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Dr. Robert Hymers And Italicized Hanky Panky By HERB EVANS, Ltt.D. 157 PATTIES PLACE PORTERSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA 16051 E-Mail: herbevans@juno.com
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4) And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture IS given by inspiration of God and IS profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. -- 2 Tim. 3:15-17 After welshing on a $1000 offer to anyone, who could produce Bible believers (Hymers calls them Ruckmanites) prior to 1950, Bob Hymers seemed to fade off into the sunset. Well, apparently he is at it again (Bible Correcting that is), judging from his circulated audio mail out. In it, he heaps scorn on Bruce Lackey, Don Edwards, and the Flaming Torch, i.e., Jackass, donkey's hind end, dumb, ignorant, insecure, afraid, unable to think – learn -- answer, and etc. Well, as usual, Hot Dog Hymers has bit off more than he can chew. Hymers chooses to attack 2 Timothy 3:16. Here, he argues that since the word "IS" exists in italics, supplied by the translators and not in the underlying Greek, it cannot be referring to "present" inspired scripture but refers to "past" inspired scripture in that which was penned originally. In other words, a missing "IS" gives him liberty to say that the scripture "WAS" inspired. Hymers also claims that the King James Bible is an "accurate" translation, but it should be changed. Why? To make it inaccurate. Hymers justifies his position by arguing that since the scripture was initially given by inspiration, it can no longer be inspired. In other words, if it "WAS," it can no longer be an "IS," especially since Bobby Hymers cannot find the word "IS," in the Greek. The scriptures have since expired. Still, dumb ol' George Ricker Berry places an "IS" in brackets in his Interlinear Greek/English Translation to complete the sense of the passage. Nevertheless, Hymers ignores the SECOND "IS" of the same passage. You see, the second "IS" cannot be found in the Greek either but is unconditionally bound to the first English "IS." So, what does Hymers do with a case like this? Simple. He must say that the scripture "WAS" profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Yes, once upon a time the man of God could be throughly furnished unto ALL good works. Nevertheless, alas, no more. The man of God IS not throughly furnished, because he only used to be throughly furnished. Still, then, Timothy could not be throughly furnished either, for he only had copies of copies-uninspired. So, in Timothy's day, the scripture only "was" inspired once upon a time. Hymers cannot think that the holy scripture in 2 Timothy 3:15, which Timothy was reading, is inspired scripture, while thinking that the scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16,17 is uninspired scripture. That would be two kinds of scripture, inspired and uninspired. Still, it does say that ALL "scripture" is given by inspiration . . . if it is scripture. If Hymers does not believe that the copies that Timothy possessed were inspired, how does he handle the fact that they were called "holy" scriptures? Enter the Epistle of Barnabas! Now, where does Hymers get these wild ideas? From the English? From the Greek? From the Bible, generically speaking? No - to each question! Hymers’ real boo-boo is that
he believes that the italicized words are NOT the word of God and that
you can substitute what you want in place of them. We thought that this
was a novel approach to the Bible, so we decided to experiment with Hymers'
theory. This is what we came up with, with very little effort: 2. Blessed WERE (italicized are) they that mourn . . . Matt. 5:4 3. Blessed WERE (italicized are) the meek . . . Matt. 5:5 4. Blessed WERE (italicized are) they which hunger . . . Matt. 5:6 5. Blessed WERE (italicized are) the merciful . . . Matt. 5:7 6. Blessed WERE (italicized are) the pure at heart . . . Matt. 5:8 7. Blessed WERE (italicized are) the peacemakers . . . Matt. 5:9 8. Blessed WERE (italicized are) they whose iniquities . . . Rom. 4:7 9. Blessed WAS (italicized is) the man . . . Rom. 4:8 10. Great WAS (italicized is) your reward in heaven . . . Matt. 5:12 11. how great WAS (italicized is) that darkness . . . Matt. 6:23 12. O woman, great WAS (italicized is) thy faith . . . Matt. 15:28 13. There WAS (italicized
is) . . . no condemnation . . . Rom. 8:1 15. there WAS (italicized
is) one kind of flesh of men . . . 1 Cor. 15:39 18. it WAS (italicized is) of faith . . . Rom. 4:16 19. where remission of these WAS (italicized is) WAS (italicized is no more offering for sin . . . Heb. 10:28 20. the wages of sin WAS (italicized is) death . . . the gift of God WAS (italicized is) eternal life . . . Rom. 6:23 21. The sting of death WAS (italicized is) sin . . . the strength of sin WAS (italicized is) the law . . . 1 Cor. 15:56 To believe as Bob Hymers does that the italicized words are not the word of God and that you can supply whatever word you like, puts a "Yea, hath God said?" on many passages. Nevertheless, then that is what the devil and the world have been doing ever since the Garden of Eden. It is a shame that professing Christians should join in such a practice or even align themselves with those that do (James 4:4) (Appeared in The Flaming Torch, July / August / September 1993, p. 7) V |
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