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LIGHT ON PUZZLING PASSAGES and PROBLEMS By R. A. TORREY
W hy did our revisors put the word sion to mention "faith” as “fruit of the faithful’ in Gal. 5:22? Spirit” would be difficult to account fori
They did not put the word “faithful” in Gal. 5:22; they substitute the word “faith fulness” for the word “faith.” Their reason for doing so, I suppose, was that they thought that word fitted the context better than the one used in the Authorized Ver1 sion. ,My own opinion is that this is one of the few instances in which the revisors are in error. The Greek word translated “faith” in the Authorized Version and “faithfulness” in the Revised Version is the same Greek word that is used in all the passages where we find “faith” in the New Testament, in both the Authorized Version and Revised Version, and there seems to be no sufficient reason in the context •for de parting from this usual meaning of the word. “Love” and “faith” are constantly coupled in the New Testament (e. g., verse 5 and 1 Cor. 13:13, R. V.) and as “love” is mentioned as part of the fruit of thè Spirit (or one manifestation of the.Spirit ruling in the heart) there is every reason to expect that “faith” should also be part of the fruit of the Spirit (or another manifes tation' of thè Spirit ruling'in' the heart). Furthermore, this same- Greek word is translated Furthermore yet, we know from other Scripture and the whole tenor of the New Testament, that faith is the work' of the ‘ Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:9; John 1:12, 13; Phil. 1:29; John 16:7-14). There seems ' to be no ground left' to doubt that the Au thorized Version is right and our Revised Version-wrong in this instance. “I am at a loss to know just which Bible to use , so if you can straighten me out I will be highly pleased, and will appreciate it very much."_ It is wise to use both the Authorized and the Revised Versions. One often gets new light by using two versions. It makes one notice things he would otherwise pass un noticed. It makes him think and ponder and meditate upon the word. “Blessed is the man” who does that (Ps. 1 :1, 2), Many and many a precious meaning in a word that would be passed over and be missed is seen when we are confronted by the fact that the two versions translate differently. . The writer studies his Bible every day in .sev eral different versions and different lan guages, and gets great help, from doing so. I believe the very wgrds of the Bible (as originally given) were “God breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16; l.Cor, 2:13); therefore it is important that we study especially the ver sion that comes nearest to giving the. exact and full force of the words as found in the original, and in most instances the Ameri can Standard Version does.this. “Were our revisors justified in leaving out so much?” In most instances they were. “I recently heard a minister of the Gospel in one of his sermons make the remark that the latter part of the sixteenth, chapter of Mark’s Gospel was not in the original writ-
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