CHRISTIANS beware. I'm not concerned about my Orthodox and Christian Friends, whose understanding of scripture is based upon the Scriptures place in the Ancient Church's understanding. (More so for Orthodox Catholics than for Roman Catholics) but still it is a solid foundation IF YOU KNOW the Church's true tradition.
I am worried for the millions of people whose understanding of scripture comes from ever changing and confused denominations of religion, and radical individual spirituality, many of whom try to interpret scripture without any basis of the Church's history and tradition, which makes sense of it. These are called, "solascripturist." People who believe in scripture only.
IF I were one of these people, these "solascripturists" and my understanding of the Christian faith was limited solely to the Bible, I would care deeply about how that Bible Tradition is kept and preserved, and would be highly concerned if I discovered that there is a secularist and Globalist insurgency into Biblical scholarship, creating translations of the Bible that have current POLITICAL and Cultural Marxist Goals.
I would be concerned that it is almost impossible to purchase a Bible that is not printed by the CIAmerican Media, that is, produced by one of the FIVE Corporations that own all the American Media, including the major and minor printing houses. The great name "Zondervan" conquered and owned by the Globalists; The great name "Thomas Nelson" conquered and owned by the Globalists, as are many others.
The (New International Version) NIV - the Evangelicals and so many of these "Solascripturists" embraced and many love is HORRIBLE for its deletions, spin, inaccuracies and errors. And it is one of the better modern translations.
I want to share this exchange that prompted me to write this, and I ask, Gt W's indulgence since I'm using his words as an object lesson:
Commenting on things Newt Gingrich had stated on T.V:
Butch Robinson - Newt is wrong. Ted Cruz is a lying Puppet of the Globalist establishment and Trump is exposing that. It should be a lesson for anyone NOT wanting to continue to be FOOLED by Globalist Puppets, who put on a nice Evangelical Persona and RAPE our country.
Now Gt W agrees with me, but the translation of the scripture verses he shares, to bolster that agreement just sickened me. One can't call it a "translation" really since it is an inaccurate interpolation and not a translation at all, since it does not carry the meaning of the original.
Gt W - Concur! Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of GOD. You will reap exactly what you plant. If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 GNT
Butch Robinson - What is the GNT? I ask because that is a horrible rendering of those two verse on several levels. I won't claim to be a Greek scholar, but I'm a 50 year student of the same, and that is a horrible rendering of those verses. It is so anti-life, and anti-matter it reeks of something other than the Gospel of Life.
It really doesn't say anything in the Greek about "natural desires" and should not, since many if not most natural desires are part of the human body and human nature, which God created in his image and likeness and called "very good." There is nothing evil or death engendering about the proper exercise of all natural desires. The desire of a child to become an adult, natural and healthy. The natural desire of an adult to procreate, natural and healthy, natural desire for food to sustain the body AND soul etc., etc., etc. Yes, AND SOUL, we prepare food not just for subsistence, if we did taste, texture and color would NEVER be considered. No instead we prepare food as a celebration of the blessing of our creator, in ways that make the food healthy for the body and nourishing for the soul as well. It is only when the desire for food becomes "unnatural" that it becomes then a passion of gluttony and sinful.
Using the term "natural desires" is a grossly inaccurate, translation of the word "sarx" meaning inward flesh, merely the animal instincts and desires turned unnatural, selfish and sinful passions. The above translation would make the scripture saying, Pro_18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD" a lie. After all without the natural desire to find a wife it would never happen. And in our culture you can see the result of "natural desires" turned unnatural. And even among young people that are increasingly those who have not become totally unnatural and perverted in their desires, find themselves, devoid of the "natural desire" for marriage and family. This translation succeeds in lumping natural desires and unnatural desires together as EVIL. And that is just ONE of the errors of that rendering.
Let us render it properly:
Gal 6:7ff (with my commentary) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for what a man sows, this also he will reap.
(This is a restating of a long standing principle that our actions have consequences. )
Gal 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh, from his own flesh will reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap everlasting life.
( That our "actions" matter. And it is saying that if all your actions are selfish, "to the flesh" for the benefit of self, then all you can expect from that is "ruin" and literally corruption - a crop is ruined when it is corrupted - a fruit is ruined when it is corrupted. And nowhere in the text does it contain the word "death" (as in the phrase "from it you will gather the harvest of death" sorry not there, does not say it. And we know this is about ACTIONS because in context the next sentence makes that very clear)
Gal 6:9 And while we do good, let us not lose heart, for in due season we shall reap if we do not become weary.
(And again making the point that this is about actions)
Gal 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those who are of the household of faith.
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There was a time that Christians understood what "the household of faith" was. And that it wasn't some ephemeral club with no earthly easily found reality. We are to embrace all natural desires, guard them and keep them "natural" and reject all that makes them sinful and unnatural, filled with passions that are detrimental to the good, and ultimately death engendering.
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