The Message - The good, the bad and the ugly

Those of you who have heard me preach are well aware of my, what shall we say, somewhat low opinion of the Message Bible.

Here I would like to use Romans 8:12-15, which is part of the passage I preached on this morning. This will perhaps demonstrate the reasons for my views.

Anyway, let's look at Romans 8:12-15. First in the NIV it says:

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,‘Abba, Father.’

Now let's look at what the Message says:

12-14 So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

15 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?”

So let's look at the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Good

The Message makes it clear that what Paul is saying in v12 is not simply "do not sin", but "stop trying to live a better life by relying on your own strength". So here is actually brings out a key point of the original.

The Bad

In v14 it speaks of us being children of God (the Greek actually says sons of God). The Message makes no mention whatsoever of this!

The Ugly

In v 15 it talks of us crying "Abba Father", the Message's "What's next Papa?" is downright ugly. More seriously it strips the text of most of its depth of meaning, turning it into sentimental mush.

Anyway, there you have it. Now you know I have the views I have on the Message. I actually do not object to anyone using the Message, but I would strongly advise you not to use it as the only version you use. It can sometimes bring out the meaning more clearly, but at other times it will obscure the meaning, and at other obliterate it altogether. In fact it is best to treat the Message in same way as should treat a sermon, ie go and read the Bible see if the Message or sermon is actually consistent with what the Bible says.