INTRODUCTION
There is due for release an updated version of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV 1989) translation of the Bible. The update uses the abbreviation “NRSVue.” The press release[i] reads [in part] (italics in the original):
The NRSVue is informed by the results of discovery and study of hundreds of ancient manuscripts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, in the more than thirty years since the first publication of the NRSV.
With new textual evidence, historical insights, and philological understandings, the NRSVue brings greater precision in interpreting Scripture today. With modern scholarship applied to ancient texts, the NRSV Updated Edition is designed to help readers explore the meanings of ancient texts in light of the cultures that produced them with unprecedented readability, accessibility, and inclusivity.
We are pleased to present you with what we can in full confidence call “the world’s most meticulously researched, rigorously reviewed, and faithfully accurate” English-language Bible translation.
If a person accepts the claims in the press release at face value that the NRSVue is a “meticulously researched, rigorously reviewed, and faithfully accurate” translation of God’s Word, they ought to discard every earlier English translation and rely solely on the NRSVue to express to humankind God’s very words by which to live life[ii].
The question is: Should the NRSVue be every believer’s “go-to” English translation of the Bible? The only correct answer is “NO WAY!!!!!”
The translation by the NRSVue of the Greek adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi] as “male prostitutes” and the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] as “men engaging in illicit sex” in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 exempts practicing homosexuals from God’s warning of eternal damnation thereby giving them false assurance that their damning sinful lifestyle is acceptable to God when it is not. Hence, the title of this article is “The NRSVue Bible Translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: Keeping Practicing Homosexuals on the Road to Hell.”
1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10 LISTS THOSE PERSONS ON THE ROAD TO HELL
1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (NASB95[iii]) reads:
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor homosexuals [arsenokoitai], 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
The expression “kingdom of God” refers to eternal life in heaven. One commentary[iv] reads:
The Corinthians had forgotten a basic Christian doctrine: there is a big difference between believers and unbelievers. Wicked people are not destined to inherit the kingdom of God—they face a future of divine judgment. They will not receive the blessings of God when Christ returns in glory (Rom. 2:5–10; Heb. 10:26–27).
Another commentary[v] reads:
In reference to ‘God’s kingdom,’ see on 4:20. Considered in its perfection, as the object of Christian hope, the kingdom of God is the blessed state, wherein the will of a holy, loving, all-restoring, beatific God is fully realized; or, in other words, a condition wherein men and angels are unitedly and perfectly controlled by the Divine will, lead a life of righteousness and peace, and together with this, possess the highest good which it is desirable for men to participate in.
According to Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46 (NASB95), heaven and hell are the only two eternal destinations [boldfacing added]:
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. … 41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; … 46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
For a person to not inherit the kingdom of God equates to spending eternity in hell. The gotquestions.org website (see link: https://www.gotquestions.org/not-inherit-kingdom-God.html ) addresses this issue in the context of μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10:
By saying the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God, Paul is stating that the wicked are not children of God, nor are they heirs of eternal life (Romans 8:17). … If a person actively, perpetually, and unrepentantly lives a homosexual lifestyle, the lifestyle of a thief, a greedy lifestyle, a drunken lifestyle, etc., that person is showing himself to be unsaved, and such a person will definitely not inherit the kingdom of God.
While there is a dispute[vi] about the translation of the Greek adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai], there is no argument that the serial and unrepentant offenders listed below are on the road to hell:
fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate [malakoi], homosexuals [arsenokoitai], thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers.
THE RELEVANT TRANSLATION GENEALOGY OF 1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10
Introduction
The words in the original of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 are God-breathed[vii]. The Apostle Paul was moved along by the Holy Spirit when he wrote this passage[viii]. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 expresses God’s warning to humankind about serial and unrepentant behaviors that send people to hell for eternity. But, salvation is available through repentance and trust in Christ’s finished work on the Cross alone per 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB95):
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
A Bible translator must exert their very best efforts to convey the accurate meaning of those words in the offender list of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 because eternal destinies are at stake. A Bible translator cannot allow societal pressure to influence their translation of μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai]. Their translation must be consistent with the meaning the apostle Paul intended to convey to his original audience, i.e., the church at Corinth. In the context of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, a Bible translator should keep in mind what the UBS translation handbook[ix] writes about this passage [boldfacing added]:
To translate the idea of being sexually immoral needs a more general expression than adulterers, which refers to the violation of the marriage bond. Another way to say this is “people who commit sexual sins.” Sexual perverts translates two Greek words that refer respectively to “the passive and active partners … in male homosexual relation” (Barrett). Translations generally combine these expressions, otherwise one would have to find technical expressions such as “catamites and sodomites” in English. Even “homosexual perverts” (TEV) is rather difficult language; REB has “sexual perverts.” GeCL has “relations with partners of their own sex”; TNT has “men who submit to or who practise homosexuality.” Many languages can use roundabout ways of speaking about homosexual relations. Paul thought of the practice of homosexuality as a form of perversion. If the people for whom this passage is translated do not normally share Paul’s attitude, it may be important to use a word meaning “pervert,” to make Paul’s meaning explicit.
Through their translation, a translator essentially speaks God’s words no different than the words spoken by an Old Testament prophet. A translator who distorts God’s Word is on thin ice per Deuteronomy 13:5 (NASB95):
5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
A corrupt translation may very well equate to adding or subtracting from God Word in violation of Deuteronomy 4:2 (NASB95):
2 “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
And, Deuteronomy 12:32 (NASB95), which reads:
32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.
According to Revelation 22:18 (NASB95), there are severe consequences to anyone who adds or subtracts from God’s Word:
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
A translator who engages in eisegetical gymnastics to arrive at a desired result rather than exegete the passage can expect to incur God’s wrath in this life or the next.
The Genealogy of the New Revised Standard Version
In the Cambridge Annotated Study Bible, the Preface to the New Revised Standard Version (pages vii-xiii) reads [in part]:
This preface is addressed to you by the Committee of translation, who wish to explain, as briefly as possible, the origin and character of our work. The publication of our revision is yet another step in the long, continual process of making the Bible available in the form of the English language that is most widely current in our day. To summarize in a single sentence: the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an authorized revision of the Revised Standard Version, published in 1952, which was a revision of the American Standard Version, published in 1901, which, in turn, embodied earlier revisions of the King James Version, published in 1611.
In other words, the genealogy of NRSVue comprises the following: KJV (1611) ® “earlier revisions” of the KJV (1611) ® ASV (1901) ® RSV (1952) ® NRSV (1989) ® NRVSue (2022). For the purpose of this article, the “earlier revisions” of the 1611 King James Version comprise the AV, the AV1873 and the KVJ 1900.
The Translation Genealogy of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
The translation of the Greek adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi ] and the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 has changed throughout history. As will become apparent, these changes are not without substantive impact on eternal destinies. The translation genealogy is below.
KJV (1611): KJV 1611 – 9 Know yee not that the vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not deceiued: neither fornicatours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor abusers of themselues with mankind [arsenokoitai], 10 Nor theeues, nor couetous, nor drunkards, nor reuilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
“earlier revisions” of the KJV (1611): 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (AV) – 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [arsenokoitai], 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
“earlier revisions” of the KJV (1611): 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (AV 1873) – 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [arsenokoitai], 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
“earlier revisions” of the KJV (1611): 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (KJV 1900) – 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [arsenokoitai], 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
ASV (1901): 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ASV 1901) – 9 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor abusers of themselves with men [arsenokoitai], 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
RSV (1952): 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (RSV) – 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts [malakoi and arsenokoitai] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
NRSV (1989): 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (NRSV) – 9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes [malakoi], sodomites [arsenokoitai], 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
NRVSue (2022): Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes [malakoi], men who engage in illicit sex [arsenokoitai], thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. (2021 NRSVue) (see Christian Forums at link: https://www.christianforums.com/threads/nrsvue-edits-homosexual-passages.8233928/ )
Discussion of the Translation Genealogy of the Greek Adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi ]
Beginning in 1611 up to 1952 RSV, the adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi] was translated as “effeminate.” According to The Oxford Compact English Dictionary, 2nd Ediiton at page 497, the adjective “effeminate” means, “Of persons: that have become like a woman: a. womanish, unmanly, enervated, feeble; self-indulgent, voluptuous; unbecomingly delicate or over-refined.” In the context of sexual activities, the adjective “effeminate” would appear to describe the passive male partner in male-male homosexual sexual activities. One commentary[x] writes:
Nor effeminate (μαλακοὶ). This word occurs in Mat. 11:8, and Luke 7:25, where it is applied to clothing, and translated “soft raiment;” that is, the light, thin garments worn by the rich and great. It occurs no where else in the New Testament except here. Applied to morals, as it is here, it denotes those who give themselves up to a soft, luxurious, and indolent way of living; who make self-indulgence the grand object of life; who can endure no hardship, and practise no self-denial in the cause of duty and of God. The word is applied in the classic writers to the Cinædi, the Pathics, or Catamites; those who are given up to wantonness and sensual pleasures, or who are kept to be prostituted to others. Diog. Laer. vii. 5, 4. Xenoph. Mem. iii. 7. 1. Ovid Fast. iv. 342. The connection here seems to demand such an interpretation, as it occurs in the description of vices of the same class—sensual and corrupt indulgences.—It is well known that this vice was common among the Greeks—and particularly prevailed at Corinth.
Jamieson et al.[xi] defines “effeminate” as, “self-polluters, who submit to unnatural lusts.” Beginning with the NRSV and carrying through to the NRSVue, the adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi] was translated as “male prostitutes.” In the relevant context, The Oxford Compact English Dictionary defines “prostitute” as a man who undertakes male homosexual acts for payment uss. “male prostitute.”
In discussing μαλακοὶ [malakoi ], the NET Bible[xii] reads [emphasis added]:
5 tn This term is sometimes rendered “effeminate,” although in contemporary English usage such a translation could be taken to refer to demeanor rather than behavior. BDAG 613 s.v. μαλακός 2 has “pert. to being passive in a same-sex relationship, effeminate esp. of catamites, of men and boys who are sodomized by other males in such a relationship.” L&N 88.281 states, “the passive male partner in homosexual intercourse—‘homosexual.’ … As in Greek, a number of other languages also have entirely distinct terms for the active and passive roles in homosexual intercourse.” See also the discussion in G. D. Fee, First Corinthians (NICNT), 243–44. A number of modern translations have adopted the phrase “male prostitutes” for μαλακοί in 1 Cor 6:9 (NIV, NRSV, NLT) but this could be misunderstood by the modern reader to mean “males who sell their services to women,” while the term in question appears, at least in context, to relate to homosexual activity between males. Furthermore, it is far from certain that prostitution as commonly understood (the selling of sexual favors) is specified here, as opposed to a consensual relationship. Thus the translation “passive homosexual partners” has been used here.
Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (1 Co 6:9). Biblical Studies Press.
In his January 6, 2022 article entitled “An Assessment of the New Revised Standard Version: Gaywashing in the Translation” in The Aquila Report (link: Report (An Assessment of the New Revised Standard Version: Gaywashing in the Translation – The Aquila Report) [accessed February 8, 2022]) , Dr. Robert A. J. Gagnon writes [emphasis added]:
As for the Greek term malakoi, which literally means “soft men” and which NRSV continues to translate as “male prostitutes,” this translation should have been changed to eliminate any restriction to prostitution and any inference that heterosexual relations might be in view. It is more accurately rendered as “males who feminize themselves to attract male sex partners” or even as “male-to-female transgenders.”
Discussion of the Translation Genealogy of the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai]
It appears that beginning in 1611 and up to 1952, the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] was translated along the lines of the 1901 translation, which reads, “abusers of themselves with men.” Matthew Henry[xiii] appears to equate the expression “abusers of themselves with men” with “Sodomites”.
Barnes[xiv] expands on the phrase “abusers of themselves with men:”
Abusers of themselves with mankind (ἀρσενοκοῖτοι). Pæderastæ or Sodomites. Those who indulged in a vice that was common among all the heathen; see Notes, Rom. 1:27.
The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page ___) defines “paederasty” as an unnatural connextion with a body; sodomy. According to the Oxford Compact Dictionary, paiderastής [paiderastos] is the Greek word for paederast. The word paederastic refers to a sodomite. According to The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 1255), paideraπικοσ [paideratikos] is the Greek word for paederastic which means pertaining to or practicing sodomy. The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 1817) defines “sodomite” as one who practices or commits sodomy. Sodomy is an unnatural form of sexual intercourse, esp. that of one male with another.
In 1989, the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] was translated as “sodomites.”[xv]
The NRSVue translates the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] by the expression “men who engage in illicit sex.” The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 515) defines “engage” as to enter upon or employ oneself in an action. The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 814) defines “illicit” as not authorized or allowed; improper, irregular; esp. not sanctioned by law, rule, or custom, unlawful, forbidden. The Oxford Compact English Dictionary defines “sex” as sexual intercourse frequently used in the phrase “to have sex (with).”
In discussing the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai], the NET Bible[xvi] reads:
6 tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἀρσενοκοίτης states, “a male who engages in sexual activity w. a pers. of his own sex, pederast 1 Cor 6:9 … of one who assumes the dominant role in same-sex activity, opp. μαλακός … 1 Ti 1:10; Pol 5:3. Cp. Ro 1:27.” L&N 88.280 states, “a male partner in homosexual intercourse—‘homosexual.’ … It is possible that ἀρσενοκοίτης in certain contexts refers to the active male partner in homosexual intercourse in contrast with μαλακός, the passive male partner.” Since there is a distinction in contemporary usage between sexual orientation and actual behavior, the qualification “practicing” was supplied in the translation, following the emphasis in BDAG.
In the same article from the Aquila Report, Dr. Gagnon writes:
The word literally means “men lying with (i.e., having sexual intercourse with) a male.” It is a specifically Jewish and Christian term formed from the Greek (Septuagint) translation of Hebrew Levitical prohibitions of man-male intercourse in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.
These Levitical texts prohibit absolutely (no exceptions) a man from lying (verb koimaomai) with a male (arsen) as though lying sexually (abstract noun koite) with a woman.* All future uses of the term arsenokoitai in Christian literature that have sufficient context to make a determination involve men lying with a male.
***
There is absolutely no doubt, based on extant evidence, that the term arsenokoitai in 1 Cor 6:9 is correctly translated as “men lying with a male.” If any updating of the NRSV were to be done on 1 Cor 6:9, it should have been done in the direction of translating arsenokoitai as “men lying with a male.” The previous NRSV translation of “sodomites” was not the best translation because “Sodom” is not part of the stem of this Greek noun.
The nebulous expression “men who engage in illicit sex” is like a nose of wax that the reader can twist and turn to say whatever they want it to say.
Discussion of the Translation of μαλακοὶ and ἀρσενοκοῖται in the RSV
The RSV (1952) translated the Greek adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] together as “sexual perverts.” The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 1727) defines “sexual” as of or pertaining to sex … relative to the physical intercourse between sexes or the gratification of sexual appetites. The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 1318) defines “pervert” as one who suffers from a perversion of the sexual instinct. The word perversion means the action of perverting or the condition of being perverted; turning aside from truth or right. In the sexual context, it is a disorder of sexual behavior in which satisfaction is sought through channels other than those of normal heterosexual intercourse.
It is of interest that the New American Standard Bible (2020) translates μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] together as “homosexuals” along with the note that reads, “Two Gr. Words in the text, prob. Submissive and dominant male homosexuals.”
HOW THE NRSVeu KEEPS PRACTICING HOMOSEXUALS ON THE ROAD TO HELL
In reference to the translation by the NRSVue of the Greek adjective μαλακοὶ [malakoi], the translation “male prostitute” distorts what Paul meant by μαλακοὶ [malakoi] in two ways The NRSV translated μαλακοὶ [malakoi] as “male prostitutes.” To the extent the translation genealogy kept practicing homosexuals on the road to hell, it began with the change in 1989 from “sexual perverts” (RSV 1952) to “male prostitutes.”
First, the term “male prostitutes” can refer to men who for compensation engage in heterosexual activity with women. In no way does Paul’s use of μαλακοὶ [malakoi] refer to paid male-female sexual activity. Paul’s use of μαλακοὶ [malakoi] refers to male-male sexual activity. This is especially true because μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] should be read as a pair in the sexual context.
Second, compensation of any kind was not within the scope of Paul’s usage of μαλακοὶ [malakoi]. Therefore, the term “male prostitute” which implies some compensation, is misleading.
The adjective “effeminate” paints a more accurate picture of Paul’s meaning. However, the NET Bible translation is closer still to Paul’s meaning by its usage of the phrase “passive homosexual partners” to translate μαλακοὶ [malakoi].
In the reference to the Greek noun ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai], the NRSVue has done a great disservice to the practicing homosexual by keeping them on the road to hell. Prior to the NRSVue, the English expressions “abusers of themselves with men,” “sexual perverts,” and “sodomites” conveyed the meaning of unrestricted male-male homosexual sexual activity. Male-male homosexual sexual activity was sufficient to fall within the scope of any of these translations of ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai].
Tragically, the NRSVue’s use of the expression “men who engage in illicit sex” corrupts what Paul intended to mean by his use of ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] for two reasons. First, in view of the legality of same-sex “marriage,” all male-male homosexual sexual activity is not “illicit” in the secular legal sense. Second, this expression encompasses male-female heterosexual activity.
It is a tragedy of eternal proportions that serial and unrepentant male and female[xvii] homosexuals will make the NRSVue their “go-to” Bible to justify their damning lifestyles. While the NRSVue translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 may allow a practicing homosexual to feel better for now, unless they repent of their sin and trust in Christ’ finished work on the cross alone for their salvation, they will be very disappointed come Judgment Day. The same may very well be said about the translators who developed, or acquiesced to the development of, a translation that keeps practicing homosexuals on the road to hell.
CONCLUSION
The overarching purpose of the church is to preach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to lost sinners, which includes serial and unrepentant male and female homosexuals. Any Christ-follower worth their salt will push against any obstacle that impedes the proclamation of the gospel. Such resistance is consistent with what Pastor John MacArthur preached on January 16, 2022, in a sermon entitled “Such Were Some of You:”[xviii]
Any attack on this operation of converting sinners to Christ is an assault on God, on Christ, on the Holy Spirit, on the Bible, on the church, that will be met by the church with one hundred percent resistance because this is our mission. Sinners must be converted, or they will not enter the kingdom of God. Being outside the kingdom of God means eternal punishment in hell forever.
The NRSVue is a translation that further widens the already broad road to hell[xix] for practicing homosexuals. It is a translation that prevents practicing homosexuals from entering the kingdom of God. Not unlike what Pastor MacArthur said about the Canadian government through enacting Bill C-4 to ban so-called “conversion therapy”:
What interest does the government have in protecting homosexuals from the kingdom of God? Why is it a threat to convert a homosexual, to convert a transgender person? Why do they want to make laws to prevent that? Do they have a particular interest in populating hell with a certain kind of sinner? What business do they have in telling the church under divine mandate that it’s a felony to convert a sinner?
I serve as an elder at Fairview Community Church in Fairview, Tennessee. FCC is a small church that wants to see serial and unrepentant homosexuals exercise biblical saving faith. Regrettably, the salvation of a practicing homosexual becomes more difficult in light of a translation like the NRSVue, which “gaywashes” God’s warning in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
Therefore, unless it is for forensic analysis, I will discourage folks at our church and other people I talk with on this subject from using the NRSVue.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION
If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my new (published in October, 2021) book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation and Spiritual Growth (book link at Xulon Press: https://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638 ). At Amazon the book link is https://www.amazon.com/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual/dp/1662828632 . I also have website in which I am updating the content in the book. The link to my website for the book is https://thesalvationmeter.com .
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN
If you are reading this post and are not a Christian, your eternal destination is hell unless God intervenes. But, your destiny can change. Today can be the day of your salvation. Please see my blog (https://stevebelsheim.com/2020/04/20/for-god-so-loves-you-2/) for a description of how you can be saved and a more concise description at my (https://stevebelsheim.com/2020/10/20/there-is-hope-even-when-there-seems-to-be-no-hope-2/ ).
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[i] See the announcement by Friendship Press (link: NRSV Updated Edition – Friendship Press
[ii] According to 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB95), the Bible is the only rule for faith and practice:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
[iii] The New American Standard Bible – 1995 update (NASB95) is my “go-to” Bible translation.
[iv] Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). I & II Corinthians (Vol. 7, p. 89). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[v] Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Kling, C. F., & Poor, D. W. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: 1 Corinthians (p. 125). Logos Bible Software.
[vi] By saying there is a “dispute,” I do not acknowledge that the pro-LGBTQ position has merit. All I mean is that a “dispute” exists.
[vii] 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB95) reads:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
[viii] 2 Peter 1:21 (NASB95) reads:
21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
[ix] Ellingworth, P., Hatton, H., & Ellingworth, P. (1995). A handbook on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (pp. 130–131). United Bible Societies.
[x] Barnes, A. (1884–1885). Notes on the New Testament: I Corinthians (R. Frew, Ed.; pp. 101–102). Blackie & Son.
[xi] See Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 273). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xii] Note the reading of 1 Corinthians 6:9 in The NET Bible First Edition (Noteless) [boldfacing added]:
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,
[xiii] Matthew Henry’s Commentary – Acts to Revelation Vol. VI, (1708-1710), McDonald Publishing Company, McLean Virginia at p. 533.
[xiv] Barnes, A. (1884–1885). Notes on the New Testament: I Corinthians (R. Frew, Ed.; pp. 101–102). Blackie & Son.
[xv] As stated earlier, The Oxford Compact English Dictionary (page 1817) defines “sodomite” as one who practices or commits sodomy. Sodomy is an unnatural form of sexual intercourse, esp. that of one male with another.
[xvi] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (1 Co 6:9). Biblical Studies Press.
[xvii] In light of Romans 1:26-27, the warning and penalty for μαλακοὶ [malakoi] and ἀρσενοκοῖται [arsenokoitai] from 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 applies to serial and unrepentant female practicing homosexuals.
[xviii] The link to the sermon Such Were Some of You (gty.org)
[xix] The road to hell, according to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:13–14 (NASB95), is easy and the gate to hell is wide:
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.