An Understanable History of the Bible Chapter 4

Read here http://www.chick.com/reading/books/157/157_04.asp

WHAT STOOD OUT TO ME:

Unregenerate man goes about believing a theory that man has evolved and was not created. Yet when this theory is examined scientifically and logically, it cannot be proven to be true. Does this upset the unbeliever? No. He just sets about to believe his theory, for he knows that believing it allows him to be his own final authority. He also knows that to reject the theory of evolution means he must accept creationism as true, and this he has avowed in his heart not to do. He does not want to be associated with a few fanatics!


We take pride in thundering forth that we are not as the unregenerate world, without an absolute guideline. We have a guideline. We have the guideline, the Word of God! Then we hold our open Bible up for all to see and shout, "This is God's Word! It's perfect, infallible, inerrant, the very words of God!" Yet in our hearts we are saying, "I believe all this about the original; this is just a mistake-filled translation."
((Ouch))

Anyone who has studied even a little about Greek manuscripts knows that the Word of God isn't found in any of the Greek texts when translated literally.


the Roman Catholic Church, the historic enemy of the Truth, crashing down on them. That same Roman Catholic Church is still active against the Truth today....I know that these are strong statements. I intend throughout this work to prove their truth, but I state now, that I do not intend to bring railing accusations on those brethren who do not agree with me. I will state that they are wrong, prove that they are wrong, and attempt to point out their position in regard to God's revealed Word. I do not intend however, to forget that they are my brethren (those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour) and will treat them as beloved.


I am not a soft city gentleman who thinks we should all sit around and talk in quiet tones while sipping tea and eating "brunch." I am a militant Bible-believer who hates the devil, sin, heresy, and apostasy. Yet, I think it is time that we who claim to be "fundamentalists" step back and look to see who our enemy really is!
(here, here)

The fundamentalists have laid their coats at the feet of "Holy Mother Church" and for the past 100 years proceeded to "knock each others' block off." Is it any wonder that the Pope smiles so much? Who is our enemy? Let's find him and fight him. Today it seems, on both sides, that we are concerned more with finding fault with the people that we disagree with rather than what they teach.

We have an enemy, and I believe we should be verbal and active against that enemy, but I feel it is time that we realize that our enemy is not our brother. It is the one holding his coat!



Occasionally on either side we will be forced to face a railer, but instead of "writing him off" we will have to be charitable and look past his railing to see what his facts say. If we can disprove his facts, we need not worry about his mouth!

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Galatians 4:16.


...Jesus Christ's method when He was on this earth. He always went past the religious, scholarly minority and took His words to the common people. Until then, only the Pharisees had possessed God's words in the form of the completed, accepted Old Testament books, and although they were well educated and very religious, they were found to be taking advantage of the common people. Christ eliminated this problem by going directly to the common people of His day.

The Gospel is to all. God gave His Word to every person and gave the Holy Spirit as a guide to all truth (John 16:13) in spite of the Roman Catholic teachings that only the "clergy" are allowed to interpret the Scripture.
[could explain why my old boss, raised in a catholic school but as an adult is now a presbytarian(sp?) and calvinists, told me I could not understand what I was reading in the Bible and needed those who have been to cemetary, uh I mean seminary, to tell me what the Word is saying.]

Education, though beneficial, is not a necessity for being used of God. I am not anti-education or anti-college, but the first requirements are that a person has "been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13) and that they realize and believe that the written Word which they have in hand is "more sure" than God's spoken Word.

The English of the King James Bible has been known to be the finest form of the language ever used. (I know I am smarter since reading it)

Many claim today that since the Authorized Version was printed in the common English of that day, that the Bible should be retranslated into the common English of today, but this is not a valid claim. It must be remembered that the English used in the Authorized Version was not only the common language, but it was also the English language in its purest form. The English language has degenerated from what it was in 1611 to what it is today. Those claiming to put the Bible in "modern English" are actually, though possibly not intentionally, trying to force the pure words of God into the degenerated vocabulary of today! What a disgrace to God's Word! What a shame to those who propose such a thing!

A charge often brought against the Authorized Version is that it is full of "archaic" words. But are we to make the Bible pay the penalty of our own irresponsibility in not keeping our language pure and descriptive? Would we not be richer to learn the meaning of those nasty, old, "archaic" words and add them back into our own vocabulary? Would we not be making the Bible poorer by depriving it of its descriptive style? Are these words truly "archaic?"
Now let us watch very carefully, for an "archaic" word is about to make its appearance in the next verse. But before it can, God inserts a note to the reader!

9. "(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)" (I Sam. 9:9)
God knows that the word "seer" is no longer in common usage; it is archaic. He defines it so that we will better understand His choice of words. Is this changing the text? No! Look at the following two verses.

10. "Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.
11. And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here?" (I Sam. 9:10-11)


Notice in verse 11 God leaves the "archaic" word in the text! He does not change it to "prophet." He does not change the text. God gives us a definition of the word which He chose to use in the text, but He does not give us a "modern" or "updated" edition. This is the Biblical example of how God handles an "archaic" word without rewriting the text.


Define what a word, whose definition has become cloudy through the changes in the English language, really means. I am not advising "running to the Greek." I am advising "running to the dictionary" and letting the text stand as it reads without the derogatory remarks about "archaic" words and "out of date usage." Let us respect God's text more than that.


God has given us every word; we do well to accept them from Him as they are and not attempt to "improve" on them. As one great preacher said, "The Bible doesn't need to be re-written, it needs to be reread."

There are only two events that should stop a Christian from reading through his Bible continuously, cover to cover: death and the rapture. All other "reasons" are really weak excuses.

Many exclaim, "But I can't understand it! There are portions with deep and difficult meanings." They find a difficult passage, give God approximately five minutes to deliver the answer, and then turn to a "better translation" or a Bible commentary for the answer.

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Some extra things I wanted to point out. I saw the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit that recently came thru my part of the country and they had a KJV from 1604 on display called the "he" Bible because it translated Ruth as a he not a she...oops...but what intrigued me was the book of maccabees was in this 1604 edition....?????

Also a Geneva on display which had lovely pictures to illustrate things and that was a cool idea.

Another thing I feel led to post here:

Rev. 2:1-2, 8-9, 12-13, 18-19, and 3:1, 7-8, 14-15 all start with I know your works....it doesn't say I know your hearts...

... many christians jusitify an ungodly lifestyle by saying "HE knows my heart" -- ((double ouch))
We don't take a drill to an apple tree to see if it is a good tree, rather we judge it by it's fruit.

Don't scream heretic, we can preach a half truth and it would still be a falsehood and then we'd reject real truth because we would be embracing a half truth/falsehood

rat poisoning is 97% cornleam but 3% poison

1st half = saved by Grace not of works .... can't say my good works got me into heaven

2nd half = works prove you have Grace ... help us to live our live in a way that shows we have The Grace

A. Justification - by faith alone but not by faith that is alone

B. if no Sanctification there was never a true Justification

for example do we say we have faith but no works follow? because true faith would conform us to Christ

I John 2:1- My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

notice it says IF not WHEN...the goal is not to sin but you do have an advocate

I John 2:3 - And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ((Our Pastor is always asking us How does Jesus know us? and this is the answer))

I John 2:4- He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

I John 2:6- He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

PolyCarp 69-156AD said that we are saved by Grace not of works; and do HIS will and walk in HIS commands to be raised

Clement of Rome said that we are justified by faith and rewarded according to our works.

John 9:31 -- Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.