Is it me or....

[Maryjane]

There is hope for those who will receive it...for God's mercy flows...It is not for us to look at the changing world around us but to look at the unchangable God who is the same today as yesterday...and to know as He gives us a new day, it is filled with His mercy and compassion for His compassion is great among this world...and to use the day to act upon His word with compassion...I read in another post why those who do not know God and are good people should see hell..it is because man cannot achieve heaven on his own works with out accepting Jesus and what He has done by the shedding of His blood...it is the blood that makes the difference...The Lord did not go to the cross in vain..just like when the blood was put on the door that death would not enter...being good will never be enough with out being covered by the blood of Jesus...it is simple but yet..it is made to be difficult and at most with no meaning...that is why many will not enter a gate that is so narrow...I know this is why we have been told to crucify the flesh for the flesh is of no good thing as it brings about thoughts and actions that are far from the will of God...man justifying man..going deeper and deeper into theology that puts God below man...If there is one thing I have come to learn is that God is Sovereign...He will do what He wants to do with our lives...that will bring glory to Him and not to man..and absolute surrender is the only way in which He a Sovereign God can use us to the fullest...even in a world that rejects ad mocks us..we are given the strength to carry on..inspite of it all...

[Shammu]

No brother Tom, it isn't you. As you know I like using the AMP and KJV Bibles.  There are others out there just as good. 

There are a list of so-called Bibles that I don't consider Bibles at all - NOT EVEN CLOSE. Some of them are used by cults and have been with us for many years. Some of the new ones being written are specifically to accommodate sin and make folks feel good. I wasn't hinting about the protection or respect of these NON-BIBLES.

These are the bibles I'm talking about.  Renaming God as she and she/he, feminists have stripped God of independent, personalized existence. The Bible teaches that God is masculine.

[Brother Jerry]

BEP

Brother Jerry, the above should give you a good idea about why we stopped Bible bashing on Christians Unite. It served no purpose except confusion and contention. There are some groups that are so rabid about Bible bashing that they elevate themselves to cult status. This is one reason why I stopped using a particular translation that I'd been using for over 50 years. I'll add that I'm very happy with the change for numerous reasons. I'm also happy that we don't argue about things like this here.

Brother believe me I understand why we do not discuss it.  Some folks have Bible versions as an idol before God.  And I am in no way implying one is better than the other or anything like that.

My point being that I believe that we have far too many translations out there now and that if you pick up a newer translation then you should not embrace it wholly until you have really compared it to other translations.  I believe that if we continue to come out with other new "translations" then we will do nothing but harm the testimony of the Bible itself.  And I have seen that the more translations we get out there, the more they start to fall away from the original Word of God. 

http://www.brotherjerry.com/BibleTranslation/BibleList.html
This is a partial list of versions out there.  I pulled this data from a different site and stripped out the links and such so if you happen to see a "click here" still floating around then ignore it   As you can see from just this list there are and has been quite a few different English translations of the Bible.  Some of these are not used much today anymore, but they still count and you can still find them published.  With all of these versions out there it can become very easy to see confusion.  Some of these translations are apparently by just one person....at which point I usually classify them as cult material, however they still count.

[nChrist]

Hello Brother Jerry,

That is just a partial list, but you do list some that I've never heard of. There are some completely new ones that you won't find in a Christian book store or an online Christian site because they aren't Bibles.

I did considerable research on the issue of Bible translations when a group came to Christians Unite and wanted to do nothing except bash Real Bibles that were excellent to outstanding translations. In fact, some of the translations they were bashing were better and more accurate than the one they were holding up as the ONLY BIBLE. I found it very odd that they didn't single out the horrible translations and butchered translations for bashing. I have no problem at all in bashing cult material, intentionally butchered so-called Bibles, and horrible translations. There is a substantial list of so-called Bibles that aren't Bibles at all. If there is bashing to be done, these are the ones that we need to bash.

Brother Jerry, there will always be just reasons for comparisons, and that's why the best study Bibles have quick references to Hebrew and Greek, other portions of Scripture, foot notes, concordances, dictionaries, etc., etc. I certainly see the possibility of confusion with any translation of the Holy Bible. There's also the possibility of confusion with multiple translations of the Holy Bible. However, there is another side to this coin that goes in the other direction. Excellent to outstanding Study Bibles encourage comparisons with multiple sources, including Hebrew and Greek. These tend to limit confusion and encourage good Bible Study techniques. This would assume that the reader is using the available resources. Even the much older Bibles had footnotes, margin notes, topical indexes, references, cross references, and more - depending on the individual Bible. Many of the best references are already in the Bible, and others are in external sources to numerous to mention (i.e. commentaries, dictionaries, and ancient language helps.)

So, the possibility of confusion is also there in external resources for Bible Study, and there are literally tons of materials from useless to outstanding. Christian scholars have also rated these tons of external resources. Using good materials tends to reduce confusion, not cause it. I'll cite an example that all mature Christians eventually deal with if they love Bible Study - Hebrew and Greek. There are many outstanding ancient language helps, but two names usually come up for folks who want good helps without learning Hebrew and Greek - Strong and Zodiates (sp). Strong's is known for brief and accurate information. Zodiates is known for more extensive information and comparisons with Scripture references. Another issue in this same area involves recommendations to brand new Christians. Do we tell them to immediately jump into Hebrew and Greek?

The point I want to make is that there is a lengthy list of things that definitely cause confusion, and that list would obviously include improper pastors, teachers, and mentors. The list goes on and on and on. On the other side of the coin, there are a list of things that reduce confusion, and some of these things would be a matter of debate and opinion. The potential for confusion would involve much more than just a Bible translation. So, the question becomes, "how do we reach reasonable ground and sound practices for various levels of people from the lost, the babes, novice, mature, etc.) This is also a matter of opinion and subject to debate. This would also include the important issue of witnessing. As an example, MUST a Christian read word for word from a particular Bible translation to witness? NO, in my opinion. I say what GOD has laid on my heart to say.

Brother Jerry, I'll conclude that we've had many sources of confusion for the history of mankind. I'll pray about things, pray some more, and try to do as GOD leads me. This is the key issue. We might all be able to come up with reasonable ground and sound practices for various levels of people, but we would probably all differ. I quit worrying about things like this. I just pray and try to do as GOD leads me. If I state something other than an absolute fact, I tell people it is my opinion that others might disagree with. Now we are back to prayer and trying to do as GOD leads us. What else can we really do?

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Corinthians 6:19 NASB  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

[Brother Jerry]

Brother Jerry, I'll conclude that we've had many sources of confusion for the history of mankind. I'll pray about things, pray some more, and try to do as GOD leads me. This is the key issue. We might all be able to come up with reasonable ground and sound practices for various levels of people, but we would probably all differ. I quit worrying about things like this. I just pray and try to do as GOD leads me. If I state something other than an absolute fact, I tell people it is my opinion that others might disagree with. Now we are back to prayer and trying to do as GOD leads us. What else can we really do?

AMEN to that.

I agree completely with what you have said 100%.  When I study I have many resources open and available to me.  From Strongs on down to various translations and other stuff.  And for the most part what we see today as far as choices of Bibles is just a few mainstream translations that everyone seems to know (KJV, NIV, NLT) and then some other accepted but not as mainstream (NASB, NKJV, ASV, etc). 

And for any young in Christ Christians out there that do wonder what Bible they should read I could state just a couple of things.  Talk to your pastor about it, see what he would recommend.  Also I would say to go down to local Christian bookstore and talk to folks down there.  Don't over do it, get something you can read and learn from.  Some feel that KJV with the old English is a bit hard to start with, you could then go with NASB, NIV, or one of the other more modern English translations and still get the good Word in the Bible.

I can say that there are some Bibles to steer clear of.  Namely ANY Bible that is translated by just one person.  Just as God used many people to write His book, I believe He uses many people to translate His book as well.  And when one person is doing the work then it is far to easy for Satan to enter in and corrupt it...And history supports this as well in that many of the "bibles" that were translated by just one person were used in cults.  So stay clear of "The Holy Bible in Modern English by Jimmy Joe Jones" 

[islandboy]

Many years ago I bought "The Guideposts Parallel Bible", It has the King James Version, The New International Version, The Living Bible, The Revised Standard Version. This book was copyrighted in 1981. It shows page by page, side by side, the verses so one can compare the differences in the translation. Sometimes I have a hard time with the KJV, so I can see how it reads in a different form. I still carry this Bible with me to group meetings and studies, and find it makes me more able to follow along with whatever verison other people are using, as well as, instantly see major or minor differences in translations.

[Soldier4Christ]

I prefer the KJV as it is the Bible that I was raised with. In fact it was my very first reader so I find it easy to read. I do use other versions though. I like using the e-Sword free Bible software. Not only does it have that ability to compare versions as you say "The Guideposts Parallel Bible" It also has many books, maps, dictionaries and commentaries that you can get with it. There is also an  e-Sword available for the Pocket PC so you can take it with you almost anywhere you go.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

I really can't recommend e-Sword enough as a Bible Study package. It is completely free with no strings attached, and it's better than most commercial packages that cost well over $500.

There was a time where you almost had to be rich to have a Bible Study package that does everything that e-Sword does. You won't spend any money at all unless you feel that you just must have some of the new, 3rd party modules that are made for it. I might add that the number of completely free choices are awesome in every category:  Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, topical notes, sermons, Hebrew and Greek language helps, maps, and just about everything you can think of. I must add that the free modules are first class, and many of them cost money in other Bible Study packages. The truth of the vast array of free add-ons is really quite beautiful. Everyone knows that e-Sword is free, so many Christian publishers offered their products free so that average people could have an excellent Bible Study package.

I've been using e-Sword for years, so I have a huge collection of things designed to use with e-Sword. I have only several 3rd party modules that cost anything, and they were not required. There's really only one hard rule for the use of e-Sword: you can make all the copies you want and give them away, but you can't charge any money for e-Sword or any of the thousands of free resources available for it. In other words, "freely you received, freely give."

The author of e-Sword has a noble goal, to make e-Sword freely available to the entire world in all languages. I haven't checked recently, but that goal might have been reached. An army of sweet Christians and big hearted Christian organizations have tried to help Rick Meyers reach this goal with all kinds of top quality materials. I think that Rick Meyers is a genius in terms of being an outstanding programmer. He's also a strong Christian. Rick Meyers had to convince many people to help in translating various materials and many others to forget their profits by giving away their materials in e-Sword. In short, the entire story of e-Sword is a beautiful Christian story.

Please take a look in the "Computers and Software" section of the forum for a partial list of free resources available for e-Sword. Remember - it's FREE AND OUTSTANDING! The user interface for e-Sword is one of the things that most people rave about. You have quick access to all of your materials from one computer screen, and it is very user friendly. I must also add that many of the resources interact with each other automatically (i.e. dictionary, commentary, language helps, etc.) Let's say that you click on a particular Scripture to begin your Bible Study. Every resource you have chosen to interact with the desktop has a button. Every resource with information about that Scripture lets you know, and you can click each resource to view the additional information. There are also pop-up tool tips for Hebrew, Greek, etc. What else can I say - IT'S GREAT!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Matthew 5:10 NASB  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[David_james]

I installed e-sword and tried getting the new living translation but it said I needed to buy it

[Soldier4Christ]

There are some versions that Rick Meyers must charge a small fee for as the copyright owner requires it.

[David_james]

There are some versions that Rick Meyers must charge a small fee for as the copyright owner requires it.

What can I use that is easy to read and understand? Going to get Douay-Rheims Bible too

[David_james]

What can I use that is easy to read and understand? Going to get Douay-Rheims Bible too

Need to know or no coffee

[Brother Jerry]

David

I can think of 3 versions that are in English and relatively easy to understand

NASB, NIV, NLT

I am sure there are others out there.  Those are some that I could think of right off hand.

[David_james]

I meant for e-sword and those aren't free

[Soldier4Christ]

Try the ASV, American Standard Version. It is free for e-Sword and it is relatively easy reading.