Measures of Pride

I got pretty upset this week with a group of posters who decided to try to use one person's question about Bible translation preferences to attack modern translations as the work of the devil.  Allegedly, all of these modern versions were invented solely to attack the central doctrines of Christianity (which they nevertheless contained) and only the KJV was a real Bible.  Let me say, first off, that I have nothing against the KJV at all.  It is, in fact, my primary Bible translation.  However, it is not the only true Bible translation out there and any argument to that effect is garbage.  Some of them are very, very obviously false--such as alledging (as one man did) that the KJV is obviously the only pure version of the Bible because older versions were corrupted somehow and the KJV uses newer manuscripts as its source.  Of course, how these newer manuscripts wound up being uncorrupted (since they were copies of the older ones) and why even newer versions wouldn't be superior was something the author did not care to divulge.

Thinking about the whole mess, I could figure only two basic reasons why anyone would defend the KJV-only position.  First, they had been duped by it, convinced by the great many venomous attacks on every modern version that the KJV was the only Bible they could trust.  That's sad, because the attacks are baseless and can just as easily be made on the KJV itself.  I was once one of these.  Second, of course, was that they needed to feel superior in their choice of version.  They needed some measure to tell them that they were a real Christian, and others weren't.  The KJV provides a convenient distinction, even more so because after 400 years what was the easiest English translation to read has now become impenitribly dense to the average reader.  They could take pride in being able to even understand it through all the shalt's, thee's, and thou's, and congratulate themselves on being true Christians (some KJV-only proponents have said just that, citing 1 Corinthians 2:14 to argue that anyone who can't penetrate the 400-year-old vocabulary and syntax must not have the Holy Spirit).

"Being able to read outdated English does not make you a Christian," I muttered to myself.

Unexpectedly, this became the start of a list.  By the end of the list, I was humbled by the number of things I had thought, at one point or another--or still thought, at times--were the measure of a Christian and were, in fact, nothing but measures for pride.

The following things do not make you a Christian, or make you a better Christian than anyone else.  If you think they do, I would be happy to hear why, but I don't think you're right.  If you think about all the Christians there are out there today, here and in nations where the name "Christian" is a death-sentence, and all the Christians there have been throughout history, I think you will see that none of these things distinguish Christians from non-Christians, nor the great Christians from their fellows.

• Being able to read the King James Version and understand it
• Being able to read the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic
• Being able to speak eloquently of the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic
• Knowing that there is an original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic
• Owning an ESV Study Bible
• Leading a Bible study
• Being a member of a Bible study
• Being a member of a campus ministry
• Being a member of a church
• Attending church services every time the door is open
• Attending church services Sunday morning and evening
• Attending church services weekly
• Attending church services at all
• Evangelizing cold turkey
• Voting Republican
• Voting
• Having the right to vote
• Believing in Creationism
• Being informed on the Creationism vs Evolution debate
• Being a Calvinist
• Adhering to any particular school of theological thought
• Adhering to any particular set of convictions or personal preferences
• Agreeing with you
• Being religious
• Taking half-days to be alone with God in prayer
• Scheduling time to be alone with God in prayer
• Praying and receiving any particular answer
• Praying the way you do
• Reading the Bible through in a year
• Reading the Bible on a regular schedule
• Memorizing an entire book of the Bible
• Memorizing an entire passage of the Bible
• Memorizing a verse of the Bible
• Having a Bible
• Being able to read
• Giving money to missions
• Giving money to the church
• Giving money to the poor
• Having money to give
• Having any particular spiritual gift
• Having any particular personality
• Having any particular level of social skills
• Having any particular hairstyle/clothing style
• Having any particular musical preference
• Not using cuss words
• Not having piercings or tattoos
• Looking and sounding like you or someone you'd like
• Having all the sin in their life conquered
• Recognizing all the sin in their life
• Being at least as "good" as you

Having made this list, I must confess that, at one point or another in my life, I have used, or at least been very tempted to use, each of the above as a measure of pride.  I have used them to measure others, to say to myself, "Well, if this person is a Christian, they aren't a very good one because of thus-and-so."  I have become puffed up with pride and denigrated others wrongfully in my heart for this.  If I have used any of the above against you or those you know, then I beg your forgiveness.  I was wrong.  It was the sin of pride.

Further, I have used this list and taken it to Christians I admire.  I have said in my heart, "Ah, this person is a great Christian because they do thus-and-so!"  I have idolized such people in my heart.  I have said in my pride and foolishness that I would be like them, that I would do as they did and by so doing become a great Christian.  I was wrong.  If you have been idolized by me in any of the above ways, I ask your forgiveness.  You may or may not see it, but I was wrong.  You aren't perfect, and I was a fool to think you were and make you my idol to follow instead of God.

These things make you a Christian, and a great Christian you are if you have these:

• To love God
• To trust Him
• To obey His "voice" in your life, however that voice may come to you

If you have these, then you know God and that is life eternal.  If you have these, nothing can add to them, or take away from them.

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. -Micah 6:8