“Spiritually, there are only two races—the children of Adam and the regenerated children of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The supreme race issue is whether we belong to the once-born or the twice-born. There is not much excitement about this issue, but it is the only one that will matter in eternity.”

~Vance Havner

“The only way to meet the modern demon-stration of the powers of darkness is by a demonstration of the power of God.”

~Vance Havner

“The right side is the bright side ultimately but not always immediately. We are not called to be pulpit Pollyanna’s wearing rose-colored glasses and painting the clouds with sunshine. Paul’s contemporaries may have explained his dark picture of the last days by saying, “He is just a bilious old bachelor in a Roman jail, and everything looks yellow to a jaundiced eye.” Someone may have reminded him that one can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, but Paul was not in the fly-catching business, anyway.”

~Vance Havner

Let It Shine!

By Vance Havner

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

Some hide their light under bushel or bed (Mark 4:21, Luke 8:16), being busy or lazy, so that it fails to shine. Some go to the other extreme, like the Pharisees (Matthew 6:1,2,16), who wanted to impress people with their piety. It is not a glare but a glow, and we are simply to let it shine. Some saints remind us of a man with a high-powered flashlight trying to dazzle people with a blinding display. God prefers stars to comets. His figure is a candle, not a firecracker.

Between the saints who hide their light and those who display it we have hard going these days. We learn more and more to appreciate those who just let it shine. We are too aware of the “men” in our text and not aware enough of our Father. Our sole business is to glorify Him and so let our light shine that others will glorify Him too.

What Is Saving Faith?

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

“What saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

The Apostle Paul uses the above quotation from Genesis 15:6 to prove that “to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

It is wonderful that God does not require — indeed, does not permit — human works for salvation, but only faith. But the question is: What is faith? What kind of believing saves?

There is no indication in Scripture that “the gospel of the grace of God” or “the preaching of the cross” was proclaimed to Abraham. We must go back to the passage which Paul quotes to see what Abraham believed. Genesis 15:5 says:

“And [God] took [Abraham] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell [count] the stars, if thou be able to number [count] them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

It is this simple, wonderful promise about the multiplication of Abraham’s seed which is followed with the words: “And he believed in the Lord; and He counted [reckoned] it to him for righteousness” (Ver.6). We do not mean to imply that this was the first expression of Abraham’s faith, for in Hebrews 11:8 we read:

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”

This took place considerably before the Genesis 15 incident and we are specifically told that through his faith he “obtained a good report” (Hebrews 11:2).

From all this it is clear that Abraham believed what God told him and was counted righteous — as we now know, through a redemption still to be wrought by Christ. We, now, must believe what God tells us — and this is nothing less than the account of the all-sufficient finished work of Christ, wrought in our behalf, on Calvary’s cross.

“[He] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

God’s Cure For Ignorance

By Vance Havner

I would not have you ignorant…
Romans 11:25; I Corinthians 10:1; II Corinthians 1:8; I Thessalonians 4:13; II Peter 3:8

The Outstanding characteristics of this intellectual age, believe it or not, is ignorance. We do err, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29).

The world does not know its peril, like those of Noah’s day who ate and drank, married and gave in marriage and knew not (Matthew 24:39). The church does not know its need. It is like Laodicea, that boasted it was rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing and knew not that it was wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked (Revelation 3:17). The sinner does not know the saviour. Jesus said to the woman at Jacob’s well, “If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink…” (John 4:10).

And Christians do not know the Lord. “Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip?” was our Lord’s pointed question to His dull disciple (John 14:9). We know Him so poorly, we are so ignorant of the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

Ignorance unbounded! And the cure is to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3).

Thus Saith the Lord

By A. W. Tozer

Pleasures — Seasonal & Perennial

By Vance Havner

The pleasures of sin for a season.
Hebrews 11:25

At they right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:17

Moses chose the imperishable. He had his eye on Him who is invisible. No wonder that he did the impossible! Sin’s pleasures are only for a season. “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

God’s pleasures are perennial. This poor age loves the temporal. It lives from one passing fancy to another. Today’s hit if forgotten tomorrow. Everything is for a season. Its shows, its styles, bear the label “this season.” The man who lives in God is never out of season. “The fashion of this world passeth away,” but he is not of this world.

Do you have the “joy that remains”?

Gifts and Graces

By A. W. Tozer

ADMINISTRATOR’S NOTE:

There are far too many ongoing new “translations” of God’s inerrant word — being translated into the grave error of perversion, corruption, abomination, and error. All under the guise and pretense of making the Bible more accessible, easier to read and understand. This is the thin veil of a lie. Here on “A Crooked Path” the #1 go-to Scripture translation is the King James Version.

Contrary to all the hyperbole, excuses, nonsense — and lies — the King James Version is not difficult or impossible to read or understand in today’s world. Let us be honest, shall we? People read other translations as they read a book and they are misled by the omissions and dumbing down and softening of the modern-day translations passing themselves off as the inerrant word of God.

If one has true faith — trust in God, trust in the Holy Spirit — and they truly believe with God nothing is impossible and they do not limit the abilities and power of God they will discern wisely that the Holy Spirit is the Teacher. The Holy Spirit is the individual opening the spirit, the soul, the heart of the reader to go beyond merely reading words and using the Bible as some sort of guide book or just another book — which it is not.

Do not be so easily misled into picking up and adopting the in grave error modern-day translations under the pretense they are easier to read and understand.

Stop being so lazy and excuse making.

Desire the beauty, the depth, the purity of the language of the King James Version which stood the test of time and was perfectly acceptable to bring the inerrant word of God to millions of individuals since 1611, and to bring many of those to turn to God and His will — His word — His Son.

While the vast majority of modern-day translations turn readers from God and to the ways and will of the world and he who has dominion over this world for a season. Make no mistake! There is one individual which knows every word of the inerrant word of God than any man or woman on this earth does, or ever has — and his name is Lucifer, that old serpent the devil; Satan. And he works feverishly and diligently and has his minions working day and night to pervert, corrupt, omit, and alter the inerrant word of God to lead millions now astray — never forget this:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 — King James Version

 
 
People in these times fill their lives with cheap, poorly made products from China and other nations. People in these times fill their pantries, their mouths and bellies with inferior malnourished fare passing itself off as nourishing food for the body.

People in these times ought not to dilute, pollute, corrupt, omit, and malnourished their spirits, their souls, their hearts on poorly translated version of the God-breathed Scriptures, or ingest into their spirits, souls, and their hearts the lies of the father of lies entering into them passing itself off as the word of God. Test all spirits. Do not be deceived — for what passes now for the majority of “Christianity” has been poorly fed and only told that which pleases them with their itching ears, the fables they love so dearly which compromise the truth of the inerrant word of God — and these are being fed the malnourished poisonous meal by the multitudes of false teachers in our midst. Beware! Take precious care of your eternity! Seek only that which is true according to the living God our Father and do not go the ways of men or women and their watering down and pacifying of the sword of the word to cut through the dung!

“Radical” Distortion of the Scriptures

The As Good As New version of the Bible, translated by former Baptist minister John Henson, and subtitled “A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures,” was released in June 2004 by an English group of self-confessed radicals who call themselves “One.” As Good As New might have gone largely unnoticed by the religious community, had England’s archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams (the leader of the Anglican church) not given the translation his enthusiastic stamp of approval (see “New Bible Translation…,” 2004). A press release from “Ekklesia,” a London-based theological think tank that supports the “One” translation, revealed the following:

The translation by John Henson from the organization “One” aims at a “new, fresh and adventurous” translation of the early Christian scriptures. It is designed both for mature Christians and for those who have limited experience of traditional Christianity or “may have found it a barrier to an appreciation of Jesus” (“The One Translation,” 2004).

However, it is apparent that Henson’s focus was not on giving his readers an accurate translation, but on making his radical readers feel comfortable, even if it compromises the real meaning of the Scriptures. One retailer wrote of As Good As New:

It also follows the cultural translation, where for instance “demon possession” becomes what it is as understood today, “mental illness.” It follows “contextual translation,” following the sense over longer sections. It is also “inclusive,” following the principles which Jesus adopted in relation to his culture. It is women, gay, and sinner friendly. Other radical departures reflect the need to demythologize in order to translate adequately into our own culture. For instance “Kingdom of God” thus becomes “God’s New World” (“A Radical and Readable…,” 2004).

The archbishop has praised Henson for replacing “the stale, the technical, the unconsciously exclusive words and policies” of the Bible, with modern phrasing (not to mention modern teachings, which differ from the plain teaching of the original Bible authors) [“New Bible Translation…,” 2004]. Few have a problem with those who merely want the Bible to be understandable (though it certainly is understandable in more traditional versions), but after considering the lengths to which Henson went to morph the Bible into something he considers “readable,” reasonable readers will reject it. Keep in mind that a “community” of random religionists, who happened to take interest in Henson’s translation process, provided contributions to this work. Apparently, the group of contributors in translation was not composed strictly of Greek or Hebrew scholars, but of “whoever” happened to contribute.

Henson and company have not given readers merely an English “translation” from the original Bible languages. (As Good As New is a translation only in the sense that “One” calls it a translation. Henson did not seem concerned about the actual original words themselves [see “The One Translation,” 2004], but only the “sense” of various collections of those words, so “paraphrase” would better describe what “One” has produced.) In short, Henson has attempted to rewrite the Bible.

For example, in an attempt to include only what “One” deems to be “the selection of books which were held in the highest esteem by the early Church in the first two centuries,” the book of Revelation has been excluded, and has been replaced by the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas (“A Radical and Readable…”, 2004). In their efforts to eliminate all “big words” from scripture, this vaguely defined group of translators has given modern nicknames to many of the Bible’s characters. For example, the apostle Peter is “Rocky,” Mary Magdalene is “Maggie,” John the Baptizer is “John the Dipper,” Aaron’s name is shortened to “Ron,” and Nicodemus becomes, simply, “Nick.”

“One” has subverted plain Bible texts in order to make the Gospel more politically correct. According to London Times religious correspondent Ruth Gledhill, “Instead of condemning fornicators, adulterers, and ‘abusers of themselves with mankind’ [as Paul did, through inspiration, when he wrote 1 Corinthians 6:9—CC], the new version of Paul’s first letter to Corinth has Paul advising Christians not to go without sex for too long, in case they get ‘frustrated’ ” (as quoted in “New Bible Translation…,” 2004). Instead of properly translating Paul’s command (recorded in 1 Corinthians 7:1-2) that, to avoid fornication, every man should have his own wife, and every woman should have her own husband, As Good As New has Paul writing: “My advice is for everyone to have a regular partner” (quoted in “New Bible Translation,” 2004).

The perversion does not stop there. “Heaven” becomes, in the new translation, “a world without time and space.” “Parables” are called “riddles.” In an effort to find favor with women, the contributors to As Good As New chose to render “Son of Man,” a title Jesus often called Himself, as “The Complete Person,” and “Father,” one of God’s scriptural titles, as “All Loving God.” Also in order to please women, Jesus is not called the “Son of God,” but rather “God’s Likeness.”

Such perversion is what one might expect from an organization that lists in its top five priorities, not to teach or defend the truth, but to “challenge oppression, injustice, exclusion and discrimination,” to “accept one another, valuing their diversity and experience” (“Who We Are,” 2003). Members of “One” commit themselves to accepting one another “in Christ,” to “support actively those doing Christ’s work inside or outside this institutional church,” and to combating “poverty, racism, and oppression through social and political action” (“Who We Are,” 2003, emp. added). One does not have to examine much of the “One’s” published material before he realizes that the primary purpose of the group is not to teach people how to be saved, but rather to push a leftist agenda down the throats of religious people. For “One,” a major step toward accomplishing that purpose would be widespread acceptance of As Good As New.

Accordingly, archbishop Williams hopes the new translation will spread “in epidemic profusion through religious and irreligious alike.” However, reasonable people will realize what As Good As New is: a twisted perversion of the Holy Scriptures. Henson, Williams, and the members of “One” and “Ekklesia” should fear for their souls, because they not only are teaching things that are contrary to plain Bible teaching (even though they do so by attempting to deceive people into thinking just the opposite), but also promoting exactly what the inspired apostle John forbade: “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him he plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).

The truth is that we can know, without a doubt, what books belong in the Bible (see A.P. Staff, 2003) and that the Bible is understandable. Because of the work of respected Greek and Hebrew scholars, we can understand, in English, just what God wants us to know. For example, the King James Version is on a 12^th grade reading level, the New American Standard Bible is on a 10^th or 11^th grade level, and the New King James Version on an 8^th or 9^th grade level (“English Bible Translation…,” 2004; “Reading Levels of Various…,” n.d.). Religious people do not need a dangerous distortion of the Bible in order to overcome a perceived problem in comprehending the Gospel. People have been reading, understanding, and obeying the Bible for almost 2,000 years, with no help from John Henson or his makeshift group of translators.

REFERENCES

“A Radical and Readable New Translation” (2004), John Hunt Publications, [On-line], URL: http://www.o-books.net/goodasnew.htm.

“English Bible Translation Comparison” (2004), International Bible Society, [On-line], URL: http://www.gospelcom.net/ibs/bibles/translations/index.php.

“New Bible Translation Promotes Fornication” (2004), [On-line], URL: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39114.

“Reading Levels of Various Bible Translations,” (n.d.), [On-line], URL: http://www.bridgebuilders.4mg.com/bibles_reading_levels.htm.

A.P. Staff (2003), “The Canon and Non-Canonical Writings,” [On-line], URL: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/1972.

“The One Translation” (2004), [On-line], URL: http://one.gn.apc.org/Translation.htm.

“Who We Are” (2004), The “One” Council, [On-line], URL: http://one.gn.apc.org/whoweare.htm.

Copyright © 2004 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

We are happy to grant permission for items in the “Doctrinal Matters” section to be reproduced in their entirety, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) the author’s name must remain attached to the materials; (4) any references, footnotes, or end notes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (5) alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, quotations, etc. must be reproduced exactly as they appear in the original); (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558(334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org

A Spiritual Workout

by Pastor Kevin Sadler

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12,13).

Perhaps you have seen the Christian slogan, “Exercise Daily.  Walk with the Lord!”  Essentially, that is what the Apostle Paul is calling for when he requests for the Philippians to “work out your own salvation.”  When Paul makes this statement, he has already acknowledged that he is writing to “saints” (Philippians 1:1), to believers who were positionally in Christ, set apart from sin and set apart to God.  Paul does not say to “work for your own salvation,” but to work “out” the salvation God had already given them.  Scripture is clear that salvation today is all of grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).  Salvation must first be worked in before it can be worked out.

The Philippians are instructed here by Paul to “work out,” to put into practice in their daily experience what God had wrought in them by His Spirit.  When we trust the all-sufficient provision made for us by Christ’s death and resurrection, salvation is worked in by the Spirit (Titus 3:5).  And salvation is worked out by the Spirit through our faith and obedience to God’s Word (Romans 8:11).

Working out your salvation is about living the way you were saved: by grace through faith in Christ (Colossians 2:6).  Salvation is found in a Person.  Christ is our salvation.  At the moment of trusting Him alone for our salvation, Christ’s life is in-worked in us.  Paul says in Colossians 1:27 that all who have trusted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior have “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  After salvation from sin’s penalty, God desires Christ’s life to be outworked practically in our lives, so others see His life in our life.  As we do so through the Spirit’s power, by the Word, in faith, we work out our own salvation and our lives will exhibit Christ-like attributes (cf. Galatians 5:22,23).  To work out our salvation is also to live in victory over sin in our daily lives, experiencing salvation over sin’s power by God’s resurrection power within, living righteously in the life and freedom we have in Christ (Romans 6:1-13).

Verse 12 shows us there is human responsibility to our Christian lives as we are told to “work.”  Effort must be put into the Christian life, effort to grow, effort to know the Word, effort to pray, effort to serve, and effort to be in fellowship with others.  And Paul says that we are to work out our own salvation “with fear and trembling.”  These terms show us that the outworking of our salvation must be done realizing the seriousness of the Christian life in living before a lost and dying world.  We live “in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation [generation]” and God would have us shine brightly and boldly for Him “as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).  Working out our own salvation with fear and trembling also reminds us of our own weakness and inability to live the Christian life in our own strength.  We should rightly fear and distrust our own ability to meet God’s will and instruction.  We need to humbly trust in Him and not in ourselves to live godly lives.  By His power we work out our own salvation and can show Christ’s life in us.

Paul is talking about the believer’s practical, daily sanctification here and he shows both the believer’s responsibility and God’s role in it.  Verse 12 could not be carried out without the reality of verse 13.  We could never work out our own salvation and grow and mature to be more like Christ without God working in us.  God does not ask of us what we can’t do, and He Himself is our provision.  The Christian life is a process of “ins” and “outs.”  God works in and we work out.  As God works in us and we grow spiritually in Him and His Word and prayer, we then work out His life and light, serving Him and others.

I Thessalonians 2:13 says, “the Word of God…effectually worketh…in you that believe.”  God works in us by His Word, and changes our will and desires as we grow and apply it.  Our minds, attitude, priorities, worldview, and understanding of life are transformed by the Word of God.  Through it we learn to see the world through His eyes and feel with His heart.  As God works in us by the Word, His “will” becomes ours, and we will seek to “do” things of “His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  And to will and do of God’s good pleasure is about “Look[ing] not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4).  God’s will and desire is for us to put the needs of others first, in love, like Christ did for us at the Cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

In Ephesians 3:20, Paul writes, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  Paul says the unlimited power by which Almighty God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask in prayer is the same power that works in us.  So there is no limit to what God can do in and through you and me.  As God works in us, He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, or could ever conceive, or possibly imagine through you and me!