Bible translations are valuable tools for understanding God’s Word, but only the original manuscripts were truly inspired by God. A good translation faithfully conveys the message of Scripture, yet it is not “breathed out” by God itself.
Bible translations are vital tools for understanding and applying God’s Word, but the inspiration of Scripture applies only to the original manuscripts. This is affirmed by passages like Hebrews 2:4, which says that God’s word was confirmed by “signs and wonders,” but says nothing about translations. God’s word is perfect (Psalm 12:6, 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), but translators are not. Translations, whether the KJV, NIV, NASB, or ESV, are authoritative only insofar as they faithfully reflect the original texts and make God’s message accessible to modern readers. A translator’s job is to faithfully transmit God’s word, keeping in mind His warnings in the Bible about adding to or taking away from His words (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19); translators have a serious obligation.
Historical figures like John Wycliffe provided invaluable service in making the Bible understandable in new languages, but their work was not inspired in the same sense as the biblical authors. Today, while believers may prefer certain translations, our ultimate loyalty is to the original, inerrant Word of God, with translations serving as faithful guides empowered by the Spirit to teach, convict, and transform lives.
A translation's value is based on its fidelity to the original, coupled with its clarity, accessibility, and style. A Bible translation is authoritative insofar as it reflects the original. The goal of a good translation is to communicate God's Word in a way that is readily grasped by its intended readers. The KJV is a brilliant translation that had a lasting impact on seventeenth-century England and beyond and that set the standard for several centuries. As the English language has changed, other translations have appeared, such as the NASB, the NIV, and the ESV. All of these translations attempt to accurately communicate the ancient texts of Scripture.
As trustworthy as a translation might be, however, it cannot be considered "inspired." No translation is "breathed out by God"; it is a translation of what God has breathed. John Wycliffe was a great man of God, and we are forever grateful for his English translation of the Bible, but Wycliffe cannot be put in the same category as a prophet like Daniel or an apostle like Matthew. Daniel and Matthew were given the very words of God; their responsibility was to record precisely what the Spirit moved them to write. Wycliffe had a different role: to take what Daniel and Matthew wrote and make it comprehensible to the English-speaking world. Wycliffe would be the first to say that his translation was not inspired in the same sense as the Bible in its original languages.
We may each have our favorite translation or one that we use more regularly than another. But we should not let arguments over translations divide the Body of Christ unless the translation disregards what God has actually revealed. Our loyalty should be to the inspired, inerrant Word of God as originally written, not to any one English translation.
Paul's statement that "all Scripture is breathed out by God" applies to the original autographs (2 Timothy 3:16). But there are several different translations of those autographs that can still be viewed as authoritative for the church. The Holy Spirit uses many accurate translations today to change lives and guide the church.