Changing the Bible to accommodate our culture

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."- 2 Timothy 2:15, 16 kjv

Do we need a Bible so simple that even a pagan–someone with no religious orientation–can pick it up and understand it clearly? Frankly, that’s hardly a fair question because you could argue rather strongly from either side of that issue. But the question leads us to confront a much deeper issue: How far should Bible translators go in their quest to give us a Bible so simple that anyone can pick it up and read it with understanding? And another question: By the time some modern translators finish with their product, do we still have a Bible that is trustworthy?

The desire of Bible translators to provide a text in clear contemporary language is worthy. But in the translation process, we are sometimes losing some biblical concepts which, I am convinced, will always be incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Note in your English Bibles how terms such as redemption, grace, propitiation and regeneration are being replaced with synonyms that don’t convey their true depth of meaning. No one can translate without interpreting. Simply put, every translator has a bias. For those who believe that the Bible is God-breathed and was given by the direction of the Holy Spirit, conveying the truth of every word is important.

Who said that there should be a Bible so simple that a pagan would understand it? That’s like saying a chemistry textbook should be so simple that I could understand it without studying it, allowing me to skip the first year of chemistry and polish off the second year at the first try.

Obviously the analogy is ridiculous. So is the quest to simplify the Bible to the level of our culture and pagan understanding. There are magnificent truths that will never be made so simple that the first-year Bible student can grasp them. Changing the terminology would also change the meaning, leaving us with much less than a full understanding of Scripture.

Shortly before his execution, Paul wrote the young man Timothy, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, kjv). Studying is hard work. It means digging out the text, checking the commentaries, reading the margin references, and going beyond the headlines.

Forget the shortcuts. There are rich rewards for the one who goes deeper into the Word, the one who really wants to know God’s revelation of Himself. - Resource Reading: 2 Timothy 2