Strong In Jesus

 For all am I strong in Him Who is invigorating me --Christ! 

Paul To The Philippians 4: 13, Concordant New Testament 

I recall taking a class at the old church I was attending which required us to memorize a few selected scripture verses.  One of these verse was the apostle Paul's words to the church at Philippi on the source of our strength.  Lest we become over confident that we ourselves have "Seized the day" and powered ourselves through another hard situation, Paul reminds us that that's not the case at all.  For the source of our strength is Christ with Whom we are one {Johns Account 14:20}.  Yet, looking at my New King James version of the scriptures you might not get that impression.  Yes, we're told that it is Jesus who is our strength, but does not refer to our union with Him.  Simply that it is Christ who strengthens me {Philippians 4:13 NKJV}.  I'm not simply cherry picking translations of the word here, but pointing out that more than a few translations carry with them the ideas of those who interpreted them.  For this reason, I have decided to stick mainly to the Concordant versions of the old and new testaments.  With the Concordant, I find a translation that a bit more true to the original Hebrew and Greek texts.  This is the case with Paul's words in Philippians.  We understand that not only is Christ Jesus the source of our strength, but that we also share a union with Him {Paul To The Philippians 4:13}.  The King James may correctly proclaim that Jesus is the source of our strength, it fails to mention our union with Him which the writers of the Concordant reveal.  This is but one example of the differences in scripture between the New King James and the Concordant versions.  Yet it is a glaring example of those differences.  I would also assume that for someone who has never known the truth of our union in Christ, that there would be no differences in scripture.  So, in the end it comes down to how you see the Father and your relationship with Him.  

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world. 

First Epistle Of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend recently pointed out the existence of yet another bible translation which I was not aware of.  This being the slave bible.  Now, history tells us that the African American slaves were also very spiritual in their beliefs.  Many would believe in the gospel preached in that day while others carried with them the religions of their homeland.  The hymns which these slaves would often sing amongst themselves often carried hidden messages to each other.  History aside, there is no doubt that the early slaves knew and worshipped the Lord.  So, it's really no surprise that there would come along a translation which would attempt to illustrate/profit upon this.  I have seen many bible translations, including a Hawaiian pigeon dialect bible.  Yet I believe that with each and every translation of the scripture that man produces, the meaning of the scriptures becomes more watered down.  For each and every person who sets out to create another "Version" of the bible for a specific group or language goes into the endeavor with their own pre set understandings of what that scripture should be.  If someone who sat through many years of mainstream church sermons were to write a version of the bible, it might be far different from my own.  For their lens is focused on the teachings of the mainstream institutional church.  For them, their strength is indeed Jesus, but they themselves and Christ are two different individuals.  For myself, I would adhere to the translation of the Concordant version because that is the truth of Christ which I believe.  I believe that it is the Lord Jesus Who is my strength, but I also believe that I am strong in my union with Him.  This is the truth I proclaim.  Of course, your version might be different.  

~Scott~