As a retired but active Baptist minister, I have several Bibles in my possession.
That’s not just because I like to have a lot of Bibles, but because each Bible is in a different translation. Of course, my first preaching Bible was the King James Bible.
Back when I was growing up, if anyone had a Bible, it was the King James Version. All the newer versions did not come along until I was in Junior High School.
Now let me clarify myself, the King James Version was first printed in the year 1611 and was the first Bible translation that put the Bible into the hands of the common man. Of course there were many older versions than the King James and there have been many translations since the King James Version and many of those have been translated into the mirriad translations of languages throughout the world.
But the reason for my many Bibles is that each translation, created for various purposes and reasons, helps to give meaning and clarity for the Scriptures of the King James translation.
Some translations are what we call “more technical”, meaning they are very closely aligned with the original languages of the Bible, the Hebrew language for the Old Testament, and the Greek language for the New Testament. And many versions today are of a more modern translation, meaning, though closely aligned with the original languages, they are more akin to the languages spoken by modern man, translations that are easily read and understood.
One of the earliest versions was the “J. B. Phillips New Testament in Modern Language”. Soon after that, in an effort to bring yet more clarity to the Scriptures was the “Good News For Modern Man”.
Both of these versions translated the New Testament before the Old Testament, but now the full Bible can be found in both versions, plus the many other translations, depending upon what you are looking for in a Study Bible or in an easy to read Bible.
And if I may say, so many now are accompanied with commentary and study resources that seek to give the reader a more clearer understanding of the Word of God.
But the Bible that I love above all others is the Bible that my father used.
Now it’s in the King James Version, he didn’t ask for a newer translation until several years before his passing, but this Bible is special to me simply because it was my Father’s Bible.
Now my father was a banker, and he wasn’t quite the “scholar” that his son is, (ahem, ahem), but he did read and mark certain verses in his Bible.
Two of these verses are in the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah 7:14, which reads, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall be called, Immanuel.” And the over verse is Isaiah 9:6, which reads, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Folks, those are two wonderful verses to mark in your Bible because they tell us of a Savior, whose name is Jesus Christ, who came to earth to save us from our sins and secure for us a seat in His Heavenly Kingdom.
I asked my father one day, if he knew Jesus Christ as his Savior, and he assured me that he did.
Dad never was a deacon in the church, nor an officer who held a position, but being a banker, and a bank president, he was one who was called upon to take up the offerings in the collection plates and then to count and to deposit the money into the Church’s bank account.
Therefore, he was a very trusted person in the church.
Now listen, it’s not the position that you hold in a church, nor is it even if you are the pastor of the congregation.
What will hold your place in the kingdom of heaven is that you have invited Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior.
Have you made that decision? Because there is no more important decision that you can make than to ask Jesus to be your Savior.
Won’t you do that today?
