tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38744545.post889658664736341013..comments2023-05-09T15:27:11.279+08:00Comments on Baptist Distinctives free online Bible Institute for Asia, Africa and Latin America: How to interpret the BibleAtty. Gerry T. Galaciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233852101336409722noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38744545.post-19455333836624903662013-08-25T11:51:33.865+08:002013-08-25T11:51:33.865+08:00Can you really trust your English Bible to be God&...<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />Can you really trust your English Bible to be God's true Word? <br /><br /><br /><br />Have you ever had an evangelical or Reformed Christian say this to you:<br /><br />"THAT passage of the Bible, in the original Greek, does NOT mean what the simple, plain reading of the passage seems to say in English."<br /><br /> It happens to me all the time in my conversations with Baptists, evangelicals, and fundamentalists on this blog. They state: "Repent and be baptized...for the forgiveness of sins" was mistranslated. "This is my body...this is my blood" is a metaphorical expression, "Baptism does now save us" is figurative speech for what happens to us spiritually when we ask Christ into our hearts.<br /><br /> What they are basically saying is that unless you speak ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek...you can't read and really understand the Bible without the help of an educated Churchman!<br /><br /> This morning I came across an excellent article on this subject, written by Jordan Cooper, a Lutheran pastor. I am going to give the link to his article below. I have copied a couple of his statements here:<br /><br />"So here is a question that we all need to ask ourselves when doing this (refusing to accept the simple, plain, English translation of a passage of Scripture): If a verse seems to disprove your theological beliefs, and you translate it in some way that doesn't fit with any of the dozens of major English translations of the Bible, and that unique translation just happens to fit your own theological biases, could it be that it is in fact you who are in the wrong? Could you be reading your own preconceived theological convictions back into the text?"<br /><br />" I know it can be frustrating when you are constantly told that Scripture can't be understood unless you learn (an ancient) language or read ancient documents that you don't have either the time or the energy to study. Honestly, if you have a few good English translations at your side, and you take the time to compare them to one another, you have all the tools you need to understand the meaning of the Bible. <br /><br /> Link to Pastor Cooper's original article:<br /><br />http://justandsinner.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-wrong-use-of-biblical-languages.htmlGaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519721717265344702noreply@blogger.com