The accuracy or faithfulness of modern English translations of the Bible is an ongoing point of discussion. Even translations deemed reliable can be called into question because of the commentary passages some publishers embed in their Bibles, intending to be helpful (no doubt). Still, I’m not sure that many of the discussions on “which translation is the best” (or “most accurate”) etc. are all that helpful.
You may be aware that some cult groups or nominally Christian groups “translate” their own versions, not to bring clarity but rather to support the cult’s aberrant beliefs. These versions fail the “inerrancy” test for reasons I hope to explain. However, with these versions set aside, there is still a huge number of versions of scripture that claim to be legitimate and accurate translations, and yet they all differ from one another, and some in significant ways. Can ALL of these versions be trustworthy and “inerrant”? Can we determine if any of them are?
Let us suppose, for purposes of illustration, that I install a wall safe in your home. I have the factory paperwork, and I copy the combination of the safe on a piece of paper and give it to you. If I don’t show you the original paperwork, how can you find out if the copy I gave you is “inerrant”? Obviously, you would try the combination on the safe and see if it opens.
In the case of scripture, the “original paperwork” has long since disappeared. All we have is copies, and copies of copies. So you can’t compare today’s scriptures with the originals.
Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished for every good work.” So just as the purpose of the combination is to open the safe, the purpose of the scriptures is to complete and furnish men of God. If the diligent study and faithful application of scripture produces godliness, we can generally trust the version. If the scriptures are indeed “God-breathed” (which is what “inspired” means) then we have to believe that if God can create a message for us, that He can also preserve the integrity of the message and ensure the message gets delivered. If the message “opens the safe”, that is, produces men and women of mature faith and godly character, the version is probably at least generally trustworthy.
Cult versions of the Bible are designed and intended to produce cult members. A Jehovah Witness has his faulty belief system shored up by his “New World Translation.” A Mormon has no problem with Mormonism’s beliefs because they are supported by Mormon “scriptures.” Their combination simply opens a different safe.
But why do versions vary so much? Part of the reason is copyright laws. Any copyrighted material must differ by a certain percentage (I think it’s 10%) from any other copyright or it’s plagiarism. So the editors must be careful, and this constraint may mean they can’t use the exact word or phrase that expresses the original (as best we know) Greek or Hebrew, because someone else in another version already used that exact same text. So they look for synonyms, and they amplify or clarify with commentary notes, footnotes and the like. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
For the diligent student of scripture, the Bible you hold in your lap is just the starting point. Internet resources, concordances, Greek and Hebrew lexicons and the like can help open up scriptures, as well as some understanding of the cultural lens through which the original recipients of these books understood them.
But the bottom line is obedience. Francis Chan tells the story of him telling his daughter to go clean her room. Later, he asked her, “Rachel, did you clean your room?” She said, “Dad, I memorized what you told me. In fact, I can even say it in Greek. I got five of my friends together and we had a discussion on what it would look like if I cleaned my room. Here’s our study notes.”
Humorous, to be sure, but sadly much like what American Christianity has become. We’re called to lives of obedience and discipline. If we “believe in our heads” we can pass a written test. If we “believe in our hearts” then we obey and our lives are changed. So the issue is one of obedience, rather than the accuracy of the Bible translation. We’re directed to “believe in our hearts” that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9) and this heart-belief must necessarily result in behavioral change and spiritual growth. The sweep of New Testament thought makes this conclusion inescapable.
The test is: what is my study and application of the scriptures doing to me? If your study AND APPLICATION makes you arrogant, complacent, anxious, legalistic, doubtful etc. then maybe it’s a problem with the version. If you’re becoming mature, gracious, loving, compassionate, serene and faithful, then keep at it. Bear in mind, of course, that the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were the people of The Word. They studied and memorized their scriptures, knew EXACTLY what they said … and yet, they failed dismally. Read John 5:39 – it was not a problem with the “version”, but their real problem lay elsewhere.
This is getting long, but forgive me for making it just a little longer. In mathematics, we deal with equations. X + 3 = 5 for instance. The two sides are functionally equal, even though they are textually different. We don’t quibble in math about these textual differences. In the example of our wall safe, if one of the numbers was ’46’ and instead of writing that number, I wrote “forty-six” or “45 + 1” or “JFK’s age at his death” you realize that it’s several different ways of expressing the same value, and you could still open the safe. By studying the whole of scripture, we can get past these textual differences and get the whole message from God. We “open the safe” when we are conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), as we grow up in all things in Him (Ephesians 4:15).
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