Should we go to the Greek?

[bibleprotector]

Can Greek be used as a help to define, understand or clarify a word or passage?

If it could be, then there would be no point of God giving us His Word in English, because it would not have the full conceptual authority in English.

If we cannot know certainly what our Bible says and means in English (because of restrictions, such as further meaning in the Greek), then God is not all powerful, and His providence is a failure.

I know one, who, in the past, on several occasions attempted to understand the Bible and its doctrine by looking up the meaning of Greek or Hebrew words. But I think that this is wrong and unnecessary.

Has God really failed to get the full import of the Gospel, right down to the jot and tittle, and every meaning perfect in English?

“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Peter 1:25).

The full measure of God’s revelation of the Scripture must be fully given to us in English, and must be for the whole world (which has English as the common tongue).

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18).

We cannot even know what jot and tittles belong, and what exactly is to be fulfilled, if we are yet relying upon the mysterious “authority” of the Hebrew and Greek (where there is no standard edition to the nth degree, and where there is no certain meaning which may be accessed by Christians generally, let alone the world universally). But since we have an accurate English Bible which we can understand, so likewise may we believe and see everything it says fulfilled. (Otherwise how can we know when God brings to pass any promise, since we would not be certain as to what the promises actually are, which is to say, having a perfect Word leads to perfect faith.)

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

If God has caused His Word to come forth to the world in English, then the English Bible must be perfect. It must be completely perfect as an entity, which would mean that perfection of knowledge of its meaning would not require or necessitate any knowledge of the Scripture contained in any other language. (However, this should not mean that knowing Scripture in another language is a mark of antichrist, rather, it is to be counted as dung. To do good is not of antichrist, but to do good without Christ is as dung.)

Moreover, whereas the King James Bible translators were well versed in other languages, (and many godly men since), we see that God’s providential outworking was there with their translation. But once they translated, what need had they for further translating? And now, once we have the purified presentation of the King James Bible, agreed and settled, why would we think that interpretation of the Scripture requires or finds any edification in looking into the original languages?

It should be a truth to us that INTERPRETATION IS BASED UPON THE AUTHORITY OF THE ENGLISH SCRIPTURE ALONE, and the Holy Ghost’s use of godly teachers in the true Church of the same.

Finally, Zephaniah 3:9 is talking about Biblical English. The English of the King James Bible is indeed pure. It is clear that Bible Hebrew was not a “mongrel language”, and that while English may indeed be “a coat of many colours”, nevertheless, by this seemingly foolish notion of a Gentile tongue should God cause His Gospel to be preached in great power and glory, even in this present time (soon at hand). That is the historicist meaning of “for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” (Zephaniah 3:8b). Of course, there is also a Millennial meaning of the prophecy, but the Scripture says there are “times of refreshing” (note “times” plural), so the Restitution is not just in the Millennium, but for Christians before even the Great Tribulation, i.e. in this present dispensation. (Peter boldly claimed such promises already for his day, how much more should we, when iniquity does abound!)