ANNOUNCER: This is Grace in Focus, and today answering a question about English translations of the Bible. Sometimes, do English translations use words that promote false ideas about the gospel? Let’s think about this together today, and we are delighted you’re joining us here on Grace in Focus. This is a ministry at the Grace Evangelical Society. Find us at faithalone.org. We want you to consider coming to our national annual conference this year. The dates are May 18th through the 21st. It’s in North Texas at Camp Copass, a beautiful venue with great accommodations. There will be great fellowship, great sessions, VBS for the kids, and great recreation. Get all the information you need and get registered at faithalone.org/events. 

And now with today’s question and answer discussion, here is Bob Wilkin, along with Ken Yates. 

KEN: Bob, we’ve got a question from Jeff. He asked specifically about a translation in James chapter 1, but we’re going to also look at some other examples in the New Testament. Let me read James chapter 1 verse 21, and this is in the New King James version, and it says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” 

Okay, and his question is, those last words, “save your souls.” Now, James is talking to believers. A few verses earlier, he goes, we’ve been born from above by His word. He calls him beloved brethren in the book. I forgot how many times he, I think he calls him beloved brethren something like three times, but brethren, like a bunch of times, I can’t remember the exact number. So he’s talking to believers, and he says to them, receive the word that is able to save your souls. 

And his question is, don’t sometimes our English translations use words that promote false gospels, because here in James 1:21, someone could read that and say, okay, save your soul. What do we think when we as evangelicals hear the phrase, as your soul been saved, we think, well, that’s talking about eternal life. 

BOB: Well, actually, most people interpret James 1:21 exactly that way. They say you’ve got to lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and you’ve got to receive the implanted word, which is the word you’re hearing preached in church in order to be saved from hell. That’s the way most people would interpret that. 

KEN: So they would say, as a typical evangelistic thing, you’ve got to recognize you’re a sinner, you’ve got to repent of your sins, you got to lay that aside, the filthiness in your life, and then listen to this word that’s being preached to you about making him Lord of your life or however. 

Basically, you’re starting on the path of following him for the rest of your life.  And that’s how you save your soul. And what Jeff, I think, says in his question is, he would prefer to translate it, rescue the life or something. 

KEN: Yeah, he says in the question, wouldn’t it be better to instead of save, put rescue, and instead of soul, use the word life? 

BOB: Okay. So yes, it would. However, I would say that the Greek word here, sozo does mean to save or deliver or rescue, right? And the word psuche does mean soul or life or living being. However, it’s very common in both nautical terms and in terms of aeronautics to refer to the passengers on board a ship or the passengers on a plane as souls. 

KEN: Right. Like there were 400 souls on board. 

BOB: I’ve been told by a guy who was a pilot that they would ask, how many souls do you have on board when they were flying a transport ship? And they would use the word souls. And I understand that’s what happens in nautical terms when you say, we have so many souls on board or if people die at sea, how many souls were lost? If you would turn to 1 Peter, 3:18, because in 1 Peter, Peter uses the words save and the word soul, and he’s talking in nautical terms. 

KEN: 1 Peter 3:18, “Christ also suffered once for the sins that he might bring us to God, being put to death,” You’re talking about a little bit further.

BOB: Oh, I’m sorry, 21? 

KEN: Yeah, 21. “While the ark was being prepared,” this is in verse 20, “in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water.” 

BOB: “Eight souls were saved through water.” That says nothing about Noah and his family going to heaven. It says nothing about them being born again. It says they were saved from physical death. Their lives were saved. 

KEN: Or to use Jeff’s thing, their lives are rescued. Their lives were rescued. And the same exact expression occurs at the end of James in chapter five verses 19 and 20. And again, it’s talking about rescuing a life from premature death. And by the way, I would say “the implanted word “in James 1:21 is the word we hear preached each week. 

KEN: Right. And he’s talking to believers. Right. 

BOB: So in other words, you’re going to hear the word talk over and over. And as you hear the word talk, you need to apply it. And if you apply it, then that’s going to deliver you from this evil world we live in and the consequences of the evil world. 

ANNOUNCER: It’s coming, it’ll be here before you know it. What am I talking about? The Grace Evangelical Society’s National Conference 2026, May 18th through the 21st at Camp Copass, an absolutely beautiful campground in North Texas right on the lake with lots of recreation, great food, a great place to stay, wonderful fellowship, and wonderful Free Grace Bible teaching. Information and online registration now at faithalone.org/events. First timers waive registration fees. Faithalone.org/events.

KEN: And so to answer Jeff’s question, yes, it would be better, at least in 21st century evangelical world, if we use different words. 

BOB: Maybe we could use a few other examples. Do you have any other examples?KEN: Well, as you mentioned one where the translations, a lot of times our English translations will give a confusing. 

BOB: Yeah. 1 Corinthians 5:11. And I specifically mentioned the New American Standard Bible, which is the one when I came to faith, I used that for quite a few years. And what is, how does it translate 1 Corinthians 5:11? 

KEN: Well, Paul here in 1 Corinthians 5 is talking about associating with immoral people. And he says, “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any,” and the New American Standard says, “any so-called brother. If he should be an immoral person or covetous or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or a swindler, not even to eat with such a one.” 

BOB: And the words “so-called” are not in the Greek. The Greek says, “anyone bearing the name brother” or “anyone named brother.” 

KEN: But it’s obvious, and this is Jeff’s point, that the translators here are making a theological decision. 

BOB: Right. They’re saying, a believer can’t be an immoral person, a believer can’t be an idolater. And so as a result, they change it from anyone bearing the name brother to “any so-called brother.” Or a lot of translations, you got an NIV behind you there, you could look at it. But a lot of the translations say that “anyone who claims to be,” I think the NIV, depending on which NIV you look at, it says, claims to be a brother or some of the NIVs say, claims to be a brother or sister. And the word claim is not in the text. And the word sister is not in the text. Did you find 1 Corinthians 5:11 in the NIV? 

KEN: In this NIV, it says, close to what you were saying, but it says, “but now I’m writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself,” that’s adding, 

BOB: What does he call himself? 

KEN: Calls himself a brother.

BOB: Calls himself a brother. So that’s calling into question, the idea of is this really a brother. And so yeah, that leads to a false gospel or false message. And also you brought up the passage in Mark 8, it’s also in Matthew 16, Mark 8:34-38 about deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. 

KEN: Yeah, this is another time where the word soul is used. 

BOB: And saving the soul. 

KEN: Right. In Mark 8:34, Jesus is talking, it says, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” Now here, he’s talking about losing his soul in versus saving his soul, but the word is the same word that you mentioned earlier, psuche, which most of the time in the New Testament means life. 

And by the way, I was going to say, just as an example, because you mentioned it about being on an airplane. Well, here in the New Testament in Acts chapter 27, when Paul is shipwrecked, it says everybody that was on board made it to the island. Okay. And it says in verse 37, and in all we were 276, now, the new King James version says “persons,” but the word is soul, souls on the ship. That’s talking about people talking about lives. And it’s talking about in this context, there were 276 lives that were saved from drowning in this case, they’re saved from dying, which is what James is talking about as well. 

But yeah, in Mark chapter eight, verses 34 through 38, we’ve also got this idea of losing or saving your life and losing your soul. Well, it’s the same word soul and life. 

BOB: Yeah, it shouldn’t be translated differently in 35 and 36. Don’t they translate psuche differently, soul in one and life in the other? 

KEN: Yes, loses his life or saves his life. 

BOB: If that’s going to be life in the next verse, should say, “what will a man give in exchange for his life,” not, “what will a man give in exchange for his soul.” You know, I’ve heard music groups and pastors use this passage to say, if you want to save your eternal soul, if you want to go to heaven when you die, if you want to be a child of God, you’ve got to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him. If you don’t do that, if you don’t deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him, you’re on your way to hell. 

KEN: And in Luke, the parallel passage says, take up your cross daily. Well, that’s kind of tough. 

BOB: Yeah, a lot of people say you’re not born again at a point in time, but over your whole lifetime, and you’ve got to continuously deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me because that’s what they think faith is. It’s all those things. Well, we’re out of time. 

KEN: And Jeff, to answer your question, yes, some of our English translations, just because of the nature of either translators or just a language itself, it does lead some to see false gospels being preached. 

BOB: But that’s why you should compare translations and also, you know, look at the context. And of course, make sure you start with a solid footing from the gospel of John. You know what the saving message is, you know that whoever believes in him will never perish, but has everlasting life, and don’t let any other verse that’s mistranslated confuse you. 

KEN: Great question, Jeff, we appreciate it and remember, keep grace in focus. 

ANNOUNCER: Read many from our library of thousands of free magazine and journal articles online at faithalone.org/resources. That’s faithalone.org. Did you miss an episode of Grace in Focus that you really wanted to hear? Just come to faithalone.org. That’s faithalone.org. We have all our past episodes right there on the site. Our team is really great about answering questions, comments, and feedback. If you’ve got some, we hope to hear from you. Let me give you our email address so you can do just that. It’s radio@faithalone.org. That’s radio@faithalone.org.

Now, friend, we thank you so much for being with us all this week. Now, we wish you a great weekend. Come back and join us again on Monday for more Grace in Focus.