Critical Exposure Of The Message Version

• Introduction:

          -The Message Bible, put together by Eugene H. Peterson, was first published in segments from 1993 to 2002. It is not so much a translation of Scripture, but a paraphrase. It is an attempt to simplify the language of the Bible to suit the language of contemporary culture. When a person invests time into comparing the Message to reputable translations of the Bible, however, he will encounter many rather significant differences as to the meaning of the text. This work appears to contain intentional doctrinal alterations, which disqualifies it from being a reliable study tool. In fact, the modernized, slang type language utilized throughout this work is at times mind-boggling. Following are examples of textual perversion within the Message Bible.

• Matthew 6:9:

          -The Message: "Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are."

          -New American Standard: "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name."

          -New English Translation: "Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored"

          -King James Version: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."

          -Comments: Why would Jesus Christ, the revelation of God (Hebrews 1:1-3), pray that God reveal Himself? Did God need to be revealed to Himself?

• Matthew 6:13:

          -The Massage: "Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes."

          -New American Standard: "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

          -New English Translation: "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

          -King James Version: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
          -Comments: This is a perfect example of the Message watering down God-given truth, which is irreverent behavior. The way that this part of the Lord's Prayer is rendered is also childish.

• John 10:30:

          -The Message: "I and the Father are one heart and mind."

          -New American Standard: "I and the Father are one."
          -New English Translation: "The Father and I are one."
          -King James Version: "I and my Father are one."
          -Comments: The bizarre rendering of John 10:30 presented by the Message Bible changes our understanding of the relationship between the Father and the Son. It is here conveyed not as one of essence, but psychological in nature.

• 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

          -The Message: "Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit."
          -Compare to the renderings of the New American Standard Bible, New English Translation, the King James Version, and many others.
          -Comments: Notice how the author of the Message utterly omits homosexuality from this list of soul-damning sins, thus distorting the meaning of the text. In 1 Timothy 1:10 of that same translation, the word "homosexuality" has been replaced with "sex." That is a change from a specific act to a broad category of behaviors. Is this translator attempting to be politically correct? Further, he inserted with no linguistic basis the phrase "use and abuse the earth" into 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

• Colossians 2:9:

          -The Message: "You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything."

          -New American Standard: "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."

          -New English Translation: "For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form."

          -King James Version: "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

          -Comments: Why would the Apostle Paul need to make mention of astrology, which is condemned by God?

          The Message has drawn widespread criticism for its departure from rigorous biblical scholarship and its often peculiar interpretations. Among the most frequent objections is that its language is so unconventional that many readers fail to recognize it as Scripture at all. Rather than serving as a faithful paraphrase of the biblical text, The Message is more of a subjective reinterpretation. It is less a reflection of the Bible’s original meaning and more an expression of Eugene Peterson’s personal perspective.