Church bulletin for May
There is no such thing as a perfect translation of the Bible. Your version of preference is a translation based upon a family of texts written in the original languages of the authors. That family of texts itself is a set of copies drawn from other copies going all the way back to the time of the prophets and apostles. I maintain the inspiration, authority, and infallibility of the Bible, but I do so recognising there are many complexities involved when it comes to translating. The translators themselves expect us to study scripture referring back to the original languages.
One of the reasons for translation revision is the fluid nature of language. Some words such as justification, wrath, begotten, sanctification, and many others ought to be maintained because they are rich with Theological meaning. But clearly we do not talk today as we once did. I am not referring to the degeneration of language which obviously should not be reflected in the Bible. I do not approve of the para-phrases which use slang, or a poor choice of words undermining the truth. I am referring to the removal of obsolete words, phrases and difficult sentence construction. For example James 1:21 in the King James Version does not read well today, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”
Modern scholars also have available to them today a great many more manuscripts than what were available hundreds of years ago. Furthermore scholarship itself has developed over time. Translators today are generally better equipped than they were in the past. In saying this I am not maligning older versions such as the Geneva Bible or the KJV, they served the church well and are still important today. But why struggle to teach children and the unconverted who are not familiar with much of the language.
As a church most of us use the New King James Version and this is what I preach from. At this stage I have no plans to change. One thing I do when preparing sermons and wanting to simplify a passage is to refer to the New Living Translation. It is not a version I would study from, but I find it useful as a comparison. Let me suggest for those who have English as their second language that this is a good practice. Use the NLT as a reference when you find the NKJV a bit tricky. If you are looking for a version for your children to read or a version suitable for family worship with children, investigate the NLT. In terms of getting familiar with the Bible in a more simplified way the NLT is helpful. Other versions are preferable for serious study, but it is a good place start and to use as a reference.