Mason
MacArthur, Shepherd’s Conference Update (translation)
(transcript)
https://www.incpu.org/GTY-JM-ShepConf-update.htm
https://www.incpu.org/GTY-JM-ShepConf-update.pdf
[John MacArthur Jr. speaking, transcribed verbatim]
I’m
so grateful to have the opportunity to connect with all of you who were a part
of the Shepherd’s Conference. We’re just amazed really that we got the
conference in. Once the Shepherd’s Conference ended, it seems like all the rest
of the conferences shut down, because of the Corona-Virus issue. But the Lord
allowed us to have that full conference. `
We’re
thankful for what was accomplished in that conference. The goal of it was 2020
– clarity on issues, and we’ve gotten tremendous feedback on many folks saying
– you know, things were made more clear to me; I
appreciate everything… People appreciated the call to Biblical clarity that we
opened with. I’ve gotten a lot of personal feedback on the final message on how
important unity is to the Lord, not just to us, but to the Lord.
We’re
already cranking up for next year. And next year is going to be remarkable. I
can tell you that. Next year, 2021, is going to be special for a lot of
reasons. But one of them that I want to mention to you immediately is this.
Something
has happened that just doesn’t happen. I’m still in awe at the kindness of the
Lord. And it is this. As an expositor of the Word of God, I want the finest
tool that I can use to handle Scripture. That means,
the most accurate, literal, faithful, consistent translation of Scripture. As
an expositor, I don’t want to fix the text. I don’t want to say they should
have done this or they should have done that. I want the purest translation. And
basically the general consensus has been for many, many years, that the NASB is
that most accurate, most literal, most consistent translation. It’s been mine
for the whole duration of my ministry. All the commentaries I wrote were based
upon the text of the NASB. It has stood the tests of these years of exposition.
It is still my favorite. I have found it the best possible tool for handling
the Word of God.
But,
there is an opportunity that has come to us that is going to make it even
better. The Lockman Foundation generously and graciously has licensed us to able
to take the NASB translation, and to refine it. To do some refinements that are subtle, that you might not even necessarily see as
you’re reading. Sometimes changing an imperfect tense verb
that it reads in the English as an imperfect tense. Sometimes changing
the translation of a word where a synonym is used to another word that
recognizes a word-play in that text and will make that word-play more clear. There are subtle changes like that. Some large
changes – God’s Name is Yahweh in the Old Testament. He says, My Name is
Yahweh, I AM that I AM. But that always appears as Lord. That’s not what the
original word is. Lord is the word Adonai – that’s a different Name for God.
The word Yahweh, God’s Name, appears over 6,000 times in the Old Testament, and
God says, this is My Name.
Now
the Jews didn’t want to pronounce that Name, because they said that God is too
holy. So, they substituted Adonai and substituted the word Lord for His Name,
because they thought it was too holy to pronounce. Look, God gave us His Name so that we would
use it. God wants us to call Him by Name. He calls us by Name. He wants us to
call Him by Name. That distinguishes Him from the generic word God. There are
many gods. Even in the Old Testament, sometimes the word God is plural and
sometimes it’s used in a reference that doesn’t refer to Yahweh.
So one remarkable change in this Bible, this new
edition of the NAS is going to be that God’s Name is going to be His Name. And then in the New
Testament, some of you know I wrote a book called “Slave”, and that book kind
of sadly pointed out that the word “doulos” which is
a companion word to “kurios” – “kurios”
is Lord, “doulos” is slave, is not translated slave
the way it should be all through the New Testament, and so we’re going to make
that change. Those two are pretty-epic changes in the Old and the New
Testament.
The
rest of the refinements are very, very, very important refinements that will
increase the already high-quality of the NAS, even to another level. And then, not only accuracy, but consistency. Making sure that there are consistent words so that you can connect
the dots in a given passage, even from the Old to the New Testament.
We’re going to call this new edition, “Legacy Standard Bible”. Standard, because it’s a
true pure formal equivalency word-for-word translation. And “legacy”,
because we don’t think you need to keep changing the translation all the time.
I’ve preached, basically, out of the same translation for 50 years. The only
change came in 1995, when they basically took out thee’s
and thou’s. Um, but very little else changed. This
has been a standard for me for half a century.
By
the way, the King James was the standard for 250 years. The tendency these days
is to chase the translation. Because you’re chasing the
vernacular. And you’re never
content because the vernacular of the culture changes and so you try to run
after the culture, and maybe accommodate the culture in the translation. This
is an inerrant unchangeable Word of the Living God. We want to take the best
translation, refine it just a bit, and make it the legacy for future
generations. So we have that opportunity.
So
by next Shepherd’s Conference, 2021 in March, we’re going to give a gift to
everyone who’s there, of the new Legacy Standard Bible. It will be a New
Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. And we’ll put it in a nice letter and cover,
and maybe we’ll call it the “Shepherds Bible”. It’ll be a little format like
this (showing about 5” wide with his fingers). I’ve carried one similar to that
throughout all of my pastoral ministry. I’ve used it
to shepherd lots of people on death-beds and hospitals and counseling and uh…
it’s just the kind of Bible you can put in your coat-pocket or even in your
back-pocket. So we’ll have those available by next Shepherd’s Conference, and
soon after that – the whole Bible, of the Legacy Standard Bible. Really an amazing providence of God. I’ve never heard of
anything like this happening where we have been given the privilege of doing
that.
Dr.
Abner Chou, who is a linguistic genius at the Master’s University and teaches
at the Master’s Seminary as well, he’s kind of overseeing this group. Dr Will
Varner, New Testament Greek scholar, Dr Jason Beals
from the (Master’s) University, Dr Joe Zachvitch – a
Harvard-trained Hebrew linguist on our faculty, and his brother Mark – trained
at Master’s Seminary and in Edinburough, in the Greek
language, and Paul Twiss, who also is a linguist – a
UK guy, British guy – they’re all faculty at the Seminary and university. And they are right now going word by word
through the Hebrew, and word by word through the Greek, together as a team
refining this Legacy Standard Bible. Really, an exciting
thing.
We’re
working hard. They’re telling me that by mid-June, they should have at least
the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs finished. And maybe by September, the
rest. This is, uh, this is a fast time-table, but they’re working very hard and
fast as well.
So,
a treasure has been deposited with us, to make even better. And, we’re very
excited to let you know about it. There will be some videos that come along to
give you more details as time goes, so you’ll know exactly what we’re doing.
For
all of you pastors who were a part of the Shepherd’s conference, we’re just trusting the Lord that you’re finding ways to
minister to your people in this very bizarre kind of circumstance. There are
many ways that you have a captive audience now that you didn’t used to have.
They are maybe less busy, maybe less distracted, less mobile. Good time for you
to encourage them to tighten up those family bonds and tighten up those close
relationships that they already have with people who are intimately involved in
their lives. And use some of their free time to be spiritually productive. This
is a great time to encourage your families to start things in the home that
they have never done in the past.
Everybody
says – we’re so busy. We’re coming and going all the time. We can’t have a
family Bible study. We can’t read through a book together. Well, you can now.
So encourage your people to do those things. Encourage people to minister to
one another. Encourage your people to care for the widows, and those who are
older and can’t get out, and are a little bit afraid to go to shopping. Figure
out ways in your church that you can serve them. I know you’re doing all of
that.
If
you want any help with ideas, give us a call, there will always be someone
there to help you. And God bless you. We’ll see you on the other side of all of
this.