Killing The Passion

Bible translations abound in our day and age, along with thematic Bibles for men, for women, for teenagers, children, parents, for armchair archaeologists and coffee shop philosophers, for people 'who really want to go on with God,' to those special Christians among us who seem to have God sitting on their shoulder and chatting away all the live-long day. The list seems endless and as long as there is a niche market and money to be made they'll keep coming I imagine.

Then there are the paraphrase Bibles, useful in their way, but surely not for the pulpit (but oh, we've seen it done). It is hard to get people to understand that they are supposed to come to the Bible, not the other way around. They are meant to sit under the teaching of the Bible, the Bible is not meant to bend itself out of shape to suit their preferences or play to their ignorance. Any good Bible translation will speak to your heart and there is no need for your Bible to talk down to you.

The Passion Translation

Then there's the Passion 'Translation' (TPT). This is brought to us by Brian Simmons, an 'apostle' in certain circles who claims direct access to heaven, and a heavenly commission from Jesus himself to produce this translation. See him talk about a visit to heaven here. What is claimed for the Passion Translation?

“The Passion Translation is an excellent translation you can use as your primary text to seriously study God’s Word ... the text has been interpreted from the original language, carrying its original meaning and giving you an accurate, reliable expression of God’s original message”

This is neither a translation, nor a decent paraphrase, but a thoroughgoing gloss on the text. All sorts of concepts and ideas that don't even belong in footnotes are inserted though not found in the original language. It seems designed specifically to reflect the ideas of one particular group. As the New World Translation is biased towards Watchtower teaching, so TPT is heavily biased toward the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation. One of the leading lights in the movement, Bill Johnson, endorses it wholeheartedly and preaches from it regularly.

There are any number of reviews of TPT. You can find some good ones.

What's Wrong With the Passion Translation by Andrew Wilson is thoughtful and balanced.

Why Christians Should be Concerned About the Passion Translation by Alisa Childers is very informative and helpful.

Holly Pivec over at Spirit of Error has put together A Passion Translation Factsheet that is very helpful.

It Says What!

Here we begin a series looking at verses from TPT and compare them with legitimate translations produced by qualified scholars. Hopefully, it will drive us back to the Word, in a reliable translation, and kill the Passion.

Today we look at a familiar verse from the psalms and see what TPT makes of it - Psalm 46:1

'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.' ESV

'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.' NIV

'God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.' NASB

You're a proven help in time of trouble-more than enough and always available when I need you.' TPT

Where did all those extra words come from??

Notice the text in other translations uses the plural first person pronoun 'our' while TPT uses the first person singular 'I' 'when I need you.' This is the 'Jesus and me' error many Christians make with such Bible texts. They take a text that refers to a group 'us' or even 'them' and make it personal. It is a common enough error and easily corrected by good preaching and teaching. This text in the TPT puts God at my beck and call 'always available when I need you.'

The text is actually addressing the security God's people (plural) will know as a community even in difficult and testing times. This is because God is our refuge and strength not because he comes when he is called. This is so because God dwells among his people (plural) and goes with them, has made them (plural) his holy habitation (v.5) To remove the plural sense is to rob the psalm of its purpose and meaning.

God is the Maker and sustainer of all things, not the Butler.

Mormon Christians? Whats in a Name?

The Mormon Church, disturbed by the continuing identifying of polygamus sects in the news with the name Mormon, recently issued a press statement aimed at "clarifying" issues. It is interesting to note that if you substitute the name "Christian" where they use the name "Mormon" it makes a very good argument for us against the claims of the Mormon Church. The full press release is reproduced below in italics with each paragraph rewritten in ordinary text to present it from a Christian perspective. SALT LAKE CITY 10 July 2008 On 26 June, Newsroom published a package of information featuring profiles of ordinary Latter-day Saints in Texas. With no other intention but to define themselves, these members provided a tangible depiction of what their faith is all about. They serve as the best distinction between the lifestyles and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Texas-based polygamous group that has recently attracted media attent...

The Times of the Gentiles - by Dawn Partington

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that “the times of the gentiles” is a time period of 2,520 years, beginning in 607BC and ending in AD1914. According to their doctrine, Jesus was enthroned as King in AD1914 when the “gentile times” ended. 1. Only one verse in scripture mentions “the times of the gentiles”: 'They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.' Luke 21:24 NIV. The Jehovah's Witness organisation has linked this one verse with other prophetic passages to calculate the supposed length of these “gentile times”, notably a time period which began hundreds of years before the incarnation and ended over 1900 years after it. 2. Simple examination of the text of Luke 21 reveals what Jesus was referring to when he used the phrase “the times of the gentiles”. Let's look at the passage together and distil this into four points which you may...

How Will Jehovah Forgive Us

The June 2022 Watchtower Article 24 titled “ Jehovah—The Greatest Forgiver ” attempts to paint a picture of Jehovah as a wise, just, and knowledgeable judge – which, of course He is. However, it also shows Him as a judge who has a number of requirements before He will forgive. The article quotes numerous Old Testament scriptures showing that Jehovah will forgive our transgressions and agrees that this forgiveness is made possible through Jesus dying for our sins, though it doesn’t mention the covenant this sacrifice generated. As Christians we would understand that Jesus’ sacrifice, the shedding of His blood, pays for our sins so that a just God can be merciful and forgive them; the price for those sins has already been paid (1 Cor 6 v 20, Heb 9 v 22). In contrast, the Watchtower article talks of there being other requirements for Jehovah’s forgiveness. It states that, before Jehovah will decide to offer forgiveness, “ He needs to be able to consider...

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