Featured Vague Translations, Poor Translations and Mistranslations

If we look at Ephesians 2:5-10, we see Paul is teaching us of the benefits of being made alive together with Christ, that is placed into Christ spiritually by God, and being raised up, receiving His grace, salvation bought through Christ alone, and in Christ we are created (born anew) for good works. All of it focuses on God's provision, not ours.

Then Ephesians 2:11-22 provides more detail of what Christ alone has accomplished in which we benefit if we are in Christ. In Chapter 3, Paul tells us because of these benefits we have in Christ, we have boldness because of Christ's faithfulness, verse 12.

 

Improvement in the clarity of translation will be rejected by those whose views are based on reading into ambiguity. However, by considering the context of these verses, clarifying information can be derived, IMO.

1) Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved by means of Christ's faithfulness, thus the gift is not based on you, but on God."

2) 1Corinthians 2:14: "But an unspiritual man does not accept the solid food things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

3) Romans 3:11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD when sinning:

4) Acts of the Apostles 13:48: When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had accepted direction to eternal life believed.

5) James 2:5: Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor to the world, yet rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

6) 1 John 2:2 and he is the means of salvation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole of humanity.

 

Some people, rather than reading into ambiguity, rip a verse out of context, and apply it to support a false premise. Scripture is clear, we are to test the spirits to see if what they say is in accord with scripture, and we are not to tolerate false teachers.

2Peter 2:1 But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves

 

Ephesians 1:4: just as He chose us in Him corporately before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

Since before creation, we had not been created, we would not exist and therefore could not be chosen individually, but God did choose His redeemer, His "lamb of God" and therefore chose corporately those His redeemer would redeem.

2Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity

Here again God's foreknown plan of redemption is in view, thus everyone who has been placed into Christ, was chosen corporately according to His own purpose and grace before creation.

 

4) Acts of the Apostles 13:48: When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had accepted direction to eternal life believed.

This understanding of the Greek word "episteusan" as referring to an arrangement set by God, but accepted by those who took the direction and believed is based on study.

The word refers to an arrangement established by an authority and then agreed to by the person taking the direction.
Thus God establishes the criteria for governance, but godly governance reflects a government by those accepting the criteria. (Romans 13:1)

In Acts of the Apostles 22:10, Paul is told he will be given direction for what he is to do. In Acts of the Apostles 15:2, Paul and others were given direction to go up to Jerusalem. In Acts of the Apostles 28:23, direction was given for people to come and listen to Paul. In Luke 7:8 we have a soldier "placed" in authority who then "exercises" his authority and tells others where to go. So again the concept is taking the direction from an authority. Likewise, in Matthew 28:16, Jesus gives direction to meet someplace, and His disciples take that direction. Supernatural compulsion is never in view, it is a fiction thrown into the text.

 

Improvement in the clarity of translation will be rejected by those whose views are based on reading into ambiguity.

1) Ephesians 2:8: For by grace you have been saved by means of Christ's faithfulness, thus the gift is not based on you, but on God.

2) 1Corinthians 2:14: But an unspiritual man does not accept the solid food things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

3) Romans 3:11: THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD when sinning:

4) Acts of the Apostles 13:48: When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had accepted direction to eternal life believed.

5) James 2:5: Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor to the world, yet rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

6) 1 John 2:2: and he is the means of salvation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole of humanity.

7) John 6:37: All that the Father gives Me will arrive within Me, and the one transported to Me I will certainly not cast out.

 

Improvement in the clarity of translation will be rejected by those whose views are based on reading into ambiguity.

1) Ephesians 2:8: For by grace you have been saved by means of Christ's faithfulness, thus the gift is not based on you, but on God.

2) 1Corinthians 2:14: But an unspiritual person does not accept the solid foods of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

3) Romans 3:11: THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD when sinning:

4) Acts of the Apostles 13:48: When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had accepted direction to eternal life believed.

5) James 2:5: Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor to the world, yet rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

6) 1 John 2:2: and he is the means of salvation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole of humanity.

7) John 6:37: All that the Father gives Me will arrive within Me, and the one transported to Me I will certainly not cast out.

 

Rule 70!!

 

An "antecedent" of a pronoun is the specific person, place, thing or idea to which the pronoun refers. For example,
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [fn]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
In the above verse two pronouns (that and it) refer to a vague antecedent. The footnote in the NASB identifies that the antecedent is "salvation" but plenty of Calvinist writers claim the antecedent includes faith as a gift. (The other pronoun "it" has been added, thus in italics, to smooth out the sentence.)

Here I think the translators missed a bet, as instead of adding another vague pronoun (it) they could have added in italics "salvation." Thus the verse might be translated as "For by grace you have been saved by means of faith; and that not of yourselves, salvation is the gift of God. An even better translation choice would be to find the actual antecedent of "that" which is "gift." Thus the verse, properly and contextually translated might read, "For by grace you have been saved by means of Christ's faithfulness, thus the gift is not based on you, but on God."

 

RR now claims his mind reading ability includes "any legitimate translator." No kidding