hi fellow christians , im a new born-again christian and i was just wondering what bible i should buy ? i have a bible book (unlocking the bible) by david pawson , just curious , also , should i pray to god , or jesus ? THANKS .
in my house we have more than one version of the Bible. why don’t you buy two or three different versions and use them to cross-reference each other? also when you pray to Jesus you are praying to God. References :
they say that the nearest translation of bible is the king james version but the thing is there’s a lot of old english in there so i prefer you to use the new king james version References :
If you are looking for accuracy, you are looking for the KJV. If you are willing to trade in accuracy for a more modern English, then the NASB, or the NIV is what you are looking for.
BTW: I should mention that a very good online Bible tool is e-sword. You can download it for free along with all kinds of study materials at http://e-sword.net/ References :
There are a couple of things that you can do. When I was a new believer I actually went ahead and bought 2 Bibles. Both are said to be very accurate and they have their own followers:
The KJV – It is not easily understood by some, but I can handle the language… There are KJV-only people out there who only advocate that one.
The NASB – It is more accurate than the NIV and still easy to understand.
Then find yourself a good Bible believing church, fellowship and praise the Lord with others.
Pray and read the Bible and then there is something that helped me a lot as a new believer: You shouldn't go ahead and try to swallow the big stuff at first. Read the Bible and it will nourish you and to help you you can do a Bible Study… I did "Growing in Christ". It helped me get acquainted with my Bible and it showed me the basics… References : http://preach-the-word-always.blogspot.com
You will need to eventually wind up with a KJV. It's not the best to read, but it's the one most know; when you get into serious Bible study, you'll need the KJV and a Strong's.
The rest? They've all got their strengths, weaknesses and botched translations (oddly, of the ones I've seen, only my Ukrainian Bible translates Psalm 23 accurately). I'd say I've got maybe a half-dozen translations, including a New Testament Interlinear.
Try e-sword.net and you can download any number of 'em for free (no strings attached) including the invaluable Strong's.
If you're limiting your purchase to just one (for now) buy whichever one is most comfortable for you to read. NKJV or NIV will provide a good start.
——–
Whoops, everybody (including me) failed to notice it was a 2-part question:
Jesus prayed to God, and indicated that we should as well. Jesus was God's only son; now He's called the firstborn of many (as a born-again Christian, you are now His joint-heir).
However, an awful lot of "Thank you Jesus" winds up in my prayers when I get on a roll.
——–
An "Amen" to Mike R, who further down the page reccomends the CJB. Its benefit is that, altho the Bible was writtten in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek, is was written by people (with the exception of Luke) who *thought* in Jewish, as does the CJB's translator Stern. It is also quite hilarious at times. References :
The KJV is the most accurate but if you are just learning I would go with the ASB but also buy the KJV because you will need it when you go to Church or to study with a group. They have Parallel editions which would probably be the best it has the KJV on one side and the ASB, NIV, NLT, on the other whichever you prefer.
Why not go to a bookstore and read a few verses from different versions of the bible to found out which version is best for you.
King James Version (KJV) is fine but some have trouble reading and understanding the old English which is used in it.
Other more modern English Bibles that I have found to be good are:
New King James Version (NKJV)
Modern King James Version (MKJV)
New International Version (NIV)
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
I am sure that there must be other good translations as well.
Whichever version you decide to buy, make sure it is a “study bible.” Study bibles have notes, illustrations, maps, etc. to inhance your understanding of the verses which you are reading.
As far as who to pray to:
Yahoshua (Jesus) gave us an example to follow. He advised us to pray to the Father (Yahveh) in His (Yahoshua’s) Name. As Christians/Messianics, we are a part of the Messiah’s (Jesus’) Body. Therefore, we can come before God the Father in Yahoshua’s Name.
We should strive to be one with our Messiah just as our Messiah is One with the Father. We should do (live our lives) what is pleasing to Yahoshua just as Yahoshua lived His life doing what pleased His Father (and ours). If we please the Messiah, we will please His Father.
Doesn’t matter who you pray “to,” God knows what’s in your heart. Say it with your heart, your soul and believe it, and I’ll say amen.
There’s the King James Version, the New American Bible, the New Revised Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible or the New International Version and the New Living Version.
I’d avoid The Living Bible and The Message, which are both so poorly translated they loose all the nuances and ambiguity.
Alot of people will suggest the King James version, here’s the problem with the KJV.
The King James version of 1611 is based on the Geneva Bible of 1560. And the “1611” version people think they have, is probably a reprint of the 1769 version. Or it’s a 1622 reprint of the 1611 version, that corrected hundreds of mistakes.
Why are there so many KJV Bibles out there today? It’s not copyrighted, and free to reprint and sell.
Try to understand that a lot of new information has been learned since 1611, (the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1948, for example) that didn’t inform the translators of 1611, but have influenced subsequent translations – and the KJ version has major translation problems. Even the New Revised King James Version is pretty poor, and was significantly revised so that it would eligible for a new copyright.
Nearly no reputable academics or scholars today use the King James translation – what does that tell you?
I use the NRSV, published in 2006. But I also like looking up OT references in a good Jewish translation of the Tanakh – the “Jewish Bible.”
Of course the Bible isn’t THE WORD OF GOD . . . it’s translated into a language we can understand.
But the Bible is God’s Word . . . meaning the message, not the medium or the method, is what God tries to tell us.
So, if you get a different version, and closely read the words, you’ll find different translations that have different nuanced meanings. It doesn’t mean the Bible is wrong, it means the human translators made different judgments in translations.
OK, first – unless your church requires it, I *strongly* (VERY strongly) urge you *not* to get a King James Version (KJV) bible. The archaic language used in it leads *many* to misunderstand the bible. Additionally, although it was the best English translation of its day, by today’s standards it is a poor, unscholarly translation based on unauthentic source texts. If someone were to produce a bible today with the degree of accuracy and authenticity that the KJV has, no one would buy it.
However, this is not *very* clear-cut. In a quick search, I was unable to find any scriptural instance of anyone praying to Jesus in particular, though several in the New Testament of people praying to God or The Lord (meaning the Father). Very strict Christians generally pray always to the Father in the name of Jesus (ending the prayer with, “in Jesus’ name, Amen.”) – and this is the practice I follow.
I need to correct some of the “answers” here: the KJV is NOT the most accurate; not by a long shot. Since the KJV was written, much scholarship has been done, and many documents discovered (i.e. the Dead Sea Scrolls). I would definitely avoid the KJV. For example, the KJV contains the “Johannine Comma,” which is “extra” scripture in 1 John 5:7-8 that was inserted to reinforce the idea of the Trinity. This is basically bilbical fraud, and has no place in a real Bible.
The NIV is the most readable, and probably best for a new Christian. The NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) is the most accurate as far as scholarship is concerned. The NAS (New American Standard) is the most literal, but not very readable in my opinion. References :
June 27th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Posted in
hi fellow christians , im a new born-again christian and i was just wondering what bible i should buy ?
i have a bible book (unlocking the bible) by david pawson , just curious , also , should i pray to god , or jesus ? THANKS .
I like the accuracy of KJV.
However, some like a looser translation….or even a four-version for comparison….maybe evn the amplified will help.
God bless you on you new journey.
Many new Christians these days can't handle the KJV…..it has too much 'kings english.
References :
in my house we have more than one version of the Bible. why don’t you buy two or three different versions and use them to cross-reference each other? also when you pray to Jesus you are praying to God.
References :
they say that the nearest translation of bible is the king james version but the thing is there’s a lot of old english in there so i prefer you to use the new king james version
References :
English Standard Version (ESV) or an NIV. Don’t bother with the KJV, its a horrible translation.
References :
i would suggest to buy all of them (there is about 10 or so) in case there is something missing in one you get it in the other!
References :
Use an online bible or a bible program, then you can easily search for pieces you want to look up.
The message is more important than the media.
Then again, why waste time with any of it?
References :
If you are looking for accuracy, you are looking for the KJV. If you are willing to trade in accuracy for a more modern English, then the NASB, or the NIV is what you are looking for.
BTW: I should mention that a very good online Bible tool is e-sword. You can download it for free along with all kinds of study materials at http://e-sword.net/
References :
There are a couple of things that you can do. When I was a new believer I actually went ahead and bought 2 Bibles. Both are said to be very accurate and they have their own followers:
The KJV – It is not easily understood by some, but I can handle the language… There are KJV-only people out there who only advocate that one.
The NASB – It is more accurate than the NIV and still easy to understand.
Then find yourself a good Bible believing church, fellowship and praise the Lord with others.
Pray and read the Bible and then there is something that helped me a lot as a new believer: You shouldn't go ahead and try to swallow the big stuff at first. Read the Bible and it will nourish you and to help you you can do a Bible Study… I did "Growing in Christ". It helped me get acquainted with my Bible and it showed me the basics…
References :
http://preach-the-word-always.blogspot.com
You will need to eventually wind up with a KJV. It's not the best to read, but it's the one most know; when you get into serious Bible study, you'll need the KJV and a Strong's.
The rest? They've all got their strengths, weaknesses and botched translations (oddly, of the ones I've seen, only my Ukrainian Bible translates Psalm 23 accurately). I'd say I've got maybe a half-dozen translations, including a New Testament Interlinear.
Try e-sword.net and you can download any number of 'em for free (no strings attached) including the invaluable Strong's.
If you're limiting your purchase to just one (for now) buy whichever one is most comfortable for you to read. NKJV or NIV will provide a good start.
——–
Whoops, everybody (including me) failed to notice it was a 2-part question:
Jesus prayed to God, and indicated that we should as well. Jesus was God's only son; now He's called the firstborn of many (as a born-again Christian, you are now His joint-heir).
However, an awful lot of "Thank you Jesus" winds up in my prayers when I get on a roll.
——–
An "Amen" to Mike R, who further down the page reccomends the CJB. Its benefit is that, altho the Bible was writtten in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek, is was written by people (with the exception of Luke) who *thought* in Jewish, as does the CJB's translator Stern. It is also quite hilarious at times.
References :
I prefer NIV with the KJV.
References :
The KJV is the most accurate but if you are just learning I would go with the ASB but also buy the KJV because you will need it when you go to Church or to study with a group. They have Parallel editions which would probably be the best it has the KJV on one side and the ASB, NIV, NLT, on the other whichever you prefer.
Hope this Helped God Bless
References :
Pray to Jesus means you pray to God. Always ask for his guidance and you will find him.
To praise the Lord is helping the needy, the unfortunate, the homeless….
References :
The Gospel – Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 25:31-46
Why not go to a bookstore and read a few verses from different versions of the bible to found out which version is best for you.
King James Version (KJV) is fine but some have trouble reading and understanding the old English which is used in it.
Other more modern English Bibles that I have found to be good are:
New King James Version (NKJV)
Modern King James Version (MKJV)
New International Version (NIV)
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
I am sure that there must be other good translations as well.
Whichever version you decide to buy, make sure it is a “study bible.” Study bibles have notes, illustrations, maps, etc. to inhance your understanding of the verses which you are reading.
As far as who to pray to:
Yahoshua (Jesus) gave us an example to follow. He advised us to pray to the Father (Yahveh) in His (Yahoshua’s) Name. As Christians/Messianics, we are a part of the Messiah’s (Jesus’) Body. Therefore, we can come before God the Father in Yahoshua’s Name.
We should strive to be one with our Messiah just as our Messiah is One with the Father. We should do (live our lives) what is pleasing to Yahoshua just as Yahoshua lived His life doing what pleased His Father (and ours). If we please the Messiah, we will please His Father.
HalleluYah!
References :
Welcome to the Body of Believers.
Doesn’t matter who you pray “to,” God knows what’s in your heart. Say it with your heart, your soul and believe it, and I’ll say amen.
There’s the King James Version, the New American Bible, the New Revised Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible or the New International Version and the New Living Version.
I’d avoid The Living Bible and The Message, which are both so poorly translated they loose all the nuances and ambiguity.
Alot of people will suggest the King James version, here’s the problem with the KJV.
The King James version of 1611 is based on the Geneva Bible of 1560. And the “1611” version people think they have, is probably a reprint of the 1769 version. Or it’s a 1622 reprint of the 1611 version, that corrected hundreds of mistakes.
Why are there so many KJV Bibles out there today? It’s not copyrighted, and free to reprint and sell.
Try to understand that a lot of new information has been learned since 1611, (the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1948, for example) that didn’t inform the translators of 1611, but have influenced subsequent translations – and the KJ version has major translation problems. Even the New Revised King James Version is pretty poor, and was significantly revised so that it would eligible for a new copyright.
Nearly no reputable academics or scholars today use the King James translation – what does that tell you?
I use the NRSV, published in 2006. But I also like looking up OT references in a good Jewish translation of the Tanakh – the “Jewish Bible.”
Of course the Bible isn’t THE WORD OF GOD . . . it’s translated into a language we can understand.
But the Bible is God’s Word . . . meaning the message, not the medium or the method, is what God tries to tell us.
So, if you get a different version, and closely read the words, you’ll find different translations that have different nuanced meanings. It doesn’t mean the Bible is wrong, it means the human translators made different judgments in translations.
Here are different translations
http://www.blueletterbible.org/
And here’s a better translation, but less searchable site:
http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm
References :
OK, first – unless your church requires it, I *strongly* (VERY strongly) urge you *not* to get a King James Version (KJV) bible. The archaic language used in it leads *many* to misunderstand the bible. Additionally, although it was the best English translation of its day, by today’s standards it is a poor, unscholarly translation based on unauthentic source texts. If someone were to produce a bible today with the degree of accuracy and authenticity that the KJV has, no one would buy it.
This should help you to choose a bible *version*
http://www.bible-reviews.com/selector.html
*If* you find the NIV a good choice after looking at the recommendations above, this NIV seems very good to me – you can use the “look inside” feature to see how well the notes relate to the bible text without getting preachy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNIV-Quest-Study-Bible-Revised%2Fdp%2F0310928044%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1220588775%26sr%3D1-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
As for prayer, Jesus taught us how to pray – and said to say “Father”.
http://www.studybibleforum.com/htm_php.php3?do=jump_to_chapter&refstr=Luke+11%3A1&trans=NASB
However, this is not *very* clear-cut. In a quick search, I was unable to find any scriptural instance of anyone praying to Jesus in particular, though several in the New Testament of people praying to God or The Lord (meaning the Father). Very strict Christians generally pray always to the Father in the name of Jesus (ending the prayer with, “in Jesus’ name, Amen.”) – and this is the practice I follow.
Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/
References :
I need to correct some of the “answers” here: the KJV is NOT the most accurate; not by a long shot. Since the KJV was written, much scholarship has been done, and many documents discovered (i.e. the Dead Sea Scrolls). I would definitely avoid the KJV. For example, the KJV contains the “Johannine Comma,” which is “extra” scripture in 1 John 5:7-8 that was inserted to reinforce the idea of the Trinity. This is basically bilbical fraud, and has no place in a real Bible.
The NIV is the most readable, and probably best for a new Christian. The NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) is the most accurate as far as scholarship is concerned. The NAS (New American Standard) is the most literal, but not very readable in my opinion.
References :