As the Preacher declared, “of making many books there is no
end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12 ). That’s certainly true of the making of Bibles. One
suspects that since the Bible is a perennial best seller, a new crop of them is
certain to come out in time for Christmas.
But the NET Bible[1] is
not just another modern translation like all the others. The NET’s translation
of four verses in Paul’s epistles radically alters a cardinal doctrine of the
Christian faith: the doctrine of
salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
Here are the verses, first in the NET Bible and then the
NASB. The troublesome phrase is in bold print in the NET and underlined in the
NASB.
Romans 3:21-22
But now apart from the
law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets)
has been disclosed – namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of
Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction . . .
But now apart from the
Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law
and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
Galatians 2:16
yet we know that no
one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus
Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be
justified by the faithfulness of Christ
and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be
justified.
nevertheless knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in
Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by
the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified
with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life
I now live in the body, I live because
of the faithfulness of the Son of
God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
"I have been
crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Philippians 3:9
and be found in him,
not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I
have the righteousness that comes by way
of Christ's faithfulness--a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ's faithfulness.
and may be found in
Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which
is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on
the basis of faith ...
Now the word translated faith
in the NASB (and nearly every other version) and faithfulness in the NET is the word pistos. It can mean either faith or faithfulness, but the context
in the above verses clearly demands the former.[2]
Paul’s whole argument is a contrast between works of the law and faith in
Christ for salvation. The actor in each verse is the believer. But the NET
translators shift the subject from the individual believer to Christ, saying we
are justified by Christ’s faithfulness,
rather than our faith in Christ. Paul illustrated the principle of faith in
Romans 4 when he referred to Abraham’s faith in God’s promise:
What then shall we say
that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham
was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED
TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Romans 4:1-3 NASB)
Paul’s argument in Galatians is equally clear. How could
anyone miss Paul’s emphasis on individual faith – as opposed to works – in the
following verses?
Let me ask you only
this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun
by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many
things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you
and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham
"believed God, and it was
counted to him as righteousness"? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And
the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel
beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be
blessed." So then, those who are of
faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:2-9 ESV
bold print added)
In light of Paul’s consistent emphasis on simple faith as
the means of receiving salvation, it is difficult to understand the mindset of
the translators who changed it. Their translation takes the believer out of the
equation. Paul is dealing with the very question the Philippian jailer cried
out to Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And Paul’s answer, of course, was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31) Paul proclaimed that it was and is through faith in Jesus Christ that one
receives salvation.
The same Greek phrase used in the verses in question – dia pisteos – is used nine times in the
New Testament, all in Paul’s writings, and the NET translators render it “by
faith” or “through faith” in six of the nine! There is no justifiable reason to
change it in the verses in question.[3]
Galatians 2:20 has rather complex syntax, but there is
absolutely no justification for adding “because of” in that verse. William
Hendriksen explained that Paul was posing a riddle of personal salvation. I
have modified his presentation only slightly:
The Riddle Propounded: In
Christ I am crucified.
The Riddle Intensified: But
I live.
The Riddle Clarified: Yet
not I, but Christ lives in me.
The Riddle Explained:
And that (life) which I now live in flesh, I live in faith – the faith in the
Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me.
It’s not hard to see Paul’s logic in this verse. So why
didn’t the NET translators see it? Their translation obliterates the central
point of this verse and the whole of Galatians! Their “because of” is totally
unjustified in the grammatical context. J. B. Lightfoot pointed out that in faith is “the atmosphere, as it were,
which he (Paul) breathes in this new spiritual life.”
The NET translators boldly dismiss previous translations as
simply carrying on the tradition of previous translators and theologians. In
that company of translators who, over the centuries got it wrong (according to
the NET translators) were Jerome, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Giovanni Diodati,
Giovanni Luzzi, the Hampton Court scholars of the KJV, and countless modern
translators throughout the world!
The four verses examined in this article may seem insignificant,
but they represent a startling departure from accepted principles of translation
and they introduce a bizarre new idea of salvation, one not hinted at in the
context.
More problems with the NET Bible are brought to light by
Michael Marlow in his excellent review at: http://www.bible-researcher.com/net.html It should also be mentioned that the
International Standard Version, completed in 2011, takes similar liberties with
the text, translating the four verses in the same manner as the NET, but
substituting “Messiah” for Christ.
[1]
The name is a play on New English Translation and “NET” as online Bible.
[2]
The difference is the same as when we urge someone to “keep the faith,” as
opposed to when a lawyer accuses a party of failing to “keep faith” in a
contract. The first refers to the object of
one’s belief, and the latter to faithfulness
in carrying out the terms of an agreement. Context is everything!
[3]
The genitive case of the noun used in the three verses under discussion is the objective genitive, properly understood
in context as referring to Jesus Christ as the object of faith. A. T. Robertson
gives numerous examples of the objective
genitive in similar phrases in the NT, e.g. Mark 11:22 (“faith in God” which Robertson compares with
Romans 3:22); John 17:2 (“over all
flesh”); 1 Corinthians 8:7 (“consciousness about
the idol”). These and many others illustrate the vast flexibility of the
objective genitive.
