Best Bible Version

There were four clergymen discussing the merits of Bible translations. One liked the King James Version best because of its beautiful classical English. Another liked the New American Standard because of its nearness to the original Hebrew and Greek. Still another preferred the New Living Translation because of its up-to-date phraseology. The fourth thoughtfully replied, “I like my mom’s translation best.” The other three were surprise. They didn’t know that his mother had translated the Bible. But he assured them. “She translated it into life, every day of her life, and it was the most convincing translation I read.”

You know I believe in studying the Bible. I podcast reading it every day. I spend more time studying the Scriptures during the week than anything else. I teach week after week that every Christian ought to study the Bible for themselves. I encourage our church members to get into Bible studies and to take advantage of every Bible teaching opportunity available. But as a fried has often said, “Too many Christians are over fed and under exercised.” 

I’m not sure we can ever get too much of the Bible, but I do believe that too many Christians know more than what they are willing to practice. So what do we accomplish by learning more? If we are not living it, we are simply adding to our accountability before God. 

I’m not arguing for less Biblical knowledge, I’m arguing for more of us to allow the Bible to actually change us. Change the way we get along with our families, change the way we do business, change our attitudes toward negative circumstances. In other words, to live like the Bible teaches we are to live!

I think that we all get nauseated by hypocrisy and are attracted to genuineness. But maybe we ought to ask ourselves with a willingness to come clean with our answers, “Are we really studying the Bible with an eagerness to let the Bible transform our lives? Or has it become more of an academically interesting book to which we feel religiously obligated to be loyal?”

In all of the debate over which Bible version is the best, remember… the best translation is the genuine Christian who translates the Scriptures into life. The one who purposefully looks into the Word to find what God wants to change, and for direction in every day living.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22