Bible Text: Isaiah 40:8 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living |

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

There’s another translation released by a British group known as “One”; however, reading only a few passages from the translation quickly splinters any thoughts of being “one” into groups which will never unite. How so? The translation, which has the support of Dr. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury, makes its own rules, interpreting passages of Scripture to blend with their biases instead of asking, “How can we convey the truth of what God has given to us to our generation?”

WorldNetDaily, a British news service, describes the translation, known as Good as New, as spurning “traditional core beliefs about sex and morality.” An example is 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 which says, “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” The Good as New version, which is really about as bad as it gets, translates it as follows: “If you know you have strong needs, get yourself a partner. Better than being frustrated” (Christian Examiner, Vol. 15, No. 8, August, 2004, p. 1).

The practice of ignoring what the text of Scripture really says in favor of making it say what you want it to say is about as old as the history of the Christian church. Way back in the mid second century, a few renegades tried that as well. Marcion, a second century heretic, decided to bring together the books of the Bible which he liked, excluding everything he didn’t like, taking scissors to anything he disliked (such as Paul’s teaching on marriage).

So the world laughed at him, and ignored his brazen attempt to mess with what God had given, right? Wrong. A lot of people bought into the heresy and followed him.

But his error also prompted godly men to rise up and say, “Enough!” And guided by the Holy Spirit, they began to bring together the 27 books of the New Testament, ones that you find in your Bible today.

Changing or rejecting what you dislike is akin to taking jelly beans for an illness instead of the sour-tasting medicine your doctor prescribes, or starting on a long journey with your knapsack full of junk food when you have a long trek across a desert.

Redefining the length of a mile or kilometer doesn’t change the actual distance. And those who buy into error because it endorses their lifestyles only kid themselves. They are like a doctor’s patient who dislikes what the CAT scan shows and prefers to find an artist who will paint a picture of health and strength.

The fact is that the dour, dark words you sometimes find in Scripture are there to help you see yourself as you really are, as God sees you, not as you like to think of yourself or how your friends see you. The Bible says bluntly, “All have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory.” It doesn’t suggest “a few,” or even “many.” It draws an all-encompassing circle—spelled ALL. That excludes none. So Paul writes, “There is none that does good!”

Frankly, I’m not too concerned about anything that has the endorsement of a liberal such as Rowan Williams. It’s much like a farm boy who needed money for school so he took a job at the local fair selling vitamins. When he could gather a crowd, he touted what the vitamins could do—build your muscles, give you endurance, make you strong. A farmer hearing the spiel asked, “Son, do you take that stuff!” “Yes, sir, I do,” replied the boy. “Then I don’t want none of it,” he barked, and walked away.

Enough said! Resource reading: 2 Timothy 3