What Gospel?

Mike Ratliff refers to one of my favorite Bible texts.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH.” Romans 1:16-17 (LSB) 

But I actually prefer it in the KJV…

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

Notice the lack “of Christ” in the LSB, which you will find in other modern translations also. If you read my blog, you will notice I like many came to faith through a series of these translations: RSV, NASB, NIV, ESB and a number of paraphrases. But about 10 years ago I was challenged to read the KJV, which I’ve never turned back from.

Among the reasons, I liked it and stayed with it is these subtile text changes like this one. Whose Gospel is it? The Gospel of Christ! Why not say that. BTW the word for Christ is actually in the Greek Text.

G5547 (Thayer) Χριστός
Christos Thayer Definition:
Christ = “anointed”
1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God
2) anointed
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G5548

If you wonder about why it’s left out, it’s because over the last 150 or so years, a new Greek Text has been use in our Bibles. The old Greek text, often known as the “Majority” Text, for the thousands of manuscripts that came to west after the fall of Constantinople, was used by the KJV translators. The new text being used doesn’t have the word. If you want more on that contact me. It’s an interesting story.

I really don’t think that it affects the coming to faith of those who are God’s elect. But to me it’s sad with all the “other” gospels in the world and culture out there that we lose that bit of clarity. And as you read Mike’s post, the message about Christ at the center of our faith, can still be seen in the other texts he quotes.

Btw, it’s not just the KJV, an older Bible, the Geneva translation, also has it in the text.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth, to the Iewe first, and also to the Grecian. For by it the righteousnesse of God is reueiled from faith to faith: as it is written, The iust shall liue by faith. ” (Romans 1:16-17)

The copy I have of the Geneva Bible has the old English alphabetical spellings so it’s a a bit harder to read. But it’s still an excellent translation.

After all that…do not miss the point of the message…Justification by Faith, and as we know Faith alone but Grace alone, etc…let’s not be ashamed.

Ephesians 1:3-6

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith