Wrong Translation Of The Bible: Wrong Understanding

For there are three that bear witness in heaven:

the Father, the word, and the Holy Spirit,

and these three are one.

And there are three that bear witness on earth,

the Spirit, the water, and the blood;

and these three agree as one.

I we receive the witness of men,

the witness of God is greater;

for this is the witness of God which

He has testified of His Son.

he who believes in the Son of God

has the witness in himself; he who does not

believe God has made Him a liar, because he

has not believed the testimony that God

has give of His Son.

1John 5:7–10

            These verses quoted above have been in the center of controversy for many years and are still controversial today. Maybe you too have some concern over them, especially verse seven. The conservative Christian who desires to hold to the orthodoxy of Christianity, and those who are liberal Christians who, in the case of these verses hold to heterodoxy make for confusion among congregants. Verse seven as written in the Textus Receptus, the version for the Authorized King James Version and the New King James version is different from such versions as the NIV, ESV, ASV. The 1901 edition of the ASV translates verses 7& 8: “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 8 For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.”  The ESV translates verses 7 & 8: “⁷ For there are three that testify: ⁸ the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.” The NIV version translates verses 7 &8: “⁷ For there are three that testify: ⁸ the^[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” The Authorized King James Version translates verses 7 & 8:” For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.⁸ And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” The New King James version translates verses 7 & 8: “7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” The NIV, ESV, and the ASV are translations from the Critical Text (there is no such single Critical Text for the Critical text is a composite from many sources including the Textus Receptus) and one such large difference is that the NIV, ESV, and the ASV leave out the words in verse seven “in heaven.” Furthermore the NIV, ESV, and the ASV also state the three “are in agreement.” By leaving out the fact that the three are witness in heaven, and that they are only in agreement and not one is telling of Gnostic influence or neo–Platonism which had its school in Alexandria, Egypt and where even Origen a church father attended and had great influence on his theology. The NIV, ESV, and the ASV demote Jesus as being God, and to be a separate being who is only in agreement and not One in the Godhead. The Greek word: “εἰσιν” is a copula word which connects or links together the subject with the verb establishing the identity between the subject and the predicate. Why is this so important? It is for two reasons: 1. Either Jesus Christ is the same essence as the Father; one in Person in the Godhead as is the Holy Spirit therefore there is a Trinity. 2. And it does matter as to which translation you are reading for if your translation denigrates or demotes Jesus Christ in some manner, what you are reading and assimilating will have an affect upon you and your theology. This was a problem for Arius who held that Jesus Christ was a created being, divine, yes, but still not the God.

            Athanasius (297 A.D. – 373 A.D.) bishop of Alexandria who was not affected by neo–Platonism nor Gnosticism and who defended the orthodoxy of the Church was a chief exponent of the Orthodox view and held that Jesus had existed from all eternity with the Father, although He was a distinct personality. This he wrote in his work, De Incarnatione. Athanasius insisted upon this view of Jesus Christ for if Jesus Christ was less than what He stated then Jesus could not be the Savior of Men. You see, it is the salvation of men, eternal salvation that is involved in the relationship of the Father and the Son. Athanasius held that Jesus Christ was coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial with the Father. Athanasius suffered five exiles due to his views before his death. This was a heated and highly debated question: Who was Jesus Christ and what was His relationship with the Father.

            God has witnessed as to who His Son was and that our belief in the Son who has testified to the truth of who He is. We are not destitute to the truth, without the words of God telling us that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that Jesus Christ is God, one in essence with the Father albeit having His own personality. Does it matter as to which translation you use? YES!

Whoever believes that Jesus is

            The Christ is born of God,

And everyone who loves Him who

            Begot also loves him who

Is begotten of Him.

                                    1John 5:1

Show love for your brothers and Sisters in Christ

Richard L. Crumb