On the other hand, a man oozing with love and compassion can err by tolerating everything and everyone, thus compromising God's truth. Lets all be careful and remember William Tyndale who first translated the bible to English but encountered fierce opposition and was killed(burnt at stake) but his work has a very large impact on the King James Version (the most accepted version of the bible) Schedule I: Drugs with no current medical use with high potential for abuse and/or addiction. (For the record, Paul was not saying here that homosexual couples are incapable of love or that all homosexuals are sex fiends. Thank you so much. I gave the leaders and some church members paper copies of this resource. None of those individuals ever identified themselves to me and to this day I dont know who they were. North Korea - In this totalitarian state, the only thing that North Koreans are permitted to worship is the nation's leader, Kim Jong-un. The Samaritans, however, believed that their temple, on Mount Gerizim, was where true worship . He gives me new strength. This phrase is used to describe someone who is wicked and deceitful, as snakes are often seen as symbols of evil in the Bible. Former Pastor: If there is a God, does he even make a difference? Gossip always contributes to a problem and never to a solution. Learn why this "gospel lite" illusion is such a seductive, powerful delusion for Christians and how you can avoid it in your walk of faith. Almost all of Christianity is deceived and doesnt know the truth. The shepherds and leaders are deceived. This Message book should not be used at all. For this truth did not come to you from any human being, but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven. 4:29) The Mess routinely speaks "corrupt communication" with some curse words in its pages.This is just one example.. He commanded them to remember his grace in Deuteronomy. I remember feeling like a pariah with no support or friends in that church for some weeks. I replied that as part of the body of Christ, she was responsible along with everyone else for ensuring that an authentic Bible gets used and not a book that misrepresents Gods word. ", The ESV reads: "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. 1. Taylors bias also leads to omitting text in key passages that do not fit his Arminian worldview, such as his deceptive repackaging of Acts 4:27-28, Acts 13:48, and Romans 8:28-29. Readings from the book continued the same as before with the problems swept under the rug. This is the main message of the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, that those who have repented and trusted in Christ "have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord. There was no malice in eating and therefore not offensive. Solomon compromised with God's way; he decided to give into his wives' idolatrous practices for personal and political peace (1 Kings 11:1-8). He was speaking about HIS physical attributes. through the darkest valley, In his book the Bible he expressly commands us not to change his words (Proverbs 30:6, Revelation 22:19). Some scholars, like Michael J. Gorman, consider some of Peterson's idiomatic renderings unconventional. 1. 3) The Living Bible (TLB) - First published in 1971, The Living Bible is another paraphrase translation by sole translator, Kenneth Taylor. First this: God created the Heavens and Earthall you see, all you don't see. - is the Word of God? The only significant addition Peterson added was changing what the Bible actually said. One of the most dangerous Bible revisions on the market today is "THE MESSAGE." This horrible PERversion which butchers the Word of God was published in 2002. . Hostility to it is hostility to the. I read through your points and paused when I came to your 2nd point bottom of the 2nd paragraph you say that Eugene Peterson did not speak about Gods attributes when saying there is nothing in there speaking about any of Gods attributes at the end to the prayer. If you look up NIV Matt. Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. To be fair, a more accurate comparison might be to the Jehovas https://www.ebay.com/itm/115037693742 Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries. Gossip often thrives upon secrecy. Faith I got some belated support and encouragement. 1Cor. Clean Up Your Email. How many times have learned preachers over a couple of centuries, with over 32,000 denominations of The Way (the early name of Christianity in the days of the Early Church), read from Scripture and then got the context wrong in the rest of their message somewhere else? Not the way man tryed n break it down not like this Some manuscripts add, for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. It certainly waters down the living word and I cant see anything in that text that would convict anyone. 2. A striving after love, is the ethically more demanding choice (1 Corinthians 13:4), while the other, insisting on the right faith, more likely than not will lead to callousness (Gal 1:6-9). Peterson's Approach Yields a Commentary. Photo Credit: Unsplash/Tom Morel Read more Answer Ignorance is the lack of knowledge or understanding. When studying the Word of God, one needs an authentic representation of the original autographs (the original manuscript of each of the 66 books of the Bible) while avoiding sources that would distort the original message from God. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. This, again, is a great weakness of The Message: It sometimes produces beautifully phrased lines at the expense of the truth of Scripture. If the Bible is the truth, then ignoring it is ignoring the truth. The purpose of the Bible What is it? I also showed church leaders other occult words in The Message such as Light-bearers and Divine Guardians. Jesus Embodied God's Grace. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Authored by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002. The Message has sold over 10 million copies and has continually ranked among the top five best-selling Bibles. However, despite this attractive feature, it is not a translation that should be used for the seriousness of Bible study, as the simplistic use of English in the Good News Translation has come at a price. And notice also the reference in The Messageto those who "use and abuse the earth and everything in it." Instead of using any of these misleading translations, we would do much better to quote the Word of God faithfully, which is perfect and God-breathed, instead of rewording Gods message to include our biases and personal opinions and beliefs. This is not a study Bible, but rather ""a reading Bible."" The verse numbers, which are not in the original documents, have been left out of the print version to facilitate easy and enjoyable reading. (Eph. Ephesians 2:2 serves as a reminder that although it may seem like a distant memory, there was once a time when we walked according to the way of this world but now, thanks be to God, we are free! Petersons lax handling of the Word of God results in stifled messages that are far less impactful than the original God-breathed directive. However, as a very free paraphrase, it is sometimes powerful and brilliant while at other times it is seriously off target. English Standard Version (ESV): Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! This should be emphasized whenever a preacher or teacher quotes from it, I believe. Preach in the full expression of the Holy Spiritwith wisdom and patience as you instruct and teach the people. The Bible warns against personal interpretations of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20). Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, [2] It is a highly idiomatic translation, using contemporary slang from the US rather than a more neutral International English, and it falls on the extreme dynamic end of the dynamic and formal equivalence spectrum. In Luke 9:61-62, we read of Jesus' conversation with a person who wanted to follow Him, but was denied due to this reason. He translated from the original languages. Jesus saying about having a generous eye probably refers to Gods blessing on those who are generous with their resources and time. Jesus referred to sinners as a brood of vipers to remind people that sin can be deceptive and hard to recognize, and that they should strive for righteousness if they want to avoid Gods punishment. they comfort me. This raises questions about how accurately The Message reflects the original intent of Scripture. The gospel addresses all of life, both this life and the one to come. Why The Message bible should not be used It is not the Word of God! Through Jesus Christ, we have been freed from the bondage of sin and death. Hope youll give us another try and check out some other articles. The Message keeps the language of the gospel compelling and modern. The Message Bible has become a field manual for false teachers. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: 1 Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! The latter error seems to me to be the more common danger in the church. Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Youre in charge! Often when Im studying the scriptures, I will read 3 or 4 versions (and I use the word version: to include Versions, Translations and Paraphrases or Commentaries). But, to repeat: It should neverbe used as your primary Bible, since it is not a translation of the Bible but rather a free paraphrase of the Bible. There were phone calls and emails to the minister, as well as people appearing at the church office to complain about me to him in person. 4 Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. According to NavPress, publisher of Eugene Peterson's The Message The Bible in Contemporary Language, there have been over 10,000,000 readers of The Message. The Message Bible Good vs. Remove unnecessary links, images, and attachments. When he stated beauty, again, that is a synonym of glory. Joe, this is an incredible story that you shared. Even the publisher of The Message realizes this paraphrase cannot replace a faithful Bible translation, and I would argue further that it has the potential to ultimately mislead. Matthew 5:11-12 . [3] Peterson notes that in the course of the project, he realized this was exactly what he had been doing in his thirty-five years as a pastor, "always looking for an English way to make the biblical text relevant to the conditions of the people". Isaiah was born in 760 B.C. It's no wonder the Bible consistently warns against it. The reason it is so dangerous is that Satan blinds them and convinces them that God is not real, which keeps the person from pursuing spiritual truth, like the afterlife and the Creator of the universe. 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. Reach out to [emailprotected] when you have time. A word-for-word translation like the ESV translates this as Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkeys colt!, The Living Bible translates this as, Dont be afraid of your King, people of Israel, for he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkeys colt! Taylors use of dont be afraid is evidence that he does not realize that the common Hebrew expression of fear not means to have confidence.. ( Matthew 24:4-5) The CEV uses an even more simplified version of English than the GNT. Im not afraid The Old Testament teaches that believers are defiled by their attempts at communicating with the dead, a practice that is detestable to God. I believe that Gods people searchin n praying to Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding. For a fair assessment of Dr. Peterson's comments and retraction this week, see Bill Muehlenberg's article here. He has found that The Message often adds meaning to passages that are not present in the original Greek text. Some people explode when they cannot have it. .". 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. I appreciate the years of effort that were put into it, and I recognize it for what it is, with all its great strengths and great weaknesses. You cannot say that just because divination is used in human sacrifice, it is evil. So, if the Bible is the Word of God, and God is perfect, it follows that the Bible must be perfect, too. Eugene Peterson created The Message, a Bible translation which emphasizes the need to trust God rather than focus on material possessions or appearances. Do what's best I dont need a thing. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Contemporary English Version (CEV): It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants to be something worthwhile. God's cautions are for our good, and ignoring His guidance and commands opens us up to being misled. Those who promote use of the Message tend to deny the sinful nature of man and the exclusivity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Verse Concepts. The most dangerous verses in the Bible will have no bearing on us when we are saved and sure; not placing our faith in the work that we have done, but rather in Christ and His finished work. Throughout history, power has influenced a lot of good . It is written in a conversational style with contemporary language, making it easier for readers to relate to on a personal level. Would love to hear more. Youre not going to fond the truth any other way. Paraphrase is often written by a single author who translates the Bible in their own words, sometimes not even using the original biblical languages as a foundation. I believe the intent, published by The Navigators, was to produce the late Eugene Petersons work as an evangelical outreach to people who had been preconditioned against Olde English King James style interpretations that got in the way of letting them hear the message. Of course, here in America, the Bible has, until recently, been a . In his book on Bible reading, Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson writes about his motivations in writing The Message. When did Paul write this? 6. (Dis)Honorable Mention: Two translations that most Christians know to avoid but should still be mentioned are the New World Translation (NWT), which was commissioned by the Jehovahs Witness cult and the Readers Digest Bible, which cuts out about 55% of the Old Testament and another 25% of the New Testament (including Revelation 22:19, which says, if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book). The following is a list of Bible translations that should be avoided for any real and faithful personal Bible study (in a separate article we will look at a list of Bible translations that are encouraged for use). HE never said that. There is a tool for every job. And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. But use it with caution: It is, by design, a very free paraphrase. English Standard Version (ESV): The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. But nowhere in Scripture is sound thinking discouraged. They read a passage of The Message that theyve written down or read it from an app on their cell phone. Let's look at Leviticus 18:22, first in the ESV, a conservative evangelical translation, then in The Message. That is abhorrent. Yes, God did use the koine or common Greek dialect of the first century. The Passion Translation (TPT): proclaim the Word of God and stand upon it no matter what! In this case, divination is completely neutral. The scene in Oslo after Christian terrorist, Anders Breivik, struck. 13 And lead us not into temptation, It would be smart to not confuse the Message with the actual word of God, it is a commentary and should be treated as such, meaning it is not divinely inspired and is full of errors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. ", In fact, you might even turn to your partner as you read the verses together and say, "That doesn't describe us!