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Romans 1: 28-31, Quarreling As A Trait of the Reprobate Mind
Posted : 6 Dec, 2013 05:37 PM
Romans 1: 28-31, Quarreling As A Trait of the Reprobate Mind
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:" Romans 1: 28-31
Debate, from the Greek word eris is listed here as a trait of the reprobate mind.
NT Doctrine On Debate In Different Translations
Geneva Bible Romans 1: 28-29:
"For as they regarded not to acknowledge God, even so God delivered them up unto a reprobate mind, to doe those things which are not convenient, 29 Being full of all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, of murder, of debate, of deceit, taking all things in the evil part, whisperers, "
Tyndale Bible Romans 1: 28-29:
The Tyndale Bible for Romans 1: 28-29 in modern English spelling says:
"And as it seemed not good unto them to be known of God, even so God delivered them up unto a leawde mind, that they should do those things which were not comely, being full of all unrighteous doing, of fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, evil conditioned whisperers.."
King James Version for Romans 1: 28-29:
28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"
But the 1881 British Revised Version changed the translation of eris from debate to strife, and most recent English versions use strife. Those who defend the new versions say the meaning of the English word debate has changed and therefore debate is no longer something a Christian might not want to do.
And for Romans 1: 28-29 the New International Version says "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.."
But because the English word debate is said to have changed meanings between the publication of the King James Version in 1611 and the British Revised Version in 1881 the doctrine that eris, in the Greek, is of the reprobate mind cannot change for that reason. Biblical doctrines are given by God, not by man, and are absolute and unchanging. If
and when the meaning of an English word changes, then another English word, closer in meaning to eris must be substituted in the translation. To claim that the doctrine that eris is a trait of the reprobate mind changed because the meaning of the English word changed, is an attempt at a slight of hand game, with man leaning to his own understanding.
The Greek word eris, Strong's number 2054, is said to mean "a quarrel, by implicating wrangling - contention, debate, strife, variance." Note that the first definitions of eris are "a quarrel, by implicating wrangling."
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/debate?q=debate
The Online Oxford Dictionary defines debate as : "noun: a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward. verb: argue about (a subject), especially in a formal manner:the board debated his proposal."
"Origin: Middle English: via Old French from Latin dis- (expressing reversal) + battere 'to fight'"
So, originally of the word debate meant to fight (with words). And, since the first definition of the Greek word eris is "a quarrel, by implication wrangling" instead of claiming that the doctrine that eris is a trait of the reprobate mind, why not substitute the English word quarrel for debate as a translation of eris?
Paul's doctrine in Romans 1: 28-28 in which he lists the Greek word eris, as a trait of those with a reprobate mind is not overthrown by substitution of the English word strife for debate in the new versions. There are at least four other places where Paul states this doctrine in more general terms.
In I Corinthians 1: 11, Paul says there were contentions among those in this ekklesia. Romans 2: 8 says "..unto them that are contentious, but do not obey the truth...indignation and wrath." I Corinthians 11: 16, says "If any man be contentious, we have no such custom." And look at II Corinthians 12: 20. Here Paul says he fears that when he comes back to his people at Corinth that he will find them in debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults." The NIV has quarreling for the Greek word eris. This is one of a few places where the NIV supports a doctrine that some other recent versions diminish.
Paul uses another Greek word which also carries with it contentiousness in I Timothy 6: 3-4,
logomachia, "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings."
This is a significant text, because what Paul is saying is that those who get off into doctrines that were not taught by Christ and the Apostles tend to get into logomachia, or strifes of words." Lets see what Strong's says about logomachia.
Logomachia is number 3055 in Strong's and is said to mean "disputations, strife of words." One might translate logomachia as "word fights."
This elimination from scripture of the doctrine that debate is of the reprobate mind came in the late 19th century at a time when several cults had gained influence within American and also British Christianity to some extent, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Christian Science, British Israelite or Christian Identity theology and the dispensationalism of John Darby, Edward Irving, C.I. Scofield and Lewis S. Chafer.
With the doctrine that debate is of the reprobate mind supposedly gone from the New Testament, those in false doctrines can now get into heated and prolonged quarrels with those defending sound doctrine without the people upholding scripture supposedly having an authority to oppose this type of quarreling and bickering, and to avoid the quarreling altogether.
Someone who has the mind of Christ (Philippians 2: 5) would not want to get into prolonged quarrels. Christ preached and taught, but did not get into quarrels with individual Pharisees though
sometimes used strong language against the Pharisees, calling them serpents (Matthew 23: 33) and telling them they are of their father the devil (John 8: 44).
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