Important — It Matters!
Christianity, above all other entities, should be held to the high standard of SOPs.
Christianity, above all other entities, should be held to the high standard of SOPs.
I was first introduced to Op Standards (commonly known as SOP – Standard Operation Procedures) in the early 1980’s when I began my manufacturing career building two-way radios for our armed forces. Since that time, I’ve worked in three manufacturing industries wearing many hats along the way. I started as an assembly line worker and was shortly promoted to Team Leader. I’ve worked in production, shipping, receiving, the inspection area, and ended my factory career as a Quality Engineer Technician in 2009. As a Quality Technician, I traveled to various manufacturing corporations – some large and some small. One thing that every position I worked, as well as every company I entered, had in common was Operation Standards. These procedures are crucial to the success of the companies. An employee caught not following Op Standards was at risk of being fired.
The Business Dictionary asserts that a standard operating procedure must be a written document used as guidance any time a specific task or project is undertaken. It’s a list of best practices that maximize the likelihood of the given task or project producing the desired results. There are many fields, including the military, health care, production, construction and education that rely on the implementation of Operation Standards to obtain the desired and expected results needed.
The importance of the Op Standard can not be understated, its purpose is to establish the roles and tools need to perform the task. As well, it is the source of knowledge for the job. It is the written record for the procedures, actions and policies promoting a project's success. It is to be adhered to at all times because it is the tool that enables employees to do the best job by providing reputable, established, and tested information allowing successful completion of their task. Not following the Op Standard could prove fatal to the employee or the customer of the finished product. Op Standards are imperative. Efficient quality management systems are based on Op Standards. Success depends on the Op Standard.
Christianity, above all other entities, should be held to the high standard of SOPs. How else can Christians be enabled to do the best job without being provided reputable, established, and tested information? Christians need an Op Standard to follow. We need one that will enable us to provide an effective, efficient, and consistent witness that proclaims the truths of God without variance and without confusion. One Op Standard that is accepted and used throughout the entire body of Christ – all born again believers. It is crucial to the success of the church.
God was well aware of this necessity for Christians and has provided the document needed. He inspired it and gave the warning regarding the outcome for failure to follow it as well as the penalty for changing it – neither of which are pleasant. I’m afraid many will face the wrath of God for both catastrophes.
I believe the only infallible Op Standard ever written is the one God inspired for His followers. It is the Holy Bible – God’s Word in documented form. Not to follow God’s Op Standard as a Christian is to err and the result could be fatal.
But, there are so many versions of the Bible – how do we know which one is the right one? Or does it really matter which version we study? It matters. If to err could be fatal, Christians need to be positive they’re following the correct one. If the Op Standard is crucial to our Christianity then it is imperative we have the right one in front of us. Otherwise, we err. If it didn’t matter then God wouldn’t have placed the heavy penalty for not following it or for changing it. It matters.
There is a lot of controversy over the numerous Bible translations currently on the market. There should be information in the introduction of each book/version of its source. Look at your Bible’s introduction – is it a translation from the oldest manuscripts or translated from another English translation? The farther back we can get in the original source the closer we get to the original Word of God.
The first endeavor to translate all 66 books of the Holy Bible into English occurred in 1382 by a man named John Wycliffe. Up until then, the Holy Bible remained in Latin and remained easily available only to the clergy. In the early 1940's, there were two main English versions of the Holy Bible used - the King James Version, published in 1611, and the Douay-Rheims Bible translated from the Latin Vulgate in 1582 and 1609. The Douay-Rheims contains additional books known as the Apocryphal books, inter-testament books that were never considered part of the official biblical canon.
Since the original 1611 King James Version is still in print, and is translated from the oldest manuscripts, it should be used as the putative Op Standard and is the version I would recommend to English speaking people of any age. Yes, it is written in the Shakespearean language - and sadly, some say they find it hard to understand. If you aren’t currently using a KJV for study, I encourage you to get one and give it serious consideration. It is worthy of your attention.
The meaning of English words does have a tendency to change from time to time, but this truly hasn’t presented a problem in understanding the KJV. An example: the word “sore” was replaced with the word “very” in the English language since 1611. So in First Samuel 17:24 where it says: “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.” Simply means they were “very” afraid. It wouldn’t be hard to understand the men were very afraid even if you didn’t know the meaning of “sore” without looking it up. But, if understanding is lacking, one or all of the following tools can be used: Dictionary, Prayer, and far from least - the Holy Spirit. We place limits on God when we give into slothfulness and want an easy road. We are to study God’s Word to show ourselves approved. The icing on the cake is that God has sent us an all-knowing teacher – the Holy Ghost.
We are an educated generation with many tools at hand. The click of a mouse brings an entire world of knowledge in an instant via the Internet. I don’t believe the language in the KJV is a real hindrance for anyone serious about knowing what God truly has to say. More, I think the idea that it is harder to understand is used as a weapon of Satan to keep people from digging deeper into the truth and to create confusion. The reason I say confusion is because if you have a congregation using a dozen different versions of the Bible — because they think they are easier to understand — and the Minister/Preacher/Pastor/Leader/Teacher is reading from even another version how can the congregation follow along in unison? Confusion is born.
A standard is important for unison and clarity. It is important for the success of the church body. It is important for the church to have an effective witness in the world. It is vital to the life of a Christian. It would be beneficial to only one to have confusion and disarray rampant in the church. What better way to get the focus of Christians off of spreading the gospel than to have them in continuous biblical debates and dividing into numerous denominations with varying Op Standards. A house divided against itself will fall. The body of Christ – all believers – is one house and has become divided against itself via conflicting Bible translations. Who benefits? Only the creator of the confusion. Who loses? We do.
Red Flags: I see imaginary red flags go up in my mind when a speaker or author has to use several versions of the Bible to make points throughout the message or book. If it is God’s point the speaker is attempting to make then one version of God’s Word will be sufficient to present the message. God’s Word is infallible and will not and can not contradict itself. If it takes more than one version of the Bible to make a point then I fear the point could be man’s and not God’s. Therefore, red flags of warning fly.
I also see red flags when the KJV can not be used to support or follow a study/teaching/speaker. I have a friend who was asked to teach some discipleship classes using certain well-known materials. My friend’s Bible was a KJV, but wasn’t able to use it in the class. It didn’t correspond with the Christian author’s materials (red flag). My friend’s experience was confusion and we know that God is not the author of confusion.
Red flags go up whenever I come across a Bible that is written/translated for a particular denomination or group of people. God’s word is not selective. It is for all - One Word (God’s) for all people.
Red flags go up whenever entire verses are left out of translations.
Red flags go up whenever the virgin birth of Christ, the deity of Christ, the infallibility of the Bible, salvation by faith, or the Trinity are messed with, downgraded, changed or left out of translations.
Red flags go up when scripture is changed to keep from offending.
There is no problem with translating the Bible into languages people can understand, but we do have a problem when the Word of God is changed in meaning by the translation. English words may change in meaning but God’s Word never changes. The Op Standard for Christians remains the same today as in the day of the Apostles. Whatever version you choose as your Op Standard - be sure to do your homework on it. Compare it to the older manuscripts and/or compare it to the KJV. Look for red flags. It’s too important in your studies and your Christian walk to follow the wrong standard. This is your responsibility alone. Online Bible comparisons are easy - just google it. Know the origin of the Bible you use. Who wrote it and why. Don’t base your choice on words easy to understand, rather base your choice translation on it being the closest to God’s original inspired manuscripts available to you. It matters.
Don’t expect understanding God’s Word to always come easy no matter which translation you’ve prayerfully chosen. Understanding is not handed out on silver platters; it comes by prayer and study. Christians have to invest time - time one-on-one with God through His Word. It is part of the personal relationship we have with our Lord. God wants that communication interchange that comes from our prayers and reading of His Word and as Christians we depend on it.
My preference remains the King James Version – it fits the guidelines of the best practices that maximize the likelihood of the given task or project producing the desired results that my Christian Op Standard requires.
