Featured Vague Translations, Poor Translations and Mistranslations

No, of course not. I like the practice, because it allows information in the Greek to be brought into the English to eliminate ambiguity. My caution is simply that sometimes an interpretation, such as mine, can miss the mark.

 

James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor [fn]of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
footnote: Lit "to the"
Note in post 111 the italics have been deleted from the NASB20 rendering. "To be" is in italics to show it was added and not part of the actual text. So God chose those who were poor according to the world's standards, yet rich in faith. Thus the non-ambiguous version eliminates the corruption of the text upon which Calvinism's false doctrines are supported. If God chooses individuals who are rich in faith, then their election is based in part on their individual characteristic, a conditional election. So of course, the Calvinist choir sings endless verses of their old standard, "Taint so."

 

Has God has determined from eternity to save a definite number of mankind, i.e. foreseen individuals? This bogus assertion assumes Ephesians 1:4, where God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, refers to individuals. But this verse refers to "us" as being chosen as the target group, those to be redeemed, not individually but corporately.

The reason this has to be a corporate election, rather than a definite number of foreseen individuals, is that God chooses individuals during our lifetime. James 2:5 says God chooses the poor in the eyes of the world, those rich in faith, those who are heirs to the kingdom promised to those who love Him. All three of these conditions occur during our lifetime, we accept Christ and toss out the treasures of this world, we put our faith in the surpassing glories of heaven, thus rich in faith, and we devote ourselves to Christ, loving Christ with all our heart, mind and soul.

Next we pile on 2 Thessalonians 2:13 which says we are chosen through faith in the truth. Faith comes from hearing. So we must be alive, living somewhere to hear and put our trust in Christ in order to be chosen through faith in the truth.

Next we pile on 1 Corinthians 1:26-30. God puts us in Christ, it is His doing, we do not do it. But He puts us in Christ during our lifetime, choosing those that disregard the world's value system for God's value system, opposing the proud but giving grace to the humble.

Next, we have 1 Peter 2:9-10 which says we are chosen, i.e. receive mercy, after we have lived without mercy. Once we were not a people, but now we are a people. Again this puts our individual election during our lifetime after we have lived without mercy.

Next, we are by nature, children of wrath, Ephesians 2:3. But no charge (the cause of wrath) can be brought against the elect, Romans 8:33. So again, we are chosen, elected after we have lived without mercy as a child of wrath.

Ephesians 1:4, "just as God chose those of us now located in Him corporately before the foundation of the world, as the target group of His Redemption plan, that we would be holy and blameless when subsequently placed in Him.

 

Ever notice how Calvinists change the subject? The issue was whether "chosen the poor "to the" world" was biblical, and I supported that it is based on a NASB20 footnote. So now that issue is ignored and they are off on another tangent... Go figure

 

James 2:5, God chose those who were poor to the world, or were poor in the judgment of the world.
Discernment...

 

Yet another false charge, as God's description from scripture is all knowing...
Corporate election of group with a common characteristic, such as the descendants of Abraham, is found through-out scripture. Denial of this obvious fact reflects use of a disingenuous argument. God is not diminished, His sovereignty is expanded to reflect His word.

 

New International Version
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Here "before the creation of the world" is an opinion, not fact.
New Living Translation
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
Here "before he made the world" is an opinion, not fact.
English Standard Version
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Ambiguous as to whether God chose us corporately or individually. Thus the cause of false doctrine.
King James Bible
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Ambiguous as to whether God chose us corporately or individually. Thus the cause of false doctrine.
New King James Version
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Ambiguous as to whether God chose us corporately or individually. Thus the cause of false doctrine.
New American Standard Bible
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Ambiguous as to whether God chose us corporately or individually. Thus the cause of false doctrine.
NASB 1995
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Ambiguous as to whether God chose us corporately or individually. Thus the cause of false doctrine.
NASB 1977
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love
Ambiguous as to whether God chose us corporately or individually. Thus the cause of false doctrine.​