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"Christ Died for the Ungodly": From Creation to Christ Psalm 90:2 | |
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Salvation Message |
Church InformationFellowship Baptist Church22 Zulker Avenue, P.O. Box 368 Local ChurchIf you do not live within reasonable traveling distance to Fellowship Baptist Church, then you can find other independent baptist churches in your area through an independent baptist church directory at BaptistInfo. You can also use the Yellow Pages to find independent baptist or Bible churches. When choosing a church to attend, visit various independent baptist or Bible churches and select one that believes the entire Bible. Also, choose a church that has a pastor and mature Christians that know how to interpret and apply the Bible accurately and faithfully. Bible versions and the Local ChurchI do not recommend attending churches that hold to a King James Version Only position on the Bible as preached or as a part of their doctrinal statement, since I believe that teaching is a tradition of man rather than a Biblical truth. However, if there are no other independent baptist or Bible churches that are not King James Version Only in your area, then choose a church that preaches the Bible the most accurately even if it holds to a King James Only position. There are varying degrees of the King James Only position. The King James Only positions that I am arguing against are the belief that the King James Version is a perfect translation and the belief that the King James Version is the only reliable Bible translation and all other modern translations are corrupt. God has promised to preserve His Word (the Bible) (Isaiah 40:8), but He did not describe the exact process. If a church prefers to use the King James Version over other translations because that is their most familiar Bible translation, then that is acceptable to me. However, churches should take into consideration that modern versions, such as the New King James Version, are easier to understand since there are archaic words (old words that are no longer used or are used today with a different meaning) in the King James Version. Further, I do not think the King James Version as a translation is word for word perfect, which would be considered double inspiration. Only the original writings of Scripture were inspired by God (2 Peter 1:21) and are therefore word for word perfect. We do not possess the actual original manuscripts today. However, we do possess meticulous copies of complete or incomplete original Old Testament manuscripts made by the Jewish Masoretes and thousands of copies of complete or incomplete original New Testament manuscripts made by Christians. The Bible is by far the most supported document of any ancient writing. We can have confidence in the translations of Scripture that accurately translate the text-type copies. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew with some parts in Aramaic. Most Old Testament Bible translations today are translated from the Masoretic Text. The New Testament was written in Greek. There are different Greek text-types. The key issue is which is the most reliable Greek text-type? The Greek text-type I personally prefer is the Byzantine text-type as represented by the Majority Text and the Received Text, which are derived from many later copies, over the Alexandrian text-type as represented by the Critical Text, which is derived from a small amount of more ancient copies. There has been much written recently about translations of the Bible. One good source of information that supports my view is Darkness to Light Ministries. I personally prefer to use the New King James Version since it updates the wording of the King James Version and uses the Received Text (a variant of the Byzantine text-type) exactly as the King James Version for the New Testament. Other translations that use the Minority Text for the New Testament, such as the New American Standard Bible (NASB), can be profitable as well since one translation may more accurately translate a particular verse than another, but only when the underlying Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek is the same. When the Bereans first heard the salvation message, they verified that message with the Scriptures (Acts 17:10-11). We should do likewise with any teaching that is presented to us (1 Thessalonians 5:21). My exact position on Bible versions is my own and may not reflect the position on Bible versions of others who attend Fellowship Baptist Church. Written by Matt Hancock |
"... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:22-24) |
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