Bible study notes, week 1.

     So about two weeks ago some friends and I started a Bible study on Sunday nights. We're studying through a Sam Gipp book called The Answer Book, which has 62 questions (and their scriptural and historical answers, obviously:D) about the King James Bible. We're also going through another book called Why the KJV is the Perfect Word of God but I don't remember who wrote that. It might be the same guy. It is just fascinating. I had been raised to be KJV-only, but no one ever explained why. Which is probably why people my age (in general) think the KJV is antiquated and silly. No one ever explained the "why" of the issue. So I am studying it out, with a couple other friends:) We read a chapter and look up/read the Scripture he references along the way. Here's a little of what we learned last night.

     The Answer Book:
Q: Shouldn't we be loyal only to the original manuscripts?

A: Only have as much respect for the originals as God does.

 

     Sounds reasonable, right? After all, our goal IS to be like Christ. But the thing is, God doesn't really care that much about the originals. Here's how we know. 1) When the 10 Commandments were written down in the Hebrew manuscript, they were not the originals! The originals were on the stone tablets that Moses broke in his little temper tantrum coming down off Mount Sinai. And then God made more, and Moses copied the words from those tablets into the Hebrew scroll. So are the 10 Commandments inspired or not? If you hold that only the true originals were inspired, the 10 Commandments in the original Hebrew text are not inspired. If that doesn't make you stop and go "Hm." I don't know what will. 2) In Jeremiah 36, God orchestrates (as in it was in His plan) the destruction of an "original" text which we had in the "original" OT manuscripts. In fact, the "original" was destroyed, Jeremiah wrote (penned, actually, since God wrote it) a second one, which was also destroyed, and then penned a third one, which is now Jeremiah 45-51. So even the "originals" weren't really the originals. So is Jeremiah 45-51 not inspired in the original manuscripts, then? Or is it possible that copies are also inspired?

 

     Why the KJV is the Perfect Word of God: Some people say that only the real originals were inspired and that copies, translations, etc. have errors and are not inspired. That is a lie. Of all the references in the Bible to "scripture" or "the word of the Lord" or "the word of God," not a single one refers to the originals. For something as important as God's word, wouldn't He have put something that significant in the Bible? It's obvious that God doesn't think a lot of the "originals." Otherwise we'd have them. But we don't. And if you don't believe in inspired translations, read II Kings chapter 6.

     Some may say that the actual words are not important in translation, but just the thought behind them, or the main idea. The glaringly obvious problem with this is that ideas and thoughts are expressed in words. The "words are not important-just the main idea" train of thoughtis called "dramatic equivalents." Every single word is important - this is called "formal equivalents." The KJV translators believed strongly in formal equivalents, and faithfully translated every word.

     The word of God is perfect and pure - we cannot do anything to it to improve it or make it clearer.

 

     "It is certainly not precarious in that it does not leave us at the mercy of our vindictive opponents. For believing in the perfection of a Book which we can hold in our hands is surely not as vulnerable as a professed faith in the perfection of some lost originals.
     The reason most critics are so vehement about the infallibility of the originals is because they know that the originals can NEVER be produced, so their faith can never be tried or upended." 

     - Sam Gipp, Th. D.

 

And our memory work for this week: II Tim. 3:16-17, Matt 22:27, 29 (definition of Scripture), Matt. 4:4, John 6:63, John 17:8.

 

 

Now. Feel free to comment if you can act like an adult. This is my blog and I am its dictator, meaning I reserve the right to delete your comments if you are being a twit. 

Thanks for reading:)

 

 

 

Leah