Test the Spirits

Mardel Christian Bookstore was my first full-time employer, and while there I learned that there are a lot of different Bibles to choose from. I also quickly learned that there are impromptu Bible teams that have transcendent translation wars.


"Don't shoot the messenger - or the stockboy!" I often felt like an easy target putting different Bible versions on the shelf. In fact, just having a Mardel name badge on my shirt was as good as an invitation to a Bible Awareness Confrontation. (My own words for an uninvited argument.) I was often subject to hearing why one version was "superior" and the others were Satanic. It didn't do any good to argue with them. That would only get them impassioned with some "in your face" tactics.


Usually they were promoting the Authorized 1611 King James Version Bible. Once it was a local pastor's very own "superior" translation. That was what he encouraged his congregation to use because he knew it was right. Then there were those who had to have an Apocrypha in their Bible. They usually were quiet and sincere without making a big fuse that there were only two shelves dedicated to Catholic Bibles.


We had a very large poster hanging over the Bible section that had John 3:16 written out in about 12 different Bible versions. Just having that poster on the wall might have been the instigator of some of the confrontations that happened, but it made me wonder, "Why do I trust the Bible that I read?" In 1 John 4:1, we are told to "test the spirits" and to be cautious of who to believe. Some are false prophets, but is my Bible one of them! These are good questions that are okay to ask.


I am by no means an expert on all the different Bibles, but I can tell you that all Bibles written in English are translations, revisions, paraphrases, or inventions.


A translation is one that tries to be as true to the early texts as possible, word-for-word (ex. KJV) or thought-for-thought (ex. NIV).


A revision works off of a translation with the goal of making it more understandable while still referring back to the manuscript(s) to keep it consistent (NKJV). However, even some revisions get revised to keep up with the times, so keep that in mind.


A paraphrase is an easy-to-read interpretation of a translation or a revision. The Living Bible and the English Bible fall into this camp as they often get tagged for inaccuracies. This type of Bible often compromises the translation in order to keep the attention of the reader or hearer. I say hearer because it often targets children. (I remember how much I personally enjoy the English Bible version of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal.)


An invention Bible, if you can really call it a Bible, is usually a paraphrase or revision that does not intend (on purpose) to keep the original intent of certain scriptures so that their particular "agenda" is advanced. The New International Version rewrites gender specific verses to be gender neutral. "Sons" becomes "children" and so on. Another invention is entitled "An Inclusive Version". I will just quote a promotion statement about the AIV from the innvista website:

As the church does not believe that God is literally a father and understands "Father" to be a metaphor, "Father" is rendered in this version by a new metaphor, "Father-Mother." When Jesus is called "Son of God" or "Son of the Blessed One," and the maleness of the historical person Jesus is not relevant, but the "Son's" intimate relation to the "Father" is being spoken about, the
formal equivalent "Child" is used for "Son," and gender-specific pronouns referring to the "Child" are avoided. This version uses "the Human One" as a formal equivalent to "the Son of Man."

I think I'll back away from this quote so that I don't get hit when the lightning strikes! I could go on, but just remember that invention Bibles twist the Scriptures for their own perverted uses.


The Bible I always quote from is the New King James Version, but I will grab the concordance and look up the original text as I study, too. Also I use the Interlinear Bible which has the King James version translation next to the original Hebrew or Greek right next to an English "word-by-word" translation. I will also read a verse or passage in several different versions (KJV, NIV, NASV) to get a better idea of what is meant. I will study larger passages to get a contextual understanding of what is happening in the story line.


"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." So look on the spine of your Bible or on the title page and see which type of Bible you are using. You may be surprised by what you find!



---Johnie