A Pastor's Opinion Regarding Original Languages

John Gill

I don’t know why I am so wordy today but here goes yet another rant which I hope will be edifying to certain ones. I have been in the Pastoral ministry since 1981 and I served part time in various capacities before that. I graduated from the Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music in 1981 and went into full time pastoral service. Then I wanted to further my studies so I studied with the School of Biblical and Theological Studies where I worked up to Master’s degree. After that I pursued doctorates at Landmark Baptist Theological Seminary and completed my work there. I received both a Doctor of Ministry degree and a Doctor of Theology degree and thought I was finished only to find that if I completed a couple more courses and a doctoral dissertation I would also be granted a Doctor of Christian Philosophy degree, which I did. The point I want to make is this, I completed all of this work without having to take a single course in Greek or Hebrew because these schools believe as I do, that such courses are not only not necessary for pastoral work, but they can be very confusing to a congregation when the pastor is always telling the congregation that the meaning of a verse should be this or that, or that a particular word “should say this or that”.

Jonathan Edwards

At one point I almost went to Chafer Theological Seminary but their insistence on Greek and Hebrew studies contradicted all I believe. It all seemed so egotistical! You see I am a King James Bible man but I also use all kinds of word studies helps, commentaries, word pictures, and occasionally other Bibles, etc. and I trust in the great minds that have gone before, to the point that I believe other theological studies are far more essential. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate and envy the great minds of the past, and when I read Gill, or Owen, or Barns, I realize just how little I know!  But I know of, and have heard, pastors who can totally confuse a congregation by their continuous rephrasing of the Bible. Add to this the many translations, and knowing Greek and Hebrew is simply not necessary. Knowing English can be very helpful though, and frankly, I could use a little work there! Now, I can read Greek words, and I can pronounce Greek words and this is helpful to understanding how they are used in different texts and verses. But I couldn’t sit down and read the Book of Jude or Philemon in Greek.

                                                                            

I believe, and what’s more, I know that having a sound systematic theology is far more necessary than knowing Biblical Languages, and by the way, there are many different and sometimes contradicting books on these biblical languages. So here is my advice: Study your Bible, Study a good Systematic Theology like Chafer or Hodge. Pay utmost attention to context and compare Scripture with Scripture (but in a proper way) and you will find that all you need to know is English. You can find various word studies books like Vines, Vincent, or Bullinger or concordances like Young’s or Strong’s and countless others. You can find English to Greek and Greek to English helps. You can find Hebrew word studies and a multitude of Commentaries. I have books where I can search how Greek words have been used in both religious and secular writings, etc.

What’s more, I believe that God has preserved His word in the English languages, as in other languages and that’s why I hold dear the King James Bible. “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Ps.12:6,7) And, since I titled this "A Pastor's Opinion" I will also say that the constant barage of translations undercuts the confidence Christians should have in their Bibles. I know some prefer the New King James and some prefer the NIV and others like the American Standard Bible but every time a "new and improved" version comes out all it really does is make the unlearned suspicious of what's been before. I, for one, believe the King James Bible is the best translation and has served its purpose for over 400 years with many souls brought into the Kingdom of God through it. Really folks, it's NOT that hard and if you find a word you don't understand, look it up, but there really won't be that many!