The focus of Bible study

During Sunday school this morning, an interesting discussion broke out that wasn't related to the passage we are currently studying. We started to discuss Biblical inerrancy, authority, translation, and hermeneutics. At stake, and at question, was how we know that we can rely on the Bible we have to truly tell us what God says to us today.

Obviously, this is too big a discussion for one blog post, but I really think there are two big answers to the questions raised during our class. The first is that the Bible we have today is reliably the Word of God. I think in all the discussions raised in critical circles about various passages and discrepancies in modern texts and translations, we lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of the Biblical text is essentially undisputed, and that even if we cut out every passage with textual uncertainty we would have the message of God's redemptive plan clearly stated for us. I'm neither advocating cutting anything out without a solid textual basis nor stating that close textual study is not needed; I only want to emphasize that we can have confidence that we have God's Word to read and teach us in the Bible.

The second answer is that no matter what text or translation you use, you have to study the Bible as it is written to understand what it says and means. Reading a gospel, a psalm, an epistle, and a prophetic book all the same way will lead to distortions of sense and meaning. One of the chief errors I find in the teaching of many contemporary preachers and teachers is the ignoring of literary and historical context in their study. (My students and members of my church may get tired of how often I bring up "context" when we're studying. I'll keep doing so until they get it!) If you rip a verse out of its context and apply it as you wish, you may very well find yourself teaching heresy, despite an alleged "Biblical" proof.

I think it takes a while for us to learn this as we study the Bible. We're so used to trying to find a verse that says what we're looking for that we'll take anything, no matter what it meant in its context. Perhaps the classic example is those who say that we're supposed to always be in good health and have success as long as we are focused on God, because in 3 John it says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper in be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth." (v. 2, KJV) Apart from some issues of language that has changed over the past 400 years, this verse means nothing like that for contemporary believers. It's part of a greeting in a letter, a polite wish that the recipient might be experiencing good things in his life. It isn't a promise, and it isn't meant for anyone other than Gaius. (And don't tell me this is ridiculous; I've heard more than one preacher use this verse for the exact purpose I mention.)

I think one of the motivating factors to study the issues of obscurity and textual discrepancies in the Bible for some people is that it allows them to avoid studying the plain and simple truths presented in Scripture. There is much that can be learned just from reading and studying the most plain passages of the Bible, enough to keep a Christian busy for years trying to master the material in his or her life. We can't let the small questions and minor issues of text, transmission, and translation turn us away from applying what is clear to us in our daily lives.

Now, I'm not arguing that you shouldn't study textual transmission, translation, and hermeneutics. Anyone who's read this blog for any length of time knows I"m in favor of that! But we can't let our study of details derail our study of the obvious. So study the Bible. Study hard. Then let the Word do its work in you, and put it into practice in your life.

On My Use of Bible Translations

One question that I am sometimes asked is, “Which Bible translation do you prefer?” Those who hear me preach or teach, or who read the variety of materials I post online, see that I use multiple translations. So which ones do I use the most, and which do I prefer?

In my sermon summaries I use the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), since this is the version I use when I preach at my church. This follows a long-standing practice of mine, which is to preach from the Bible translation that used by the church as the pew Bible. I do that so that if a visitor comes in, especially someone who may be unchurched, they will read the same thing I read from the pulpit. The HCSB is a decent translation, and is becoming widely used in Southern Baptist circles.

My preferred translation is the New International Version (NIV). I use the 1984 revision. There is a new revision (2011), but I haven’t really had a chance to evaluate it yet. I have found that some passages are significantly different from the 1984 version, and since I have memorized many passages in the NIV from the 1984 version I’ll stick with that for a while.

For study and sermon preparation, I compare five English translations, as well as looking at the original languages to the extent of my ability. I start with the HCSB and NIV, then add the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which is somewhat more literal; the World English Bible (WEB), which is based on the very literal American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901; and the New English Translation or NETBible, which provides extensive translation notes. Used together, these translations provide a very good cross-section that really gets at the meaning of the text.

Why not the KJV? I grew up with the KJV, and the beauty and formality of the language makes for wonderful reading. However, the English language has changed so much in four centuries that the language of the KJV is difficult for modern readers to understand. There are some good modern updates of the KJV, but I prefer translations built off an eclectic text, since in my studies I have concluded that these texts give us the best opportunity to recover the original text of the authors.

So you can expect to see several translations in the materials I write. Using multiple translations helps me understand Scripture better, and I highly recommend the practice to everyone who wants to seriously study the Bible in English.