Comments on: John 1:18: Bring on the Stupid

By: Carl

Carl — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:57:29 +0000

Wasn’t it you who posted the thought that “Truth” Depends on Your Translation”? Did you really mean that or was it just a lot of empty talk? For instance, you prefer the NiV’s version of John 1:18, which says, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” Does that make sense to you? After saying that no one has seen God, it then says that God is at the Father’s side and that he he has made himself known. Is that in harmony with Scripture? No! Instead of saying that God and the Father are two separate persons, the Bible says that God and the Father are one in the same person. For instance, soon after being resurrected, Jesus sent a message to his followers, saying: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) So, Jesus’ Father was also Jesus’ God. They are one in the same person. At Col. 1:3, Paul wrote: “We thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ always when we pray for you.” Here again, it shows that God and the Father are one in the same person. Yet your preference of the NIV’s renderring of John 1:18 has God stationed at the Father’s hand. In other words, God is at his own side. Does that make sense to you? It shouldn’t

The KJV’s version of John 1:18 makes much more sense, when it says: “No one hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” This renderring of John 1:18 makes it clear that God’s only-begotten Son, Jesus, is the one who has given us a better understanding of what his God and Father is like. He accomplished this during his 3 1/2 year ministry.

Your preferred version of John 1:18 has thoroughly confused you. In your own words, you said that at John 1:18, “John means the obvious, which is that the unknowable God made himself known and knowable by incarnating himself as Jesus.” Have you forgotten so soon that YOU said in another post that God is a trinity and that it was explained at John 1:1-4? Since that is what you believe, then your understand of the NIV’s rendition of John 1:18 has caused you to conclude that the “unknowable” trinity (Father, Son, and holy spirit) made itself known by incarnating itself as its own Son, Jesus. Now, just how much sense does THAT make?

By: Roy Huntley

Roy Huntley — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:07:25 +0000

I disagree with my Baptist brothers. When they get to Heaven I want them to count THEM sitting side by side. I have no problem with those who disagree. RH

By: Ricky H

Ricky H — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:44:07 +0000

Isn't the printed word two-dimensional?

By: Brian Shields

Brian Shields — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:04:27 +0000

I've heard there are a lot of out of work replicants these days since the democants took over in D.C.

By: Redlefty

Redlefty — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:11:13 +0000

I just read about two entire pages of Greek commentary on verse 18 alone, and I think I’m even more confused than before!

Now I basically read it as “God wicked cool, brah.”

By: John Shore

John Shore — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:36:46 +0000

That is a lot clearer, Chris. Though I DO kind of like the ever in-folding, Zen koanish language of the NIV.

Replicants!! I totally want four of them. Maybe THEN I could finally get out of doing housework myself.

By: Christian Beyer

Christian Beyer — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:06:29 +0000

This NIV translation does sound kind of awkward (I think). I like this one:

John 1:18 (Contemporary English Version)

“No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.”

In 2019 we are supposed to be getting flying cars. And replicants. I can’t wait.

By: John Shore

John Shore — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:02:47 +0000

… and yeu, and ann

By: John Shore

John Shore — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:01:59 +0000

ha! good one, Red! (And thanks, Ric.)

By: ric booth

ric booth — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:22:52 +0000

"Using nothing but one-dimensional print …"

Very well put John.