Which Bible Version Do You Use? Many Use the “Me Version”
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Recently on Facebook a man responded to my article What the Bible Says About Homosexuality: Uncut, Uncensored and Unedited saying that we had better adjust our Biblical understanding to accommodate changing cultural norms. It was obvious he is looking for a way out of what the Bible says in the light of the Supreme Court ruling on “gay marriage.”
Thanks to Beth Harris and her daughter Christina for this great photo one just for this article!
Instead of following the Word of God, he apparently wanted the “Me Version” – the Bible according to his own preferences.
Far too many people want to rewrite Scripture into a “Me Version.” It’s just a lot more convenient than following the actual Word of God. How about you, have you “written your own Bible?”
There are lots of motivations for doing this:
Some want to bend the Bible to adjust for societal changes
Some want to twist it to justify their sinful behavior
Some think it sounds too “old fashioned”Some want to make it “more appealing” to entice more people to become believers
But the bottom line is that they all think they know better than God.
The Bible says about itself, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)
Jesus affirmed Scripture when He said, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” (Matthew 5:18 NLT)
How did we get the Scriptures? God spoke to men who wrote down God’s Word: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21 ESV)
Here is the result: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)
The problem is not with the Bible. The problem is with US! Too often we don’t like how the Word of God “pierces our soul.”
When you have written your own Bible, you’ve said:
I know better than God
God made a mistake
I would certainly be a better god than God!
You may think this is laughable. But it is what many seem to think.
When you’ve written your own Bible, you have thumbed your nose at God, claiming that you are the all-knowing one, and condemn yourself to pay the price of your rebellion.
This is not a new problem. It is as old as the original sin in the Garden of Eden.
The Devil (serpent) questioned in Genesis 3:1 “Did God really say, ‘You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden‘?”
When Eve replied that there was only one tree they couldn’t eat from, the devil denied God’s goodness and said He was just trying to withhold true Knowledge from Adam and Eve.
The serpent convinced them that they knew better than God. This is just like people today who read the clear teaching of Scripture and say, “That’s not really what it says.”
They say:
“The Bible says those without Christ will spend eternity in hell…but that’s not really what it means.”“It says practicing homosexuality is sin, but that’s not really true.”“It says thou shalt not commit adultery, but it depends on the situation.”
Let’s face it: it may seem a lot more convenient to “write your own Bible.”
Who doesn’t want to be Lord of their own universe?Who doesn’t want to justify all their actions?
But is that really a beneficial way to live? NO!
Doing whatever you want to do only leads to eventual unhappiness—now, soon, later or on judgment day. “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23 KJV)
There will be a price to pay for disobedience.
You might evade the law, but you cannot evade the Lord.
Finally, here is some help for you who have honest questions that tempt you to have “written your own Bible:”
01. Question: But aren’t there so many versions of the Bible that it’s teaching is really unclear?
Answer: The versions of the Bible are simply different ways of saying the same thing. Some are more literal translations of the original languages of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. Others are more up to date translations or paraphrases that are easier to read. But they all say the same things, just using different wordings.
02. Question: But aren’t there so many churches with so many different beliefs that it is obvious that biblical teaching is unclear?
Answer: Bible believing churches have small differences in their understanding of minor issues, such as the best way to do a baptism: immersion, sprinkling, pouring, dry clean (haha), etc. But they all agree on the basics of the faith: the fundamental doctrines. One classic statement of these is the Apostle’s Creed.
03. Question: But didn’t the Bible get changed over the centuries so that we don’t really know what it said originally?
Answer: Using various methods, we are confident that we have in our Bibles today what was originally written. To learn more about this check out this article by Ken Boa and this one as well.
04. Question: But some of my favorite and very popular spiritual leaders think the Bible can be interpreted differently, so who do I believe?
Answer: Please check out my article Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing.
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