As I converse online with many christians most days, I am reminded of just how many different flavors of christianity there are—the myriad different interpretations and teachings that get parroted, and are based on human thought and downright deception.
I even saw one christian comment that, as long as someone is striving to live a holy life, it’s perfectly fine for him to have only 70 to 90 percent correct doctrine. He literally quantified it like that. In what other field would we see that as acceptable? How about the surgeon who will perform your next surgery? Would it be fine if his surgical knowledge was only 70% correct?
The truths of the Holy Spirit are singular. He does not give varying versions of His truths to different people. So, when there is doctrinal disagreement, either one side is right and the other is wrong, or they are both wrong. In the realm of christianity, the latter is usually the case.
One of the sources of error in christianity is in believing their English bible contains the very words of the Holy Spirit. When someone holds that erroneous regard for their translation of scripture, they will often base their beliefs on their understanding of English words, when the actual words of scripture (original languages) often mean something much different than what the English version they are reading even suggests.
Often, these bible-idolaters will scoff at the true meanings provided through a study of the individual Hebrew and Greek words, and state that the “truth is right there in my KJV.” Not only is it an intellectually stunted view of truth, it is both arrogance and laziness to assert that what one’s English translation states is the ultimate standard of truth. They often pervert the actual meaning of Psalm 12 to be speaking of their KJV. That passage has nothing to do with any translation of scripture—as no scripture has EVER been inspired by the Holy Spirit in English.
A lack of distinction between the LOGOS (Hebrew: DABAR) “Word” and the RHEMA (Hebrew: IMRAH) “word” fuels a lot of false teachings—christians proclaiming that their English translation is the “word,” and not understanding that the “Word” (dabar/logos) is a living being who inspired the “words” (imrah/rhema) of the ORIGINAL scriptures.
At best, their English versions are just translations of the “rhema,” but christians misinterpret passages about the LOGOS Word as if those passages are speaking of their bible, which turns their English bibles into idols, for there are no words that are living. The Living Word to the bride is the Holy Spirit. He is who Hebrews 4:12 speaks of.
In the same way, their English bibles usually conflate several different words that have different meanings, and translate all of them as “sin” or “sins.” In doing that, most christians cannot explain the difference between “sins (plural) NOT leading unto death,” and “the sin (singular) that leads unto death.” Sins of the flesh vs. the singular condition of unbelief.
Often, these deceived christians will state that the literal meanings of the English words in their translations provide the best spiritual meanings of the passages, but that is pure nonsense that is devoid of spiritual discernment. The disciples knew the words of the actual scriptures very well, as those words were inspired in their native tongue.
However, before what happened to them in Luke 24:45, even they didn’t understand the Spirit’s meanings in those words. Imagine that! They had spent three years being led by Messiah Himself, and they still didn’t understand the spiritual meanings of the scriptures.
How arrogant, then, for some christian pastor to state he knows spiritual truth because he knows the literal meanings of the English words that some men chose as translations of the words the disciples THOUGHT they had understood.
There is NO power in literal words—in ANY language. The power is in the Author of the words of scripture, and in HIS instruction into their meanings. Without Him, the words might as well be a newspaper.
For more information: Christianity’s Holy Spirit – Some Water and a Book