Up to this time, we had looked into the book of Revelation in seeking the truth about the Bible in end time.
The writer find that the theologians who claimed that the Word of God is only preserved in the underlying text of King James Version are in err and this VPP will be refuted.
They claimed that these Greek and Hebrew underlying texts are as perfect as the original. And they said they had found the perfect Text of the Bible in these underlying Texts of KJV. And so they continue in attacking other Bible versions, until the church split because of these extremists. And so the writer continue in searching the truth to refute them.
In Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, “It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” According to Jesus Christ, man must depend on bread, the physical food, and the word that comes from the mouth of God, the spiritual food”. Christian needed these two things to live on earth, beside air and water.
The Lord mentioned in Matthew 4:4
1. Physical food
2. Spiritual food
There are so much food on earth, so many types of food, my question is how to choose a suitable physical food for Christian? Are we Christian have any rule in choosing physical food, yes, we have, it is in the Bible.
Choice of physical food in Acts 11:7-9
God allowed Christian to take all kind of food in the beginning:
1. Peter was asked BY THE LORD to take every food even those unclean food mentioned in Old Testament.
2. Acts 11:7-9, then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat.”“I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”
3. The is no food unclean or rejected, we are to accept with thanksgiving, (1 Tim 4:4, food are created to be received with thanksgiving.)
4. Furthermore, and because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. (1 Tim 4:5)
Choice of physical food in Acts 15:20
“°BE YE HOLY, because THE LORD who called you IS HOLY” The church later had a first council meeting, they all agreed in lightening the load or burden of the new believers. Making things simple. Easy to understand. Stop the confusions. They laid down 4 rules.
1. The congregation had a meeting in Acts 15:20, and they wanted the new believer to follow these 4 rules.
2. Reading, Acts 15:20, “Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from the blood”
3. These rules applied to the pagan who believed in Christ. Like the Chinese.
4. To keep themselves holy and pure, they are to refrain from taking these physical food and abstain from doing these things mentioned in Acts 15:20
1. Refrain from taking food offered to idols, to have nothing to do with idols worshiping, (1 Corinthians 8:10)
2. Refrain from taking blood, blood is symbol of life, (Leviticus 1:5)
3. Refrain from taking any food strangled, the strangled animals have blood in the body, same with rule number 2.
4. Refrain from sexual immorality. (Leviticus 18)
These four rules applied to all new believers. God did not lay down many rules or conditions for the new believers in choosing food, the council only laid down few rules for food taking, they are to refrain or abstain from taking those food mentioned in the council meeting. And then the council laid down the 4th rule, to abstain from sexual immorality.
The church laid down these simple 4 basic rules in choosing food, I think this also apply to spiritual food, we are going to apply these four simple rules in refuting VPP. They are called to be faithful.
There is no food called perfect food in the first century. There is no food called preserved food in New Testament. They eat natural food. There is no such thing called “manna” in Israel at Jesus' time. Jesus is called the hidden manna. He is called the bread from heaven. He is the bread of life!
In keeping those 4 rules in Acts 15:20, all food is edible for Peter, and for all the apostles, and for us. All food is edible, accept those refrained food.
4 rules in seeking the Spiritual food
Since Jesus said man need physical food and spiritual food in Matthew 4:4. In this same verse, he mentioned we must also live with “every word from the mouth of God” Since there are rules in choosing food, how about choosing spiritual food? Do we have rules in choosing a faithful Bible version? How to choose a spiritual food correctly? Or simply ask the theologians, how to choose a faithful Bible for the new believer?
“In searching the word come from the mouth of God” We have to also apply these four rules mentioned in Acts 15:20, it is also applied on the choice of the spiritual food, every word from the mouth of God.
How do we know we have that a faithful Bible version that has “Every word that comes from the mouth of God” How to choose a Bible version for a young believer? How to choose a faithful Bible translation? How to do a faithful Bible translation? Since the church laid down tho 4 rules in the beginning of Christianity, I rather stick to those 4 simple rules in choosing a faithful Bible version.
According to Acts 15:20, these are the rules for the new believers. To keep holy, they are to refrain from taking these physical food and do not do these things. These rule applied on present Christian, in choosing the better and faithful Bible versions,
1. Refrain from reading any Bible offered to the idols, to have nothing to do with idols. worshiping, (1 Corinthians 8:10) This meant we have to choose a Bible version or translation, which is not promoting idols worshiping. Greed is a type of idolatry.
2. Refrain from reading any Bible versions which promoting blood eating, blood is symbol of life, (Leviticus 1:5). This also means we are to refrain from reading any Bible versions which is promoting violence and terrorism, racism, murdering, hatred...communism...
3. Refrain from reading any Bible which promoting people to eat strangled animals, the strangled animals have blood in the body, same with rule number 2.
4. Refrain from reading any Bible version which is promoting sexual immorality. (refer to Leviticus 18), we are abstain from homosexual, adultery, fornication's and premature sex.
Conclusion:
In choosing a faithful Bible version, we have to applied at least these 4 simple rules from Acts 15:20, I hope we all may agreed, not all Bible versions are faithful in translation. Some Bible versions are closer to the original meaning, so I pray the theologians may stick to these 4 basic rules in searching the “every word from the mouth of God”
Accept those Bible versions which are not violating Acts 15:20 !Do not forbid people from reading CUV! NKJV! ESV! NIV!
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