The bible: Is it really the truth?

Question

Isn't it true that man has changed the bible?

I believe that it was once a message from god..

but the bible has been changed 100's of time...

why are their so many different bibles now? shouldn't there be only one?

I once went to the library to read the bible... but when i was reading i noticed alot it was a short description of some story or person... then it has a reference saying "to find out more read this book"... why there need to be one book is bible is the answer?

Why are there 100's of different versions of the bible and new version come out every month.... If bible is the truth then there should be one and it should have been original and not changed by man... because men would change the word of god to fit their needs?

The bibles i have read says on the cover by: Some Author...

To me these signs enough show me that if man changed bible then the true Christianity is changed by man too!
the bible was gods word but changed by man to fit their needs?

beside all the comment... no one has answered anyoof my questions...

so the nazi bible is also saying the truth?

Answer 1

The Bible has been handed down to us for many years. Biblical scholars claim there are many additions to it and many changes in it. I know not about any of that. But I do know this: The Bible does contain Truth. Perhaps the men who collected and canonized the Scriptures did so in ignorance -- and perhaps not in ignorance -- I do not know about that.

I do know this: God often uses even ignorant men as His instruments to accomplish His own purposes -- purposes of which those ignorant men are not even aware. There may be other writings in the world that contain Truth other than the ones collected in the Bible. Some of the other ancient Hebrew literature may also contain Truth. I don't know as I've never read any of it, but I do know the nation of Israel was chosen to record the oracles of God.

A book is not the Word of God merely because it has the word "Bible" as its title. Be very careful about which Bible you're reading. Investigate the one you have and make very certain that it's a translation of the original writings and not a paraphrase. A translation changes the words of a language into the nearest meaning of those words in another language.

A translation can be updated at any time by revising the words that have become obsolete with more modern and understandable words that have the same meaning -- with words that are synonyms of the obsolete words. A paraphrase, on the other hand, gives a "free translation," that is, a complete re-wording. A paraphrase of the Bible is an exegetical work and contains the interpretation of the man or men who paraphrased it. A paraphrase of the Bible is not the Word of God, but it is the word of man.

The Word of God cannot be corrupted, and it has not been corrupted. A translation of the Bible is the Word of God and is not corrupted. A paraphrase is corrupted, but it is not the Word of God. Though the Devil's power is limited in the fact that he is not able to corrupt the Word of God, he is not prevented from writing his own book -- and calling it a Bible.

Many poor, unsuspecting people will eat and digest the "leavened bread" in a paraphrase, trusting it to be the Word of God -- because it has the word "Bible" written on its cover. But remember that the Word of God said, "...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are Life." [John 6:63] There are many hidden Truths in those Words, and those Truths are able to give Life. But when those Words are paraphrased, they are changed from the Word of God to the word of man -- drained of all Truth, Spirit, and Life.

Answer 2

Other than Peterson "the message" translation I have never seen a bible with an author on the cover. The Message is not a bible it is simply one mans easy translation. As far as the other "versions" again it is all about translation. Mark Twain once wrote a story about a frog jumping contest it was translated into french for a newspaper then retranslated back to english BY HIM and guess what it wasn't the same story (as a matter of fact it was badly mangled) that is what has happened with the bible MOST translations are VERY good and the only differences are in the "age" of the language translated (for instance the 1611KJV is translated into King James English common to the time at 1611 well this is not the way english is spoken now so the NASB or the NIV are both attempts to translate the bible into more modern english. Other bibles might have "Names" on them not as to the Author but as who wrote the COMENTARY that is on the bottom or side of the bible. (such as the Nelson Study Bible) The Bible is the UNFALLIBLE true and compleat word of God it can be believed as long as you are reading a reputable Translation. This does not include any translations that were specifically written AFTER the person tried to start a "new religion" (like the Jehovah Witness "translations" or the Mormon book) The ones I have found to have a Good Easy to read format for Todays English are the NASB and the NIV the NKJV is also pretty good .The KJV1611 is beautifull but very hard to read if you have not studied it alot. They all say the same thing. It is kind of like if I say

Hi or Hello it is the same thing well one translation may say Hi and the other Hello ... does that make one wrong? NO of course not.

Answer 3

I believe that the Bible is the truth...I mean really. God talks to me through His word. The Bible is God's love letters to us, written by humans but inspired by God.

Man has changed the Bible but the message is the same. It has been changed only to keep the language understandable. Because there is so many words in this language that tell the same thing, different flavor.

I think it is great to have so many Bibles. I love it!! I used to like the Rainbow Bible the best, but now I love the Message Bible the best...all of them tell the same thing, a little bit different words. I think it is great to be able to find the Bible that fits to your personality the best. Many people like the King James version...I would not ever read it...I have one, but that is for checking things up...and they are the same..really!! I love that I can read different versions. I have at least ten different Bibles...and they are the same really.

When you love the word of Lord, you really want to learn the core of His teachings...that is why I think that there are a lot of different references. All the answers are in the Bible, you are right...it is just so interesting to read other peoples observations...

The Bible is the same, really. If you read these different Bibles, you would notice that. I think that is great.

IF YOU WROTE THE BOOK...WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR NAME ON IT?? You cannot claim that you wrote the Bible, but you might have some day some people to look up to you and wanting to know what are your thoughts about it. I always want to hear different poit of views.

Your last paragraph is false. Christianity is not changed by man nor is the Bible. Jesus came to the earth to free us from religions, He wanted to teach us to have the personal relationship with God. Remember, religions cannot save you, Jesus can..so pay attention to His word. REALLY : )

Answer 4

The Bible has limitations. In the fourth century Arius of Alexandria wrote a variation on the New Testament. His premise was the Jesus was a man to be followed, but not divine. His manuscripts later formed the basis for some translations starting with the Revised Standard Version.

True Christianity did change over the centuries. The authority of the apostles was lost when the church became a political institution. But the underlying prinicpals are still there. The words of Christ are true and are still contained in the Bible. It is necessary to ponder and pray about what you read. If you ask Heavenly Father in sincerity and faith, you will get a comformation if it is true.

Answer 5

I'm sure you probably know by now, but you'll get just about any answer you want from this place from people who haven't thought through what they believe and can't back up their statements. Trusting these people so blindly is a dangerous proposition, so my suggestion?

Research for yourself. Test the people who tell you what's right and wrong. How trustworthy are they, and do they really know what they're talking about?

Now to the question itself. The different versions out there imply that the English language itself isn't static, but that there are diffferent philosophies toward how the English language should be presented. However, it's incorrect to assume that because there are different versions, the message itself is lost. For instance, if I say, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." And then I say, "They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished," that's two ways of trying to get a similar message across, but the idea is the same, isn't it?

Some philosophies emphasize readability, so that the young or novice reader wouldn't be intimidated by the difficult language. Other versions emphasize correctness over readability for the scholars who want to get the translation that's the closest to its original source. However, if you read both, you'll see that the differences don't change the basic meaning. But if you want to listen to those who say that this is the basis for the Bible being completely false, that's your choice to believe them or not, but their conclusion is hasty.

The other point to consider is that those who say the Bible is false and man-made base it on the assumption that God doesn't exist, which is a circular argument. If they already assume God doesn't exist, of course the Bible would be false, and it's completely man-made. But can they prove that assumption? You'll find that if you prod a bit harder on their proof that God doesn't exist, their claims don't hold up.

So the bottom-line is, questions about God aren't easy to figure out, but just because it's not easy doesn't mean there isn't a right answer. I hope you find the answers you're looking for.

Answer 6

We have enough ancient manuscripts and fragments to establish that the text is essentially the same as it was when it was written.

Yes, it is frustrating that there are so many different versions. Do you speak more than one language? Sometimes an exact translation can't be made. For instance the Spanish "Yo como pan" can be translated "I eat bread" or "I am eating bread." You can translate "I am eating bread" as "Yo como pan" or "Yo estoy comiendo pan." All are correct translations.

This is a complication in the King James Bible. Most of the translators were Calvinists (they believe that we can't hear the Gospel and make our own decision to be saved; God chooses us by giving us the understanding and desire to be saved--He doesn't do that for most people). A Greek word that can mean "chosen" or "choice" was often translated "chosen," indicating that saved people are chosen by God, when it can equally and sometimes better be translated as choice, as in USDA Choice, or special. In other words, saved people are special to God. Big difference in meaning and implication; small difference in translation. And both translations are correct for that word.

(I don't blame them; I would translate it differently because I believe that is what God intended to say--and that's all they did.)

Another problem with translators today is that some concepts don't carry over well into other cultures. Bruce Olson went to the Motelone Indians in (Venezuela?) (He wrote the book Brutchko--great reading!) and translated the Bible. They had no word for "believe" (or "faith"), but they built very tall longhouses and slept in hammocks 30 or so feet in the air. So he translated "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" as "hang your hammock on the Lord Jesus Christ" (or something similar--it's been a few years since I've read it)--not an exact word-for-word translation, but it conveyed the meaning quite nicely.

Further complicating the picture is the fact that a certain % of the text must be changed in order for the rewrite to be copyrightable, and the translators want to make money, so they make changes that aren't necessary, coveting money at the expense of Truth.

The King James Bible is pretty good; just don't let it suck you into Calvinism. Also don't get sucked into the King James Only movement (they basically believe God re-inspired the Word through the KJV translators and that it is word-for-word from God).

If you want an overview, read the Living Bible. It's a paraphrase rather than a translation, but it's very easy to read.

Remember--for all the differing versions, there is still no disagreement on the major doctrines--we know what the original manuscripts said. The problem is in properly translating them into English.

The Salvation Army gives away any Bibles that are given to them.

Answer 7

That is because bible are translated into different languages and also some version are actually being translated from word to word while some is like they just wanna bring out the full meaning of what each sentence is saying about whereas some is like they roughly get wat each book is saying then they phrase it in their own word and write out..So it depend on at what level of understanding do you want at some point of time and which you feel more comfortable at?? And it is not changed by man but by God for God do give revelation to man and you would certainly want to share this unique understanding you have acquired to other people and not just keep it to yourself. Therefore, i just wanna tell you that the bible is truly real and is the word of God and every numbers and why is it being done and say has a great meaning in it and if you want to know,you got to ask God for it and He will show you in a unique way which could be different from others.

Answer 8

The bible is made of several books and was written by several different groups of people. If you review the language, you can differentiate.

The Old Testament was generated by a nomadic tribe who referred to their God as 'Yahweh' or YHWH. It is an oral history and interpretation.

The New Testament was generated in another time and there God if referred to as 'Lord' or 'God' and has significantly different tenets than the Old Testament.

The main editions that are available today are transcriptions from the original Hebrew and Greek into Roman and English (King James version). Any abridged versions are to simplify and lower printing costs or edited for the specific denomination.

Hello - the original bible was written by a man.

I think youre missing the point, its not about literal translation, its a moral guideline to follow based on your (hopefully) accurate and personal interpretation.

Answer 9

yes the bible is true. There are so many versions because it is for understanding the bible better, which it doesn't that each version is true. But the most reliable is the KIng James version. So instead of having the translation difficult to understand people decided to rewrite the bible so that people could relate to the writing style more. Like the Message bible is for teens and youth it uses the language of today. But it doesn't mean its true version

Answer 10

It's true, there are many versions, but it all has the same message.

The Bible has not been altered but it's physical appearance has changed to fit the technology at that time. It was once on scrolls, then and still it is a book, and more recently, you can read listen to it on audio cds.