Is the Book 'The Message' Good for the Body?

Now, Contending for the Faith. In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here’s this week’s question: “Dear Dave, I have listened to your radio show a couple of times and have a deep respect for your love and reverence for God. However, may I humbly ask you to consider something? While I don’t have any particular affinity for The Message Bible, I do think it has a place in the body of Christ. Very briefly, here’s why: it is not purported to be a translation, as you know, but a paraphrase. The other night you fielded a question from a man who asked if it was okay to argue with God. You took the words of David, Job, et al., and put them in your own words—paraphrased—to make them more understandable to the listener. Not that the Bible in and of itself is not to be readable, but as teachers, don’t we say the same things in different ways to make a more complete picture? The author is not attempting to replace the Bible, rather he is simply doing what you were doing but on a larger scale, in an attempt to reach people for Christ. Did the Holy Spirit confirm in you that this project was not in fact inspired of God for reaching souls in these last days? If any are saved by reading this paraphrase, is it not something to be thankful for? Unless God has specifically called on you and impressed on you to talk down this project, I think you should refrain. The apostles did not always agree on ministry, and I think some leeway needs to be given that although this is not something you would champion, maybe there is room in the body of Christ for it.”

He signed it, “In the love of Christ.”

Tom: Well, Dave, this person signs it “In the love of Christ,” and he’s got a concern…

Dave: Sure…

Tom: (laughing) …and so on…but it’s addressed to you, Dave, so evidently, what I said about this must have been okay. So…I want to defer to you on this.

Dave: (Laughing)Exactly.

Tom: Go ahead.

Dave: Do I see a copy of The Message there?

Tom: Yes, you do.

Dave: Let me…

Tom: This is my copy, Dave.

Dave: Okay…

Tom: Well, Dave, can I just throw one in…

Dave: Okay…

Tom: …as you’re looking something up? There’s a verse in there, this is John:4:23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
See All..., that we’re to worship God in spirit and in truth. Well, here’s the way The Message presents it: “That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.” So what the Lord really meant is “You just need to be yourself when you’re worshiping Him.”

Dave: Well, Tom, let me read some of the…

Tom: But, Dave, do you think anybody’s going to take me seriously on that? I hope not!

Dave: I don’t think so. Let me read some of the endorsements here. This is on the…

Tom: Inside flap…

Dave: …jacket, inside flap: Leighton Ford says, “This new version of the New Testament will help many to transfer God’s eternal truths to their contemporary lives.” He passes it off as a version of the New Testament.

Another endorser says, “Read this New Testament, and you will swear you’ve never read it before…,” and so forth.

Another one: Jay Kessler, president of Taylor University, “I am confident that many people will find the New Testament alive in a new way,” and so forth.

Now, what the man writing in says is true. We do try to exegete the Bible. We do give our understanding of it, and that is understood. But the audience still has the Bible in their hands that they can refer to. The Bereans checked Paul from the Scriptures to see whether what he said was true. Now how are you going to check this man, Peterson, from the The Message? He has taken God’s words, and he has substituted his own words.

Furthermore, we were talking about The Purpose-Driven Life—on page 325, appendix 3, Rick Warren says, “This book contains nearly a thousand quotations from Scripture. I have intentionally varied the Bible translations used for two important reasons…” and so forth. He claims that he is quoting the Bible, not men’s ideas about what the Bible says. People reading this take him at his word. These so-called paraphrases, nevertheless, are passed off as Bible translations. We think we’re getting the Bible. And the average reader would imagine that.

Now, let me quote from John:3:17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
See All...: “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his son merely to point an accusing finger telling the world how bad it was. He came to help to put the world right again.” Now, the Bible says, “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” I think we already quoted this from memory last week. It’s a big difference—getting saved by believing that Christ died for your sins on a cross and getting help from God to put the world right. That sounds like political or social action.

The Bible says, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Every word of God is pure. Peter tells us we are born again by the word of God. And this is the word that by the gospel is preached unto you.

Now, this man, Eugene H. Peterson, has dared to take God’s words and substitute his own words, even changing the meaning of those words, and I will say it again. I think that that is wicked! I don’t know how he could dare to do that. The problem is that now the people are deceived. They think that this really is the Bible, and our writer said, “Oh, no, it’s just a paraphrase, and they know that.” No, most people don’t, and I quoted you endorsers—I quoted you Rick Warren, who says he is quoting the Bible and The Message is his favorite one that he refers to.

And I think that says something about The Purpose-Driven Life if these are the kinds of quotations that he has to go through to substantiate what he’s saying.

Tom: Dave, I know churches that that is their Bible, The Message, right there in the pew. I’ve talked to people who’ve gone in, the pastor preaches from The Message, and the Bibles they have in the pew are The Message. So, as you said, you can’t be a Berean. You’d have to carry The Message along with a literal translation of the King James and compare the two, and who’s going to do that? They think they have a Bible, as you said.