Growing in the word of God
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2
New converts want to grow in faith, and the best way to do that is to read God's word. Fortunately, One of God's great blessings for us is the Bible, a timeless rulebook for every situation we face in this life. Regardless of our so-called advances in technology, basic human nature never changes and our spiritual needs today are the same as they were thousands of years ago. Let's look briefly at our need for the written word, and the trust that we can place in it.
It would be stupid of God to expect us to live according to His will, but then leave us without knowledge of it. And it would be equally ridiculous to let every person find out for himself what that will is. Human history is full of "revelations from God" that led to war and untold misery.
In His wisdom, God has given us a written record so tht we can understand Him and be led to a place of serving Him with joy and gladness. No other book in the world has had the influence of the Holy Bible, a collection of 66 books written over a period of about 1500 years, which give us the complete revelation of God.
The Bible has been fiercely debated, despised, reviled, deliberately aftered, banned and burnt, which only adds weight to its authority. Taken for what it says, the Bible has awesome power to change individual lives and direct the course of entire societies. Its teachings have influenced more people throughout history than any other book.
For a person coming to salvation, it is THE anchor of faith. It is the rule book for everything we do in the Christian life.
Among the many attacks on scripture is the oft-repeated lie that the Bible has been through so many copying changes in its history that it is no longer reliable. The critics say it just can't be trusted.
But even the worst of modern English translations still include the verses where God Himself proclaims the authority of his written word.
The which-translation-is-best debate will no doubt rage until the Lord returns. But for some, there is no debate. While the academics grind on about textural criticism and writing styles the born-again believers will get on with the business of believing and reading the best translation we have today in English.
A brief history of the Bible
God's original word came to us in Hebrew for the Old Testament and in Greek for the New Testament. The New Testament was soon translated into several different languages and true Christians always recognised the best translations and copied them faithfully. After years of repression, the Bible was finally free to be translated during the Reformation. For English-speaking people, the crowning achievement in translating came with the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) in 1611.
Despite many attacks on its accuracy and the flood of "better" modern translations the spirit of the KJV still witnesses to the truth of God's word. Those who trust the KJV argue vehemently for its accuracy, grace and simplicity while scorning the weakness of other translations that deprive God of His majesty and Jesus of his authority.
"The King James Version is widely regarded as the most accurate English translation of the Bible. Its translators performed a painstakingly meticulous, precise and accurate job in the translation - a project that took seven years. The King James Bible is said to be the most sold, read, bought, published, given away, believed, translated, quoted, and accurate book the world has ever experienced." Quoted from kingjamesbibleonline.org
In the closing verses of the Bible, God tells us not to add to nor take away from His valuable word:
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18,19
Woe to those translators who have ignored this warning and treated His word with as much respect as you'd give the daily newspaper.
God Himself testifies that His word is sufficient in itself:
"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." Psalm 119:160
The Bible surely does provide an anchor for those who trust that God speaks directly to them through its pages. For more about this very important topics, see these reasons for using the King James Bible, information about its superior accuracy, and these comparisons with other translations.
As for translations in other languages, the same pitfalls exist. Reliable translations in other languages are available from Trinitarian Bible Society in England, and they can also recommend foreign language translations which they do no stock themselves. As a general rule, translations from the days of the Reformation are more reliable than modern works, which may be based upon the "new" Greek texts used for modern English translations. Take care with your choices here, as faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.