Is The Message a Bible?

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ. Based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the apostle Paul said, but we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth. Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth and I'm your host. Today is Wednesday, kind of a rainy, cold Wednesday. And Wednesdays are days at No Compromise Radio Ministry we talk about books, sometimes good books like Dr. Al Mohler's excellent book last week, Words from the Fire on Moody Press that you need to get a copy of.

You can get online and order that. Or sometimes bad books, books that you ought to burn. Hopefully soon we're going to have some t-shirts out and the t-shirts on the front will say, have you burned a book lately?

On the back, nocompromiseradioministry .com or nocompromiseradio .com. If you are the first emailer at info at nocompromiseradio .com you're going to receive one of those t-shirts for free. If you're the first emailer on info at nocompromiseradio .com you're going to get a free t-shirt, have you burned a book lately?

They should be out in a couple of weeks. Anyway, today is Wednesday and we're going to talk about books and today happens to be a book burning day. I thought it would kind of lift our spirits a little bit if we could talk about books that need to be burned.

It's nice to have a fire in the fireplace. It's nice to maybe toss in a book. And so this is good for the fire. While some books out there are okay, some books are excellent, some books are plain poisonous.

And so today we're going to talk about a poisonous book, maybe more poisonous than the others that I've talked about because this book actually claims to be the Bible. Yes, today I'm going to talk about burning an actual Bible, except fortunately for us and unfortunately for their readers the Message Bible by Eugene Peterson isn't the Bible at all.

Scripture Alone and Why the Bible Is the Only Final Authority

Now before you think I'm some kind of King James only loon, I am not. I don't mind using the Alexandrian text or the Byzantine text. I like good Bible translations, whether it's the ESV, the English Standard Version, the New American Standard, whether it's a 77 or the 95 update.

King James is a fine translation. New King James, you can go to a lot of different translations. And so the issue today is not, I think only one book of the Bible is somehow received text. It's only one particular version and everything else is a perversion.

That's not it at all. I want you to be a good Bible student. We have no other way to learn of God besides the Bible. Certainly we can look at God's power and his wisdom in creation. That's Romans chapter one.

But if you want to know something specifically about God, as God, the revealing one, as Dr. Muller talked about last week, we have to look at the Bible. There's no other authority. If you're a Protestant, you have the Bible alone.

If you're Seventh-day Adventist, you have the Bible plus LNG White. Maybe you wouldn't have to be a great Bible student. If you're a Roman Catholic, you have the magisterium and the traditions and the Bible.

Then you don't have to be a big Bible student. But if you have the Bible alone for faith, doctrine, practice, the way you think about God and the way you have to respond to God in obedience and homage, then you better be good at understanding the Bible.

Eugene Peterson’s Claims for The Message and the Problem of “Relevance”

And so the book we're going to talk about today is Eugene Peterson's, The Message. And it claims to be a Bible, but it's not that at all. Listen to what Mr. Peterson says. Quote, the message is a contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm, events, and ideas in everyday speech.

And he was asked why this message was written. Quote, while I was teaching a class on Galatians, Peterson says, I began to realize that the adults in my class weren't feeling the vitality and directness that I sensed as I read and studied the New Testament in its original Greek.

Writing straight from the original text, I began to attempt to bring into English the rhythms and idioms of the original language. I knew that the early readers of the New Testament were captured and engaged by these writings.

And I wanted my congregation to be impacted in the same way. I hope to bring the New Testament to life for two different types of people, those who hadn't read the Bible because it seemed too distant and irrelevant, and those who had read the Bible so much that it become old hat.

End quote. Well, I don't think this not just getting it is an indictment on the Bible and an indictment on God's word who speaks clearly and accurately. God does that. I think the indictment is either on the teacher or the students or both.

The issue is never the Bible and it's lost its vitality or it isn't relevant. We don't make the Bible relevant. The God of the universe by definition and his word is relevant. They are relevant. I mean, if you say the word boring, the antonym would be God.

If you were to meet God face to face or in the face of scripture, you would be on your face. We used to play basketball and you'd shoot a shot over a guy and you'd say face. And if you're really good, you'd say face before you shot it because anybody can make a basket and then say this is in your face.

And so these days we don't wanna act like that. As Christians, we wanna just play hard. I digress. When it comes to seeing God face to face, it is down on your knees because you realize the holy transcendent otherness, the alienness of God different than ourselves.

And we respond accordingly. How can God be irrelevant? Ask Isaiah in the throne room in Isaiah chapter six. He was not finding God to be irrelevant. Ask Jeremiah, ask Peter in the boat with Jesus. Ask some of these people, ask Zechariah's description of Joshua the priest and find out what happened in Zechariah chapter four.

There's no, oh, God isn't relevant. He doesn't fit into contemporary society. The transcendent God by nature is relevant and he's anything but boring. So Navigators, NavPress actually decide to publish this.

And sadly, that's why they've earned the reputation throughout the years as NavDepressed. I love NavPress for publishing Jerry Bridges. Why aren't all the books as good as Jerry Bridges books? Why would they publish something like this?

NavPress said, quote, talking about Peterson, he decided to strive for the spirit of the original manuscripts, to express the rhythm of the voices, the flavor of the idiomatic expressions, the subtle connotations of meaning that are often lost in English translations.

And they said, the goal of the message is to engage people in the reading process and help them understand what they read. This is not a study Bible, but a reading Bible, end quote. For sure, it's not a study Bible and it's not a Bible to be studied either.

The meaning of the scriptures, MacArthur says, is the scripture. If you have the wrong meaning, you don't have the scripture. You can call it the Bible, but if you interpret it wrongly, it isn't the Bible.

This isn't a reading Bible. This is a burning Bible because it's not the Bible at all. We have to be careful that we don't walk around with some kind of Matthew 7 attitude. Judge not lest you be judged.

We can't discern. We can't be Bereans. We can't examine everything carefully. No, we have to look at it. And at the root, you have one way to learn about God. Don't you want precision? Don't you want accuracy?

Don't you want truth? And what happens is a publisher comes along, publishes something, and then they get endorsers. And so you've got endorsers on here, like Madeleine L 'Engle. I wish I could pronounce French words.

She said, these marvelous mysteries could not be understood in the language of literalism or inerrancy, and all such attempts to restrict the glory are deadly in deed. And so here's what she says. This is an endorser.

All that literalism stuff and inerrancy, that somehow cramps God's glory from being displayed. That's a lie. That's the exact opposite. When she talks about the mythical Bible, I don't want her endorsing what I have done.

Richard Foster endorses it. He recommends it highly. Sadly, Billy Graham handed it out at one of his evangelistic associations as a special edition. Jack Packer said, in this crowded world of Bible versions, Eugene Peterson's blend of accurate scholarship and vivid idiom make this rendering both distinctive and distinguished.

I think it is distinctive. Distinctively mal, muy mal, very bad. Packer says the message catches the logical flow, personal energy, and imaginative overtones of the original very well. Well, today you're gonna be the judge of that, and I think you're going to disagree with the scholar J .I. Packer.

I have a desire and I have an attitude, and this is the attitude. You say, yeah, you've got a big attitude. Big ego too, you'll probably say. I don't want it to be an ego. I don't want it to be an attitude of self-righteousness.

Here's what I want. I want you, the listener, to read the Bible. And if it's difficult, and if it has polysyllabic words, and if you have to study propitiation, or redemption, or mercy seat, well, that's what God wants you to know.

And after all, NAVPRESS even knows that it's been critiqued, and criticized, and called New Age, because they would say things like this. Does the message introduce a different gospel message that is unbiblical?

And then they try to give you the runaround. They say, does the message reflect New Age influences? Some critics have ejected to the term scattered throughout the message as they see tainted with the New Age agenda.

Yeah, I believe that. It's a very New Age Bible. They also say, NAVPRESS, are people being deceived by the message are drawn away from the truth of God's word? Some critics have denounced the message as distorting God's word and spreading deception in the church.

That's true. Not just because it's psychological, not just because it's New Age, not just because it has the wrong philosophy of translation, but it's not a Bible. I just wish they, to start, would say, this is not a Bible, it's a commentary.

It's a free translation. Gordon Fee said, free translations stimulate your thinking about the possible meaning of the text. Yeah, but I don't want that kind of stimulation. Fee is right in his description, but I don't want that thing to happen.

I don't want possible meanings. I want clarity. I want obviousness. I want precision. Fee rightly says, the problem with a free translation, especially for study purposes, isn't that what we do with the Bible?

Are we in the Evelyn Woodhead speed reading course to just get our daily Bible verses done? No Devo, no breakfast, no devotions, no breakfast. Is that the translator, Fee says, updates the original author too much.

Furthermore, such a translation all too often comes close to being a commentary. Voila! Yes, Fee, that is correct. It is a commentary. Furthermore, it's a single translator. Why do we have a multitude of elders in a local church?

Because not everyone can be everything, and we need to cover each other's weaknesses, and we need to do that with our own strength. So you have 50 people on a translation team because not everybody's an expert in everything.

And so my question is, if Fee knows that it's better to have a translation, he knows it's better to have multiple translators, why would Fee endorse the message? The message, he says, is exegetically sensitive, yet speaks in the language of today.

I mean, I don't know what to do. I think that's wrong. I think it is a man-centered, new-age tripe, and you want to burn the message. Well, maybe you just keep it for bad illustration. Let me give you some illustrations.

My name's Mike Abendroth, if you're tuning in, and I'm a pastor here in the Worcester area, and this is NoCompromiseRadio .com. And what we try to do here is we talk about biblical issues, biblical issues in a provocative way.

That's the issue. I want you to think. I want you to know for yourself. I want you to study the Bible and not be dependent upon pastor, bishop, pope, elder, presbyter. You need to know the Bible for yourself.

And it doesn't matter what I say. It doesn't matter what your leaders say. It doesn't matter what John Piper says. What does the Bible say? And if any of those aforementioned people aforementioned people say something that's in agreement with the Bible, then they are right.

And if they're not, then they are wrong, sinfully wrong. And we have to have the right source. And you can't just have some kind of free roaming commentary, one man's translation of the Bible when it's torqued.

Distorted Renderings of the Lord’s Prayer, Prophecy, and Sound Doctrine

And so let me show you some of the psychologized, self-centered, narcissistic ways that the Bible is translated so that you get rid of the message Bible or turn it backwards in your study or don't let your kids anywhere close to it.

Don't let your three-year-old read it. Don't let your third grader read it. Don't hand it out evangelistically. You just need to keep your money. Buy something different. Listen to what the message introduction says on page seven.

The goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of the Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, rhythm, events, and ideas into the way we actually think and speak, end quote. The way we actually think and speak?

That's the wrong way to go about it. Everything's upside down. We want to know how God actually thinks and speaks. We align our minds and hearts into God's word. The word actually is repentance and we change our minds.

We used to think this way. Now we think the other way and align it with God's word by the power of the spirit and we repent. How about the message in Matthew 6, 10 in the Lord's Prayer about thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Here's how the message translates that. Set the world right. Do what's best. As above, so below. That sounds more like a bad Billy Bragg song than anything else. How about 2 Peter 1, verse 21 about how in the old days prophecy happened by holy men moved by God, the Holy Spirit.

The message. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God's word. Oh, really? Like a second book of Eve, second book of, I don't know, Mary? That is not right at all. The text is clear.

And you find me one New Testament book that's written by a woman and I'll change my mind. But I won't because you know it's not true. Second Timothy chapter four, talking about when the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine.

Here's how the message Bible translates it. You're going to find out that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food, catchy opinions that tickle their fancy.

They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. Friends, the word is muthos, it's myths. It's not a mirage, it's a myth. Now at the end of the day, maybe there's some similar truth to those two words.

But in the last days, it's not there will be times. How about first Timothy chapter two, talking about women shall be saved. She shall be saved in childbearing right after the discussion of men should be the teachers in the local church, the message.

On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. Reversing Eve, I guess the curse is reversed. And that's no Boston Red Sox slogan, reversing Eve. You can tell where Eugene Peterson is coming from in the message.

When in Matthew 22, 46, the text says no one was able to answer Jesus a word. The message translates that, that stumped them, literalist that they were. Jesus really gave them a piece of his mind because they were literalist condemning literalism.

How about this new age verse in Luke nine, verse 24, talking about Jesus when he said, if you save your life, you'll lose it. If you lose your life for my sake, you will save it. Here's the message version.

Self-sacrifice is the way, my way to finding yourself, your true self. Now, if you don't understand new age, psychologized, narcissistic, turn the Bible upside down, we don't need to find ourself. We need to crucify ourselves.

We don't need to find our true selves. We need to turn from our true selves. Jesus is exactly saying the opposite of what the message is saying. And we can't blame this on a translation committee. I blame Nav Press and I blame Eugene Peterson.

By the way, they might be fine people. They might be wonderful folks, but I'm critiquing what they have objectively written. I'm not saying something about their mothers. I'm not critiquing their bad breath.

I'm not doing anything like that. I am supposed to examine everything, think carefully. And so are you. You just don't pick it up and say it's the Bible when it's not the Bible. And we have to find our true selves.

I met my true self years ago and I didn't like who I met. I met the enemy and it was me. And I am selfish and I am sinful and I am wicked and I am vile and I am heinous and I am loathsome. The biblical words could go on and on and on.

I don't like who I used to be. Those weren't the days. I am glad who I am now in Christ. And even though I'm a sinner, God loves me with an everlasting love. The father has chosen me before eternity passed.

Jesus died for me at Calvary, was raised from the dead for my justification. And then the spirit of God quickened me and sealed me to the day of redemption. I don't need to know my true self. I need to know the true and living God, Jesus Christ.

The Message as a Self-Centered and New Age Distortion of Scripture

How about instead of saying in the regular Bible, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Here's what they say. Enjoy the best of Jesus. Ha ha, knee slapping. Enjoy the best of Jesus. Friends, this is just denigrating to the word of God.

John 1 .14, the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. Here's what Peterson says, slanderously. The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. Now, I could just go from bad to worse.

James 4 .7, instead of resist the devil and he'll flee from you. How about the message Bible? Yell aloud no to the devil and watch him scamper. You just got the power and you just give the little scampering devil just get him out of there.

Now, what is that? That is asinine is what that is. That is horrible. That is not talking about the scriptures. The right way. Matthew 10, Jesus asks, are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Here's what Eugene Peterson says.

What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? I mean, so what we do is instead of elevating the scripture, we dumb it down. We bring it down to guttural street language. We bring it down to base common language.

And I don't like that. And I especially don't like when people try to change the meaning of the Bible and say, instead of condemning homosexuality, and of course telling homosexuals that there is forgiveness like other sexual sin, then they mess around with it.

Here's what 1 Corinthians 6, 9 and following actually says. Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators. By the way, it means you possibly could be deceived if you're not careful.

So don't be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

The message. Mike Abendroth here, NoCompromiseRadio .com. We're talking about the message Bible, and you ought to burn that Bible because it's not a Bible. It's a man-centered psychological new age thing that has been published for maybe the sake of money.

Maybe it's just ignorance. I have no idea. But the end result is don't read it if you'd like to know the true and living God. Here's what the message Bible says to make sure they cloak homosexuality and don't call it what it is.

A sin like all kinds of other sins. Do you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth, and everything in it don't qualify as kingdom citizens, citizens in God's kingdom.

Friend, there's an agenda here. You need to know the agenda. You can see the agenda everywhere you go, and it's a line hypocritical agenda. When it talks in 1 Peter 3 about wives be subject to your own husbands, the message says be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs.

And so it is just upside down. But if you think it's been bad so far, here comes the worst. NoCompromiseRadio .com, Psalm 32, the message. Here we go. This is the Psalm of David. This is David's response to God.

Count yourself lucky. How happy you must be. Get a fresh start. Your slate's wiped clean. Verse two, count yourself lucky. God holds nothing against you, and you're holding nothing back from him. Friends, that's blasphemous.

That's perverse. That's something that you ought to burn. The psalmist says, how blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

It's one thing to be lucky. It's another thing to be blessed by Almighty God. As he says, I will take the sins that you have committed, place them on Christ. Even though he didn't sin, he'll pay for your sins.

I'll take Christ's obedience, place it on you, even though you weren't obedient. And then you say, how lucky. How random. How fortunate. The great God of Fortuna. How special. How serendipitous. How chance-like.

No, that's not what we say at all. We don't say that at all, because it's wrong. Psalm chapter one, the message. How well God must like you. You don't hang out at Sin Saloon. You don't slink along Dead End Road.

You don't go to Smart Mouth College. Instead, you thrill to God's word. Friends, when you read the end of that Psalm, it should make you cry. God charts the road you take. The road they take is skid row.

This is gross. This is guttural. This is street language. This is inappropriate for Bible teaching, Bible study, Bible reading. It is only appropriate for a use of an illustration on what not to do. And it is appropriate for kindling.

My heart breaks for people that read the message. If you have a message Bible and that's the only Bible you can afford, I'll get you a Bible that you can read. And it's a real Bible. You write me at info at nocompromiseradio .com and I'll get you a real Bible, free of charge, free shipping, and you can be released from psychological, new age, self-centered tripe of the message Bible.

Somebody needs to say something because that thing is a best seller. What does that tell us about our view of God? Precise, holy, accurate, transcendent, or let's cut God down to our size, chop him off at the knees so we can understand him.

I'd rather learn from Psalm 1, 1, how blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the seat path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the real word of God, not found in the message.

Nocompromiseradio .com. Write me, I'll get you that Bible. God bless. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life transforming power of God's word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at six. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.