The NIV  . . .  A Solid Tradition, but a Shaky Direction

In recent years, and continuing with the 2011 edition, the NIV (a translation that has long been a standard in many strong evangelical churches) has made some significant changes.  Those changes have caused many churches, including ours, to take another look at our use of the NIV.  In addition, Zondervan (the publisher of the NIV) has announced that they will no longer make the older NIV available for purchase.

This latest NIV, now the only one available for purchase, includes several examples of an agenda that is problematic for most conservative Christians.

Several examples:

In 1 Kings 9:5, the Lord promises David, “You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.”  In the newest NIV, it’s rendered, “You will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” The earlier translation is literally accurate.  The Hebrew word in the original is ‘iysh and means, specifically, a man.   The change violates the original language.

In Romans 16:1, instead of being called a “servant” of the church, in the new NIV Phoebe is called a “deacon.”   The New Testament makes it clear that the role of deacon is reserved for men.  No doubt Phoebe served, and her service was valuable, but she would not have held the office of deacon.

Further, the newest NIV translation introduces some truly odd grammar, as in Romans 4:8, which the 1984 NIV translates, accurately, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”  But, in order to avoid the masculine pronoun “him”, the newest NIV renders the language into “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”   The mixing of the singular “one” and plural “them” is simply bad grammar, as well as bad translation.

Also, Proverbs 27:17, in the original Hebrew, as in the older NIV, challenges men to challenge other men, at times directly and forcefully.  The verse correctly reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  The newest NIV, once again violating the underlying Hebrew, presents the verse as, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

In its quest for acceptability and “gender neutrality”, Zondervan has headed off in a direction that we cannot follow.  And again, the older NIV will no longer be available for purchase.  We must seek out a different translation for our study of the Word.

Therefore, in the days ahead, as Pastor, I will be preaching from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (the HCSB), a translation that was prepared and published by some of our nation’s finest conservative Bible scholars.  We will be replacing our pew bibles with the HCSB soon after the first of the year.

Many of our Life Group teachers have been using this translation for the last few years, and I recommend it for your own individual study as well.

Richard Powell
Senior Pastor

Dear Church Family,

God has given you and me two precious and eternal treasures to bless us with eternal and abundant life!

First, God has given us the gift of His precious Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle John called Him the Living Word. He became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. It was through the Living Word of God that we received forgiveness of sin, the peace of God, and eternal life. Through Jesus, the Living Word, God gave us the righteousness of Christ.

Secondly, God has given us the gift of His written Word, the Bible. Every word, from Genesis to Revelation, is God-breathed by His Holy Spirit and is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Paul told Timothy that the Scripture would help us 1) to know what to believe; 2) to discern what not to believe; 3) to learn what we should do; 4) to understand what we should not do. Through the wisdom of His inspired Word, God transforms our character into the character of Christ.

This guide is a simple Bible study plan and guide to prayer for our church. As your pastor, I encourage and challenge you to follow it every day of the year. God’s Spirit will teach you through His Word. As you live each day according to His truth, you will experience, in growing measure, God’s peace and joy. Most importantly, you will be transformed more fully into the character of your Lord and Savior, Jesus!

Devotedly your pastor,

Dr. Richard Powell

Senior Pastor