Sermon Transcript
Reader's Version
Is The Bible Reliable?Sermon by Gene Simco
I heard a story about an atheist school teacher. This teacher knew she had Christian children in her classroom, so whenever she could, she’d take a dig at the Bible. One day, she found the perfect opportunity because the lesson was on whales. She decided to take a poke at the story of Jonah.She told the children, “It’s impossible for a whale to swallow a human. Sure, it’s a big animal, but it has a small throat and stomach. It just can’t happen.”One of the Christian girls raised her hand and said, “But the Bible says Jonah was swallowed by a whale.”The teacher replied, “No, you don’t understand. It just can’t happen.” She continued on, trying to prove her point. But this time, the little girl didn’t even bother raising her hand. Instead, she simply said, “Well, I’m going to ask Jonah about it when I get to heaven.”The teacher, a bit agitated and maybe speaking without thinking, shot back, “What if Jonah went to hell?”Without missing a beat, the little girl replied, “Then you ask him.”
If I had to summarize the Bible after reading it over and over, the main theme that stands out is humanity’s rejection of God. The Bible really is about that rejection. Mankind isn’t happy with anything. In the beginning, they’re in paradise—but even there, humanity isn’t content and rejects God’s way. People reject one another, reject the prophets, reject the priests—just a constant cycle of rejection.Then, in the New Testament, they even reject Jesus, God in the flesh. And what we find out is that now, we have to accept God. Through Jesus, we’re able to return to that paradise. If I had to put it really simply, that’s the basic framework for all Christians. We have to remember that, in our lives, we often reject God. The only way to heaven is through accepting Jesus. Rejection and acceptance: that’s the Bible in a nutshell.Now, don’t take this as a reason to skip reading the Bible! We’re just looking at the basic overview. Humanity’s rejection of God even led to killing Jesus. So let’s look at the details more closely.Christians typically agree on 66 books or the Bible, split between the Old and New Testaments. I’ll explain the main categories for each and keep it to the basics.The Torah, Genesis through Deuteronomy, are the first five books of the Bible. They start with God telling us who He is: He created everything. It’s not like a science book explaining how the universe was made. It’s simply telling us, “This is who God is: omnipresent, omnipotent.” He created everything, and right there we have God and the creation story. God provides paradise, but humanity rejects it. People wanted to be like God, so they’re cast out of the garden.People then start rejecting one another. The first murder happens, and things get so bad that God decides on a reset: He floods everything. Only Noah and his family survive, but even Noah gets it wrong eventually. People keep messing up. So then we get to Abraham, the prophets, and those who speak on behalf of God, setting up the twelve tribes of Israel.Much of Genesis deals with this foundational story. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—who becomes Israel—and his twelve sons form the twelve tribes. Genesis wraps up with Joseph, who sets the stage for Exodus. Joseph’s story is significant: after being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ends up as second in command in Egypt and saves his family during a famine. His family settles there, but by the time Exodus begins, 400 years later, the Pharaoh has forgotten Joseph’s contributions.Now the Hebrews are enslaved and oppressed. Pharaoh orders the killing of all firstborn males, but Moses is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. He grows up in the palace, and then—at about 80 years old—God calls him to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses becomes the reluctant mouthpiece of God, with his brother Aaron by his side. They confront Pharaoh, and after the ten plagues, Moses leads the people out in the Exodus. That’s when the Passover is initiated.After they’re freed, the people immediately start complaining. They complain about food, about the law, about everything. Even though God provides for them, they reject it all. God gives them the law, but they break it. What a lot of people don’t understand about the Old Testament is that, from the time of the Exodus through Leviticus and into Numbers, it’s only about one year.When they finally reach the edge of the Promised Land, they send scouts to look at it, but they’re scared of the giants in the land. Only Joshua and Caleb trust in God’s provision. The people’s punishment for rejecting God’s promise is to wander for forty years until all those twenty and older have died, except for Joshua and Caleb. Even Moses doesn’t enter the Promised Land because of his own disobedience.When they finally do enter, Joshua doesn’t completely secure the land. The time of the judges begins, but it’s a mess. The people again reject God’s way, and things go from bad to worse. Then we come to Ruth, which sets us up for the story of David, her great-grandson. This leads us into the time of the kings.The people beg for a king, rejecting God’s leadership. God gives them Saul, but Saul rejects God’s commands. Then comes David, but he, too, makes major mistakes—even causing the death of 70,000 people. His son Solomon breaks every rule for kings, yet for David’s sake, God doesn’t punish him until later. After Solomon, the kingdom splits in civil war: Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Generation after generation, kings lead the people further from God, some even sacrificing their children in fire.Eventually, both kingdoms fall—Israel to the Assyrians and Judah to the Babylonians. The people are exiled for seventy years, a corporate punishment similar to their forty years in the wilderness.After the 70 years, we come to Ezra and Nehemiah. King Cyrus of Persia allows the people to return to Jerusalem, and they begin rebuilding: the wall, the temple. Nehemiah is more of a practical book, focused on building the wall. Ezra is a spiritual book, focused on building up the temple. They have different personalities, which is fascinating to see. Then we get to Esther—so from Joshua to Esther, that’s the historical section. Esther is the story of a Hebrew woman who becomes queen in Persia.Next is the poetry section, which goes from Job to Song of Solomon. This is the wisdom and poetry section. Interestingly, beginning with Job, you can almost go back and place everything else in the Old and New Testament into what you’ve read before. For example, Job could likely fit in Genesis. Then you have the Psalms: David wrote seventy-four of them, Moses wrote one, and Solomon wrote one as well. These could all fit back into previous narratives. Proverbs, mostly written by Solomon, can fit back in there too. And then you have Song of Solomon—sometimes called Song of Songs—which I’ll cover later. Ecclesiastes was likely written by Solomon as well, so that goes back in there, too.After this come the prophets, and the same pattern applies. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the minor prophets like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Hagai, Zechariah, and Malachi—they all intertwine with the history of the Kings. Their message? A call to repentance: Stop rejecting God, stop following idols. That’s a recurring theme throughout.Then we get to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and the message is clear: Israel is rejecting God. Then comes the New Testament, and we see Jesus, who comes and is ultimately rejected by His own people.In the New Testament, we start with the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are ancient Greco-Roman biographies about the life and ministry of Jesus. That’s their genre, from a scholarly perspective. Then there’s Acts—a history of the early church. And from this point on, the rest of the New Testament’s context is the church.It’s interesting to note that if someone claims they can be a Christian without church involvement, they’d have to dismiss most of the Bible, because its context is deeply rooted in the church. Think about it: Acts details the formation of the church. What were Paul and others doing on these missional journeys? They were setting up churches, planting churches. The focus is the church.Then we have Paul’s letters. There are thirteen of them, written by the power of the Holy Spirit, all addressed to churches: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon—probably not Hebrews. Then James writes his letter, and that’s Jesus’ brother. We have 1 and 2 Peter from Peter, the lead apostle. Then we have 1, 2, and 3 John from John, “the disciple Jesus loved,” and Jude, probably Jesus’ brother.Finally, we get to Revelation, which begins with seven letters to the churches and continues as a prophetic book. The main point? Jesus is coming back, and at the end of Revelation, He’s bringing us back to paradise—all who are in Him, all who accept Him. So, in summary, these are the categories of the Bible, how it’s broken down into sections, and the basic storyline from start to finish.
We can't really talk about the Bible in America without mentioning the King James Version, can we? It's probably the best-selling Bible of all time. In fact, the Bible itself is the best-selling book of all time—by a wide margin. And the King James Version (KJV) is a big part of our cultural heritage. When most people think of the Bible, they're picturing the King James. Even if you watch Jeopardy! in the evenings, Bible questions often refer to the King James wording. It’s actually pretty strange because it's not my preferred version, so I’d hear a question and think, That's an odd way to phrase that, with all the old English terms and measurements.So, I went on a bit of a quest. I decided I wouldn’t miss any Jeopardy! Bible questions, and I ended up reading the King James Bible thoroughly—multiple times, actually. I have several copies of the KJV. I’m very familiar with it, and it’s certainly a good translation, especially for its time. We owe a lot to the translators for their work; it was a monumental achievement. However, some people believe Jesus spoke in Victorian English—as if that's the only authentic version of God's Word. But that notion simply isn’t accurate. While it may be the most influential, it's not superior to other translations.There are some quirky things about the KJV. It's definitely not word-for-word with the original texts, and there are a few errors here and there. If you’re interested, we could really nerd out on the details sometime. And don’t get me wrong—it’s a solid version. But I've encountered people who take this “King James-only” stance, almost like a cult, insisting it’s the only valid translation. The King James Bible was published in 1611, so according to this belief, Christians must have been wrong for the first 1600 years before it existed. That’s an arrogant, if not ignorant, perspective.One person once argued with me, insisting the KJV was God’s Word and asked, Well, do you believe people in China can be Christians? I said, Of course. So, do they have to learn Victorian English to be saved? He didn't know how to respond. I pointed out that if any translation is truly the best, it’s the original Greek, and if you’re going to require someone to learn a language, why not Greek, since that’s the language of the New Testament? But let’s step back from the King James and look at how the Bible, in its most basic form, was actually constructed.The King James wasn’t the first English translation—not even close. Let me show you some examples. (Imagine me doing some “show and tell” here.) I’ve got a few old Bibles—actually, they’re reprints—but they give an idea of the evolution of translations. Here’s the 1537 Matthews Bible in English. It’s very old and hard to read. Then there’s the 1560 Geneva Bible, which the Pilgrims brought with them to America. That was the first Bible to arrive on our shores before there was even an America. Then you have the 1611 King James Bible.One interesting thing to note: all these Bibles, including the King James, originally had more books in the Old Testament. These extra books are part of what’s called the Apocrypha, which means “hidden.” But they weren’t hidden from the early church at all. They were simply part of the Bible back then. So, if you go back a few generations, your great-grandparents’ King James Bible looked quite different from today’s. It included books like 1 Maccabees and a longer version of Daniel.Some of the oldest Christian Bibles we have, like those from around 350 A.D., are written entirely in Greek, including the Old Testament. That’s because the early church was born in a Greek-speaking world. So when we look at these ancient manuscripts, they’re all Greek—not Hebrew—because that’s what early Christians read. So, let's go all the way back to the beginning and consider how the Bible was constructed, starting with the Old Testament.Some pastors don’t like to mention this, but I think it's better that you hear it from me than from an atheist who might try to shake your faith. We have to be educated and prepared. For instance, we don’t have original manuscripts from Moses’ time. Moses lived around 1500 B.C., but our oldest manuscripts are from 200-300 B.C., leaving a gap of more than a thousand years.In ancient times, they relied heavily on oral tradition. This wasn’t like a game of "telephone" but more like family gatherings where you hear the same stories about a grandparent repeated in a consistent way. These stories were cherished and well-preserved, like oral Scripture.Additionally, people did write things down, but the original copies were often lost over time. Copies were made and passed on, which explains why we have ancient fragments and scrolls like the Dead Sea Scrolls. When scholars compare these texts from different locations, they find remarkable consistency, which is an amazing testament to the care with which these texts were preserved.So, from oral tradition to written Scripture, and through careful preservation across centuries, we can have confidence in the reliability of the Bible.
One of the most essential aspects of church history—and a critical work for understanding Scripture—is the Septuagint (or Septuagint), a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. This translation has been written about extensively at a scholarly level, with many urging for its significance to be more widely recognized due to how it clears up various interpretive issues.Here’s the background: the Septuagint, which means "seventy" (LXX), originated around 250 BC. The story begins with the Hebrew Scriptures—the Old Testament, particularly the Torah—and the famous Library of Alexandria. King Ptolemy of Egypt, who was Greek-speaking, wanted copies of the Scriptures in Greek for the library, given that Greek was the dominant language after Alexander the Great's conquests. So, he commissioned seventy-two Jewish elders to translate the Hebrew texts. The interesting part is the tradition surrounding this translation: supposedly, these translators were separated into pairs, worked independently, and still produced identical translations. The early church believed this alignment was a miracle—a sign that this Greek translation was Holy Spirit-inspired.Early Jewish scholars such as Philo and Josephus, who were not Christians, praised the Septuagint as a superior version of the Scriptures. The early church also embraced this view, and for good reason. When we look at the Greek Old Testament, we find specific prophecies about Jesus that aren’t in the Hebrew text, like the prophecy of the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14. In most Bibles, if you look up that verse, you’ll see a footnote with "LXX," referencing the Septuagint because the prophecy was derived from the Greek text. Another example is Psalm 22, where it describes "pierced hands and feet"—a prophecy of the crucifixion. This description appears only in the Greek. In this way, the Septuagint scripturally paves the way for Jesus.• Irenaeus (c. 130 – c. 202):• "For if the Scriptures were the same, as they are in Hebrew and in Greek, there would be no difference; but in the Greek they are declared, and confirmed, and established."• Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 21)• Justin Martyr (c. 100 – c. 165):• "And when we say that the Scriptures were written by the Holy Spirit, we mean that the Greek translation of the Scriptures, called the Septuagint, is an equally sacred work."• First Apology (Chapter 33)• Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215):• "The Greeks, therefore, who have turned to the Septuagint, have received a most faithful translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, which serves to confirm their own prophecies."• Stromata (Book 1)• Origen (c. 184 – c. 253):• "The Septuagint is the version that is accepted in the churches, and is the one that the apostles used."• Commentary on Matthew (Book 14)• Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260 – c. 340):• "The ancient translations made from the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, especially the Septuagint, are to be revered, as they convey the essence of divine truth."• Ecclesiastical History (Book 6)
The Septuagint also includes other books—Judith, Tobit, Maccabees, among others—which is why those books appear in some Bibles. When the New Testament authors were writing, they too used Greek, and they frequently quoted the Greek Old Testament rather than any Hebrew version. So, reading the New Testament in Greek is, in a way, seeing it as the early church saw it, in a unified context. You can even see this in the way Joshua, or "Yeshua" (the same name as Jesus), is seen as a prefigure of Jesus. Reading in Greek shows much more consistency and clarifies these connections.Now, about the New Testament itself: what’s crucial here is that it’s written within a "witness" timeframe—by eyewitnesses or by those who interviewed witnesses. This category of document was significant because it includes the Gospels, which tell Jesus’ life; Acts, which gives church history; the Epistles, or letters to churches; and a prophecy book, Revelation. These New Testament works are better attested and more numerous than any other historical writings of that time, even the records of figures like Alexander the Great. When I was an atheist and explored other worldviews, I studied Christianity too. If I’d only had the Old Testament, as accurate as it is, I wouldn’t have been convinced. For me, as a skeptic, it wasn’t enough to “cross the finish line.” But learning about the New Testament’s historical reliability changed that; it was bulletproof for me, historically speaking. What I came to see is that the New Testament acts as a commentary on the Old Testament—it validates so much of it historically, not just from a faith perspective. So if you're hearing this, remember that even as a skeptic, the Old Testament might not be enough to compel you, but the New Testament’s historical strength could change that perspective.Now, to understand why certain books are in the New Testament and others aren’t, it’s important to know about canonization—the process by which the early church recognized which writings were authoritative. Very early on, the church established this New Testament canon, and they were remarkably consistent. Within about a century of the events, they knew who wrote what, and they were careful in what they accepted. That's an impressively short time for canon formation in historical terms. In short, the New Testament’s reliability was a pivotal factor for me and continues to be a strong testament to its truth. And while we view the whole Bible as the Word of God, the New Testament uniquely validates much of the Old Testament from a historical angle.So, there were church councils held to decide which writings were legitimate and should be included in the canon. The order of the books in old Bibles was often mixed up, but for the most part, the early church fathers largely agreed on what belongs in your Bible. There wasn't much disagreement; for instance, 1 Clement was considered an outlier early on, but that distinction gradually faded.There were qualifications for inclusion: the texts had to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, possess sound theology and doctrine, and be written by a witness or someone who interviewed a witness. Luke comes to mind as an example of the latter.An interesting point to consider is that even if we didn't have the New Testament, we would still have enough writings from early church fathers to completely reconstruct it. Think about that for a second; it’s amazing. There are so many quotes that you could use to rebuild it. This highlights the historical validity of the New Testament, as people were quoting and discussing it early on.When we talk about the Old Testament, many people ask how it changed over time. They wonder why their Bible doesn’t include some books, even compared to the 1611 King James Version. We’ve discussed this in the past, and I’ll delve into it more in this series.Paul’s worst nightmare was the division within the church. Consider the reason he wrote many of his letters, such as Romans and Ephesians—he was always calling for unity. Denominations were his worst nightmare; he never wanted the church to split like that.When you look back at these writings, it’s important to recognize that as languages changed, discussions took place between figures like Jerome and Augustine. You probably know who Augustine is—not just a place in Florida. In 405 AD, the world was no longer just Greek-speaking; it was Roman as well. The desire arose for a version of the Scriptures in Latin. Jerome became passionate about this and decided to translate from the Hebrew instead of the Greek that the church had been reading. Augustine had a problem with this; he argued that the Greek version was the Holy Spirit-inspired text. He questioned why they were going to the Hebrew, which he believed was newer and less reliable.This debate led to divisions. Then you have the Great Schism of 1054, which separated the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. After that, you see the Protestants branching off from the Catholics. What many Reformed Protestants may not realize is that they are essentially reformed Catholics, as that’s the branch they come from. The Orthodox Church took a different path and chose not to follow the Vulgate. Their copy of the Bible is arguably more sound regarding the Old Testament.However, some disputes arose among Protestants about certain books, which they began to label as apocryphal—books that were not originally considered apocryphal. For instance, the book of Maccabees includes the story of Judas Maccabeus praying for the dead. Instead of addressing the fact that Judas, like David, made mistakes—God never commanded him to pray for the dead—they simply removed the book from the canon. This decision was made without reconciling its content.By the 1800s, the King James Bible no longer included those books. It’s astounding to think that for the first 1800 years of Christianity, the majority accepted those books as part of the Bible. Just consider that fact. Were they Scripture or not? That’s a different discussion for another time, but I’m providing you with historical context. These books are still retained by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.What’s particularly amusing is that if you’ve been in church for a long time, you may have encountered pastors who think they know everything about the Bible. One translation they may have touted as the best, due to its word-for-word approach, is the ESV. If they described it as "literal," it’s clear they don’t understand Greek or how translation works.Interestingly, when you look at the scholarly editions of the ESV, you’ll find that they include the Apocrypha and acknowledge in their foreword that it was part of the original Bible of the church.It's crucial to remember that the authors of these texts were inspired by the Holy Spirit. In 2 Timothy 3:16, we read, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”This inspiration reflects the collaboration between God and humanity. Consider the image of M.C. Escher's drawing of a hand drawing a hand; it illustrates how God works through people to create Scripture.In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul delineates between commands from the Lord and guidance from the Holy Spirit. You can see his distinct personality in the Greek text; he has a unique style, just as John and Peter do. The diversity of voices among the authors of Scripture showcases the Holy Spirit’s work.Now, regarding translations, many people wonder which is the best. If you’re committed to the King James Version, you may want to explore the Greek texts, as they are foundational.To simplify this topic, translations generally fall into two categories: thought-for-thought and word-for-word, often referred to as dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence. However, it’s important to note that no translation is purely word-for-word, which is a common misconception. Many of my friends here who speak other languages can attest to the complexities of translation.
It is very difficult to create exact word-for-word translations for many reasons. I might use an idiom or a cultural reference, and the translator would sit there thinking, “Never mind, you know, he means this,” trying to find an equivalent idiom. Our ways of thinking are not the same.Take languages like Spanish and Portuguese, for example. I’m a bit more familiar with Portuguese. We have conversations about this all the time. The structure can feel backward. For instance, we think “black belt,” while they say “faixa preta,” which translates literally to “belt black.” It’s just the opposite in terms of word order. So, when you’re translating, you have to take the time to reconstruct it in your mind. If you’re quick, it can be done, but it’s not easy.I often marvel at how translators manage to convey the original meaning accurately. For those who understand both languages, it’s common to notice discrepancies. If anyone starts speaking Portuguese in a movie, for instance, I might think, “That’s not what they said.” Nine times out of ten, the translation misses the exact words, focusing instead on conveying the point. For example, if you watch a show like Narcos, you might hear Spanish spoken, but you know that the translation isn’t exact because it has gone thought-for-thought instead of word-for-word, and sometimes that’s better.So, we need to understand this distinction. Don’t be disheartened when people are snooty about certain translations like the NLT. I preach from the NLT because it’s accessible and understandable for everyone. If someone argues that it’s not close enough to the Greek, I include the Greek text as well. That’s what matters—making it comprehensible. Thought-for-thought translations often work better because when you’re crossing two cultures, it doesn’t translate perfectly.In the category of translations, you’ll find those labeled word-for-word, such as the NASB, ESV, and King James. However, even the King James is not strictly word-for-word. For instance, in Romans 3:6, where it says, “God forbid!” if you examine the Greek, it doesn’t actually include the word “God.” It simply states, “May it never be.” The King James adds “God” to the text, which is problematic.Yet, during that time, if someone were to express outrage at a situation, they might say, “God forbid!” That was a common phrase. While the addition isn’t ideal, it captures the sentiment of the original context. So, even the King James version is an example of thought-for-thought rather than purely word-for-word translation. There’s no such thing as an exact translation. So, all snobbery regarding translations should be set aside.Have you ever heard someone say, “The best translation is the one you read”? In terms of mainstream translations, you’ll find some that are less reliable. I wouldn’t recommend those. The more mainstream translations are all good as long as you read them and understand them.Now, let’s look at the Word of God. In Deuteronomy 6:4, it says, “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” I want to take a moment to talk about these first two verses. They aren’t more important than any others, but the first verse is known as the Shema. Every Jewish child memorizes it: “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.” This is the original Hebrew text, and it is often recited as a dying wish for Jewish people, making it a significant scripture.In the Gospels, when Jesus is asked about the most important commandment, he returns to this. This shows the importance of the Shema. Then in verse 6, it says, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”This passage emphasizes being surrounded by Scripture constantly. If you’re familiar with Revelation 13, you’ll note the mention of the hand and forehead, linking it back to the Shema. We are commanded to be in the Word constantly.In Joshua, you’ve probably heard, “Be strong and courageous.” However, we often skip over the context. In Joshua 1:6-8, it states, “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”Notice that it’s not just the call to be strong and courageous that ensures success; it’s about obeying God’s Word. In 1 Timothy 4:6, Paul writes, “In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following.” The Greek word ἐντρεφόμενος (entrefómenos) suggests being perpetually fed on Scripture – constantly nourished. It should be a part of you, making you a living, breathing embodiment of the Bible.Only then, as the passages indicate, will you succeed—not by following a church program, but by being immersed in the Word of God constantly. That’s what the Bible instructs us to do.Second Timothy 3:16 states, All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong, and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Its purpose for you is to find your purpose in God.Now, how do we explain what is true? I don't think anyone would disagree that we live in the misinformation age. There's a lot of misinformation out there—garbage and lies. I don't care what side you're on; at this point, can we admit that they're all liars? It's just crazy! We have to pick which one is not the worst somehow, and it's a mess. You can go on the internet and find a truth about anything, often the complete opposite.This is why we go to the Bible for truth. This is the real news. The good news is not delivered from the world; the good news is delivered from the Word—period. No one has realized that there is nothing better than this. Nothing is more true than what we find in Scripture. It teaches us what is true.Then it makes us realize what is wrong in our lives. Here’s where people often hesitate. The Bible corrects us when we are wrong. People try to blur the lines on sin, saying, “Well, we're saying it's okay now.” I know what the Bible says, but they claim it needs to modernize. Really? It hasn’t been around for thousands of years? People are justifying certain sins and various things, but our nature hasn’t changed. I'm sorry; it just hasn’t.The Bible lets us know what is wrong. It helps us realize that we should be reading it. I’m making this fun, but if I’ve had a really bad day, I might be as negative as the Bible can sometimes feel. This isn’t just, “Hey, you’re doing great!” The Bible doesn’t say, “Hey, you’re doing great; Jesus didn’t need to die because you’ve got it.” No, the Bible is highly negative and corrective for our good. It talks a lot about sin and what we’re doing wrong. The Bible is about how we rejected God, but in our lives, do we sometimes reject God? Yes.The Bible comes along and says, “Yo, you’re wrong; you need to get back in line.” That’s important. So when you read the Bible, you need to think about it like that. He’s a good Father, so He’s going to correct us. He uses it to prepare and equip His people for every good work. It shows us how to do life.I am always amazed at how many Scriptures there are that say, “Prove you’re a Christian.” I was preparing a message and realized that the Bible tells Christians to prove their faith a lot. When I shared those verses, it was overwhelming. If you were here for those messages, I think about ten people didn’t come back! The Bible says it repeatedly: prove it. Why? What is Paul saying? We are to be blameless. We need to be witnesses.It’s been said that we may be the only Bible that anyone reads. That’s partially true. We are to be witnesses, so we need to approach everything we do with love and grace, trying to attract people to the faith. If we love them, we want them to get to heaven too.What we do says more about what we believe than anything we can possibly say. As I close, let me encourage you with this illustration. If you love someone—like in a marriage; we just celebrated 22 years, which is great—if you really love someone, it should show. I love my wife, and we’ve been through a lot together. It hasn’t been perfect; we’ve been through some bad stuff. But it’s love, and I can’t even explain it. I just love her.Every year, I get a letter from her in an envelope, and I love getting it. I look forward to it. I don’t even read the card; I just read what she wrote. Can you imagine if I got to the point where she gave me the envelope and it just sat there unopened for a week? That would say a lot. It might say something like, “Maybe he doesn’t love me.” Why isn’t he excited about getting this from me? Why doesn’t he want to read a love letter from me?This is God’s love letter to us. He didn’t have to do it. So what does it say about our relationship with God if we don’t want to read it? What does it say about someone who comes in here and says, “Pastor Gene, you use too many Scriptures”? I’m like, “Well, you’re going to hell!” But really, how can someone have a relationship with the Lord and be bothered by the fact that I use Scriptures?What is it with these churches that show one line of Scripture on the screen and then just talk, not about anything important? You know, I’ve read whole books of the Bible. Do you guys remember James today? And you’re like, “Oh no, I didn’t want to kill myself!” But think about the Sermon on the Mount. What did I do? I just read the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t know.Every time I do that, people leave. Are you crazy? You’d rather hear my stupid jokes than the Word of God? That says a lot, and it’s really scary. We need to always keep in mind how much God loves us. If you don’t believe today, know that God loves you so much that He could have just said, “Fine, you rejected Me; I’m done with you.” But no, He keeps trying again and again.Think of the prodigal son. God knew His plan from the beginning. He said, “I’m going to come in human form, suffer, and die for them.” Is that enough? It is for me! Somebody say yes! Yes, that should be enough. Remember that. He gave us this love letter so that when we have lapses in faith, when we’re going through tough times, we have the truth and can be certain of it.Just an encouragement to you: if you’re sick of everything that’s out there, I’ve been sick of everything too. Nothing in the world did it for me a long time ago, and that’s how I came to Christ. If you’re tired of trusting in other things—whether they’re financial or political institutions—are you done yet? I haven’t met one person who put their stock in these programs or institutions who isn’t totally miserable on the inside.These things exist to make you angry, to instill fear in a bad way, to keep you in the loop of consumerism. If you’re done, I want to invite you to read God’s Word. This is the only book that will bring you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. This is the truth.If there’s one takeaway today, forget about how long ago Moses wrote it or whatever else. Know this: this is God’s love letter to you. It is all true, and this is the only place in the world where you can find the truth. The good news is here and here alone.Let’s pray. Lord, I thank everyone who came in today to hear Your Word and listen to the truth this morning. I want to encourage everyone who’s watching online and everyone here today to be filled with Your truth. Lord, help them surrender all this nonsense and fill them with Your Holy Spirit, which will guide them to that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness that You desire for every single person in this room. Let them know that You love them no matter what they’ve done. It’s never too late for the truth. It’s never too late for a new beginning. I ask these things in Jesus’s Name. Amen.
If I had to summarize the Bible after reading it over and over, the main theme that stands out is humanity’s rejection of God. The Bible really is about that rejection. Mankind isn’t happy with anything. In the beginning, they’re in paradise—but even there, humanity isn’t content and rejects God’s way. People reject one another, reject the prophets, reject the priests—just a constant cycle of rejection.Then, in the New Testament, they even reject Jesus, God in the flesh. And what we find out is that now, we have to accept God. Through Jesus, we’re able to return to that paradise. If I had to put it really simply, that’s the basic framework for all Christians. We have to remember that, in our lives, we often reject God. The only way to heaven is through accepting Jesus. Rejection and acceptance: that’s the Bible in a nutshell.Now, don’t take this as a reason to skip reading the Bible! We’re just looking at the basic overview. Humanity’s rejection of God even led to killing Jesus. So let’s look at the details more closely.Christians typically agree on 66 books or the Bible, split between the Old and New Testaments. I’ll explain the main categories for each and keep it to the basics.The Torah, Genesis through Deuteronomy, are the first five books of the Bible. They start with God telling us who He is: He created everything. It’s not like a science book explaining how the universe was made. It’s simply telling us, “This is who God is: omnipresent, omnipotent.” He created everything, and right there we have God and the creation story. God provides paradise, but humanity rejects it. People wanted to be like God, so they’re cast out of the garden.People then start rejecting one another. The first murder happens, and things get so bad that God decides on a reset: He floods everything. Only Noah and his family survive, but even Noah gets it wrong eventually. People keep messing up. So then we get to Abraham, the prophets, and those who speak on behalf of God, setting up the twelve tribes of Israel.Much of Genesis deals with this foundational story. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—who becomes Israel—and his twelve sons form the twelve tribes. Genesis wraps up with Joseph, who sets the stage for Exodus. Joseph’s story is significant: after being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ends up as second in command in Egypt and saves his family during a famine. His family settles there, but by the time Exodus begins, 400 years later, the Pharaoh has forgotten Joseph’s contributions.Now the Hebrews are enslaved and oppressed. Pharaoh orders the killing of all firstborn males, but Moses is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. He grows up in the palace, and then—at about 80 years old—God calls him to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses becomes the reluctant mouthpiece of God, with his brother Aaron by his side. They confront Pharaoh, and after the ten plagues, Moses leads the people out in the Exodus. That’s when the Passover is initiated.After they’re freed, the people immediately start complaining. They complain about food, about the law, about everything. Even though God provides for them, they reject it all. God gives them the law, but they break it. What a lot of people don’t understand about the Old Testament is that, from the time of the Exodus through Leviticus and into Numbers, it’s only about one year.When they finally reach the edge of the Promised Land, they send scouts to look at it, but they’re scared of the giants in the land. Only Joshua and Caleb trust in God’s provision. The people’s punishment for rejecting God’s promise is to wander for forty years until all those twenty and older have died, except for Joshua and Caleb. Even Moses doesn’t enter the Promised Land because of his own disobedience.When they finally do enter, Joshua doesn’t completely secure the land. The time of the judges begins, but it’s a mess. The people again reject God’s way, and things go from bad to worse. Then we come to Ruth, which sets us up for the story of David, her great-grandson. This leads us into the time of the kings.The people beg for a king, rejecting God’s leadership. God gives them Saul, but Saul rejects God’s commands. Then comes David, but he, too, makes major mistakes—even causing the death of 70,000 people. His son Solomon breaks every rule for kings, yet for David’s sake, God doesn’t punish him until later. After Solomon, the kingdom splits in civil war: Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Generation after generation, kings lead the people further from God, some even sacrificing their children in fire.Eventually, both kingdoms fall—Israel to the Assyrians and Judah to the Babylonians. The people are exiled for seventy years, a corporate punishment similar to their forty years in the wilderness.After the 70 years, we come to Ezra and Nehemiah. King Cyrus of Persia allows the people to return to Jerusalem, and they begin rebuilding: the wall, the temple. Nehemiah is more of a practical book, focused on building the wall. Ezra is a spiritual book, focused on building up the temple. They have different personalities, which is fascinating to see. Then we get to Esther—so from Joshua to Esther, that’s the historical section. Esther is the story of a Hebrew woman who becomes queen in Persia.Next is the poetry section, which goes from Job to Song of Solomon. This is the wisdom and poetry section. Interestingly, beginning with Job, you can almost go back and place everything else in the Old and New Testament into what you’ve read before. For example, Job could likely fit in Genesis. Then you have the Psalms: David wrote seventy-four of them, Moses wrote one, and Solomon wrote one as well. These could all fit back into previous narratives. Proverbs, mostly written by Solomon, can fit back in there too. And then you have Song of Solomon—sometimes called Song of Songs—which I’ll cover later. Ecclesiastes was likely written by Solomon as well, so that goes back in there, too.After this come the prophets, and the same pattern applies. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the minor prophets like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Hagai, Zechariah, and Malachi—they all intertwine with the history of the Kings. Their message? A call to repentance: Stop rejecting God, stop following idols. That’s a recurring theme throughout.Then we get to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and the message is clear: Israel is rejecting God. Then comes the New Testament, and we see Jesus, who comes and is ultimately rejected by His own people.In the New Testament, we start with the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are ancient Greco-Roman biographies about the life and ministry of Jesus. That’s their genre, from a scholarly perspective. Then there’s Acts—a history of the early church. And from this point on, the rest of the New Testament’s context is the church.It’s interesting to note that if someone claims they can be a Christian without church involvement, they’d have to dismiss most of the Bible, because its context is deeply rooted in the church. Think about it: Acts details the formation of the church. What were Paul and others doing on these missional journeys? They were setting up churches, planting churches. The focus is the church.Then we have Paul’s letters. There are thirteen of them, written by the power of the Holy Spirit, all addressed to churches: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon—probably not Hebrews. Then James writes his letter, and that’s Jesus’ brother. We have 1 and 2 Peter from Peter, the lead apostle. Then we have 1, 2, and 3 John from John, “the disciple Jesus loved,” and Jude, probably Jesus’ brother.Finally, we get to Revelation, which begins with seven letters to the churches and continues as a prophetic book. The main point? Jesus is coming back, and at the end of Revelation, He’s bringing us back to paradise—all who are in Him, all who accept Him. So, in summary, these are the categories of the Bible, how it’s broken down into sections, and the basic storyline from start to finish.
We can't really talk about the Bible in America without mentioning the King James Version, can we? It's probably the best-selling Bible of all time. In fact, the Bible itself is the best-selling book of all time—by a wide margin. And the King James Version (KJV) is a big part of our cultural heritage. When most people think of the Bible, they're picturing the King James. Even if you watch Jeopardy! in the evenings, Bible questions often refer to the King James wording. It’s actually pretty strange because it's not my preferred version, so I’d hear a question and think, That's an odd way to phrase that, with all the old English terms and measurements.So, I went on a bit of a quest. I decided I wouldn’t miss any Jeopardy! Bible questions, and I ended up reading the King James Bible thoroughly—multiple times, actually. I have several copies of the KJV. I’m very familiar with it, and it’s certainly a good translation, especially for its time. We owe a lot to the translators for their work; it was a monumental achievement. However, some people believe Jesus spoke in Victorian English—as if that's the only authentic version of God's Word. But that notion simply isn’t accurate. While it may be the most influential, it's not superior to other translations.There are some quirky things about the KJV. It's definitely not word-for-word with the original texts, and there are a few errors here and there. If you’re interested, we could really nerd out on the details sometime. And don’t get me wrong—it’s a solid version. But I've encountered people who take this “King James-only” stance, almost like a cult, insisting it’s the only valid translation. The King James Bible was published in 1611, so according to this belief, Christians must have been wrong for the first 1600 years before it existed. That’s an arrogant, if not ignorant, perspective.One person once argued with me, insisting the KJV was God’s Word and asked, Well, do you believe people in China can be Christians? I said, Of course. So, do they have to learn Victorian English to be saved? He didn't know how to respond. I pointed out that if any translation is truly the best, it’s the original Greek, and if you’re going to require someone to learn a language, why not Greek, since that’s the language of the New Testament? But let’s step back from the King James and look at how the Bible, in its most basic form, was actually constructed.The King James wasn’t the first English translation—not even close. Let me show you some examples. (Imagine me doing some “show and tell” here.) I’ve got a few old Bibles—actually, they’re reprints—but they give an idea of the evolution of translations. Here’s the 1537 Matthews Bible in English. It’s very old and hard to read. Then there’s the 1560 Geneva Bible, which the Pilgrims brought with them to America. That was the first Bible to arrive on our shores before there was even an America. Then you have the 1611 King James Bible.One interesting thing to note: all these Bibles, including the King James, originally had more books in the Old Testament. These extra books are part of what’s called the Apocrypha, which means “hidden.” But they weren’t hidden from the early church at all. They were simply part of the Bible back then. So, if you go back a few generations, your great-grandparents’ King James Bible looked quite different from today’s. It included books like 1 Maccabees and a longer version of Daniel.Some of the oldest Christian Bibles we have, like those from around 350 A.D., are written entirely in Greek, including the Old Testament. That’s because the early church was born in a Greek-speaking world. So when we look at these ancient manuscripts, they’re all Greek—not Hebrew—because that’s what early Christians read. So, let's go all the way back to the beginning and consider how the Bible was constructed, starting with the Old Testament.Some pastors don’t like to mention this, but I think it's better that you hear it from me than from an atheist who might try to shake your faith. We have to be educated and prepared. For instance, we don’t have original manuscripts from Moses’ time. Moses lived around 1500 B.C., but our oldest manuscripts are from 200-300 B.C., leaving a gap of more than a thousand years.In ancient times, they relied heavily on oral tradition. This wasn’t like a game of "telephone" but more like family gatherings where you hear the same stories about a grandparent repeated in a consistent way. These stories were cherished and well-preserved, like oral Scripture.Additionally, people did write things down, but the original copies were often lost over time. Copies were made and passed on, which explains why we have ancient fragments and scrolls like the Dead Sea Scrolls. When scholars compare these texts from different locations, they find remarkable consistency, which is an amazing testament to the care with which these texts were preserved.So, from oral tradition to written Scripture, and through careful preservation across centuries, we can have confidence in the reliability of the Bible.
One of the most essential aspects of church history—and a critical work for understanding Scripture—is the Septuagint (or Septuagint), a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. This translation has been written about extensively at a scholarly level, with many urging for its significance to be more widely recognized due to how it clears up various interpretive issues.Here’s the background: the Septuagint, which means "seventy" (LXX), originated around 250 BC. The story begins with the Hebrew Scriptures—the Old Testament, particularly the Torah—and the famous Library of Alexandria. King Ptolemy of Egypt, who was Greek-speaking, wanted copies of the Scriptures in Greek for the library, given that Greek was the dominant language after Alexander the Great's conquests. So, he commissioned seventy-two Jewish elders to translate the Hebrew texts. The interesting part is the tradition surrounding this translation: supposedly, these translators were separated into pairs, worked independently, and still produced identical translations. The early church believed this alignment was a miracle—a sign that this Greek translation was Holy Spirit-inspired.Early Jewish scholars such as Philo and Josephus, who were not Christians, praised the Septuagint as a superior version of the Scriptures. The early church also embraced this view, and for good reason. When we look at the Greek Old Testament, we find specific prophecies about Jesus that aren’t in the Hebrew text, like the prophecy of the virgin birth in Isaiah 7:14. In most Bibles, if you look up that verse, you’ll see a footnote with "LXX," referencing the Septuagint because the prophecy was derived from the Greek text. Another example is Psalm 22, where it describes "pierced hands and feet"—a prophecy of the crucifixion. This description appears only in the Greek. In this way, the Septuagint scripturally paves the way for Jesus.• Irenaeus (c. 130 – c. 202):• "For if the Scriptures were the same, as they are in Hebrew and in Greek, there would be no difference; but in the Greek they are declared, and confirmed, and established."• Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 21)• Justin Martyr (c. 100 – c. 165):• "And when we say that the Scriptures were written by the Holy Spirit, we mean that the Greek translation of the Scriptures, called the Septuagint, is an equally sacred work."• First Apology (Chapter 33)• Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215):• "The Greeks, therefore, who have turned to the Septuagint, have received a most faithful translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, which serves to confirm their own prophecies."• Stromata (Book 1)• Origen (c. 184 – c. 253):• "The Septuagint is the version that is accepted in the churches, and is the one that the apostles used."• Commentary on Matthew (Book 14)• Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260 – c. 340):• "The ancient translations made from the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, especially the Septuagint, are to be revered, as they convey the essence of divine truth."• Ecclesiastical History (Book 6)
The Septuagint also includes other books—Judith, Tobit, Maccabees, among others—which is why those books appear in some Bibles. When the New Testament authors were writing, they too used Greek, and they frequently quoted the Greek Old Testament rather than any Hebrew version. So, reading the New Testament in Greek is, in a way, seeing it as the early church saw it, in a unified context. You can even see this in the way Joshua, or "Yeshua" (the same name as Jesus), is seen as a prefigure of Jesus. Reading in Greek shows much more consistency and clarifies these connections.Now, about the New Testament itself: what’s crucial here is that it’s written within a "witness" timeframe—by eyewitnesses or by those who interviewed witnesses. This category of document was significant because it includes the Gospels, which tell Jesus’ life; Acts, which gives church history; the Epistles, or letters to churches; and a prophecy book, Revelation. These New Testament works are better attested and more numerous than any other historical writings of that time, even the records of figures like Alexander the Great. When I was an atheist and explored other worldviews, I studied Christianity too. If I’d only had the Old Testament, as accurate as it is, I wouldn’t have been convinced. For me, as a skeptic, it wasn’t enough to “cross the finish line.” But learning about the New Testament’s historical reliability changed that; it was bulletproof for me, historically speaking. What I came to see is that the New Testament acts as a commentary on the Old Testament—it validates so much of it historically, not just from a faith perspective. So if you're hearing this, remember that even as a skeptic, the Old Testament might not be enough to compel you, but the New Testament’s historical strength could change that perspective.Now, to understand why certain books are in the New Testament and others aren’t, it’s important to know about canonization—the process by which the early church recognized which writings were authoritative. Very early on, the church established this New Testament canon, and they were remarkably consistent. Within about a century of the events, they knew who wrote what, and they were careful in what they accepted. That's an impressively short time for canon formation in historical terms. In short, the New Testament’s reliability was a pivotal factor for me and continues to be a strong testament to its truth. And while we view the whole Bible as the Word of God, the New Testament uniquely validates much of the Old Testament from a historical angle.So, there were church councils held to decide which writings were legitimate and should be included in the canon. The order of the books in old Bibles was often mixed up, but for the most part, the early church fathers largely agreed on what belongs in your Bible. There wasn't much disagreement; for instance, 1 Clement was considered an outlier early on, but that distinction gradually faded.There were qualifications for inclusion: the texts had to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, possess sound theology and doctrine, and be written by a witness or someone who interviewed a witness. Luke comes to mind as an example of the latter.An interesting point to consider is that even if we didn't have the New Testament, we would still have enough writings from early church fathers to completely reconstruct it. Think about that for a second; it’s amazing. There are so many quotes that you could use to rebuild it. This highlights the historical validity of the New Testament, as people were quoting and discussing it early on.When we talk about the Old Testament, many people ask how it changed over time. They wonder why their Bible doesn’t include some books, even compared to the 1611 King James Version. We’ve discussed this in the past, and I’ll delve into it more in this series.Paul’s worst nightmare was the division within the church. Consider the reason he wrote many of his letters, such as Romans and Ephesians—he was always calling for unity. Denominations were his worst nightmare; he never wanted the church to split like that.When you look back at these writings, it’s important to recognize that as languages changed, discussions took place between figures like Jerome and Augustine. You probably know who Augustine is—not just a place in Florida. In 405 AD, the world was no longer just Greek-speaking; it was Roman as well. The desire arose for a version of the Scriptures in Latin. Jerome became passionate about this and decided to translate from the Hebrew instead of the Greek that the church had been reading. Augustine had a problem with this; he argued that the Greek version was the Holy Spirit-inspired text. He questioned why they were going to the Hebrew, which he believed was newer and less reliable.This debate led to divisions. Then you have the Great Schism of 1054, which separated the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. After that, you see the Protestants branching off from the Catholics. What many Reformed Protestants may not realize is that they are essentially reformed Catholics, as that’s the branch they come from. The Orthodox Church took a different path and chose not to follow the Vulgate. Their copy of the Bible is arguably more sound regarding the Old Testament.However, some disputes arose among Protestants about certain books, which they began to label as apocryphal—books that were not originally considered apocryphal. For instance, the book of Maccabees includes the story of Judas Maccabeus praying for the dead. Instead of addressing the fact that Judas, like David, made mistakes—God never commanded him to pray for the dead—they simply removed the book from the canon. This decision was made without reconciling its content.By the 1800s, the King James Bible no longer included those books. It’s astounding to think that for the first 1800 years of Christianity, the majority accepted those books as part of the Bible. Just consider that fact. Were they Scripture or not? That’s a different discussion for another time, but I’m providing you with historical context. These books are still retained by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.What’s particularly amusing is that if you’ve been in church for a long time, you may have encountered pastors who think they know everything about the Bible. One translation they may have touted as the best, due to its word-for-word approach, is the ESV. If they described it as "literal," it’s clear they don’t understand Greek or how translation works.Interestingly, when you look at the scholarly editions of the ESV, you’ll find that they include the Apocrypha and acknowledge in their foreword that it was part of the original Bible of the church.It's crucial to remember that the authors of these texts were inspired by the Holy Spirit. In 2 Timothy 3:16, we read, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”This inspiration reflects the collaboration between God and humanity. Consider the image of M.C. Escher's drawing of a hand drawing a hand; it illustrates how God works through people to create Scripture.In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul delineates between commands from the Lord and guidance from the Holy Spirit. You can see his distinct personality in the Greek text; he has a unique style, just as John and Peter do. The diversity of voices among the authors of Scripture showcases the Holy Spirit’s work.Now, regarding translations, many people wonder which is the best. If you’re committed to the King James Version, you may want to explore the Greek texts, as they are foundational.To simplify this topic, translations generally fall into two categories: thought-for-thought and word-for-word, often referred to as dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence. However, it’s important to note that no translation is purely word-for-word, which is a common misconception. Many of my friends here who speak other languages can attest to the complexities of translation.
It is very difficult to create exact word-for-word translations for many reasons. I might use an idiom or a cultural reference, and the translator would sit there thinking, “Never mind, you know, he means this,” trying to find an equivalent idiom. Our ways of thinking are not the same.Take languages like Spanish and Portuguese, for example. I’m a bit more familiar with Portuguese. We have conversations about this all the time. The structure can feel backward. For instance, we think “black belt,” while they say “faixa preta,” which translates literally to “belt black.” It’s just the opposite in terms of word order. So, when you’re translating, you have to take the time to reconstruct it in your mind. If you’re quick, it can be done, but it’s not easy.I often marvel at how translators manage to convey the original meaning accurately. For those who understand both languages, it’s common to notice discrepancies. If anyone starts speaking Portuguese in a movie, for instance, I might think, “That’s not what they said.” Nine times out of ten, the translation misses the exact words, focusing instead on conveying the point. For example, if you watch a show like Narcos, you might hear Spanish spoken, but you know that the translation isn’t exact because it has gone thought-for-thought instead of word-for-word, and sometimes that’s better.So, we need to understand this distinction. Don’t be disheartened when people are snooty about certain translations like the NLT. I preach from the NLT because it’s accessible and understandable for everyone. If someone argues that it’s not close enough to the Greek, I include the Greek text as well. That’s what matters—making it comprehensible. Thought-for-thought translations often work better because when you’re crossing two cultures, it doesn’t translate perfectly.In the category of translations, you’ll find those labeled word-for-word, such as the NASB, ESV, and King James. However, even the King James is not strictly word-for-word. For instance, in Romans 3:6, where it says, “God forbid!” if you examine the Greek, it doesn’t actually include the word “God.” It simply states, “May it never be.” The King James adds “God” to the text, which is problematic.Yet, during that time, if someone were to express outrage at a situation, they might say, “God forbid!” That was a common phrase. While the addition isn’t ideal, it captures the sentiment of the original context. So, even the King James version is an example of thought-for-thought rather than purely word-for-word translation. There’s no such thing as an exact translation. So, all snobbery regarding translations should be set aside.Have you ever heard someone say, “The best translation is the one you read”? In terms of mainstream translations, you’ll find some that are less reliable. I wouldn’t recommend those. The more mainstream translations are all good as long as you read them and understand them.Now, let’s look at the Word of God. In Deuteronomy 6:4, it says, “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” I want to take a moment to talk about these first two verses. They aren’t more important than any others, but the first verse is known as the Shema. Every Jewish child memorizes it: “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.” This is the original Hebrew text, and it is often recited as a dying wish for Jewish people, making it a significant scripture.In the Gospels, when Jesus is asked about the most important commandment, he returns to this. This shows the importance of the Shema. Then in verse 6, it says, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”This passage emphasizes being surrounded by Scripture constantly. If you’re familiar with Revelation 13, you’ll note the mention of the hand and forehead, linking it back to the Shema. We are commanded to be in the Word constantly.In Joshua, you’ve probably heard, “Be strong and courageous.” However, we often skip over the context. In Joshua 1:6-8, it states, “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”Notice that it’s not just the call to be strong and courageous that ensures success; it’s about obeying God’s Word. In 1 Timothy 4:6, Paul writes, “In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following.” The Greek word ἐντρεφόμενος (entrefómenos) suggests being perpetually fed on Scripture – constantly nourished. It should be a part of you, making you a living, breathing embodiment of the Bible.Only then, as the passages indicate, will you succeed—not by following a church program, but by being immersed in the Word of God constantly. That’s what the Bible instructs us to do.Second Timothy 3:16 states, All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong, and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Its purpose for you is to find your purpose in God.Now, how do we explain what is true? I don't think anyone would disagree that we live in the misinformation age. There's a lot of misinformation out there—garbage and lies. I don't care what side you're on; at this point, can we admit that they're all liars? It's just crazy! We have to pick which one is not the worst somehow, and it's a mess. You can go on the internet and find a truth about anything, often the complete opposite.This is why we go to the Bible for truth. This is the real news. The good news is not delivered from the world; the good news is delivered from the Word—period. No one has realized that there is nothing better than this. Nothing is more true than what we find in Scripture. It teaches us what is true.Then it makes us realize what is wrong in our lives. Here’s where people often hesitate. The Bible corrects us when we are wrong. People try to blur the lines on sin, saying, “Well, we're saying it's okay now.” I know what the Bible says, but they claim it needs to modernize. Really? It hasn’t been around for thousands of years? People are justifying certain sins and various things, but our nature hasn’t changed. I'm sorry; it just hasn’t.The Bible lets us know what is wrong. It helps us realize that we should be reading it. I’m making this fun, but if I’ve had a really bad day, I might be as negative as the Bible can sometimes feel. This isn’t just, “Hey, you’re doing great!” The Bible doesn’t say, “Hey, you’re doing great; Jesus didn’t need to die because you’ve got it.” No, the Bible is highly negative and corrective for our good. It talks a lot about sin and what we’re doing wrong. The Bible is about how we rejected God, but in our lives, do we sometimes reject God? Yes.The Bible comes along and says, “Yo, you’re wrong; you need to get back in line.” That’s important. So when you read the Bible, you need to think about it like that. He’s a good Father, so He’s going to correct us. He uses it to prepare and equip His people for every good work. It shows us how to do life.I am always amazed at how many Scriptures there are that say, “Prove you’re a Christian.” I was preparing a message and realized that the Bible tells Christians to prove their faith a lot. When I shared those verses, it was overwhelming. If you were here for those messages, I think about ten people didn’t come back! The Bible says it repeatedly: prove it. Why? What is Paul saying? We are to be blameless. We need to be witnesses.It’s been said that we may be the only Bible that anyone reads. That’s partially true. We are to be witnesses, so we need to approach everything we do with love and grace, trying to attract people to the faith. If we love them, we want them to get to heaven too.What we do says more about what we believe than anything we can possibly say. As I close, let me encourage you with this illustration. If you love someone—like in a marriage; we just celebrated 22 years, which is great—if you really love someone, it should show. I love my wife, and we’ve been through a lot together. It hasn’t been perfect; we’ve been through some bad stuff. But it’s love, and I can’t even explain it. I just love her.Every year, I get a letter from her in an envelope, and I love getting it. I look forward to it. I don’t even read the card; I just read what she wrote. Can you imagine if I got to the point where she gave me the envelope and it just sat there unopened for a week? That would say a lot. It might say something like, “Maybe he doesn’t love me.” Why isn’t he excited about getting this from me? Why doesn’t he want to read a love letter from me?This is God’s love letter to us. He didn’t have to do it. So what does it say about our relationship with God if we don’t want to read it? What does it say about someone who comes in here and says, “Pastor Gene, you use too many Scriptures”? I’m like, “Well, you’re going to hell!” But really, how can someone have a relationship with the Lord and be bothered by the fact that I use Scriptures?What is it with these churches that show one line of Scripture on the screen and then just talk, not about anything important? You know, I’ve read whole books of the Bible. Do you guys remember James today? And you’re like, “Oh no, I didn’t want to kill myself!” But think about the Sermon on the Mount. What did I do? I just read the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t know.Every time I do that, people leave. Are you crazy? You’d rather hear my stupid jokes than the Word of God? That says a lot, and it’s really scary. We need to always keep in mind how much God loves us. If you don’t believe today, know that God loves you so much that He could have just said, “Fine, you rejected Me; I’m done with you.” But no, He keeps trying again and again.Think of the prodigal son. God knew His plan from the beginning. He said, “I’m going to come in human form, suffer, and die for them.” Is that enough? It is for me! Somebody say yes! Yes, that should be enough. Remember that. He gave us this love letter so that when we have lapses in faith, when we’re going through tough times, we have the truth and can be certain of it.Just an encouragement to you: if you’re sick of everything that’s out there, I’ve been sick of everything too. Nothing in the world did it for me a long time ago, and that’s how I came to Christ. If you’re tired of trusting in other things—whether they’re financial or political institutions—are you done yet? I haven’t met one person who put their stock in these programs or institutions who isn’t totally miserable on the inside.These things exist to make you angry, to instill fear in a bad way, to keep you in the loop of consumerism. If you’re done, I want to invite you to read God’s Word. This is the only book that will bring you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. This is the truth.If there’s one takeaway today, forget about how long ago Moses wrote it or whatever else. Know this: this is God’s love letter to you. It is all true, and this is the only place in the world where you can find the truth. The good news is here and here alone.Let’s pray. Lord, I thank everyone who came in today to hear Your Word and listen to the truth this morning. I want to encourage everyone who’s watching online and everyone here today to be filled with Your truth. Lord, help them surrender all this nonsense and fill them with Your Holy Spirit, which will guide them to that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness that You desire for every single person in this room. Let them know that You love them no matter what they’ve done. It’s never too late for the truth. It’s never too late for a new beginning. I ask these things in Jesus’s Name. Amen.