might not by power, but by my spirit sayeth the Lord. I love I learned a lot of those things. Blessed is a man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stand in the path of sinners.

But he delights in the way of the Lord and all. I love it. But if you look at the different manuscripts. Their only differences are on nuances or on translations of certain words not on truth. So you're not going to read the NIV and be led astray.

It's it's not it's not possible. Actually, many people are saying it's because of the new Bible translations that the church is going sideways. I want to say no, it's not. It's because they're not a reading it.

They're not reading it. They're not applying it. That's why won't be to the teenager who reads the NIV and applies it. He's gonna go in the wrong direction. Of course not. Of course not. He's gonna believe in and understand the gospel.

Manuscript Evidence and the Preservation of Scripture

Again out of about 500 pages in the Greek New Testament. The manuscript variations represent only about a half a page and they are very minimal and I this was an interesting study. I read some work by dr. Robert Wilson.

Now, I don't know how's this much time but he using the laws of legal evidence involving investigation on every consonant in the Old Testament one point to 1 .2 million consonants, you know. If there's a word Yahweh the Y the a the H the either that every single constant.

He looked at everything in the Old Testament. Comparing things and he said this I can affirm that there is not a page of the Old Testament. Concerning which we need to have any doubt and apart from any minor copyist mistakes.

We can Absolutely be certain that we have the text of the Old Testament that Christ and the Apostles had and It's also interesting for those of you know who know this, you know, just be a repeat of it but for those who don't it'd be very interesting but in 1947 something monumental was discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls.

These scrolls were buried in caves for almost 15 16 17 18 1900 years a little boy with a little shepherd boy. We threw a little stone down the cave and he heard this this pottery hit the pottery and sounded different.

So he went and investigated they found and they they unpacked it for a few years. The Dead Sea Scrolls and when they opened up for example, the book of Isaiah 1900 years old written on parchment written in it was the Septuagint.

It was probably interpreted in the Greek or if it was if it was in the original Hebrew there I'm not sure but they read it they opened up and it's the same exact book of Isaiah that we read today. Talk about confirmation.

These scribes were in the Dead Sea area were in charge of writing down the scrolls and they put them in these canisters that were found 1900 years later. Same book of Isaiah that's called divine consistency where God is divine preservation where God is preserving his word and He used imperfect people to deliver a perfect message.

There is nothing on planet earth. That is perfect. I Know some of you think that's not true because you're God's gift to The human humankind right, but there's nothing on earth that walked the planet except Jesus Christ himself.

That was perfect. So when you take the Bible, I have no problem saying this is perfect truth. But some manuscripts have some variations where they disagree with each other on very minute. It makes sense to me.

God's using an imperfect vessel to communicate a perfect truth. So the authors were divinely inspired if I time we could take you there Divinely inspired by God to write down his truth. It was the Bible is written over 1 ,500 years on three different continents with 40 different authors all Saying the same thing.

He's God. I'm not we need redemption through the blood. Everything is consistent and God preserved that in his word. Now here's I think what happens in the King James only side is there's a zeal for the truth that the King James was Was was preserved.

It's been the Bible for 400 years. And I love that in the Kodak's Vaticanus finding a manuscript in the Vatican, you know. Probably not a good idea for those who understand Roman Catholicism. But the but what they found wasn't a contemporary manuscript.

It went back to the early church to 2nd 3rd century and the and the the Kodak's Sinaiticus that they found at Mount Sinai in the monastery. These are all relevant manuscripts. They don't disagree except on very minute points, but because you're raised in a certain camp.

We don't want to broaden our mind and look at let's just look at the evidence and look at just look everything I'm saying everything I'm saying is Substantiated and I one person from a church, you know here in town that believes King James only many years ago ten years ago.

They said I'm being led astray by the new King James and I said well here here's my Bible I use. Can you show me what verse led me astray? Oh, no, it's throughout. Well, we're throughout because I'm reading about the blood of Christ.

I'm reading about repentance. I'm reading about all the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith aware and nobody seems to know they don't they don't know. Exactly. They just know it's been corrupted.

Now interesting thing in the 1800s. I don't know remember the exact years two people Interpreted and interpreted and translated into the Greek. Into the the from the Greek and where these translations come from two guys named Westcott and Hort.

And what I've been reading on some of their quotes is a little alarming what Westcott said about spiritualism and and different things but then I read a different author like say James White in his book and They people have been misquoting the wrong Westcott.

They were quoting somebody else. It wasn't the right Westcott. He said here are some quotes from Westcott's son adding to the validity of the relationship with Christ. So, I don't know what to believe on that Westcott and Hort were either extremely evil or they were misquoted regardless.

We look to the original Greek text of the manuscript. We don't look to their words. You can their scholars who Greek scholars who have looked at the original where these came from and they're very similar to these.

Not much off. You're not you're not going out there by following this type of pattern. Now, here's a biggie. This was a biggie a Lesbian set on the NIV translation board. Oh. Got problems here, don't we?

Here's the interesting thing. This is from the edit the NIV top editor. He said that she set on the literary Stylistic committee the style because she was an expert in style but only for a few months and after that.

She did not she had nothing to do at the translation and once her sexual views were known. She was asked to resign. So they would say that they minimize homosexuality. The NIV, you know kind of makes it not that big a deal.

They had a lesbian Sympathizer on the board that that skewed a lot of the truth and the truth was she was only over and you can look all This up. She was only over the style that was written not the translation.

Not the translation. So I'm like, oh, that's interesting. I wonder she did have any influence. Let me grab my NIV Bible and turn to Romans 1. Let's see if it's pretty soft on homosexuality. NIV verse 118.

Romans 118 the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven. Oh not sounding good so far. Is it? Verse 24. I'm gonna skip down. Therefore God gave them over to their sinful desires because they worship creator creation rather than the Creator.

God gave them over to sinful desires of their heart. So that's really if you want to know what causes Sexual morality homosexuality. God just gives them over to their own desires. God says you're worshiping the creation and not the Creator.

Your hearts are getting perverted. I'm just giving you over to your own desire. So he could say somebody was born a homosexual. Somebody was born Alcoholic. Somebody's born to cheat on their wife. Somebody's born to lie.

Somebody's born to cheat. God gives them over to their own perverted desires. So the NIV says this you might might as well enjoy it now because if the way society is going they're gonna take out Romans 1 pretty quick.

No, you can't read that in church. That's not true. Well, yes, it is. It's been in the Bible for thousands 1900 years from when when Paul wrote this in Rome. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator.

Because of this God gave them over to shameful lusts even their women exchanged natural relationships for unnatural ones in the same way the men also Abandoned natural relationships with the woman and were inflamed with lust for one another.

Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Well, she sure didn't have much influence because that didn't sound very nice. That that's very clear that's very clear.

God gave them over to a debase and corrupt their mind. So as I'm reading and studying I have to throw their argument out the window that this lesbian sympathizer Actually perverted the NIV and brought in Soft doctrines on homosexuality when every scripture I read on it.

When Paul talks about those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God the NIV says that the NIV says you saw. Um, so they start to lose credibility. You know, I mean because there's no credibility there and then here's the shocker and I still haven't quite got over this and I'm.

Well, well, let me just read it on many of their websites on the King James only. Now if you can prove scientifically that this is the best Bible that adds some credit to it, right if you can prove that scientifically It'll add even more credit.

So here's what many of them say the King James Bible has been Scientifically proven to be easier to read. The modern versions. I said, oh, that's a misprint these guys. They didn't say that did they so I go to another website.

And I go to another website and they have charts of of at a I don't know fifth grade level. There people can read the King James. I mean don't quote me on this was like a third grade level where the NIV is a seventh grade level and they showed that the King James Bible has been Scientifically proven to be to be easier to read than these other versions and I what is wrong with me?

I mean, I'm not that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but No, that's not true. That's just see that to me. That's that's a that's a blatant lie. That's a blatant lie. Not only did the lesbian sympathizer not doctor and alter the NIV to be homosexual.

To be more appeasing to homosexuals. This is a lie. That's the new to the new the King James Bible is not easier to read. It's very difficult. Very Challenging. Let's just look at some words from the King James all mug nessing chode Habergong Pertinence Akadam Blaine's what trowel churl?

Ambus clops of fat. Wimples holes mouth ouches of gold. Naughty figs those naughty figs and Go fetch a compass and fetch a compass doesn't mean fetch a compass. It means turn around how in the world would I know that?

I'm Yeah, I want to. I want to see if you know what a naughty fig is. Let me know because I don't know what a naughty fig is, but all these words see what I'm really not doing. I'm not poking fun. I'm showing you that 400 years ago.

This made a lot of sense. You knew what a naughty fig was when you say hey boy go fetch me a compass that mean turn around and come back. Like britches, you know britches are. Oh Underwear, I thought they were pants see there you go.

But so that's the whole point of translation the translators of a lot of these Bibles took took years and my new details and they Translated in the modern vernacular the modern speech of the people so they could understand God's Word.

Actually, that's what got William Tyndale killed John Huss burned at the stake because they were translating the Bible so people could understand it. So that's what the King James did is a wonderful wonderful translation in 1611.

Translating the Bible but using all these terms and here's another one the King James Mark 6 25 and she came in straightway with haste unto the king and asked saying I will thou give me by and by in chart in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

I Will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. I mean Reading that we would think somebody's in a Dodge Charger with a hemi motor with John the Baptist head. I mean, that's how we would read it.

It's not funny. I'm trying to be serious here. But like the new King James, which apparently I'm going to hell for reading says this. Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked saying I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter that makes sense.

Comparing Translation Philosophies

So, how is that leading me astray but but That thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. Now I could probably figure out what she's saying because I know the story. But if I didn't know the story I would have no clue what this lady is talking about why because modern translations bring in the modern language and as long as they're Adhering to the Greek text that was found in the second third century the minority text known as the Alexandrian Texas is the Byzantine text as long as you're adhering to that and they're not gravitating away from truth.

It's solid it can be trusted one of the best things you can do. It's actually it's called a parallel Bible. You want to have fun? You've got the King James. You've got the NIV you've got the NLT and you got the New King James or the New American Standard.

You got five translations as you're reading the by four translate as you're reading the Bible. The NLT new living translation. It's a commentary. It's a commentary on the Bible and I'll even get articles, you know, I write in the paper here and in Victorville in different articles I'll get people say I can't even read your article because you're not using the King James Bible so all that truth is vanishing because it didn't use the King James version of By and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist, I mean I just I just I Just want people to just realize that this what's happening is brother shooting brother.

You've got Christians Who are putting down others in the body of Christ and other churches over this and they are off-base. You can't say that the homosexual person on the committee made any changes and you can't say that it's easier to read.

Who in the world would make that statement that it's easier to read? Another example, here's where they'll say that the the New American Standard Changed things and that's why it's corrupt of the devil.