Different translations of the Bible, and various interpretations of scripture and doctrine, may contain errors, but in all major translations the errors are not a barrier to salvation.

• Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things that you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
  (This verse condenses, into a single statement, a doctrine that is often repeated and reaffirmed in the Bible itself, and in the lives of Christians now and throughout the ages. It is a primary tenet of our belief. It is simply a statement that says that Jesus Christ is always present and that he has everything under control. We could stop with this statement as proof that the Bible remains intact as the word of God for every Christian.
  God does not allow the Adversary, Satan, in all his subtileness, or even the careless mistakes of humans, to obliterate his word for us today. This statement will undoubtedly stir some controversy. There are those who sincerely believe, for instance, that the King James Version of the Bible is the only valid instrument of God's message and instructions for mankind. If you are inclined to believe that this is so, or if you have been confronted by someone who does, I recommend the book, The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust The Modern Translations? (Bethany House Publishers, James R. White)
  If we are going to take a stand on a subject that has such great potential to create further division in God's holy church, then we must be well studied in the matter, and know very well what we profess to know. The potential for injury to the church as a result of this present controversy is tremendous.
  I personally have used several translations, and have done word studies for many years, and I see the message of the gospel of grace surviving intact in the many translations. Some translations are more suited to word studies and precise doctrinal determination than others, but the minister or teacher or theologian who uses shoddy methods and a single source to determine whether or not major doctrines stand or fall is not a trustworthy teacher. A deceitful shepherd will not be entrusted long with a flock of true believers. And, even then, while he still has a flock, the true sheep in his charge will be fed by God. God will feed his flock in spite of the best (or worst) efforts of both man and the devil. Do we think that God will feed us to the wolves? I feel I must often ask, "Where is our faith?" For the one who seeks the bread of life, God will not give a stone instead.)
• Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. [8] For every one that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks, it shall be opened. [9] What man is there of you, if his son asks for bread, would he give him a stone? [10] Or if he ask for a fish, would he give him a scorpion? [11] If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask of him?"
  (If truth is a "good thing,", then God says it is ours for the asking. God is ultimately responsible for providing our needs, and he will certainly do so. Don't we ask of God, "Give us this day our daily bread"? If we ask for our bread, God says that we will receive it. This speaks more to our spiritual needs than our physical hunger. Christ is the "bread of life" (John 6:32-35,55). For spiritual instruction as "food," read 1 Corinthians 3:2. Jesus is the Word, the truth, the way, the life (John 1:1,14; 14:6). He will see that we are given our spiritual nourishment.
  The Bible contains the very essence of the thoughts of Christ as God. God is all-powerful (see doctrine number one in this series), and his love is without bounds. He will see that his children are fed the bread of life. The word of God still contains the message of salvation and the instructions for the Christian life. It is not the new translations that have diminished the truth, it is the reader of the word that would distort the truth. This problem is not solved by holding to a single hard-to-understand translation. This problem existed back when the new testament books were still being circulated as copies of letters to the churches, and it will persist as long as there are unstable people who refuse to be taught. 2 Peter 3:16 speaks of people doing the same thing almost 2000 years ago when the word was being read in the original language, unaltered.
  Some people today will teach fallacy and back it up by using the KJV and its obsolete language, while others will teach fallacy and back it up using a modern paraphrase. The fault does not lie in the translation, since either can be used to good advantage in the hands of a gifted teacher, or used wrongly in the hands of the untaught and unstable person. In fact, a good teacher will avail himself of many sources, "...rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
  There are, however, certain Bibles/books that are regarded as scripture by certain groups, that were originally written to sustain the beliefs of these groups. I am not speaking of, or defending, these books. I used to belong to a group that tended to hold the writings of its leaders in higher regard then they should have held them.
  But even in error, God's mercy extends to his children, and he can and will lead them to a greater light if they are willing to change when they see they are wrong! If we will receive the truth and do it, and cast away our false beliefs, no matter how dearly we hold them, God will give us more truth, and then more, and then even more - I am a living witness of this very fact!
  ( If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." - Jesus Christ, recorded in John 7:17) The word "if" in this verse is the Greek word ean, which, according to Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, refers to something future, but not determining, before the event, whether it is certainly to take place. In other words, to "know the doctrine, whether it be of God," depends on doing his will concerning what we already know to be his will! This is a living principle - receive truth, believe the truth, put the truth into practice, receive more truth.
  However, we don't always utilize even the most basic truths, even the ones that we all know and agree on (such as "love one another", and, "love the brethren") so we are not given more truth. Then, when we are not given more, we try to take more by our intense studying and human intellectual effort, even though we have refused to put the basic truths to work in our lives. And so, misguided by our own personal notions and preconceptions, and with a lot of help from the Adversary, we devise a myriad of varied and sometimes very complex doctrines to try to find answers that God has not yet given us. Then, we each come to different conclusions about what the Bible really says. And so we fight, and then we divide.
  This is not from God. This is from our own carnal nature, prodded on by Satan, the one who loves division. We are not given an assortment of truths, from elemental truths to mature truths, and then allowed to just sort through them and accept a few things that more easily fit our own personalities or prejudices or preconceptions, while rejecting or glossing over the rest. We must eat the bread that we are given, and let it energize us to action according to God's will. Then we will be given more bread.
  If we ask for bread from the written word of God, we will not receive a stone! But will we eat the living, spirit-nourishing bread of grace when he presents it to us, or will we still hold fearfully and stubbornly to a cold and lifeless stone of cherished error and tradition that hangs around our necks? God is not blessing his church with the truth that it seeks, because the church does not obey the will of God concerning oneness.
  The people of God know the will of God concerning unity. Most continue in disobedience to that will. The most common excuse is the fact that we do not agree on doctrine. But we are not given the truth of doctrine, because we are divided. An impossible dilemma? A paradox without solution? No. Obey first, without question. Work to fulfill the prayer of Jesus, the head of the church, regarding oneness. That is one step forward into the light that God shines before us on the pathway of life. Then, we will notice, that as we step into that revealed light, that the light will shine a little farther ahead. At that point, we can take another step.
  Do you see? Doctrinal agreement does not lead to unity, because we can never have sufficient truth without unity. When God sees that we are truly working to be one, then, and only then, will the light of truth begin to illuminate the rest of our doctrinal path.
  Of course, this inevitably begs the question: How can we even begin to do this, for with mankind this is impossible? But this question begs the greater question: Where is our faith? With God all things are possible.)
  

(Please click on any of the highlighted boxes ( ) below to go to the in-depth study of each statement.)

Salvation is by grace, a gift from God.
Christian works are the acts of Jesus dwelling in us.
Jesus lives in the members of the church, and the church is his body in this age.
Everyone sins and breaks the spiritual law, even Christians.
To love God and to love our neighbor is the fulfillment of all spiritual law.
God's forgiveness is ongoing and limitless, and available to all who truly accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
God will never leave us, nor forsake us.

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