John Kuhn Bleimaier
My first exposure to the Scriptures was to the King James Version of the Bible. To this day I am most comfortable reading the Word of God as it was translated by believing scholars in the 17th Century. The language is very beautiful. Just consider the Lord’s Prayer or the 23rd Psalm, both of which are still always quoted in the King James translation. For some folks the terminology of the King James Version seems archaic. It does somewhat differ from everyday chatter of the 21st Century. However, should we consider paraphrasing God’s Word into the vernacular of contemporary text messaging?
One of the personal advantages that I have reaped because of my early emersion in the King James Bible is that I was able to read Shakespeare with no difficulty when I got to high school. The Bard’s magnificent drama and verses use the same vocabulary as the King James Scripture. Both are magnificent in my opinion. Familiarity with this “archaic” language has helped expand my understanding of philology. Alas, many of today’s young people do not undertake the challenge of reading the King James Bible or the works of Shakespeare as they are perceived to be written in a foreign language.
I have never studied classical Greek and thus am not able to read the New Testament from original sources. When I encounter a passage of Scripture which is not immediately clear to me, I follow the advice of Martin Luther and pray that God may give me clarification. Checking against the original Greek is not something for which I am qualified.
In my church we use the English Standard Version of the Bible in connection with worship service and adult Bible class. My personal daily reading is from the King James Version and, occasionally, I will compare the wording of critical passages as found in these two translations. I prayerfully make the choice as to which speaks most clearly to me. Perhaps on account of my lifelong exposure, the King James terminology routinely triumphs.
The thirteenth chapter of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians contains a message which I find to be of great significance. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal…And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians13: 1 & 13(KJV). In the English Standard Version the word, “charity,” is substituted with, “love.” I understand that the word in the Greek original is “ἀγάπη ,”pronounced, “agape.” As I stated earlier, I am not qualified to translate from Greek into English. However, in contemporary parlance the word, “love,” is much bandied about and the meaning of this term has been substantially corrupted.
In the Christian context I favor the term, “charity,” when I seek to fully comprehend the message which Saint Paul conveys in his first letter to the Corinthians. I am supported by the quote from the great Reformer, Martin Luther, “Christian Life consists of faith and charity.” Indeed, the hope of our salvation is based upon our faith as expressed in our charity. Charity is the highest form of love and is defined as benevolent good will toward humanity.
In our time, vulpine theologians have advocated that we must encourage sodomy and other abominations as an expression of our love for the practitioners of these forms of misbehavior. This is clearly an error and a strident misapplication of the concept of love. If we feel divinely ordained charity toward our fellow sinners who have transgressed beyond the pale, we should discourage their engaging in conduct which is unhealthy and which God has unequivocally condemned. Charitable love is expressed by fraternal and sororal admonition. 2 Thessalonians 3:15. We demonstrate our charity by not stoning the sodomite miscreants. We tell them to go forth and sin no more. It is not charitable or loving to tolerate or support that which is contrary to God’s directive and unnatural. Those who would argue that they are born with a sodomite inclination must be charitably instructed that we are all inclined to sin since the fall. Love dictates that we, believers, indicate the narrow path which leads to salvation. It is loving to point out the right path, not to encourage those who are so inclined to take the easy way to perdition.
Charity leads us to be merciful. Obviously, it is not merciful to countenance that which is wrong. When we demonstrate mercy by counseling wrongdoers to amend their ways, we are fulfilling our Christian mission and also ensuring our own path to Glory. Charity is the crowning achievement of our faith, the fulfillment of our hope. “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy…”James 2:13. Mercy is the exemplification of charity. God will shower his love upon us as we charitably show mercy to our fellow humans.
Some thoughtful believers have been puzzled by James’s declaration to the effect that, “faith without works is dead.” James 2:26. This seems to contradict the bedrock principle that we are saved by grace through faith alone. However, a review of James’s statement in context reveals that he is stating that our faith entails our charity and that our charity motivates our good works. Thus, our good works do not save us. Our saving faith naturally engenders our charity as a byproduct. Our charitable works do not save us. The works are merely evidence that we are, indeed, saved through our faith by Grace.
In the final analysis, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13: 1. This highest form of love, which the King James Version of the Bible has denominated charity, is the greatest of the three indicia of our salvation: faith, hope and charity. 1 Corinthians 13: 13. This charity is the cement which unifies the elements of Christian living and holds forth the ideal of a Christian society. “…there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Colossians 3:11-15 (emphasis added).
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