The Calvinist ESV: James 1:12 and 5:11
I am breaking the "A Random Verse That Destroys Calvinism (And 'Is the ESV a Calvinist Bible'?)" post up into shorter segments so that each verse (or two) gets it own post.
"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial ..." (NIV)
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ..." (KJV)
In these translations, the person is the one doing the persevering/enduring. According to the concordance, the word "endures" in this verse means to bear a trial bravely and calmly. This is something the person has to do. It takes effort and wise choices to stay faithful and obedient in the face of trials and temptations.
But here it is in the ESV (and only in the ESV): "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial ..." (When the ESV words a verse differently than any other translation out there, sit up and take notice.)
I can see how we might read that and automatically think it's the same thing as "enduring temptation" and "persevering under trials." But is it really the same thing? Why does this little change make a difference?
Because to "remain steadfast" doesn't necessarily mean the person has any choice about it or responsibility over it. It doesn't necessarily require any effort from them. A person can "remain" in a medically-induced coma with no effort from them at all, no choice on their part, because it happened to them, caused by and determined by the doctors. And besides that, to "remain" means to stay in the same place/condition you were already in, to stay the same as you are.
And so in Calvinism, if someone "remains steadfast" it would be because God caused it to happen to them, not that the person had any control over it, and it would be that they are simply staying the same "steadfast" that they always were, which (in Calvinism) would be because God causes the elect to "remain" in the faith, to persevere (the P in the TULIP acronym). This does not require any effort or choice on man's part. It's up to God. If God predestined you to remain steadfast, you'll remain steadfast because He will cause it to happen. But if He didn't, then you will not remain steadfast. You have no control over it, no real choice or responsibility about it. It happens to you, caused by and predetermined by God.
But to be commanded to "endure temptation" and "persevere under trial" (like the other translations say) requires effort and thought and choice and obedience on our parts. We are not just effortlessly "remaining" in some previous predetermined condition; we are working to bear up under a heavy burden, to stay faithful, to not give in to sin. And this is our responsibility, our choice. Not God's.
Essentially, in the ESV and through the eyes of Calvinism, this verse could be read: "Blessed is the man whom God causes to remain steadfast under trial (which would only be the elect), for when he has stood the test (as God ordained he would do) he shall receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those whom He predestined to love Him, the elect."
[And it's the same thing in James 5:11 where the ESV changes "we count as blessed those who have persevered" (NIV) to "we consider those blessed who remained steadfast" (ESV).
In the NIV (and others), the people themselves did the persevering (making faithful and obedient choices). But in the ESV, they simply remained steadfast, which doesn't necessarily mean it was through their effort or choices. It's just an observation that they "remained." And in Calvinism, it would be because God caused it to happen to them.]
#9: Also notice that, in James 5:11, the ESV is one of the few translations that changes it from something like "You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about [the outcome]" (NIV) ... to "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord."
This "purpose of the Lord" changes it from a message about God working Job's self-chosen faithfulness into something good ... to a message about God causing Job to be faithful for His particular reasons and purposes. Big difference!
A note about the ESV vs King James:
If you really want to get into the nitty-gritty, read these articles about the men who wrote the Greek texts that the ESV is based on: "Westcott and Hort: Translator's Beliefs" and "Westcott and Hort and the Greek Text." The ESV is based on the RSV, which is based on the Greek Texts of these two men (who, it sounds like, rejected the infallibility of Scripture, despised evangelicals, questioned Jesus's divinity and an eternal hell, did not believe Genesis and the creation story was literal, affirmed Darwin and evolution, etc.), which is based on two corrupted manuscripts which differ from the majority of the more reliable manuscripts that the KJV is based on.
So when something says that the ESV has only made 6% changes, it means "from the RSV," meaning that it's 94% the same as the RSV it was based on, a translation which was based on two corrupted manuscripts that disagree with the majority of the manuscripts available. It would be like if a journalist interviewed 100 people about an event ... and 95 of them said the exact same thing, but 5 told a different story ... and the journalist decided to side with the 5 and print their story as fact. Raises some red flags, doesn't it?
In the course of researching this issue, and after not knowing for decades what to think of the whole "which translation is most accurate" debate, I now side with the King James. I mean, I have several other translations, and I think different ones are good for different reasons, such as readability, compare and contrast, to hear God's Word in a fresh way, etc. But when having to decide which one is more reliable and accurate, especially considering the significant differences like those above, I have to side with the KJV (not the New King James, just the King James). And I've never been more sure of it than now, after all this research.
