Thursday, December 27, 2012

The "Modern" Christian - Translations and Teachers (Part 1)

Translations, Teachers, Incorrect Doctrine, Misconceptions, Misinterpretations.... There are so many factors that contribute to the state of today's modern Christian. Please note that these factors are almost limitless.

There is one Gospel, and one Gospel only.

It is interesting to note that some people have a very wrong view of the Gospel. What makes this interesting is that most of the time, their version of the Gospel is what touches so many people - and these people end up following the wrong Gospel, or, a tainted version of the Gospel, if you will.

My idea of extreme Christianity is someone who is on fire for Jesus, someone who is obedient to God's word in full, and strives for a complete, as accurate as possible knowledge of the Bible. Because in this world, following the Bible to the "T" is what people would normally consider extreme.

Over the course of the last millenniums, believers have been lead into many directions on how to live their lives. People rely on Biblical teachers to help them along their walk with God, which is okay - to a point. Biblical teachers over the course of time have modernized their teachings, and have in the process taught other Christians, Bible students and the like their new teachings. These people who rely solely on the teachers to get their doctrinal foundation are getting "spoon fed" the Gospel message. Unfortunately, the majority of these people do not read the scriptures for themselves to get a clear untainted message, straight from the source.

As the English language progressed into what it is today, the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible has become harder to understand, causing new translations to be published. Versions like the New International Version (NIV), New King James Version (NKJV), so on and so forth. The original English version, the KJV, is rarely referred to by both believers and teachers when reading their new translations, so confusion, misunderstanding, and misinterpretation of the scriptures are very evident.

If you take a moment to take in the image of the "modern Christian" in it's entirety, you see a group of people who are essentially lost. Just like Atheists and Agnostics, only arguably worse. These people are supposed to be the salt and the light to the people who do not know Christ. But, because of all the different denominations, "traditions", beliefs, arguments, "doctrinal differences", practices, etc., Christianity now looks like a big joke, to both believers and unbelievers.

The new translations of the Bible are not only to blame. It is the teachers, the believers, the ones who want to do things their own way, the ones who do not like what the Bible has to say - the list can go on for days!

I will not go into specific issues, but I do want to just convey something to you before you go to your next Church service, or listen to your favourite Bible teacher on the radio. Ask yourself these questions: Is the doctrine the pastor is teaching correct and true to God's word? Are the teachings partially or fully opinionated, or corrupted by "modernized" interpretations? 

I challenge you to do your own self lead Bible study. Have the KJV open, and perhaps the NKJV open beside it to help you with the old English, if you have trouble reading it. Read God's word with an open heart and obedient spirit. Pray before you start. Do your extra studying to gain understanding by reading Bible commentaries (biblecc.org), and spend a few days reading the same verses (in context).

Dare to take in God's word fully, to the "T". Be an extremist, not a "modern" Christian.

Part 2 to come soon

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