"Was It Good Enough for Paul and Silas?"

THE KING JAMES STUDY BIBLE

(If It Was Good Enough For Paul and Silas, It’s Good Enough For Me)

     I grew up in church, first a formalized denomination that I scarcely remember, then the Evangelical Free church and then the Assemblies of God.  My parents no doubt thought that I was absorbing the right lessons, but it wasn’t until I was about 15 years old that I accepted Jesus into my heart and was born again.   And believe me, before that happened, the Bible was not exactly on my list of things to do.

     Once I became a Christian, I was introduced to the mysterious world of which translation is the “authoritative Word of God.”   Kind of reminds you of that age old argument used by the Devil in the Garden of Eden, “Did God really say……?”  Throughout the centuries the serpent has made it his practice to cast aspersions on the Bible and one of his most tried and true tools is to confuse Christians as to which Bible to trust.

     Is the King James Version the only trustworthy Bible out there?  Well, not exactly.  Sometimes we treat it like it is, but the King James Version is nothing more than the version commissioned by King James the (?) of England in the year 1611.  It was not, as the popular joke goes among Christian young people, the one that was good enough for Paul and Silas.  They actually had nothing but the Old Testament and I can assure you it wasn’ t in King James English!  But for its time, it was a pretty good version and you can still buy it today at www.InHisHonor.org.  You can get it in leather, paper or hard bound editions.  You can get it in Giant Print or Ultra Slim.  You can listen to it on audio and you can compare it to other versions in the Parallel Bible.  Yessirree Bob, we have the King James version of the Bible in just about any format you might wish.

     But, at www.InHisHonor.org, we also have the New King James Version.  We have the New American Standard Bible, the Contemporary English version and the English Standard Version.  We have the Good News Bible and the Amplified Bible and the New American Standard Bible.  Each Bible has its proponents, but there is one thing all Bibles have in common.  They have all found a home on www.InHisHonor.org and we would like to find a good home for each Bible.

    Now, we’ve talked briefly about translations, but what about paraphrases?  Sometimes it helps to have a slightly clearer picture of a particular verse than we are getting at the moment.  It might be time to pick The Message by Eugene Peterson.  Mr. Peterson has assisted many thousands of Christians in gaining a clearer understanding of God’s Word.  It is of course wise to compare his paraphrase with a more authortitative version to make sure that the valid meaning of God’s Word is coming through.  Thank you Mr. Peterson for continuing in the fine tradition of the Living Bible of my youth!

    By this time, you are either ready to acquire a Bible, or you are possible still horribly confused about which version to try.  You can of course purchase a Bible from www.InHisHonor.org and just dive in, you could follow the advice of a close friend or family member or you can sample whatever your church offers.  But the most important lesson to take from this brief moment in time is that the Bible does no good whatsoever unless it jumps off the written page or off the audio soundtrack and into your heart, through either your eyes or your hears.  The Bible declares in Romans, that “Faith comes by hearing (or reading) and hearing (or reading) by the Word of God.”  In other words, you have to do more than just own a Bible or display it in your house, or tote it around with you.  You must open it and read it and spend time thinking about it.  The Bible is a road map.  It will tell you which is the right course of action.  It is a mirror.  It will reflect either an obedience to God in your life or a disregard for the consequences of sin.  It is sharper than any two edged sword and believe you me, should you be contemplating doing something that is not right, it will let you know right away!  If you don’t believe me, try lying to your spouse or your boss right after you read your Bible.  Try sneaking a peek at something you shouldn’t be looking at after you’ve spent time in the Word of God.  Try hating your neighbor or cussing up a storm or even saying an unkind word after you’ve been in the Word.

     But first you have to make it yours.  Stop by www.InHisHonor.org today and make one of our Bibles, your Bible…….TODAY!!!