shapedbytruth

I’m a fan of understanding scripture in context.  However, there seem to always be those who want to overdo context to the point that they carve up the bible into bits and call it rightly dividing.

These are the folks that say “this only pertains to the jews” or “that only applies to the disciples before the cross”.

This puts them as the authority over the word, to decide what does or doesn’t apply to them.

I recently heard someone talk about some things Jesus told the disciples as only applying to them at that time, and not to us now.

I would refer this person to these verses in Matthew…

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Mt 28:18-20 KJB

So, as we see, even if Jesus’ immediate audience was, as in this case the 11 (see v. 16), the all and whatsoever that Jesus had commanded them was to be taught to others including the command to teach all and whatsoever was commanded by Jesus, and so forth…

 

I recently heard someone making the case that certain things Jesus said only pertained to the apostles that He was speaking to at the time.

To folks to hold this view, I would refer them to Mt 28:20

Mt 28:20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We see that Jesus told the apostles to teach others to “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”.

So even if Jesus was just speaking to the apostles at a particular time, the instructions for the apostles was to teach disciples to do the same thing Jesus had instructed them to do.   That includes disciples teaching other disciples to do all the things Jesus instructed.

All things the apostles were instructed in is also applicable to all believers today.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Acts 7:55-56 But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Heb 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1Pet 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Mt 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

 

Daniel 3:4-6 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

An image of Nebuchadnezzar 60 cubits tall, 6 cubits wide and was to be worshiped when 6 instruments are played, and those who do not worship his image are to be put to death.

Daniel 4:16  let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

Nebuchadnezzar was given the heart of of a beast for 7 years…

Revelation 13:15-18 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The number of the beast is 666 and those who do not worship the image of the beast are to be put to death.

 

Jesus has many titles in scripture including The Word of God.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

One title people use refer to Jesus is “the Living Word”.

There is nothing necessarily wrong with referring to Him using this title, Jesus is the Word made flesh, He is the “Word of Life”, and Jesus was, and is, and ever will be indeed alive and living.

However, this title is not one He has used in scripture to identify Himself.  So, while referring to Jesus as the “Living Word” is not necessarily wrong, it is unwise to build a doctrine off of that title being that he has not used that as a title for Himself in scripture.

Some folks will say things like “we don’t need a perfect written word because we have Jesus, The Living Word”.  This is a poor assumption based on something that is not in scripture.

On the other hand, we do see verses referring to the written word of God as living:

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The context here is scripture, the written word of God.  Here we see that the word of God is “quick”, meaning alive, life-giving, living.

Also in 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:23 being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Here again we see a reference to the written word, saying the word of God liveth (living).

So while the bible does not have a verse calling Jesus the “Living Word”, we do see verses saying God’s words are living.

Should we call anyone (including priests or popes) “Father” – Mt 23:9

Should we pray vain repetitions such as Rosary, Hail Mary? – Mt 6:7

Was Mary a perpetual virgin? – Mt 1:24-25; Mt 13:55-56

Who is our mediator? – 1 Tim 2:5

Should we venerate Mary? – Luke 11:27-28

Who can drink from communion cup? – Mt 26:26-28; 1 Cor 11:23-28

Who is a saint? – 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Rom 1:7

Who is the Christian priesthood? – 1 Pet 2:5,9; Rev 1:6; 5:10

Does the bible forbid marriage for bishops? – 1 Tim 3:2-5; 1 Tim 4:1-3

Was Peter married? – Mark 1:30; 1 Cor 9:5

Should we bow down to and kiss idols? – Exodus 20:4-5

Is sprinkling babies baptism? – Mt 3:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:36-39

Do we need a priest to understand the bible? – Eph 3:4; 1 Pet 3:15

Should traditions of men override scripture? – Mark 7:7-9

Questions that come up when comparing the New Living Translation (NLT) 2015 edition.

Was God manifest in the flesh?

1 Timothy 3:16 KJB  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit …

1 Timothy 3:16 NLT 2015 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit …

Was Jesus “God manifest in the flesh” or just a human in a body?

Through or by?

Colossians 1:16 NLT 2015 for through him God created everything …

Colossians 1:16 KJB  for by him were all things created …

John 1:3 NLT 2015 God created everything through him …

John 1:3 KJB All things were made by him …

Is Jesus the Creator or just an instrument through which God created all things?  The NLT matches up with the Jehovah Witnesses (who believe Jesus was “a god”) as seen in the New World Translation (NWT):

John 1:1–3 NWT In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. This one was in [the] beginning with God. All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence

One and only?

John 3:16 NLT 2015 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 KJB For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If the NLT is correct that Jesus is the “one and only”, then how can we “become the sons of God” when we receive Jesus as it says in John 1:12 or be “called the sons of God” as it says in 1 John 3:1? 

Should we study the bible?

2 Timothy 2:15 KJB Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 NLT 2015 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Do we have to work hard to receive God’s approval as the NLT says?

Confession or baptism is made unto salvation?

Acts 8:36-38 NLT 2015 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”

[verse 37 omitted]

38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him

NLT leaves out Phillip’s answer to the Ethiopian eunuch as well as the Ethiopian’s confession of faith, the KJB has the answer that matches up with Romans 10:10

Acts 8:37 KJB And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Are we purified by obedience or by the Holy Ghost?

1 Peter 1:22 NLT 2015 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth _____________  …

1 Peter 1:22 KJB Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit …

In 1 Peter 1:22, the NLT creates a confusing contradiction with Ezekiel 36:27, Rom 8:1, Rom 8:4, 2 Cor 3:18, Eph 5:26, Gal 5:16, Gal 5:25 – which verses are right?

Should we teach about the Godhead?

1 John 5:7 NLT 2015 So we have these three witnesses ______________________________

1 John 5:7 KJB For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

The NLT not only omits “the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one”, but also omits the Godhead in Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, and Colossians 2:9.

Wrested scriptures, many missing verses, words and phrases

The NLT leaves out “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” in Rev 1:11, omits the reason for Jesus coming to “save that which was lost” in Matthew 18:11, “heal the brokenhearted” in Luke 4:18, and makes Jesus a liar in John 7:8.

The NLT omits that man should live “by every word of God” in Luke 4:4 and the warning about the many “which corrupt the word of God” in 2 Cor 2:17.

Should we “hold fast the profession of our faith” as found Heb 10:23?  In the NLT faith (evidence of things not seen) is replaced with “faithfulness” (our fidelity) in Gal 5:22, “hearing of faith” lost from Gal 3:2 and “word of faith” not found in verses Rom 10:8, 1 Tim 4:6.  Is the issue unbelief or disobedience in Heb 3:18, Heb 4:6, Heb 4:11, Rom 15:31?  Are we “saved” as the KJB says, or “being saved” as the NLT says in 1 Cor 1:18 and 2 Cor 2:15?

The NLT weakens our spiritual warfare by omitting “prayer and fasting” found in Matthew 17:21, “fasting” in Mark 9:29 to counter unbelief / casting out devils, “get thee behind me Satan” is omitted in Luke 4:8, and the key indicator on how to recognize the spirit of antichrist in 1 John 4:3.

The NLT omits 115 references to blood, 36 references to hell, 20 usages of repent, all usages of Jehovah, 22 usages of “Lord Jesus Christ”, and replaces references to “sodomite” with “shrine/temple prostitute”.

16 Verses are omitted from the NLT text including: Matthew 17:21, Matthew 18:11, Matthew 23:14, Mark 7:16, Mark 9:44,46, Mark 11:26, Mark 15:28, Luke 17:36, Luke 23:17, John 5:3p–4, Acts 8:37, Acts 15:34, Acts 24:6p–7, Acts 28:29, Romans 16:24

Also many partial verses omitted from NLT such as Mt 19:9; Mark 6:11; Luke 4:4; Luke 11:2; John 3:13; 1 Tim 6:5; Heb 1:3; 1 Peter 4:1, 14; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:3; 1 John 5:7, 13; Rev 1:11; Rev 5:14

Doubting footnotes

Additionally, on many verses the NLT has footnotes or in-line comments that create doubt about the verse belonging in the bible, or causing confusion as to which words are God’s words.  This is the same strategy satan used in the garden as seen in Genesis 3:1 “…Yea, hath God said? …”.   God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33).

For example, the NLT footnotes effectively say that John 7:53-8:11 does not belong in the bible.  This is the account of the woman caught in adultery and brought before Jesus.  Should we teach about this if it doesn’t belong in the bible?  Also, did Jesus say “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” in Luke 23:34, and was Jesus moved with compassion or anger in Mark 1:41?

The NLT footnotes also say that Mark 16:9-20 do not belong in the bible or were “added later”.  This casts doubt on these verses.  How can we teach on these verses when the NLT introduces faith crippling doubt, unbelief, and confusion over whether these are the words of God?

Not just differences in translation

The examples given are just a few among many troubling verses (could go over many more – including Old Testament, but this is already a long letter).  Verse comparison demonstrates that the NLT is not the same as the KJB.  The NLT is not just different, but often opposite and contradictory to the KJB.  One of these bibles is teaching about another Jesus, another Spirit, another Gospel (2 Cor 11:4; Gal 1:6-7).

The bible teaches not to add to or take away from God’s words (Deut 4:2; Deut 12:32; Prov 30:6; Rev 22:18-19; Mark 7:13; 2 Peter 3:16).  Either the NLT has taken away or the KJB has added to.  They can not both be right.

In 1 John 4:3 of the King James Bible (KJB), we get key indicator on how to recognize the “spirit of antichrist”:

and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world – 1 John 4:3 KJB

So any spirit that “confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh” is not of God but is that spirit of antichrist.

When we look at many modern bibles, we see that they DO NOT confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh and leave out this bit of important intel.

We are to test the spirits (1 John 4:1).

We know that evil spirits can and do confess/acknowledge Jesus (Mt 8:29; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:41), so that alone is not a good test of the spirits.

We can however definitely recognize the spirit of antichrist when it does not confess that “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh”.

Now apply what we see is in scripture to the following so-called “bibles”:

ASV and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God …

CSB but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

CEB and every spirit that doesn’t confess Jesus is not from God…

CJB and every spirit which does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God …

DLNT And every spirit that is not confessing Jesus is not from God …

DRA And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God …

EHV and every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God …

ESV and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

HCSB But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God …

ISV But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God …

LEB and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

MOUNCE but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

NABRE and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God …

NASB and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

NET but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

NIV but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God …

NLT But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God …

NRSV and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

NTE and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God …

TPT Everyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus is from God has the spirit of antichrist …

RSV and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God …

TLV but every spirit that does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God …

 

Often times it is those who find rest for their souls by asking for the old paths that are accused of being divisive.

However, when we read the bible, we see it is actually those who depart from the faith with contrary doctrine that are the ones are causing division.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. – Romans 16:17

The new age “bibles” gender contrary doctrine by diminishing God’s words and replacing them with the good words and fair speeches of men whose motivation is to serve their own belly by making merchandise of believers by selling more books.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. – Romans 16:18

These corrupted bibles cause believers to doubt by introducing contradictions, errors, doubting footnotes, and taking away whole verses.

According to what Paul says, the things he writes are a commandment of the Lord:

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord – 1 Corinthians 14:37

So we ought to pay heed to Romans 16:17, and to mark these confusing and divisive bible versions and avoid them.

We see in the King James Bible, that our salvation is complete is sure in that believers ARE SAVED.

1 Corinthians 1:18 KJB For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

2 Corinthians 2:15 KJB For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish

The New King James creates doubt and confusion about salvation, says “being saved”.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

2 Corinthians 2:15 NKJV For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.